HELP

[wionna1202]

I have so many questions. I have looked all over the site using the search and i get all the answers that I am not looking for, but lots of good info.!!!!

I first want to start with leg color. What does that have to do with breed?

Bantams? Why so many breeds under this sub-set? I guess I see bantam and I think oh I have one of these. Then I see "goldend... something, spotted sussex etc.!

I went to this mans farm and his chickens were huge 2 and 3 times bigger than mine. Why? Some he said were the same breeds that I have, just mine are smaller!

How many roos can you have? I got 6 chicks from TSC. 3 of the six were roos. (i am guessing) I already have a ROO! what do you do?

How do you tell Roos apart in the polish breeds?

Oh were to begin. I hate being uneducated. I need a book.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

1. Each breed has a breed standard. In order to figure out which breed a person has, the right characteristics of the bird need to "match up" to say it is a specific breed.

It's like a labrador and a poodle ya know? If the labrador had curly hair...it wouldn't be a straight up labrador. The different characteristics help distinguish the breed.

2. Bantam and Largefowl are size indicators. Each size has several different breeds within it. Therefore...lets go with an easy one. Plymouth Rock is the breed of a bird. It comes in both bantam and large fowl sizes. There are different VARIETIES of each breed. In Plymouth Rock, for example, there is Barred, White, Buff, Partridge, etc. So, when someone says it is a "Largefowl Barred Plymouth Rock", you now have the size of the bird, the variety and the breed.

Standard and Largefowl are used interchangeably. Bantams are the small birds (which I'm assuming you have some in this size) and Largefowl are the BIG birds.

3. One male can cover 10 females. So, I would get rid of a few of the males. (Sell them, give them away, etc.) OR get more females!

4. Males in the polish breeds have "pointed" crests. Females have cute bouncy crests. (The crest is the feathery object on top of the bird's head.)
Example:
This is a white-crested black polish male (see the variety I listed in there??

)

See the pointed feathers on his head?

Here is a female of the same variety:

See the "rounded" look that hers has?

 

[wionna1202]

rodriguezpoultry Thank you so much!!!! you have helped me so much.

I love this website!

 

[wionna1202]

Oh, and one other thing I took your advice on getting a few more Hens. I guess I am still going to have to sell, give away or something some of the roosters. I just can't have many more chickens. 15 is what I am up too now. I don't know though... Maybe more... It is addictive.

I did get a few more hens from the lady that I got most of my big ones. She takes excelant care of them. SO I trust hers very much. She just didn't have many to sell me. She sent me to another man to get a few more. She didn't know much about him, but knew people who had, and they had good luck.

Well, I got them yesterday, and I was trying to pet the new ones to get them used to me. I was looking at them and noticed a few bare spots. Not big, but bare. I started looking closer. Saw little bugs. I think they are lice. OH NO!!!!! I didn't think about that. I am going to search lice on other threads. Any advice from you would be great though!!!!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Honestly, before I add ANY bird to my flock, I dust them with Sevin dust and give them a worming. But...I'm picky...

 

[shortcake1806]

I agree with the Sevin dusting. Any new birds should be quarantined for at least 2 weeks before adding to your existing flock. That way if any are sick have buggies you can treat without spreading it to the others.