Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[tls_ranch]

How many of you are starting to get your breeding pens set up? Making final selections? I got off easy this year with small numbers, cuts are made, pens are set up. Lights go on for large fowl next weekend.

I just finished my final cuts on this year's pullets and older hens. I selected 2 cockerels and 34 hens and pullets. The last 10 cull pullets will be gone by next week. I do have a small group of 16 "fall hatch" juvies to grow out. At least 2 of the juvenile cockerels in that group are looking very good in type/ size and pattern. My best cockerels last year were fall hatched, so I thought I try it again. They seem to eat more, mature a bit slower and grow bigger frames in the cooler temps. The extreme heat in summer tends to " stunt" growth a bit as 114 is a bit hard on them

Here is one of my cockerels I will be using next spring.

I probably won't start hatching until Feb and the first 2 hatches will probably be just for fun. I will be hatching for my kid's 2nd grade and kindergarden classes. It was so fun for all the kiddos last year! But I ended up giving away most of the chicks!

Trisha

 

[Lacy Blues]

Last year, for the first time ever, I did some hatching in December. Those birds are all molting right now! So, I'm thinking I'm gonna wait til at least February to hatch this time.

 

[fowlman01]

A Wellie was Best of Show this weekend in Alberta. Absolutely gorgeous cockeral owned and bred by Piet on this site.

Walt

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

How many of you are starting to get your breeding pens set up? Making final selections? I got off easy this year with small numbers, cuts are made, pens are set up. Lights go on for large fowl next weekend.

At my place, lights came on 2 weeks ago. I am down to the sire from last season, 1 K and a backup K, 3 pullets and 2 hens. Single, VERY SELECTIVE matings this year. I was hoping to beginning hatching in December again, but like Lacy, all of mine are late Dec hatches from last yr and are in a full blown molt. I've been throwing the protein to them, hope they finish next month. I much prefer Dec/Jan hatching here so the birds are larger and more capable of taking the summer heat/humidity when it arrives

 

[Arielle]

How many of you are starting to get your breeding pens set up? Making final selections? I got off easy this year with small numbers, cuts are made, pens are set up. Lights go on for large fowl next weekend.

Quote: I am hearing location, location, location influences the best hatching dates. THis begs the question what is the best time for New ENgland or the northern states . . .

 

[PA Farmer24]

I am hearing location, location, location influences the best hatching dates. THis begs the question what is the best time for New ENgland or the northern states . . .

Great question Arielle, I often wonder the same thing.

Guess it is up to the person who is doing the hatching and how they have their set up going. In the northern states like New England area and such I would guess starting in Jan to Feb and maybe even early March would be a good start since the winters are longer and the potiental for snow and colder air to still be around would play into this. So it takes on the avg. 21 days for a egg to hatch, so with that in mind if ya start in Jan then by the end of Jan you should have chicks and from there you would want to keep them in the brooder until such time that they are fully feathered and ready to go outside. Well using the Jan dates that could be by as earliest as March for them to go outside. Then the next question would be do you have a pen or coop that can hold the younger birds away from the older flock? Guess what I'm saying is that you really have to look at the overall setup from brooder to grow out pen to coop so see what and how you can handle the situations for raising birds. Not everyone can do this earl, guess that's why we see the feed stores and such selling chicks more into April rather than late winter and real early spring. I am excluding the hatcheries from this for now. I'm sure that some of the other members who have been around a lot longer can chime in and give their own personal experiences on this subject matter and give their own helpful tib bits.

 

[NanaKat]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

How many of you are starting to get your breeding pens set up? Making final selections? I got off easy this year with small numbers, cuts are made, pens are set up. Lights go on for large fowl next weekend.

For my Wyandotte, I've separated/tagged out two cockerels for each pen and three hens/pullets for those cockerel. The pens will be filled in mid December with the first eggs going in the incubator in early January.
One pen will be Columbian pullets back to sire. He is going on five years old this spring so the first issue is checking for fertility. If he is still shooting bullets, then he will also cover the older hens in March.
In another pen, a spring hatched Columbian cockerel will cover his mother and two aunts. Mom has a unique colored egg so hers will be easy to mark for hatch.
A second Spring hatched Columbian cockerel will be paired with two nicely typed older hens.
I also have some fall hatched Columbian I am holding to see final growth.
Plan on hatching 100 from each pairing.

While some of you discourage projects, I have a nice beginning on Black Birchen Wyandotte, Blue Columbian and Blue Birchen. They are for my enjoyment...don't know anyone else working on the varieties.

Cochin pens will include two pens of Blue over Blue hens and one pen of Black over Black and White hens.

 

[NanaKat]

A Wellie was Best of Show this weekend in Alberta. Absolutely gorgeous cockeral owned and bred by Piet on this site.

Walt

Congrats to Piet and sure hopes he posts a picture for us to admire!

 

[gjensen]

What you are raising matters to. Like Lacy, I started early last year, and some of the pullets are molting. The later hatches are not.

With these Catalanas last year, I did not need supplemental light for productivity or fertility. I started setting eggs as soon as I got them in Dec. and through the rest of the winter and spring. I used no lights, and the fertility was great. I do not intend to use lights anymore.

There is no reason for me to hatch in Dec. this year. These birds are pretty quick to mature, and they tolerate our summers well. There is no advantage for me to start that early. April/May hatches would be ready for the fall shows.

I have went through the pens and I am ready to go, but I will not set any eggs in the incubator until the first of March, and finish by April.

 

[Apdeb]

My best showbirds were hatched end of march !!!! I will try hatching a few end of feb I dont want to deal with chicks until after the ne congress show jan 18/19
Am considering entering the pa show in bethlehem early feb