***Crevecoeur Thread***

[Sylvester017]

They are all pullets. I lost my only cockerel.

So sad about your cockerel. I had to put down a new pullet of another breed last month but sometimes the hardiness genes just aren't there. Maybe with more breeders expanding the gene pool Crevies will get hardier? Your girls are certainly beautiful. Where are your girls from (in case I missed your prior post)?

 

[Miss Ashly]

So sad about your cockerel. I had to put down a new pullet of another breed last month but sometimes the hardiness genes just aren't there. Maybe with more breeders expanding the gene pool Crevies will get hardier? Your girls are certainly beautiful. Where are your girls from (in case I missed your prior post)?

My girls are from Ideal, of all places.

I sent a check to Urch for Creve hatching eggs (twice now). First batch didn't produce and I think the second order was too late and I missed cut-off. I'm going to keep trying. I'd like to have quality birds.

 

[Sylvester017]

My girls are from Ideal, of all places.

I sent a check to Urch for Creve hatching eggs (twice now). First batch didn't produce and I think the second order was too late and I missed cut-off. I'm going to keep trying. I'd like to have quality birds.

Working with live animal breeding is a cr*p shoot at best. I placed an order more than 6 months in advance through a private breeder for birds and still got one in the wrong sex and another had to be put down in less than a month after receiving not counting the additional vet bills incurred. Other times I have ordered from a private breeder and received a bird in less than 2 weeks. You just never know how live animal breeding/hatching will go or if there'll be success in the end.

For years I've been coming across Urch references re quality but hear so many disappointments about not getting orders or being cancelled. I guess if you don't mind waiting 1 or 2 years for them to eventually ship (if at all) it's OK but meanwhile working with hatchery stock that look good like your girls might not be a bad way to go. BTW is there an SOP for Crevies or is it a European standard you are using? Someone made an inference that some hatchery stock were interbred with Polish to increase gene diversity but I don't breed so don't really know. You gotta start somewhere. Rare Feathers Farm in WA used to breed nice Crevies to standard but no longer breeds them - they might be a good source to recommend breeders that bought hatching eggs from them before. If a breed is delicate or not popular with fanciers a lot of breeders drop their projects. That's the way it was with Russian Orloffs but they've had renewed interest lately and I am seeing more activity with ROs lately.

With the current AI Interstate bans it might be safer to wait to order new birds/hatching eggs after the bans are lifted. Sometimes the bans are from county to county where one county is ok within a State but an adjacent county is restricted. The DOA is forever adding new States to the list that are testing positive for this scourge and each State is monitoring their own counties as well. The Midwest was hit hardest first but it is creeping to new States all the time and when the fall migration of wild fowl starts again there will be a resurgence of cases.

GL with your Crevies!

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

So sad about your cockerel. I had to put down a new pullet of another breed last month but sometimes the hardiness genes just aren't there. Maybe with more breeders expanding the gene pool Crevies will get hardier? Your girls are certainly beautiful. Where are your girls from (in case I missed your prior post)?

Ever since i got my 2 crevie chicks, it was a battle to keep them healthy. One sadly just died leaving me with only 1. Every time i get them back to a good weight, they would rapidly start getting weaker again. Do you do anything to help them grow and keep weight on, or is it kinda a loosing battle?

I was wondering, would she (the survivor) be ok without any other crested birds...like in with some breeding millies, cochins, and jap. bantams?? Right now she is living in my bedroom with a young buff brahma and a polish rooster, but i will be working on a bantam coop over the summer. The polish is a bit boisterous and rough for her, and i don't want a roo fertilizing the bantam hens, hence the question about here being fine as an only crested one. Thanks

 

[Miss Ashly]

My Crevies are currently cooped up with some juvenile La Flèche, a bantam Cochin and two juvenile appenzellers (soon to change). The appenzellers are... Spazzes. The la flèche are mellow. The cochin is just a small duster that hangs out.


Out of all of the birds, the Crevecoeurs are my most food-motivated and greet me with the expectation that I will give them something. I supplement their feed with fruit and boiled eggs (at least weekly), especially after losing my cockerel. This seems to have helped get them pack on healthy weight and looking good.

 

[Sylvester017]

Ever since i got my 2 crevie chicks, it was a battle to keep them healthy. One sadly just died leaving me with only 1. Every time i get them back to a good weight, they would rapidly start getting weaker again. Do you do anything to help them grow and keep weight on, or is it kinda a loosing battle?

I was wondering, would she (the survivor) be ok without any other crested birds...like in with some breeding millies, cochins, and jap. bantams?? Right now she is living in my bedroom with a young buff brahma and a polish rooster, but i will be working on a bantam coop over the summer. The polish is a bit boisterous and rough for her, and i don't want a roo fertilizing the bantam hens, hence the question about here being fine as an only crested one. Thanks

Wish I had a magic formula for droopy health. It seems to be the younger ones under 6 months that I lost - all different problems and different breeds. I have my vet closeby and if I suspect poops aren't right I take samples for testing and he calls as soon as results are back and whether I need to take the bird for him to diagnose. He's pulled through one little problem Silkie but I have but I had to put down another bird. I don't usually get chicks but I couldn't find a breeder and ordered a chick through my feed store guy - and at 21 days she died from a seizure out of the blue with no visible health issues otherwise. If I see a droopy hen I give a drop of Poly-Vi-Sol no-iron on the side tip of her beak and sometimes it perks the hen and it's all she needed. Other times there are other issues that no amount of vitamins can cure like CRD, Marek's, predator attacks, cancer, etc. and need a vet's assistance. I mean a good diet and vitamins don't hurt but they're not the cure-all. You're not the first one to have a delicate Crevie. I researched on some other websites and read reviews and for some reason these are delicate birds. Probably why breeders drop their Crevie projects. At least you know the survivors will be the hardier ones obviously. I knew an English Budgerigar breeder years ago that owned a rare violet to use for breeding more violets and he spent $100's in vet bills on the little guy who simply would not breed. Less than a year later it died anyway - the variety just wasn't hardy enough. The little bird knew better than the human he wasn't meant for breeding.

As for being the only crested bird in a non-crested flock I don't think it matters. We keep at least 2 crested birds in our flock. We had 2 Silkies but had to re-home one that turned out cockerel so added another Silkie pullet for the 2 girls to hang out together. They really are not the best of buds yet still seem to toodle around the yard together. I guess "birds of a feather" truly do "flock together." Your millies, cochins, brahma, and bantams seem mannerly enough breeds with a Crevie - depends on whether they accept her into the flock without too much drama. I don't put a new juvie in with adult birds until age 5 or 6 months when the juvie is at least physically as big as the adult birds so it doesn't get picked on as a youngster.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

My Crevies are currently cooped up with some juvenile La Flèche, a bantam Cochin and two juvenile appenzellers (soon to change). The appenzellers are... Spazzes. The la flèche are mellow. The cochin is just a small duster that hangs out.


Out of all of the birds, the Crevecoeurs are my most food-motivated and greet me with the expectation that I will give them something. I supplement their feed with fruit and boiled eggs (at least weekly), especially after losing my cockerel. This seems to have helped get them pack on healthy weight and looking good.

Thanks for the idea!! I will start feeding her some supplement food

Wish I had a magic formula for droopy health. It seems to be the younger ones under 6 months that I lost - all different problems and different breeds. I have my vet closeby and if I suspect poops aren't right I take samples for testing and he calls as soon as results are back and whether I need to take the bird for him to diagnose. He's pulled through one little problem Silkie but I have but I had to put down another bird. I don't usually get chicks but I couldn't find a breeder and ordered a chick through my feed store guy - and at 21 days she died from a seizure out of the blue with no visible health issues otherwise. If I see a droopy hen I give a drop of Poly-Vi-Sol no-iron on the side tip of her beak and sometimes it perks the hen and it's all she needed. Other times there are other issues that no amount of vitamins can cure like CRD, Marek's, predator attacks, cancer, etc. and need a vet's assistance. I mean a good diet and vitamins don't hurt but they're not the cure-all. You're not the first one to have a delicate Crevie. I researched on some other websites and read reviews and for some reason these are delicate birds. Probably why breeders drop their Crevie projects. At least you know the survivors will be the hardier ones obviously. I knew an English Budgerigar breeder years ago that owned a rare violet to use for breeding more violets and he spent $100's in vet bills on the little guy who simply would not breed. Less than a year later it died anyway - the variety just wasn't hardy enough. The little bird knew better than the human he wasn't meant for breeding.

As for being the only crested bird in a non-crested flock I don't think it matters. We keep at least 2 crested birds in our flock. We had 2 Silkies but had to re-home one that turned out cockerel so added another Silkie pullet for the 2 girls to hang out together. They really are not the best of buds yet still seem to toodle around the yard together. I guess "birds of a feather" truly do "flock together." Your millies, cochins, brahma, and bantams seem mannerly enough breeds with a Crevie - depends on whether they accept her into the flock without too much drama. I don't put a new juvie in with adult birds until age 5 or 6 months when the juvie is at least physically as big as the adult birds so it doesn't get picked on as a youngster.

Thank you!! Most of the bantams i don't have yet, so she will be one of the originals. My plan for her and the other crevie was to have the 2 of them with 2 polish (supposed to be girls, 1 died, and the one left is a boy who is too rough to be her companion) in their own little coop. I am halfway done building the bantam coop, so i will keep her with a few gentle, friendly standards until i get the coop finished. Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the idea!! I will start feeding her some supplement food


Thank you!! Most of the bantams i don't have yet, so she will be one of the originals. My plan for her and the other crevie was to have the 2 of them with 2 polish (supposed to be girls, 1 died, and the one left is a boy who is too rough to be her companion) in their own little coop. I am halfway done building the bantam coop, so i will keep her with a few gentle, friendly standards until i get the coop finished. Thanks for the advice!!!

Cockerels are so excited about mating they can be rough while getting the hang of it so not good to put them in with pullets. Adult hens will pick on young cockerels. Most people isolate the cockerels for about 6 months or longer.

Your Crevie and Polish girls should be ok together. I understand that true Crevies are shy and independent - wanting to roost in trees and isolating themselves from humans and other breed chickens. But Crevies that were crossbred with Polish (in hatcheries) behaved more friendly. Don't know since I've never had Creves. At least they have the reputation for being non-combative and not really an aggressive bird so I wouldn't put Creves with assertive dual-purpose/layer breeds like RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Orps, 'Lorps, Marans, Legs, Wyans, Sexlinks, etc.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

Cockerels are so excited about mating they can be rough while getting the hang of it so not good to put them in with pullets. Adult hens will pick on young cockerels. Most people isolate the cockerels for about 6 months or longer.

Your Crevie and Polish girls should be ok together. I understand that true Crevies are shy and independent - wanting to roost in trees and isolating themselves from humans and other breed chickens. But Crevies that were crossbred with Polish (in hatcheries) behaved more friendly. Don't know since I've never had Creves. At least they have the reputation for being non-combative and not really an aggressive bird so I wouldn't put Creves with assertive dual-purpose/layer breeds like RIRs, BRs, NHRs, Orps, 'Lorps, Marans, Legs, Wyans, Sexlinks, etc.

ok, thanks!!!

 

[SnowChik]

Ever since i got my 2 crevie chicks, it was a battle to keep them healthy. One sadly just died leaving me with only 1. Every time i get them back to a good weight, they would rapidly start getting weaker again. Do you do anything to help them grow and keep weight on, or is it kinda a loosing battle?

I was wondering, would she (the survivor) be ok without any other crested birds...like in with some breeding millies, cochins, and jap. bantams?? Right now she is living in my bedroom with a young buff brahma and a polish rooster, but i will be working on a bantam coop over the summer. The polish is a bit boisterous and rough for her, and i don't want a roo fertilizing the bantam hens, hence the question about here being fine as an only crested one. Thanks

I'm so sorry about losing your little one...it's always a heartbreak...

I've had good success with the three basics: cleanliness, high-quality feed and good supplementation. Try to keep all your pens as clean as possible and your bedding dry. Depending on the stage mine are in, that can mean cleaning things up to daily. Also keep your bedding dry. When I help friends here locally with mortality problems, cleanliness is the first thing I look at.

Give a feed with at least 18% protein (more if possible.) I raise my Crevies with show Langshans and my mutt broiler/layer birds, so they get the same special feed as the big guys and seem to do very well on that diet. I never feed less than 18% protein. (They don't seem to do well on feed for layer hens or scratch.)

I also supplement chick water with an electrolyte/probiotic blend for chicks, then transition them to an adult version at 3 months. By 2 1/2 months all my Crevies are quite "fat" and I can't feel their breast bone. They look very appropriate for their size. My line is the heavier Crevecoeur, so they mature to around 7-8 lbs.

Yours should be fine with other breeds. I introduced my shy mama hen (was not hand-raised) to a group of Langshans, LF Cochins and other Crevecoeur and she actually came out of her shell and got friendlier. Just try to keep her away from anyone who's too aggressive (hen or rooster.) That helps them open up.

In reading everyone's posts I'm beginning to wonder if my Crevies are the outliers...They are more vigorous and outgoing than any of my other breeds. They are always the first to greet me and the boys are "the bosses" of everyone...even a Langshan 3 times their size! They've also been tested by extremely cold and hot temperatures and I haven't lost any of these babies. I think mine are a combination of birds from Rare Feathers and Urch, because those are the birds they look most similar to. In any case...I adore them!!! I'm still new to them as a breed, so I'll try to share what I observe as they grow.

Hang in there and I hope your little Crevie does great!

-Steph (sitting with my Langshan "helper" on my shoulder...)