Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[RIR-YELLOWLEGS]

I put the hens I want to breed in a separate pen with a nest box for several weeks..easy enough to check eggs for the fertile ring.. when no more fertile then I add the desired cock for a week and don't incubate ANY until I consistently get fertile rings again.

Only other way is to pen all except the desired cockerel away from rest of flock and wait a month.

you are 100% right and what you have done is one of the very best way for breeding the desired stock.

 

[NanaKat]

Crap!  We just got a couple of donkeys to roam the pasture to help deter the coyotes.  Don't know what I'd do if I had a bear coming after the chickens. 

We had no luck with donkeys. Neither the Jack nor the Jenny did any protective assaults on coyotes. They would watch the coyotes cross thru the pastures. When the Jack decided to take down a cow by her neck, they all went to the auction. We weren't very creative with names...Jack, Jenny and Joey. Lol

 

[finnfur]

Most of the farmers here only have one per field.
the Farmer that hays our place was feeding hay to the beef cows one day when something broke on the tractor and when he got off the tractor to check the Bull separated him from the cab door and was charging.
When he yelled the Donkey came charging in and took a bite on the Bull and ran him down into to the pond.
He's the farmers favorite now.
They seem to protect calves and farmers here.
Guess it depends on the Donkey

 

[Ifish]

In my experience Donkeys are like anything else, it's the strain/breeding. Here in Pa there are a few farms that breed "Guardian" Donkeys for livestock protection.

 

[Lacy Blues]

It's been my understanding that they cannot have a herd of their own kind in order for them to bond with the other livestock... then they will protect them.

 

[3riverschick]

Some people use Llamas for stock protection, I heard. I also heard that if one has a Llama on the property, it gives them all kinds of tax write-offs. But that is just what I heard. It needs to be checked out to verify.
Best,
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

We had no luck with donkeys. Neither the Jack nor the Jenny did any protective assaults on coyotes. They would watch the coyotes cross thru the pastures. When the Jack decided to take down a cow by her neck, they all went to the auction. We weren't very creative with names...Jack, Jenny and Joey. Lol

So far we haven't seen any new piles of coyote poop in the pasture since we got the donkeys. We had been seeing new piles of coyote poop every few days. Don't know if the donkeys have fought with any or the coyotes have just realized that the donkeys are there and are staying away. Crossing my fingers that we won't have many (any) more coyote attacks.

 

[Ifish]

So the chicks are right about 8 weeks and have been in the coop for 2 weeks now. Since they have been in the coop and having the run, I have been able to watch them more. It's nice being able to watch them and spending more time with them, as I am starting to see differences within the flock.

So my question is about Boldness. There are a couple cockerels and some pullets that seem to be more Bold than the others. They will walk up to me and try to eat a zipper on a jacket (cold rainy day today), or peck at my wedding ring. Venture further outside and stay out longer than the others, and a couple other things. Can this "boldness" be attributed, or a sign of Vigor? Or is it more of a personality thing?

Should I consider it when judging the chicks for culls?

 

[gjensen]

So the chicks are right about 8 weeks and have been in the coop for 2 weeks now. Since they have been in the coop and having the run, I have been able to watch them more. It's nice being able to watch them and spending more time with them, as I am starting to see differences within the flock.

So my question is about Boldness. There are a couple cockerels and some pullets that seem to be more Bold than the others. They will walk up to me and try to eat a zipper on a jacket (cold rainy day today), or peck at my wedding ring. Venture further outside and stay out longer than the others, and a couple other things. Can this "boldness" be attributed, or a sign of Vigor? Or is it more of a personality thing?

Should I consider it when judging the chicks for culls?

Be careful here, though it does matter.

Vigor is seen in behavior, but is more than mental characteristics and is physical. It is an internal reality that manifests itself externally. There is physical evidence.

Caution should be applied because there is always someone on top, and some one is always on the bottom. Kill the bird on the bottom of the pecking order, and there will be a new bottom of the pecking order. I add this here, because where they are in this order does affect how they behave (what you see). There will always be someone on the bottom of the pecking order and this does relate to how they behave within a flock.

So, certainly take it all in consideration. Get to know them, certainly. Health and vigor is the #1 priorities, but that is not to limit them to the only points of selection. Not to mention that these things are difficult to quantify.

The more vigorous birds will most often be among your faster birds to grow and mature sexually. That is easy to select for in NHs, because that is a concern when selecting NHs.

Your start is not large, so I would start with the birds with the best type. Unless they lack thrift, I would leave them up for consideration. Pick your best typed birds. Next year, you will have more to select from.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I had always thought of vigor as a long-term thing in a flock of poultry ... unless one is breeding for the "hybrid vigor" of a meat animal, in which case you're likely just looking for early size compared to the standard (parent) breeds, so are not concerned about long-term health or survival skills or breeding potential. As in Cornish Cross ... But I don't think that's the kind of vigor we should over value in a breeding program.

I think the pecking order of a flock of birds is a sum of all the parts. I have seen birds get to the bottom of the pecking order and then start to show health problems, but I've also seen previously "low status" hens be great broody moms and gain some flock status. I also realize a LOT is going on with the flock that I don't get to witness, so there is much I don't understand. I don't have a ton of experience, I'm only in my second breeding season now.

I've seen some interesting interpretations of the word "vigor" lately, so I've been thinking about it a bit.