Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[HallFamilyFarm]

Not many remember Ralh Brazelton. He was one of my mentors. The man knew his Orpingtons! I wished I could locate some of his large fowl stock. I have some of his Bantam stock.

Ralph would trapnest his birds and only ahtch from Orpington large fowl that met the Standard and produced 200+ eggs per year. Does anyone have his plans for the trapnests? I recall them being in the Poultry Press back then.

Walt Leonard says his avatar is a Brazelton Buff Orpington.

I have had a need list which I got today I am just trying to keep what I have. I talked to a fellow today at the Library who I helped about five years ago get some breeds . He spun himself into a mess got to many breeds could not get rid of excess stock and ended up giving up chickens and waterfowl. He went to quick to fast and just made a mess of things. The increase in feed prices did him in. He has only one breed of geese, no ducks or chickens. He told me he is trying to get some weird chicken from Turkey or something and maybe some jungle fowl. I don't know why people do this but it seems to be they want so many breeds cant do justice to the ones they have and give up.. Lee Roy Jones had a term. Here today Gone Tomorrow chicken people.That is why there are so few people who breed the good old Standard birds.

Ralph Brazelton had the best advice and I took this to the Bank. Go Slow, Go Small and Go Down the Middle of the Road.What do most do go Big Go Fast and are all over the place.
ck

I have four breeds of chickens. I am going to get out of two breeds and go with just Reds and White Rocks. Maybe with the remainder of time I got to be a breeder I can improve and keep the blood
lines going. I would like some Frizzle Seroma reds some day. New York Reds keep your eyes open for me.

bob

 

[greathorse]

If you google trapnest you will find any number of them. They are mostly based on a hen tripping a door on the way into the nest and being confined there until you release her. I am not around enough to avoid keeping them in there for most of a day if they should happen to lay early in t he day.

I admire anyone that has the committment to get this done on a regular basis. Lots of record keeping as well as time spent checking for trapped females. Good luck


http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/x...d=B4798037CD5638B25E1C8568B82222B6?sequence=1

I found this trap nest with a quick google. It appears simple to make. I am sure there are others

 

[NYREDS]

For years I have advised newcomers to the fancy to pick one or two breeds they like & stick to them. Unfortunately I have never been able to take my own advice. I think I may have chicken ADD as I'm forever adding something new & getting rid of something I've had for awhile. My problem is I like them all, well not Silkies but everything else.
When I first applied to the judge's apprentice program I was asked to list all the breeds/varieties I had ever raised. At the time the list numbered 76 & it's longer now. When I go to a show I aalways end up on traders row & there's always something I've never had that looks good.
However, now that age is catching up to me I'm forced to cut back. Just can't seem to do what I used to do. I like to say I can do as good a day's work as I ever did, it just takes me a week to do it now.
I have a number of people wanting Dominique eggs this year & after I've satisfied all those orders I'm turning the Dominique flock over to someone else. That will leave me with two large fowl breeds; Rhode Island Reds & Golden Campines along with Bantam Partridge Wyandottes. One or the other of the large fowl will be going too so from here on out I'll have one large fowl & one bantam breed. Or at least that's the plan.

 

[NotAFarm]

For years I have advised newcomers to the fancy to pick one or two breeds they like & stick to them. Unfortunately I have never been able to take my own advice. I think I may have chicken ADD as I'm forever adding something new & getting rid of something I've had for awhile. My problem is I like them all, well not Silkies but everything else.
When I first applied to the judge's apprentice program I was asked to list all the breeds/varieties I had ever raised. At the time the list numbered 76 & it's longer now. When I go to a show I aalways end up on traders row & there's always something I've never had that looks good.
However, now that age is catching up to me I'm forced to cut back. Just can't seem to do what I used to do. I like to say I can do as good a day's work as I ever did, it just takes me a week to do it now.
I have a number of people wanting Dominique eggs this year & after I've satisfied all those orders I'm turning the Dominique flock over to someone else. That will leave me with two large fowl breeds; Rhode Island Reds & Golden Campines along with Bantam Partridge Wyandottes. One or the other of the large fowl will be going too so from here on out I'll have one large fowl & one bantam breed. Or at least that's the plan.

We'll see how that plan works for ya!

 

[Robert Blosl]

When I called Ralph Brazelton it was for his Trap Nest he had advertised in the Poultry Press. He had sold them but the phone call ended up for a hour. He told me he trap nested his Buff Orpingtons to lay 200 eggs a year. I then asked him what time do you turn your lights on he said I dont use lights. WHAT? If he did can you imagine how many eggs they will lay per year.

Golden Ca pines New York Reds is this the kind that Art Lundgren is breeding?

There is a Heritage Breed none no asks about. They are rare but very good blood lines are available and are even getting on Champion Row.

The Silver Laced Wyandottes are pretty but you have to know the trick to get them to hatch. The fluff in the rear ends has to be pulled. So sad I had that problem with my White Rocks years ago but breed it out. Today I had five eggs in the incubator four hatched. Just increase the egg production and tight feathers show up and the fluffy ones go away.This was learned in this visi 25 years ago this is how Ralph intorduced me to why he trap nested and used the Hogan method of selection.I Never thought I would ever use his secrets on my birds but never thought I would ever have White Rocks on my place either.

bob

 

[NYREDS]

When I called Ralph Brazelton it was for his Trap Nest he had advertised in the Poultry Press. He had sold them but the phone call ended up for a hour. He told me he trap nested his Buff Orpingtons to lay 200 eggs a year. I then asked him what time do you turn your lights on he said I dont use lights. WHAT? If he did can you imagine how many eggs they will lay per year.

Golden Ca pines New York Reds is this the kind that Art Lundgren is breeding?

There is a Heritage Breed none no asks about. They are rare but very good blood lines are available and are even getting on Champion Row.

The Silver Laced Wyandottes are pretty but you have to know the trick to get them to hatch. The fluff in the rear ends has to be pulled. So sad I had that problem with my White Rocks years ago but breed it out. Today I had five eggs in the incubator four hatched. Just increase the egg production and tight feathers show up and the fluffy ones go away.This was learned in this visi 25 years ago this is how Ralph intorduced me to why he trap nested and used the Hogan method of selection.I Never thought I would ever use his secrets on my birds but never thought I would ever have White Rocks on my place either.

bob

Bob,
My Campines came directly from Art. Last fall he said he planned to get out of them & he sent me what were, by his estimation, the 2 best trios he had. I added these to ones I had gotten from him previously. This strain lays like crazy & hatches well too. Art said last year he bred from just 3 females & got 19-21 eggs per week. He also said nearly every egg hatched. I have about 40 out so far this spring. The hatch rate hasn't been as high as Art reported but I haven't had time to gather eggs frequently & many were chilled when I got them. This affects hatchability. This is probably news to you as you're smart enough to live where it never gets cold.
Silver Laced Wyandottes are a beautiful bird, especially a flock of them out on the grass. I visited Rick Hare a couple of years ago & at the time he had a pen of 80+ pullets. You couldn't tell one from another.
Bill

 

[NYREDS]

We'll see how that plan works for ya!

Not betting the farm on it.

 

[ericsplls]

Bill I will agree about limiting the number of breeds one keeps. There's nothing wrong with keeping as many breeds as you want as long as one doesn't plan on breeding chickens. I've got 40 Dominique eggs in the incubator now and will probably do a couple of single matings later this summer. I couldn't do that with more than one breed. I still want to add a bantam breed but for now I'm focused on the Doms

 

[greathorse]

My fetiltiy in the Silver laced wyandottes has been very poor so far this year. Last year was actually pretty good. I have been setting every egg and so far it appear the fertility is about 25%. I too know that I have some issues with chilled eggs as I only collect once and day and we have some very cold weather. I prefer not to pull feathers on females if I don't have too. I try to keep management to a minimum. If selecting through allowing those with tight enough feathers to works I am all for it. I have what I think are some very nice birds and hope I don't lose type by hatching only those that can be fertile without pulling fluff.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

Well, if you can't pull, you can trim.

Right now I go out to collect the hatching eggs with a pencil. I have some cheap-o thermometers at key points by the nest boxes in breeding coop areas. I write the temperature on each egg while I label it; thus I can keep track of what might actually have been chilled rather than be infertile. On the other hand, this was the warmest February I've ever seen in NH; so we're hatching a strong percentile.

Best of luck!

RC Anconas and White Dorkings: