Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[BGMatt]

My opinions have gotten me in trouble a time or two. Funny it is ok to have one view, but not another.

What I want is strong, vigorous, and healthy birds. We give them good feed, clean water, adequate housing, and a healthy environment. They get wormed twice a year, and checked for lice and mites regularly. That is all I intend to do. Give them a fair shot at doing well. If that is not good enough, they are not good enough.

I think a lot of what we do makes us feel better.

No heaters, fans, special feed, or lights for heat. We do not need it here. If the housing is adequate, they are fine. All I did was keep the wind off of them, and with the shelters deep enough to be sheltered on the roost, they all did fine. Not a comb or wattle is blemished.

The only thing I might adjust is to install some functional shutters that I can close in windy cold weather.

I will admit that all of this is easy to say living in the South. If I lived in the upper Midwest, my approach might be different. For one I would probably have a different breed, and another is my housing would be set up differently.

This is what I do in the Pacific Northwest too. Can't beat good hardy stock. My biggest climate challenge is extra moisture, especially thick thick fog that in winter time sometimes does not burn off, and makes the pen bedding damp, which can lead to pneumonia/other illness if not careful. Adult birds are ok, but it can be challenge for young birds still, but they either make it or they don't, no weakness needed. I try to avoid late hatches for this reason, I want at least 6 months old by October if at all possible

 

[3riverschick]

I swiped most of my pumpkin stash this year from people's leaf piles,put out on the curb for pick up.Husband drew the line at snatching them off peoples' porches, and flat refused to drive the get away truck.

I got 16 for 1 cent each at Wal-Mart. the day after Halloween. The deer farm guy took 50.
Best,
Karen 3 degrees with minus 14 degree windchill. Gust lowered to 14 mph.

 

[gjensen]

This is what I do in the Pacific Northwest too. Can't beat good hardy stock. My biggest climate challenge is extra moisture, especially thick thick fog that in winter time sometimes does not burn off, and makes the pen bedding damp, which can lead to pneumonia/other illness if not careful. Adult birds are ok, but it can be challenge for young birds still, but they either make it or they don't, no weakness needed. I try to avoid late hatches for this reason, I want at least 6 months old by October if at all possible

I never thought about that kind of moisture, and managing the birds. I guess everywhere has it's challenges. Doesn't seam like there is a lot you can do about it, but manage it. That is another example of needing to select the birds that can tolerate the conditions. It costs a lot of money and resources to create an "alternate reality", and fight nature.

Our problem here is heat coupled with humidity. We live on a sand ridge that get's especially hot even for the south. Cooler along the coast and farther west.
I am in a bit of a quandary between hatching late enough to avoid the pullets molting in the winter, and getting them along as much as possible before the heat kicks in. I was thinking about doing both. Hatch a little later and before the heat sets in, slow them down a bit.
In other words, I still need to work out the when and how of my new birds.

 

[normanack]

11 degrees at 5:30 am when I got up. By 7:00,it was down to 9 degrees,with a good wind still coming off the polo field.Took all the birds warm water in their boxes, and threw them some whole grains. All the waters were frozen solid,despite being on warmers.It's a balmy 23 degrees here now, and the girls want out, but I'm keeping 3 boys in.No sense in loosing their combs

.Chores are no fun in this weather. My gloves kept sticking to my chain link gates. One of my pumpkins split open last night,so the girls will get that with some grain thrown on it, as they devour the seeds first thing.

One of my roosters -- large single-combed -- is frostbitten and will lose all the points. One hen, with a small but fine-tipped single comb, is losing two points. All the other smaller-combed birds are fine. I don't think there is moisture build-up in the coop as the bedding remains bone-dry year-round. I've been doing deep litter with dry leaves (sometimes chopped, sometimes not) and they never compost except by the waterer. But maybe chickens breathing produce enough moisture to chill those combs. Dragonlady and others, any advice on comb/coop maintenance for me? Thanks.

p.s. no added heat in the coop

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Where's Wisher-- she just got silver campines-- URch I think-- she's have to confirm.

 

[Heirloom Chick]

Here are my 6 1/2 week old heirloom bronze turkeys. They are about to go free-range this weekend as they are now fully feathered.

They were fathered by two seperate toms. The bronze Tom won first prize at the Sydney show the year before last year for best bronze heirloom Tom.

I am breeding Croad Langshan chickens too.

They are all free-range on our property from a relatively early age and do their own thing organically and naturally.

Heirloom breeds are not always easy to find in Australia, however, we have an excellent backyard poultry club in our rural district, with several property owners committed to breeding true heirlooms.

It is always great to see their breed lines continuing while on display at the local rural show each year.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Read Yinepu's stuff--or pm her. SHe has already devised such a method to hold eggs for a remarkably long time. Hatching is in her blood. SHe is always hatching something . . .

 

[Vamvakas]

Arielle

You going to Congress on the 18th?

 

[BGMatt]

I never thought about that kind of moisture, and managing the birds. I guess everywhere has it's challenges. Doesn't seam like there is a lot you can do about it, but manage it. That is another example of needing to select the birds that can tolerate the conditions. It costs a lot of money and resources to create an "alternate reality", and fight nature.

Our problem here is heat coupled with humidity. We live on a sand ridge that get's especially hot even for the south. Cooler along the coast and farther west.
I am in a bit of a quandary between hatching late enough to avoid the pullets molting in the winter, and getting them along as much as possible before the heat kicks in. I was thinking about doing both. Hatch a little later and before the heat sets in, slow them down a bit.
In other words, I still need to work out the when and how of my new birds.

Everywhere does have it's challenges. Management is key, different styles of housing too. Style I choose to use, combined with our climate just means I don't want young birds going through winter. Young adults are just fine and power through it. So thankfully no consideration needs to be made on breeds. But I know with my open style of coops I don't have heat issues in summer or frostbite issues in winter like others that use other types of housing might have. And a defined hatching window is a better solution then raising birds totally indoors, the health benefits of open air are quite substantial. I've found growth rates and size are best on large fowl hatched in Jan/Feb here too since their biggest growth window coincides with the lovely spring's and late summers (all two weeks of it!) we have.

Sounds like you have some unique challenges too. If you don't mind the birds taking longer to get to point of lay it might benefit you to hatch out in fall and grow them up over winter. Large fowl especially as I'm sure you know, won't grow as large if they're doing most of their growing in warm months, they don't eat as much and therefore don't get the nutrients to grow larger. Definitely takes some experimenting.

 

[Extra Java]

Anyone familiar with Keipper Coops???
I noticed that they sell them with or without bottoms.

Do the bottoms attach to the coop so that the bird can be transported???

OR is the coop just sitting on top of the tray?