Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[NanaKat]

How are the gardens and flock?
We have a nice fall garden and the juvenile birds are separated.

 

[Fentress]

How are the gardens and flock?
We have a nice fall garden and the juvenile birds are separated.

Had a nice fall garden until the monsoon season hit. 3 weeks of rain. I thought I was on another planet! Lost the Kale, Arugala took hit, brocolinni did well. Also been busy at work, kinda lost touch with the flock and the young ones. Was out there today and boy what a change. At least the rain did not affect their development. Has anyone heard anything from George? He lives in S.Carolina, where the worst weather was.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

We still have mostly dry here. We are doing another round of pasture improvement ... got the ground we want to seed all tilled and smoothed out a bit and we are sourcing the seeds we'll plant.

The section we planted in early spring did die during the worst of our dry summer as expected, but it didn't take too much rain for the clovers and grasses to start to grow again. So that's a good sign!

I'm also thinking on housing options for the best of this year's cockerels.

 

[NanaKat]

We still have mostly dry here. We are doing another round of pasture improvement ... got the ground we want to seed all tilled and smoothed out a bit and we are sourcing the seeds we'll plant.

The section we planted in early spring did die during the worst of our dry summer as expected, but it didn't take too much rain for the clovers and grasses to start to grow again. So that's a good sign!

I'm also thinking on housing options for the best of this year's cockerels. 

We are sowing annual rye over fescue here in Oklahoma.

Would you share some of your housing options?

Here are two options I use...all coops are painted white and have roll roofing. Openings all face either south or west.
I make small coops out of shipping crates and plywood for the 6x8, 8x10 and 10 X 15 pens. Each coop will hold 4 or 5. I add a nest box to one side and use them for a trio or quad. A feeder fits at one end. These are pretty easy to move by two people and a dolly.

And this style is made from 4x8 sheets of plywood. A front panel can be added for winter and rainy seasons. Two roost bars at different heights. Hanging feeder and water. Hold 15 to 20 juveniles. I make them 6 feet long and others 7.5 feet long. I build in sections and put together in the pen. For hens, I need to add nest boxes.

 

[gjensen]

We still have mostly dry here. We are doing another round of pasture improvement ... got the ground we want to seed all tilled and smoothed out a bit and we are sourcing the seeds we'll plant.

The section we planted in early spring did die during the worst of our dry summer as expected, but it didn't take too much rain for the clovers and grasses to start to grow again. So that's a good sign!

I'm also thinking on housing options for the best of this year's cockerels.

Are you going to house them individually?

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

 Are you going to house them individually?

The few without structural flaws will get grown out as long as I can stand it. I'm culling very hard for weak joints this year hoping to get completely ahead of the wing issues the New Hampshires brought to the project that way.

I was thinking to pen them individually once they become obnoxious. Then maybe I can use those pens as mating pens, too. Keep the best birds as safe as possible until I've got plenty of chicks from them.

I'm really fond of the modular T-post hoop coops. More ventilation, less wood. I need to put them in the summer shade. I'm wondering if two panels will be spacious enough for a confined trio or quad if there isn't also a run. I guess the females could go back into the free-range coop after breeding season.

 

[gjensen]

The few without structural flaws will get grown out as long as I can stand it. I'm culling very hard for weak joints this year hoping to get completely ahead of the wing issues the New Hampshires brought to the project that way.

I was thinking to pen them individually once they become obnoxious. Then maybe I can use those pens as mating pens, too. Keep the best birds as safe as possible until I've got plenty of chicks from them.

I'm really fond of the modular T-post hoop coops. More ventilation, less wood. I need to put them in the summer shade. I'm wondering if two panels will be spacious enough for a confined trio or quad if there isn't also a run. I guess the females could go back into the free-range coop after breeding season.

At a point, I like to house the cockerels separately. I run what I can with some pullets (or hens), but what I cannot is housed individually. One always seams to exclude the other from the feeder etc. While housed individually, I make sure the pullets (or hens) have access to these pens. The males being able to see the females, and interact with them (even if it is through wire) keeps them mentally fit. I like to keep them fit. There is also a rotation where they get let out to range. That is not every day, but at least once per week. I might even rotate one or two among some pullets.

All that to say that I do separate them at a point, but I do put some effort into keeping them physically and mentally sharp. The old cockers were excellent at managing their surplus of stags and cocks. They did emphasize keeping them fit, both mentally and physically.

I do not like bachelor pads for extended periods. Only while they are growing.

I am not trying to suggest anything. I am only trying to share a perspective.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

 At a point, I like to house the cockerels separately. I run what I can with some pullets (or hens), but what I cannot is housed individually. One always seams to exclude the other from the feeder etc. While housed individually, I make sure the pullets (or hens) have access to these pens. The males being able to see the females, and interact with them (even if it is through wire) keeps them mentally fit. I like to keep them fit. There is also a rotation where they get let out to range. That is not every day, but at least once per week. I might even rotate one or two among some pullets.

 All that to say that I do separate them at a point, but I do put some effort into keeping them physically and mentally sharp. The old cockers were excellent at managing their surplus of stags and cocks. They did emphasize keeping them fit, both mentally and physically.

 I do not like bachelor pads for extended periods. Only while they are growing.

 I am not trying to suggest anything. I am only trying to share a perspective.

Agreed, agreed, agreed. This was easier with the one male on staff.

We culled our last two hatchery males this week and are temporarily opening the cockerel colony so they can mix with the laying hens. They've been socializing through the fence for a while and still the young cockerels are afraid of the laying hens. It's pretty cute. I'm hoping to spike fertility for a friends hatching project.

Then we'll call that set of cockerels down to about 4 to keep growing out. I've got another set of younger cockerels in a big pen that I want to get out on pasture before we sort & cull them.

 

[Beekissed]

The garden is down to a few bunches of flowers, a few cherry tomatoes and yellow squash that were still producing but last night's frost most likely took those down, as well as some of the flowers. I'll be moving more chips onto the garden to put it to bed for the winter but will also be planting some winter greens.

This wood chip gardening method has impressed me greatly, so I'll be continuing to develop it and expect I'll see huge returns on that in the next garden season. I was amazed at the difference in the soil in such a short time~between spring and fall, after suffering with this hard pack clay for so many years that has eaten so many amendments without any good results...until now.

Before~this is after it was tilled 5 times in a row and had a rainfall...that quickly compacted it back to its original texture, hard as a rock.



After placing wood chips on it, even at a shallow depth of 2-4 in., for spring/summer/fall....the soil under the chips is moist and loose even when it hasn't rained for a couple of weeks.



The flock is doing great and is taking the majority of their nutrition off pasture right now, with the growing flock replacements now at 5 mo. of age. I got one cockerel worth keeping as my new flock master out of this spring's breeding efforts and also have a few pullets to keep for breeding stock for next year. At the end of this month I'll be culling all the extra cockerels.

All the young birds are still lanky and growing into their eventual maturity, but I see some promise in my chosen birds. This young cockerel will be my new flock master for next year's breeding and flock activities. He's far from perfect but he's heading in the right direction so far and he's the only one of this year's breeding that seems to be doing so.



Will be trying a small, new experiment for this next year's breeding efforts, so will be tweaking my breeding pen to accommodate this new mode of doing things. Can't wait to plant a garden in my new soil being built on the garden and put some new breeders into the revamped breeding area and see what happens there.

 

[finnfur]

The garden is down to a few bunches of flowers, a few cherry tomatoes and yellow squash that were still producing but last night's frost most likely took those down, as well as some of the flowers. I'll be moving more chips onto the garden to put it to bed for the winter but will also be planting some winter greens.

This wood chip gardening method has impressed me greatly, so I'll be continuing to develop it and expect I'll see huge returns on that in the next garden season. I was amazed at the difference in the soil in such a short time~between spring and fall, after suffering with this hard pack clay for so many years that has eaten so many amendments without any good results...until now.

Before~this is after it was tilled 5 times in a row and had a rainfall...that quickly compacted it back to its original texture, hard as a rock.



After placing wood chips on it, even at a shallow depth of 2-4 in., for spring/summer/fall....the soil under the chips is moist and loose even when it hasn't rained for a couple of weeks.



The flock is doing great and is taking the majority of their nutrition off pasture right now, with the growing flock replacements now at 5 mo. of age. I got one cockerel worth keeping as my new flock master out of this spring's breeding efforts and also have a few pullets to keep for breeding stock for next year. At the end of this month I'll be culling all the extra cockerels.

All the young birds are still lanky and growing into their eventual maturity, but I see some promise in my chosen birds. This young cockerel will be my new flock master for next year's breeding and flock activities. He's far from perfect but he's heading in the right direction so far and he's the only one of this year's breeding that seems to be doing so.



Will be trying a small, new experiment for this next year's breeding efforts, so will be tweaking my breeding pen to accommodate this new mode of doing things. Can't wait to plant a garden in my new soil being built on the garden and put some new breeders into the revamped breeding area and see what happens there.

Had a frost last night and freeze expected tonight.
We use fine chips in the coops and I fork it into a 300# fertilizer spreader and spin it out. Helps grass and garden .Feathers and all.
How old is the cockerel in pic ?