Consolidated Kansas

[Hawkeye95]

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Thanks Renee for the beautiful fluffy silkie offerings!

I had help deciding on a breeder that shows her silkies and has racked up a bunch of points or whatever it's called. (still learning about this!) I contacted the show people who helped me hunt down 3 diff breeders and they've all just come back from Nationals. One lady sold me her show quality rooster and a 4 month old pullet that she *thinks* might be show quality.. she said the bird needs more growing out. She told me worst case is that any flaws will be very minor, but otherwise, has tight wings, etc, etc. I tried to do my best on reading up on all of this, but I just took her word for it. She is also a certified state pullorum-typhoid tester for Virgina and she does all the testing and screenings for 4-H birds and all other show birds before the shows. She has been giving me pointers on what to look for to show and wants me to keep in touch with our 4-H project. I'll be sending her pictures of how well her birds do with us. She really thinks this pullet will be able to show well for us this Spring for 4-H so we're really excited! We haven't gotten them yet. They are supposed to be shipped today-- she sent me many pictures of her colors and qualities and in the end, we picked out a splash roo and a really dark blue hen. She said the hen looks black since she has gotten darker with age, but should have blue genes, and if not, she told me we could breed back only one generation to the splash roo to get our Blue color. She had other blue hens, but they weren't nearly as nice as this one. Anyway, after that, she said I'll have to bring in other lines if I get serious about breeding since they can't all be bred back to each other for more than the one generation. So good stuff to know! I had NO clue!!! ha!!

I'm trying to pick up another kennel on CraigsList and the lady told me to email her in the morning so I could come over. Still waiting and hoping it's not late in the day before she gets back to me. I'm wanting to run to Lowes to pick up the wood I need to finish the nest boxes today so I can get the vinyl in! I can almost taste it, we are so close!!!

ANyway, starting to get annoyed that I'm still here. Sigh.

Ooooh! How exciting! I was holding a couple of perfect ones back for you- was going to email you separately, but it sounds like you're all squared away! I did get a few lavenders from this batch, too, so I'm very happy. Do post pics of the birds when you get them! Are they related to one another?

Are they related to one another.... Whoa! GOOD question!! I didn't think so, but I better ask her! I honestly have no idea! She was just telling me how to breed these two together and the whole one generation thing... Does that mean they are related if they can only be bred back one generation? Good stuff to know- I'm learning more all the time! But I am sadly lacking in knowledge here. OH, I didn't know you were holding back two of the nice ones! Awww! Well shoot, I better wait till spring now to decide where to put everyone! I'm thinking of making a little breeding pen just for the silkies this spring. I see those chain link dog kennels on CraigsList all the time, and then I could build (or buy) a little hutch for them. I don't know what I want to do. My DH is totally going to KILL me! LOL!!

 

[Trish44]

Hawkeye, if you get a dog run to use for your chicks make sure you put hardware cloth around at least the bottom & cover the top. I had a raccoon reach through mine before I got my coop & run done & pulled a hen through & then ate off her head. Then I had guineas in it later on to grow out & lost 6 to a 'possum that got through the chainlink even with chicken wire around the bottom.

 

[chicken danz]

Hawkeye, watch the adds at Orshlem's. I assume there is at least one in Wichita. I go on line every now and then and check them. They often have 20% off the kennel panels which makes a brand new one cheaper than you can buy a lot of used ones. I did buy a couple used ones for a low price off craigslist but they weren't the ones with the pre-made panels. Those are so much lighter and easier to set up and move. I can set up the pre-made kennels by myself with no help.
I also have several silkie eggs in the incubator. Of course from the way this one male silkie roo acts if I don't get him contained everything I hatch will be half silkie!
I have read over and over you can breed father to daughter but it isn't good to breed more than one more generation of brother to sister. But then some people breed several generations to get particular traits they are wanting. I think when you in-breed you start seeing deformities and more losses in the chicks, or bad things like personality traits come up that make mean roosters or whatever. People will argue this until they are blue in the face.
Chooks, my black silkies have a dark comb. Is that a bad thing? I just assumed it was an all over pigment thing. Not that I am showing any I just wouldn't want to sell any to 4H kids that wouldn't work out for them.

 

[chicken danz]

I run 3' chicken wire along the bottom of my chain link and have had no problems. Of course I net the top of my pens as well but that is more to keep the birds in than the predators out.

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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My understanding is they lay spring thru fall, but it depends on temperature. Turkeys can lay up to 120 eggs a year.

So does that apply to wild turkey as well? I know they have nests as late as July any way.
I am really considering getting some broad brested turkeys this coming year. I think it would be awesome to raise my own TG turkey. Plus people are always wanting turkey poults.

I don't think so mainly because no one is taking their eggs and they can get a clutch of eggs to go broody on, plus wild turkeys have not been bred to lay more eggs.

You will not get very far raising Broad Breasted Bronzes turkeys, due to their size, they have lost the ability to mate naturally, and Broad Breasted Bronzes in existence today are maintained entirely by artificial insemination.

You may want consider the Standard Bronze, they have retained the ability to reproduce naturally and are considered to be a heritage turkey.

You will want a heritage breed of turkey.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_(turkey)
http://heritageturkeyfoundation.org/
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#turkeys

 

[Trish44]

Danz, I stood & watched this young 'possum go right through the chain link in the back of the pen one day after I had moved the guineas out to a pen closer to the house. It had come back to look for another meal, but nothing was there. I had chicken wire around the bottom of the pen & fencing on the top too, but it ran through the chain link & pushed right under the chicken wire on the outside of the pen. I couldn't even believe it got through that small of an opening. So I guess what I'm saying is that they can still get in & out if they want to with the chicken wire. When I put up my breeding pens & coop next year I'm going to use hardware cloth on the bottom so I'm sure nothing can get in.

 

[chicken danz]

Good knowledge. I forget sometimes that my dogs probably deter most of the pests here. So if you had 3' tall hardware cloth as opposed to chicken wire along the bottom would that work? On my ornamental birds I have in chain link I just have chicken wire but have placed bricks or rocks along the base to keep anything from digging in or out. I use chain link for temporary pens until I can get better things built. They have been a godsend so far. But thank God for my dogs. They earn their keep every day.

 

[chicken danz]

bynature, I am glad you pointed that out. I hadn't really thought about that. I am wanting to raise a white turkey for ease of dressing. I had just figured I would get broad breasted white but there is no point if they can't breed. I guess I'll have to do some further research before I decided to get domestic turkeys.
My great aunt and uncle used to raise these huge white turkeys many years ago. And I know they did their own breeding. What kind do you think those were?

 

[ByN8ureHomstead]

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It could of been a White Holland Turkey. I have heard some good things about the Midget White Turkeys. When we get the space we will raise Midget Whites and Narragansett.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, yes I'm quite sure your dogs deter a LOT of things! That's why I can't wait to get mine & get her grown enough to help out the situation with the predators & then get another one to help her out also. I have so many things around here that like chicken dinner, that without a dog or dogs to keep them away I'm almost fighting a losing battle. The two little dogs I have in the house could become dinner themselves they are so small. My Yorkie thinks she's a lot bigger than she is, she's a little dog with a BIG attitude. Gosh today she went out the door & my other dog wasn't back yet from the Vet where she has been all weekend. She was trying to chase the chickens away from the cat food bowls & my rooster took after her, protecting his hens like he's supposed to, but he chased her all the way across the driveway & rolled her before I could catch up to her. He is 3 times her size! Gosh was she scared & shaking, I had to hold her & calm her down for awhile. She wasn't hurt, just scared.