Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Lacy Blues]

Oh Laceyblues, I am so sorry.

I actually have my birds locked in the coops 24/7 because of the weather, sigh. Don't know what is going on with Knight and Day.

He just doesn't go in the coop at all when Sweetie is there. I think she has got him buffaloed about being in the coop with her. When I do put him in the coop, the first thing he does is mate her. Then I get no eggs from her that day. I went out the other night in 20's degree weather and there he was outside.

So now he stays inside with her till it warms up. I can't figure out if he is buffaloed or gallant (refusing to go in because he is guarding her).

Yes, I do have light on in the coop but he still stays out in the dark.

Best,
Karen

Thank you Karen and I hope Knight gets things sorted out with Sweetie soon for you.

I WISH it was 20 degrees here (at night). I think 24 degrees was our high today. Tonight its supposed to get down to 6 degrees, I think. But tomorrow is supposed to be warmer... 34 degrees! After tomorrow, the nights will be warmer too, in the 20s I think it was. By the end of the week, we're supposed to get back up into the mid 40s. I heard this winter was supposed to be pretty severe. I was looking at records last night, trying to see what to expect over the next couple of months. The record for next week was something horrid like -21 degrees! Ugh. I hope and pray it doesn't do THAT!

 

[lualshannon]

My NHs. are almost 6 mos. old, and watching them grow and develop has been such a delightful, as well as wonderful learning experience. The pullets are sensible, clam and friendly birds, but, the cockerels have only one thing in their minds: romancing everything with feathers on two legs, which has been causing quite a bit of excitement.. Well, I am thankful to my mature roosters who are doing their best to teach manners to these out of control teenagers..

Lual

Walt Leonard/ fowlman01 birds

 

[imtrying]

Talk about the universe speaking to you...about an hour and a half after I posted the above, I went down to get the mail before feeding the crew and found the Urch price list for 2014. He's offering Mottled Houdans this year!

I'm going to place an all Houdan order and hopefully I'll get at least two decent trios to work from. Last time I ended up with four pullets from six chicks. Not much I can do with that, though my favorite girl did place BV/BB at the VPBA show (three entries total, two were mine)

is his price list online? if not, how do you get it?

 

[chickadoodles]

One more night of drastically cold weather here tonight and then it will warm up some! I'll be ready for that. I'm positive my birds will be ready for that. I had to cull a poor boy today... he was 4 years old and very nice bird. Got some frostbite on his comb last night. The night before, his wattles were affected and yesterday they were swollen. Today they were swollen more, about 2 inches thick at the thickest part. Between that and the frostbite on his comb, he was so very miserable. I don't think he ate yesterday and this morning he only took a couple bites because he wattles would bump the edge of his feed pan and they were hurting him. He was not a stupid bird but I think his mind was so overwhelmed by the pain he was in that he was out standing in the wind today trying to stay warm in the weak sunshine we had. We had a breeze out of the northeast last night that came right in his coop and made it so much worse. Poor boy.

He didn't struggle much so I know he was quite weak but it just hurts my heart to have to do them in for these reasons.

I quickly put together some cardboard boxes this afternoon with leaves and shavings to put the boys into tonight. I hope it will help them get through it for this winter. Before next winter I'll be building permanent boxes for them to sleep in.

I am so sorry. I hope it does warm up some for them and you!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Closest "cousin" would probably be the White Faced Black Spanish, since at one point Minocras were called Red Faced Spanish. But yes all the Mediterranean fowl definitely have a look and style that belongs with them! Wonderful class, probably overall my favorite (it's either that or the Asiatic, but not a Cochin fan)

until they let Penedesenca or Empordanesa into it its a incomplete class for showing . Just saying
Both breeds have been around a long long time are very popular in Europe and fairly popular in South America

If you use the term Heritage and if that means a bird that has not been out breed for better production they would be as heritage as any Mediterranean breed.
I know us Penedesenca , Empordanesa breeders need to do a better job of trying to get them accepted
because really they should be.

 

[NanaKat]

It is 23 degrees her this morning with a high of 33 today...a week of ice and snow and night temps In the single digits. Wind chills have been as low. I was greeted at 6:45 this morning by all three groups of Wyandotte and the Buckeye trio when I took hot water out to fill their water tubs. There was enough ice in the tubs from last night to bring the water temp to warm. Tossed some scratch on the bare spots for them. We are getting more freezing rain on Friday.

The layer flock is down to a dozen eggs a day and the breeders in the brooder room are laying now. The eggs are awfully cold when I collect unless a hen is in the nest box when I go out. Those eggs, I set in an egg turner and set 25 in the incubator. Will see in a week if any are viable. I know there are stories out there of people hatching eggs that have been refrigerated...but never done it before.

What is the temp of the coldest egg any of you have successfully hatched?

 

[har]

...

My NHs. are almost 6 mos. old, and watching them grow and develop has been such a delightful, as well as wonderful learning experience. The pullets are sensible, clam and friendly birds, but, the cockerels have only one thing in their minds: romancing everything with feathers on two legs, which has been causing quite a bit of excitement.. Well, I am thankful to my mature roosters who are doing their best to teach manners to these out of

Lual you had a busy morning posting your pictures of the NH and RIR!
They are both looking good. Do you have any eggs yet?

Scott

 

[fowlman01]

until they let Penedesenca or Empordanesa into it its a incomplete class for showing . Just saying
Both breeds have been around a long long time are very popular in Europe and fairly popular in South America

If you use the term Heritage and if that means a bird that has not been out breed for better production they would be as heritage as any Mediterranean breed.
I know us Penedesenca , Empordanesa breeders need to do a better job of trying to get them accepted
because really they should be.

The APA has no definition of "Heritage", but the ALBC says Heritage means they were admitted to the APA Standard by 1945 which would exclude theses two breeds. There are many old breeds that are not considered "Heritage" here in the US. Amount of birds, age of breeds has no bearing on US definitions of "Heritage".

Both of these breeds are quite a ways from being recognized in the US.

Walt

 

[fowlman01]

Quote:
Here is an older sister to the birds Lual posted. (8 months old) She was champion American last weekend at PCBC here in CA. She is not showing the bright coloring she would show in good lighting. This is not a great picture of her, but you get the idea.




Walt

 

[catdaddyfro]

Winner of the NH meet at Knoxville by Steven Gribble(sgribble)

this is a better pic than you saw on FB I think apdeb pictures can sure change up alot of stuff so hard to judge by lots of times. I don't like to take pics of mine because I don't know what I'm doing mostly as they never look the way I see them in person most of the time.


Jeff