Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Lacy Blues]

Speaking of Javas, there were 17 Black Javas in the Tucson show a couple of weeks ago. The Java exhibitors met with the judge afterward to discuss our birds. We all learned a lot and I am excited to see what improvement we make over the next year.

My breeding pens are set up and I'm about to set the first batch of eggs. I was planning to use three hens in individual complementary pairings, but one is still finishing her molt and is not laying yet. Looks like I will be selecting for winter egg production even though that was not this year's priority. Hatching needs to be done by the end of January. The chicks need to be feathered out and ready to go when the heat hits. We had our first 100 degree day in early April last year.

The broody-raised chicks that hatched in October turned out to be 5 cockerels and 1 pullet. Looks like I'll be eating well once they get a little bigger.

Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Just wanted to share a little tidbit with you... last year I had read that using real unprocessed apple cider vinegar in your water at the rate of 1 Tbsp/gallon will balance your odds of getting pullets. I tried it and it made a difference. Instead of 50-60% cockerels, I got closer to 40% That's something worth messing with when breeding season comes along. I'll be using it yearly.

 

[gjensen]

Or...just join the Club and get the newsletter. http://www.javabreedersofamerica.com/join/
Sounds like a good 10.00 investment.

Best,
Karen

Maybe someone has Duane's price list to share? Spring is coming.

 

[denn1948]

yard full of rocks I read your post from yesterday, what is your thoughts about not getting hatchery chicks

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
LOL! It wasn't quite as bad as it sounds. There were originally two pullet chicks but I lost one to a broken leg a couple of weeks ago. Still can't figure out how she broke it. She was the runt of the hatch so I wouldn't have bred her anyway. The good thing is more than half of these chicks have yellow soles, which is a trait that is needed in my flock.

So far the Javas are doing fine. It got down to 30 here last night - first night I've had to cover plants this winter. I'm not expecting problems. Most of these birds were bred in Minnesota. They should be fine.

 

[3riverschick]

Walt L.,
Does APA still cut for symmetry?
Thanks,
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

LOL! It wasn't quite as bad as it sounds. There were originally two pullet chicks but I lost one to a broken leg a couple of weeks ago. Still can't figure out how she broke it. She was the runt of the hatch so I wouldn't have bred her anyway. The good thing is more than half of these chicks have yellow soles, which is a trait that is needed in my flock.

So far the Javas are doing fine. It got down to 30 here last night - first night I've had to cover plants this winter. I'm not expecting problems. Most of these birds were bred in Minnesota. They should be fine.

Woo hoo! Yellow soles are always a good thing!

 

[BGMatt]

Hi Sarah,

Just wanted to share a little tidbit with you... last year I had read that using real unprocessed apple cider vinegar in your water at the rate of 1 Tbsp/gallon will balance your odds of getting pullets.  I tried it and it made a difference.  Instead of 50-60% cockerels, I got closer to 40%  That's something worth messing with when breeding season comes along.  I'll be using it yearly.

There's no scientific evidence to back this up. It's a placebo effect. Sorry to break it to you. It will have plenty of positive effects (improved digestion, alters pH of intestinal tract and makes it less hospitable to parasites being chief among them) but controlling the gender of offspring is not one of them.

Edit: Put another way, if there was an actual way to do this, especially as cheaply as that it would be widely used in hatcheries and well, pretty much everywhere.

 

[Lacy Blues]

All I can say is that it had good results for me. When I do it again next year and if it doesn't work the same, I'll be sure and let y'all know.

 

[Beekissed]

There is no scientific evidence but enough anecdotal evidence over the years to keep this idea going. I myself have noticed increased female offspring in meat rabbits, chickens and sheep with the use of vinegar as opposed to when it has not been used. The pH of the animal most certainly influences what happens in the reproductive system as well as all the other body systems. It affects it to such a degree that the eggs have a completely different taste and odor than eggs produced from hens that have not had ACV on a continual basis.

It happens with enough frequency that people note it and pass it along as a possibility, even if it has not been proven by science. A placebo affect is something that takes place in someone's mind that has an effect on their perceptions and can even effect the body...increased female offspring after initiating ACV in the livestock management is not happening in the mind, it's actually happening in real life. I know it's happened enough in my own animal husbandry that I do not discount it as being only in my mind. It definitely has plenty of anecdotal evidence for many a long year from all points of the compass and with all types of animals. For the record, I noted the phenomenon years ago before I ever read anywhere that it was a possibility...I just happened to be using it for my rabbits to clear up some pink eye in kits and decided to just keep it in the water from there on out in my rabbitry. Later, having read about this idea of female offspring, I looked back on records kept on our breedings and litters and started seeing some correlation with our own records after the ACV was initiated. Coincidence? Maybe. Later using it with chickens I noted the same thing. I'm not much a believer in coincidence.

 

[NanaKat]

Will try the ACV this year and record numbers...have had high cockerel numbers in hatches March to May. Earlier hatches were 50/50.
Our temps in Central Okla have been freezing for almost a week now and predictions are negative windchill for several more days. Wyandotte in the outside open air coops are doing great...they venture out but return to the coops. They don't like the snow. the Buckeye trio come out more often. Bucking hot water to the pen tubs 3x a day. As a farm note about the weather: We had a calf born yesterday (2nd calf this year for this cow...she bred back earlier than planned) and had to bring him inside because he was literally freezing before mom could clean him up. He spent the night in the kitchen on a rubber mat covered by rug runners. Bottle fed him colostrum and then milk replacer. He goes back out this morning although his joints are still stiff from the freezing. He can get up and down by himself now....now back to chickens.