Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[Beekissed]

That's how best I do it too....just jotting it down in a notebook and then organizing it later. That's how I used to keep them for our meat rabbits also....it all works out well in the end and I am more apt to jot things down informally than I am at keeping neat, organized ledgers.

It shouldn't be too hard at first because I've got such a small start in breeders. Just three birds, three pens, one rooster. Shouldn't be too tough, I keep telling myself.

 

[Fentress]

I'm diving in as well and some type of hands on exam ala Hogan Method is part of the plan. Just makes a lot of sense to me. Don't even know what direction I want to take them. For year one just want to get to know their characteristics and performance and then decide. Bee, at least you have plenty of experience at keeping and managing chickens. For me simple things like separating the K's and crateing up a group for evaluation in an organized/efficient way will be an accomplishment.

 

[Beekissed]

You know, Hogan covers that in his book, which was a surprise to me. He shows pics and details how he catches them up into crates, how he picks them up and how he holds them for these evaluations. Very detailed, though in black and white pics, but still pretty neat. I got his book for $10 plus shipping on Ebay and I'm currently reading it cover to cover.

His book is surprisingly entertaining and interesting, as his format is often in a question and answer type writing, wherein someone has written a question about how to do something and he responds in the book and also shows pics. Just a small book but packs a powerful punch.

Fentress, you strike me as being old in chickens as you show uncommon good sense and drive. I don't think you'll have a bit of problem!

I could swear you'd been raising chickens for a long, long time.

Here's a link to his book to read online....

http://www.readanybook.com/ebook/th...ding-of-the-poultry-for-egg-production-393686

 

[bnjrob]

You know, Hogan covers that in his book, which was a surprise to me. He shows pics and details how he catches them up into crates, how he picks them up and how he holds them for these evaluations. Very detailed, though in black and white pics, but still pretty neat. I got his book for $10 plus shipping on Ebay and I'm currently reading it cover to cover.

His book is surprisingly entertaining and interesting, as his format is often in a question and answer type writing, wherein someone has written a question about how to do something and he responds in the book and also shows pics. Just a small book but packs a powerful punch.

Fentress, you strike me as being old in chickens as you show uncommon good sense and drive. I don't think you'll have a bit of problem!

I could swear you'd been raising chickens for a long, long time.

Here's a link to his book to read online....

http://www.readanybook.com/ebook/th...ding-of-the-poultry-for-egg-production-393686

Is Call of the Hen the book that says something about hens needing to be small, like 5 lbs or less, in order to be good layers? I've read so many books and something like that stuck out but I can't remember which book.

 

[Beekissed]

Not sure, as I haven't read it all just yet but I seem to recall something like that when I skimmed a few things when he's describing the difference between layer, dual purpose and meat types of birds and what one can expect out of each type. I'll report what I find when I read it more thoroughly.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Is Call of the Hen the book that says something about hens needing to be small, like 5 lbs or less, in order to be good layers? I've read so many books and something like that stuck out but I can't remember which book.

The breed of the bird in question will and must be taken into consideration. Follow your standard and breed accordingly.

 

[bnjrob]

The breed of the bird in question will and must be taken into consideration. Follow your standard and breed accordingly.

That's what is bothering me - the idea that ANY hen has to be small in order to be a good layer. I have not yet decided if that is one of those observations that were made that really had some validity across all breeds, or if it was just a strong opinion but only factual in very specific situations. Sometimes those old books have stuff that sounds like old wive's tales that turn out to be true and other times the stuff is way off base. But you still have to weed through things and see if it applies to your flock.

Our breed is large, over 5 lbs for females. We have differences in individuals as well as in groups depending on where we obtained them from. We have one group that we know was pushed for egg production. More of them lay every day with great consistency than any of our other groups. However these guys that lay better are too small for their standard and smaller than the other groups by comparison. They also have a number of other breed standard flaws too. We will not even sell culls because they are too far from the standard and I don't want someone backyard breeding them thinking that they are good representations of their breed.

So I'm not sure if the small size on them is what really helped them be better layers than the others, or if it is just coincidental that they turned out to be small. One of those things to make you go hmmmmmm.

 

[finnfur]

That's how best I do it too....just jotting it down in a notebook and then organizing it later. That's how I used to keep them for our meat rabbits also....it all works out well in the end and I am more apt to jot things down informally than I am at keeping neat, organized ledgers.

It shouldn't be too hard at first because I've got such a small start in breeders. Just three birds, three pens, one rooster. Shouldn't be too tough, I keep telling myself.

Is this a White Rock project ? Or something new you are taking on ?

 

[Fentress]

You know, Hogan covers that in his book, which was a surprise to me. He shows pics and details how he catches them up into crates, how he picks them up and how he holds them for these evaluations. Very detailed, though in black and white pics, but still pretty neat. I got his book for $10 plus shipping on Ebay and I'm currently reading it cover to cover.

His book is surprisingly entertaining and interesting, as his format is often in a question and answer type writing, wherein someone has written a question about how to do something and he responds in the book and also shows pics. Just a small book but packs a powerful punch.

Fentress, you strike me as being old in chickens as you show uncommon good sense and drive. I don't think you'll have a bit of problem!

I could swear you'd been raising chickens for a long, long time.

Here's a link to his book to read online....

http://www.readanybook.com/ebook/th...ding-of-the-poultry-for-egg-production-393686

Thank You. I am honored by your words. You have taught me many things over the last year. The book does show pictures of driving the flock through the coop and through a pop door into a crates. I have given that some thought and may make an attempt, would need an extra pair of hands more than likely and that is hard to find on my property! For me learing the basic principles such than I can adapt it to the way I keep chickens is what I try to do. Had a major accomplishement this year, I actually bent over and picked up a K out on the pasture. Of course, I had been baiting them with cracked corn for two weeks, but hey it works! I have down loaded the book and read through most of it. The pictures are not good. Do you think if I purchased a hard copy the pictures would be any better?

 

[DesertChic]

You know, Hogan covers that in his book, which was a surprise to me. He shows pics and details how he catches them up into crates, how he picks them up and how he holds them for these evaluations. Very detailed, though in black and white pics, but still pretty neat. I got his book for $10 plus shipping on Ebay and I'm currently reading it cover to cover.

His book is surprisingly entertaining and interesting, as his format is often in a question and answer type writing, wherein someone has written a question about how to do something and he responds in the book and also shows pics. Just a small book but packs a powerful punch.

Fentress, you strike me as being old in chickens as you show uncommon good sense and drive. I don't think you'll have a bit of problem!

I could swear you'd been raising chickens for a long, long time.

Here's a link to his book to read online....

http://www.readanybook.com/ebook/th...ding-of-the-poultry-for-egg-production-393686

Just keep in mind that there is one potential "fallacy" in using the Hogan method....ALL of the hens need to be in the same "state of laying" in order for the method to work. People who've used this method on hens that were "out of production" reported discarding as poor layers what turned out to be really good laying hens. Per studies conducted at Cornell University, "...When the system was applied to a flock of birds toward the close of the laying season it was successful in detecting the best layers because these would be the only hens laying late int he fall; they would be the late molting, persistent layers."

I can't speak from direct experience and in no way want to disparage Walter Hogan for the amazing work he did in helping people improve the overall production levels of their flock, but I also don't want anyone to go into using this process without knowing the potential pitfalls lest they be disappointed. I'm only sharing what I've found in my research. I hope to also use this method once my flock has reached maturity and progressed through their laying years and actually plan to "test" the limitations of the method first-hand to either corroborate or refute the finding of other researchers.

And if you're interested in researching of what I've said yourself, you can find the review I quoted in the book, "Judging Poultry for Production" by James E. Rice. This book and "The Call of the Hand" are my primary go-to books for determining my breeder selections for flock vitality and production.