Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[call ducks]

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 . . .
I did my first study on prolonged storage of hatching eggs three years ago now. Funny enough I was doing it at roughly the same time as scientists and did not even know it. It did garner the attention of the local agriculture collage though. I am rewriting and updating my hypothesis this year as will as working on get some numbers so my mentor can do her mathy stuff and figure out sample sizes. She is a retired biologist.

 

[BGMatt]

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?

They are great cages. I have a few very old ones, and both local poultry clubs use them for their shows. Sadly I have not and do not know of anyone that has ordered them with the bottom/tray.

 

[capayvalleychick]

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?

I just bought some and ordered the bottoms. They do not attach. The cage fits into the bottom, but it can't be connected to it. They can't be used for transporting.

 

[Zanna]

I just bought some and ordered the bottoms. They do not attach. The cage fits into the bottom, but it can't be connected to it. They can't be used for transporting.

X2. I also got the trellises that they stand on. They are a little flimsy and wobbly (made of the same wire as the cages). They were inexpensive but I don't recommend them.

 

[3riverschick]

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.

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.

Huh?

 

[BGMatt]

Huh?

That's what I get for trying to post while in between customers at work. My local climate we don't get truly hot weather until late August generally, when Jan/Feb hatch birds are mostly mature so their growth wouldn't be slowed.

If you live somewhere that instead that starts getting high 80's and 90's or worse early in the year (south west, Texas, etc) it's a lot less ideal. Because now those birds are still in their prime growing ages when the heat hits, halts their appetites and therefore growth.

Sorry for confusion.

 

[Extra Java]

Quote: Thanks for the info!

 

[Texasmja]

That's what I get for trying to post while in between customers at work. My local climate we don't get truly hot weather until late August generally, when Jan/Feb hatch birds are mostly mature so their growth wouldn't be slowed.

If you live somewhere that instead that starts getting high 80's and 90's or worse early in the year (south west, Texas, etc) it's a lot less ideal. Because now those birds are still in their prime growing ages when the heat hits, halts their appetites and therefore growth.

Sorry for confusion.

Heat and extreme humidity is something we deal with here in Iola, TX. June-October are HOT, we will have over 100 degree days for 90-100 days straight with high humidity on top of that.

I foal all of my mares as early as possible here because they grow out better and are older before the flies start. New foals do not thrive who are born later than April and that is pushing it.

Last year I ended up hatching and raising birds in the extreme heat, to make sure everyone thrived and grew well I fed fermented feed and made sure they had shade and wet ground to lay on during the hottest part of the days. I will run a mister in each yard and they love it, some will stand in low pans of water. Well they all grew out and packed on the weight just fine. I think management for each situation is warranted.

 

[thedragonlady]

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

I use double walled Suncast horizontal storage boxes for my breeding trios, males, and young birds. Double walled boxes do not sweat when it is cold. It is the added moisture in the air,in the coop,which will freeze combs.My main sleeping coop is insulated also. It houses laying females I have not paired yet. Double walled and insulated coops also save the birds when it is brutally hot here in summer.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I have a hammer I have to use. Bang the sides, then bang the bottom. That doesn't work, chip it out then bang again. So.much.fun.

As for frostbite, only a smidge on the tip of the points on some bantam Sussex. Everyone else seems to be doing well with the icyHot and the Vasline on the combs. If I hadn't put it on there though, I'm sure I would have lost some combs and wattles.

I put the water into the bowls, the birds drank and by the time I put the Vasline on, some of their feathers had ice on them from drinking the water.

Icy Hot! That's an idea. Do you mix it with the vaseline before application or apply them separately?

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.