Faverolles Thread

[echosrevenge]

Poularde, its not quite get but it will be! We are planting pretty much the whole place to a permaculture of poultry fodder and pasture, hopefully in a couple of years it will be mature enough to support 75-100 chickens and ducks without any bought-in feed at all.

 

[keesmom]

I don't mean to suggest at all that one can't keep a quality flock with few birds! I just wondered if anyone had such a large flock, I hear all the time about people who have 100+ birds, but they are usually all sorts of different breeds, or large hubrid/mutt layer flocks. Combined with reading and rereading Harvey Ussery, and learning about so many old timer breeders retiring or downsizing their flocks to really small numbers (not just in Favs) - coupled with the small number of people actively breeding Favs to begin with (blacks and the other non-salmon colors especially), it got me wondering if anyone is maintaining a large spiral-bred genetically diverse pool of breeding birds anywhere in the US.

I don't know of anyone having a flock that large. I wish I could, but I can't afford to feed that many birds! I can't let mine free range around here, too many predators.

 

[Cockle-Dood]

I am due to be picking up a few of these in about a month or so and was curious how these guys do in a mixed flock? I do plan on seperating and attempting to breed for show with them since they are coming from pretty good stock, but until i can get their own coop and run put together they will be grouped up with my yokie breeders. Both breeds from what i have read are docile natured, but was curious to see what some of you with experience have to say? Penny for your thoughts?

 

[echosrevenge]

My Favs did fine when they were in a mixed flock - until the red sexlink went through her two-year molt and decided that the protein in their beards would go much better in her belly, and she ate their beards off while they just sat there like "oh, thanks for getting that stuff off my face..." She is gone now and the flock is pure Fav, but we still have some Naked Neck Faverolles, who look very silly without their beards. I'd be shocked to death if a Fav came out top hen, too - we didn't have a Fav for top hen until all the other breeds were gone.

 

[n8ivetxn]

If you count chicks, I do. I've got 3 adult roos, 9 hens, 1 older cockerel and lots of chicks.

I'm right behind you! I have 4 adult SF roos, 8 hens and just sold my 2 newest chicks, waiting on more in the next week or so....

 

[elizmartin]

Two questions for those more experienced with the community and breeding fun things side of chicken keeping:

One, if you were to try and develop your own line of blue/black/splash salmons, which breed or breeds would you use and why? What would you look for in individuals of those breeds?

Two, does anyone know of a single-breed flock of Faverolles in the US that numbers at least 50 birds and is NOT a hatchery flock? I hear of a lot of people having a trio here or a quad there, but the largest single flock I've heard about is just over a dozen birds...

I have some LF Blue Salmon that i would be able to send you some eggs in a couple of weeks if you were interested...My blues do come from PasoFino, This is a busy time of year and Melissa does do other livestock but please try her too. Since You are asking about *Blue Salmon* rather than solid, i would stay away from crossing out and try and hatch Blue Salmon from someone....Even if we all have Paso stock, if you cross your resulting Blues to non related birds you can get away from the close breeding.
I am not an expert, but i believe that Orpingtons were used to bring the solid coloration into the Faverolle lines. I can not say that this was the reason, but the blacks that i have were having a fertility problem till i trimmed around the vents and Orpingtons are really fluffy underneath. My first black chicks look like butterballs compared to the big fluffy Salmon chicks i have. Any time there is out cross to other breeds there will be tradeoffs that will need to be fixed.
As for flock size, Black's, 1 Roo, 4 hens
Mahogany's, 1 Roo, 4 hens
Salmon's, 4 Roo, 11 hens (1blue Roo, 2 Blue hens, 1 splash hen)
eliz

 

[elizmartin]

Wow,Share pictures if You can get them....That would be a fun site...

 

[appps]

What is a 17 year cicada hatch? Never heard of that so am curious

 

[n8ivetxn]

Cicadas are a large, interesting insect, often mistakenly called locusts, that have an unusually long life span. I grew up with them in Texas and remember them well. They make an incredible sound by contracting and relaxing membranes on the sides of their bodies - it can be almost deafening sometimes, but also a pleasant reminder of summer days. There are a few varieties that exist in and around Austrailia.... You should "youtube" it sometime

, pretty cool for bird food! - Mine wouldn't know what to do with them

 

[appps]

we have cicadas over here in Aus too, drive me batty every summer lol. Green grocers and black princes and forget the yellow ones names v
But I've never heard of the 17 year thing you mentioned ?
I'd always been told they spend 7 years below then 7 days above ground. So we get them every year.

I do remember about 8 years back they were so bad we couldn't leave doors or windows open they were soooo loud. I actually took a video to show the incredible noise they were making. I wondered if that might have been what you were referring to.

Strangely now I think about it didn't see a single one this year or even notice their noise.