Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[3riverschick]

Yes, that seems like it ought to be a good idea. Unfortunately I tried it already. She's just not laying. Can't have fertile eggs if there are no eggs at all.

Sarah

Why not sprout some forage oats for her. Plotspike makes a great one sold at Tractor Supply and other stores.
7 days old). Sprouted oats are historically known for bringing hens into lay and helping cocks produce more robust sperm
to help result in more robust chicks. Feed adults one cubic inch per day per bird or ( more than that to
bowel tolerance). If the bowels get a bit soft feeding more, back off a day till they firm up and give a bit less next time.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

Hot wire is a great teacher....

Young, stupid means they get one pass and he has already got it.
I warn them, this is not a game, next time I call the cops. Done it
before, will do it again.
Best,
Karen
Good news, all the laying flock is finally producing, yeah!
The temp ups and downs this winter really messed with their
laying production.

 

[thedragonlady]

Young, stupid means they get one pass and he has already got it.
I warn them, this is not a game, next time I call the cops. Done it
before, will do it again.
Best,
Karen

Hot wire won't hurt the little monster, but it will leave a lasting impression. It is a passive teaching aid. If something stays out, no problem. If something tries to get in; they punish themselves. Plus, you don't get a bunch of laissez faire parents on your neck. Just be sure to hang that cute little electric fence warning sign.

 

[gjensen]

Thanks,
Talked to my neighbor and seems there was a "chubby kid" in my yard today. She caught him trying to
stuff gunk in her mailbox. But they are new to the neighborhood so she didn't know who it was. The school
bus stops at my lot, so I will be watching, smile.
Best,
Karen

Boys that are not taught any better, do stupid stuff. Testosterone and no boundaries is a bad combination. Hopefully he gets caught and gets into some trouble. Hopefully he (they) will learn along the way. The boy(s) need to learn some respect on many levels.

 

[Canieldonrad]

Chris McCathy is sending chicks to me in early APril, weather permitting, and his stock is partly form Laura, and some URch to replenish his stock after some losses.

BIg feet??

Large legs in general. Lots of thigh and drumstick meat.

I banded them last year with the 22mm ABA bands. Cockerels were too big for them to fit over the toes. Which ended up being a good thing, as I had no Cockerel that would have fit a 22mm.

I've not seen Chris' flock in person. But have seen more than enough birds(in person) raised out of his chicks to know that I like his. He has very good looking females in my opinion. I believe he and Laura have exchanged birds in the past.

 

[gjensen]

Good points, and I totally agree with you.

Having the birds "do as they should" has become my new priority. This year I took my most java-looking hen with a long, straight back and paired her with a complementary cock to offset her flaws. Should have been great. Trouble is she has laid all of 7 eggs since December (it is now late March). Four of the seven eggs she laid were clear. None of her other eggs hatched. The cock she was paired with did just fine siring other hens' chicks. Most of my hens lay 4-5 eggs/week. She is a dud. So my breeding program is taking a step back while I regroup. Not giving up, just refiguring my strategy to get production up as well as improve type.

In the meantime, several of this year's chicks look pretty good. Crossing my fingers that some of them are actually female. October's broody hatch had a 5:1 cockerelullet ratio. Ouch.

You can't have much of a breeding program if the hens don't lay.

Sarah

Yes, there is no good reason to perpetuate trouble like that. Unless you can identify an explanation, I would not either. Don't want more like her. That is just how I see it. I can see working with a good old cock or hen, but young fit birds should not be giving us too much trouble.

Your averages will work out in your favor at some point, LOL. Just look at it this way, you have plenty of males to sort through. Might come up with one that is pretty good. If you come up with one that gets you excited, it will have been worth it.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: My favorite is thigh and drumstick!!

Chris said he had worked hard to put on the muscle. I wanted a good meat bird-- easy enough to find a good layer, much harder to find a meat bird.

Chris and Laura follow the roational methods of breeding and selection, so they likely exchange birds ocassionally.

Nice to know the females are very good.

 

[har]

I seem to be having a bit of a problem that I could use some help with. I keep my spare roosters in a 4x4 foot pen, also 4 foot tall. It has good ventilation and the free range hens walk by them all day long. I give them fresh water all the time and mostly layer pellets with a little bit of scratch. It seems that if they are in there very long say a month or six weeks they start going down hill, loosing weight, feathers do not look so good and might even loose some feathers. Does anybody have any ideas what I could do different?

Thank you
Scott

 

[bnjrob]

Kids, what ya gonna do with them !?!

I came home from errands today and went out to gather eggs at the far coop. Looked down and there was
one of my stud cocks at my feet. Now all my coops are fully enclosed. Hum... not good. He came up to me
and let me pick him up while I wondered which coop was open. Turns out it was Knight and Day and the
small white coop on the other side of our property was wide open. Sweetie, the outcross hen, was still in
the coop. I have no idea how long they were out. The lawn is quite dug up around the front of the coop.
But Knight and Day came to me, that was such a relief. I have been working hard to make friends with him
this winter. Found one of his large wing feathers out on the lawn. 6 weeks to grow it back in, sigh.
Looks like the neighborhood kids have been "joking" again. Nuts, now I have to put locks on all the coops.
Best,
Karen

Sounds like some children need a talk out behind the wood shed.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Kids, what ya gonna do with them !?!

I came home from errands today and went out to gather eggs at the far coop. Looked down and there was
one of my stud cocks at my feet. Now all my coops are fully enclosed. Hum... not good. He came up to me
and let me pick him up while I wondered which coop was open. Turns out it was Knight and Day and the
small white coop on the other side of our property was wide open. Sweetie, the outcross hen, was still in
the coop. I have no idea how long they were out. The lawn is quite dug up around the front of the coop.
But Knight and Day came to me, that was such a relief. I have been working hard to make friends with him
this winter. Found one of his large wing feathers out on the lawn. 6 weeks to grow it back in, sigh.
Looks like the neighborhood kids have been "joking" again. Nuts, now I have to put locks on all the coops.
Best,
Karen

Karen, if I had a bird come up to me and allow me to pick him up, I'd be checking him all over for injuries big and small. Just sayin'

I seem to be having a bit of a problem that I could use some help with. I keep my spare roosters in a 4x4 foot pen, also 4 foot tall. It has good ventilation and the free range hens walk by them all day long. I give them fresh water all the time and mostly layer pellets with a little bit of scratch. It seems that if they are in there very long say a month or six weeks they start going down hill, loosing weight, feathers do not look so good and might even loose some feathers. Does anybody have any ideas what I could do different?

Thank you
Scott

How many cocks in these 4x4 pens? If it's more than one, I'd say it may be stress related and they need more space to get away from the dominant ones. My cocks get a 4x4 pen plus an outside run, not huge but room to move around, all to themselves, unless I decide to let some hens share it with him.