Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[RiddleMe]

For a small dual purpose bird I would be tempted to contact Yellow House Farm and talk to them about the Ancona.

Scott

This was a good reminder for me that dual purpose heritage birds = well fleshed. I tend to forget that point and think DP birds have to be huge.

 

[BGMatt]

For a small dual purpose bird I would be tempted to contact Yellow House Farm and talk to them about the Ancona.

Scott

This is kind of my point. I think a lot of people hear dual purpose and think big bulky birds, but if you don't need a ton of meat, a well bred "egg breed" like a Leghorn, Ancona, Spanish, Minocra, Andalusian, etc can make a really great fowl that meets your needs and is certainly a lot more efficient about it and still every bit as tasty.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
I started off with hatchery RIR and I lost 2 hens to egg laying problems before they even got to a yr old. Still I have hatchery chicks in my coop right now growing up into a nice layer flock. But I'm hoping to sell at least half of them this spring as laying hens. I much prefer the 3 heritage hens I have. However I can clearly see that it will take me a couple of seasons at least to expand my heritage flock. During this time I choose to rely on easy to obtain hatchery chickens for eggs. Some day though most of my layer flock will be from my heritage RIR that just did not make it to the breeding pen.

 

[3riverschick]

What about the Barred Holland? It seems like a good match.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGD/Holland/BRKHolland.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/128101/pocket-farmer
from the pocket farmer blog :
"The Barred Holland is a rare heritage breed and we are part of a national breeding program
that is working to rebuild the breed and bring it back to its former standard. "
http://fivehillsfarm.tripod.com/barred-hollands.html
My Barred Hollands came from a breeder in New York who has been breeding them
toward the SOP, from the whitest eggs.
http://laingcroftpoultry.webs.com/thewhiteegglayers.htm
The White Holland is now extinct while the Barred Holland is currently at critical levels.
Hollands are cold hardy, good foragers in free range conditions, produce plenty of eggs and have a docile temperament. They have yellow skin and though slow to mature, make a good eating chicken. Ideally suited to small acreage homesteads.
http://fivehillsfarm.tripod.com/barred-hollands.html
While the Holland has never enjoyed widespread popularity, it is an excellent choice for homesteaders or use on small acreages. These chickens have yellow skin and legs, so will produce a carcass with the skin color most Americans favor. The Holland will produce plenty of medium-large white eggs, and one can enjoy the fact that they are helping to conserve what is likely the rarest, living breed of American chicken.
http://www.rarebreedauctions.com/au...s-old-clancys-chicken-ranch&auction_id=109778
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/797023/barred-holland-quad
BYC thread : Barred Holland breed of chickens
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/407357/barred-holland-breed-of-chickens/260
Best,
Karen

 

[bnjrob]

This is kind of my point. I think a lot of people hear dual purpose and think big bulky birds, but if you don't need a ton of meat, a well bred "egg breed" like a Leghorn, Ancona, Spanish, Minocra, Andalusian, etc can make a really great fowl that meets your needs and is certainly a lot more efficient about it and still every bit as tasty.

I know that there are other birds with more breast on them than a Java, but they do well for us as dual purpose and were once considered one of the finest table fowl. It's just two of us and we have leftovers from a whole chicken if we have the meat as one dish. If we use the meat as an ingredient in a dish, then it goes even farther. And even when we had just a handful of birds, we had more than enough eggs to share with others.

 

[Lacy Blues]

What is EYP and ascites ?

To answer your question specifically, EYP is Egg Yolk Peritonitis: She becomes an internal layer where the eggs are deposited in her abdomen rather than go through the egg track to obtain the shell. Usually, she will go to the nest, just like a normal chicken but she will not leave an egg behind.

Ascites is where water is accumulated in the abdomen. Unless I'm mistaken, this is generally associated with the super fast growing broilers and is a result of the stress of the fast growth. It is also associated with liver damage.

 

[Beekissed]

Or heart failure.

 

[ronott1]

This is kind of my point. I think a lot of people hear dual purpose and think big bulky birds, but if you don't need a ton of meat, a well bred "egg breed" like a Leghorn, Ancona, Spanish, Minocra, Andalusian, etc can make a really great fowl that meets your needs and is certainly a lot more efficient about it and still every bit as tasty.

I know that there are other birds with more breast on them than a Java, but they do well for us as dual purpose and were once considered one of the finest table fowl. It's just two of us and we have leftovers from a whole chicken if we have the meat as one dish. If we use the meat as an ingredient in a dish, then it goes even farther. And even when we had just a handful of birds, we had more than enough eggs to share with others.

Black Penedesencas are hard to find, but we found some and brought them out to Northern California. Black Penedesenca is a Dual Purpose Egg Layer too. They sometimes lay darker eggs than Marans.

 

[bnjrob]

They are hard to find, but we found some and brought them out to Northern California. Black Penedesenca is a Dual Purpose Egg Layer too. They sometimes lay darker eggs than Marans.

Are you talking about Javas being hard to find?

 

[ronott1]

Are you talking about Javas being hard to find?

No, Black Penedesencas. They are very rare now.