Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[RedRidge]

Exactly. No livestock is parasite free. It's how they handle their load that is important. Well said.

Parasite control is unique to each flock's climate, strain, and management. Each breeder has to find out what works best for their birds.

This one statement is SO true and SO important and something all livestock people need to remember above and beyond all else. Nothing else matters if it doesn't work well for each of us individually because we all have unique environments and situations. For new folks that involves a lot of trial and error and more importantly a willingness to not live by predefined guidelines but to learn and to keep in mind that we always keep learning and guidelines are never carved on stone and are a moving target.
For folks who are anal and control freaks like me that can be difficult and does it good to be reminded to be flexible periodically. ;-)

 

[Arielle]

Quote: VIvki-- would this be a valid reason to wash eggs before setting them?? Or other other considerations of picking up the round worm eggs, say if a broodie is raising the chicks and she takes them everywehere--- everywhere the older chickens have traveled.

 

[NYREDS]

Exactly. No livestock is parasite free. It's how they handle their load that is important. Well said.

Also, in much of the world humans carry some amount of gut fauna. As with other creatures this is only an issue if the load of parasites is more than the system can handle.

I've never understood the suggestion by some people that poultry should be routinely dewormed as a prophylactic measure. Wormers are pretty nasty poisons-that's why they kill worms. Why would you want to unnecessarily subject birds or anything else for that matter, to such a thing if it was not necessary? If memory serves I have wormed just once in all the time I've kept poultry. It wasome new birds that were carrying a heavy load of rounwoms when they got here.
,

 

[gjensen]

This one statement is SO true and SO important and something all livestock people need to remember above and beyond all else. Nothing else matters if it doesn't work well for each of us individually because we all have unique environments and situations. For new folks that involves a lot of trial and error and more importantly a willingness to not live by predefined guidelines but to learn and to keep in mind that we always keep learning and guidelines are never carved on stone and are a moving target.
For folks who are anal and control freaks like me that can be difficult and does it good to be reminded to be flexible periodically. ;-)

That is right and for some reason hard to communicate.

The birds tell on you. They are good teachers. Handling them and paying attention to their condition will over time, teach you all that you need to know about their care. And what you are doing wrong.

I think it varies by strain to. Some may require a little more coddling than others.

Some are more tolerant of vitamin deficiencies than others, some seam more tolerant of parasites, some handle the heat better, some handle the cold better.

We are not even the same and have different ideals and ways we like to do things. Often it becomes more about us than the birds. A lot of what we do or don't do makes us feel better.

The basics are a common thread that runs through this, but in the end, it is knowing your birds and your setting. To try to make it all fit in the same box is a pretty narrow view of things.

 

[Arielle]

In the horse world the vets started moving awayfrom the prophalatic treatment 10 years ago and now my vets work from the point of "does the horse need it?" and uses fecals to check for an increasing load. Makes sense as the wormers are becoming less effective.

I don't know of any horse people that know about rotational pastures unless they also run sheep or other livestock.

I am hoping to get to a dog show next week end- -the same venue as the New England Poultry Congress. GOod for my kids to see a world of dogs in one building.

http://www.infodog.com/clubs/2014172402.htm

 

[hellbender]

In the horse world the vet started moving awayfrom the prophalatic treatment and now my vets work from the point of "does the horse need it?" and uses fecals to check for an increasing load. Makes sense as the wormers are becoming less effective. ANd I don't know of any horse people that know what rotational pastures are unless they also run sheep or other livestock.

I am hoping to get to a dog show next week end- -the same place as the New England Poultry show. GOod for my kids to see a world of dogs in one building.

http://www.infodog.com/clubs/2014172402.htm

The same admonishment ...."If you can find a good one"...Reisenschnauzer...Top of the line...TOO!!!

https://www.google.com/search?q=rie...zIOfZ2wXE3YDABQ&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=955

 

[Arielle]

you bad!!! lol I have dial up and in about 10 MINUTES I'll see the collage!! GOod thing I am patient!! lol


What a smart looking dog-- ready for business. Looks much bigger than a reg schnauser.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Same with folks who say garlic makes the eggs taste funny. Garlic is a sulfur smell/taste and eggs taste and smell of....sulfur...so how do they tell? More sulfur-y-ness? I've never had an off taste in the eggs from garlic usage. Same with flax seed...no discernible difference.

My hens have daily access to the bull and cow pastures and they work those cow pies like there's no tomorrow. My cousin hasn't had to drag the pasture in 5 years since this action has been taking place on the farm and I have yet to have a customer complain of the eggs having a cow patty likeness flavor to them. J/s

Jeff

 

[hellbender]

you bad!!! lol I have dial up and in about 10 MINUTES I'll see the collage!! GOod thing I am patient!! lol

Sorry...I thought dial-up had been out-lawed!

 

[Yellow House Farm]

• Yellow House Farm
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• Location: Barrington, NH
• Joined: 6/2009
• Posts: 1,568
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That makes two of us. yes, it's genetic. I believe I read that it is a dominant trait--width of feather. Loose featheredness is an eye thing. For Mediterranean breeds the body feathers are to fit "rather close". The only way I'd know to deal with this is each year to select for it. I don't have this problem in my Anconas, but one in every so many Dorkings comes out noticeable more loose feathered, which makes me think it is a recessive trait. Regardless, it's fairly obvious wen comparing them to their confreres. If it is recessive, it means that once it's a dominant trait, it can be hard to get rid of, but I'm complete speculating about it being recessive.



Nope, I do not agree. I have sold birds to people who did not follow my feeding and worming schedule. They frankly looked like hell. I, of course, raised more of the same, when I saw the photos.Once those birds were on my feeding/worming schedule, their feathers were lovely, just like their siblings, who had remained at home.​

That I can imagine, but, aside from care issues that can corrupt stock, there are genes and associated alleles that lead to the tight feathers of games and the lloos feathers of cochins. They've got to be somewhere on that spectrum of recessive and dominant.