Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[3riverschick]

Those are Veterinary grade kennels. Where did you get them? Nice kennels

Labx. It's the ebay of the lab surplus world.

http://www.labx.com/v2/adsearch/detail3.cfm?adnumb=480952#.VI5koqUtF2E
http://www.labx.com/V2/adsearch/search.cfm?sw=cage &ca=36

http://surplus-net.com/

 

[3riverschick]

Well the pullets have started to lay at 6 months, 1 week. I am very happy. Last season they started at 37 weeks.
This year it is just about 29 or so weeks. That's a welcome improvement. The strain-cross is looking good at just over 6 months old. Talked to the farmer I sold a bunch of the chicks to in the Fall. He is loving them and wants to buy more this Spring. A son of my foundation cock, bred and owned by another breeder ,was shown at a large show recently. he took 2nd. Blood tells. I am so happy.
Merry Christmas,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

This is hysterical! My egg basket looks like it came from an egg experiment project!
One older hen and 5 pullets. The youngsters are just getting in gear with laying and their eggs are quite the variety of size, shape, and tint. They will settle down and standardize their egg qualities soon but for right now, my egg basket is like a box of chocolates. I never know what I am going to get, LOL. Shells are good tho.
Merry Christmas,
Karen

 

[Wisher1000]

Pics?

 

[cubalaya]

one of my 'heritage' asils;



and heritage cubalaya;

 

[Lacy Blues]

cubalaya, how tall is that asil? Is he the one that stands at around 3 feet tall?

How is the temperament on your Cubalayas? I've heard varying reports about them. I love looking at them no matter what their temperament is though!

 

[cubalaya]

for a young stag the asil is tall but will never reach 3 feet

for the most part my cubalayas are very tame

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
If you are selling "started birds" only, how old is that? I don't want to sell chicks or eggs.
But last season I think I kept them too long, selling at 4 months. I fed a lot of birds I didn't keep
and it was really costly. What is the earliest age I should be able to see all the features I need
to evaluate for culling?
Happy New Year!
Karen

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

 Hi,
 If you are selling "started birds" only, how old is that?  I don't want to sell chicks or eggs.
But last season I think I kept them too long, selling at 4 months. I fed a lot of birds I didn't keep
and it was really costly. What is the earliest age I should be able to see all the features I need
to evaluate for culling?
 Happy New Year!
 Karen

Great question!

I'm in the second half of my first year of breeding and am also feeding "unproductive" birds for longer than I'd like. I had nothing I considered an "obvious cull" when they were chicks. For the breed I'm working with, the cockerels were still too immature to evaluate at 21 weeks. By 31 weeks I feel much more confident. Pullets seem to mature at a similar rate, though the pressure to cull those is much less (I'll just move the non-breeders into the layer flock, but they are taking forever to reach POL).

Probably a more experienced breeder could cull sooner.

But also other breeds might mature faster.

 

[chickadoodles]

I got some started Buckeye from Chris Mccary at 4 months.