Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[Fentress]

I have 7 males and I did not need to keep that many. I was wanting to see what some did, and was picking who was going with who. Looks like I will use five. I will see what I produce this year, and go from there. I picture keeping around five males at any given point. The minimum I could see keeping is two males for two families, and a third that was extra.

Healthy, hardy, and vigorous is a compliment to the breeder and the breed. Poor production, fertility, hatchability, and livability is a liability. That reputation only survives so long.

It is hugely disappointing to have trouble getting birds to hatch and get started. Only the ultra dedicated will stick with birds that is especially difficult.

All of the breeds we keep were popular in their time and place, or they would not be here. Often they were improvements over their predecessors. I think the birds are better off if we maintain or improve on that reputation. There has to be demand on the lower levels.

There seams to be a natural structure to this. Up top, there are the rare few master breeders that consistently produce excellent birds. Then there is the aspiring breeders that multiply that stock, and supply the common hen keepers. If there is no demand at the bottom, then the breed is reduced to a few scattered flocks in the hands of the most dedicated. Any breed's population is most stable when there is demand at the bottom and an outlet for those up the ladder. There is no demand at the bottom unless the reputation is good.

I can't believe it, that is exactly what I have been thinking, but you said it so much better than what I could have. I may end up being more of a consumer of standard bred poultry than a breeder. I don't know. But, that is not going to stop me from trying and if I have to run back to a breeder who is better than me, to occasionally get some more stock, then so be it. Let's put these birds to work and see what happens.

 

[brahmabreeder]

What's everyone's thought on medicated chick starter? Good or bad? I'm leaning toward good based on past experiences but would like others to weigh in.

 

[BGMatt]

What's everyone's thought on medicated chick starter? Good or bad? I'm leaning toward good based on past experiences but would like others to weigh in.

I don't use it. Cocci thrive in wet and dirty conditions, solution: clean your brooder. If the birds are still getting sick even with clean dry bedding and clean water? Too weak to breed from anyway. So definitely "bad" from my way of thinking.

 

[ronott1]

What's everyone's thought on medicated chick starter? Good or bad? I'm leaning toward good based on past experiences but would like others to weigh in.

It is kind of pointless. There is not enough medicine to kill Cocci so they often will build up a bad load of it anyway. Treatment if they get sick is very simple and works well.

I don't use it. Cocci thrive in wet and dirty conditions, solution: clean your brooder. If the birds are still getting sick even with clean dry bedding and clean water? Too weak to breed from anyway. So definitely "bad" from my way of thinking.

Definitely a problem with imports.

 

[3riverschick]

Quote: Oh Piet,
I am so sorry for these losses. Do you have a customer from whom you an obtain some girls to replace the lost ones?
That's awful,
Karen

 

[gjensen]

I can't believe it, that is exactly what I have been thinking, but you said it so much better than what I could have. I may end up being more of a consumer of standard bred poultry than a breeder. I don't know. But, that is not going to stop me from trying and if I have to run back to a breeder who is better than me, to occasionally get some more stock, then so be it. Let's put these birds to work and see what happens.

The problem will be locating stock that is productive enough for your purpose. They are available, you will just have to do some hunting. There are some efforts built around putting standard bred poultry back to work.

There is also nothing wrong with traditional simple crosses. The standard bred birds are still being utilized. The surplus males are then more than a by product and waste. Something that would be hard to say when you are discussing the commercial hybrid layers. Like the rest, the trick is finding the right birds for the right cross. Then you could fill a freezer and establish a layer flock.

There is also nothing wrong with running a few cocks with 24 hens and hatching your own replacement flock. You could replace the flock after two years of production and go four years before you went too far backwards. That is four years of learning and getting to know the birds, where you may decide that it is for you.

What I am saying is that there is several ways we can support a breed or breeds of choice. There is noting wrong with being a producer of poultry products if the market is there.

 

[Lacy Blues]

What's everyone's thought on medicated chick starter? Good or bad? I'm leaning toward good based on past experiences but would like others to weigh in.

I have never used it and I never will. I keep my brooders somewhat clean as keeping it perfectly clean does not allow for development of resistance to whatever may be in your poultry yard.

I use yogurt quite a lot to build up beneficial bacteria in the gut and I have found that this keeps my birds quite healthy.

 

[gjensen]

What's everyone's thought on medicated chick starter? Good or bad? I'm leaning toward good based on past experiences but would like others to weigh in.

That is something that everyone has to sort out for themselves, and some have more problems with it than others. Some of this is environment, and some of it is management. It would not take but a bad year or two to convince some one way or the other.

I do not use medicated feed, and I have never had a cocci problem. Except (I think) when I was a kid.

Many people will not raise them without a medicated starter and it could be useful. It can also be a false sense of security.

Regardless whether or not you decide to use it, they need constant access to clean cool water and good clean feed. Then the bedding needs to be kept dry and in good shape. Any animal confined in numbers in a damp warm environment, and on it's own feces is vulnerable to an outbreak of some kind.
It also helps to get the birds established before it gets too late in the season. Cocci would be more of a problem in May than March.

Cocci is a burden on adult birds if their bedding is not kept in good shape.

 

[gjensen]

I agree and I don't. They are not a dime a dozen, not always.. I just lost 9 hens (wyandottes) to a weasel attack. I have only 5 hens left now. These 14 were all my keepers to breed from this season. (equals 10% of what I grew out last year) All the best hens were killed. If I can recover the same quality from the ones I am left with, I do not know. It probably set me back 3 years of work, start over again..over a little weasel. The amount of culls and feed that went into making this pile of dead birds, I cannot even think about.
Piet

That is a big loss. I am thinking about the thought, care, time, hope, and effort.

 

[brahmabreeder]

My necropsy is done. It started out nice and neat but once I got into the body cavity it went to crap from there. Getting the livers, or whatever they were, out was next to impssible the way I was doing it. I ended just causing them to leak blood

. I did find two weird things. First off I think something was wrong with his chicken balls( that or I ripped out the wrong thing ). Then his intestines were an odd color. Looked like the color of his crap he was having. I'll get pictures posted in a minute.