Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[NanaKat]

It is a "Seller Beware" world when our Heritage breeds get used for $ projects.
I gave up the color projects I had a few years ago to focus on my Columbian Wyandotte. There have been plenty of calls on the Blue Columbian and the Birchen Wyandotte even though I'm not breeding them now. I get a few of those calls for Columbian cocks to use in color projects or for "some of those Columbian Wyandotters".
After getting burned on sending Columbian Wyandotte eggs out of state, I have decided to only sell eggs locally.
Not NPIP, I'm doing the same with birds.
I hatch about 100 chicks each year and keep only the best for my breed pens.
The rest I will sell as layer replacers or as trios or freezer birds.
I figure the challenge of breeding the best Columbian Wyandotte to the Standard that I can and the success I achieve is why I'm sticking with them.

 

[3riverschick]

I think the Aussie Light is the Light Sussex bred to the Australian standard.

I think the problem, Karen, is everyone thinks if they get the rarest thing and breed it up then they will make lots of money selling those "imported" birds. I feel your pain. When people are looking for birds of mine to use in a cross breeding because they want better blue fill-in-the-blanks, it drives me up a wall. Why on earth would I sell a bird that has been so hard to get right so they can use it to improve something else causing the genes expressed in that bird to die with it as far as its own breed is concerned.

Yeah, I agree now. It's so sad to see a breeder's efforts with a rare strain get used for some stupid color project which will never do anything but corrupt the gene pool of the breed. Yeah, I'm opinionated about that. Any exceptions are so rare it's not worth talking about them, sigh. Since my last rant post, I have had an inquiry about my birds from a gentleman who is interested in them. It's later in the year so if he wants to, I think I will send him eggs and he can pay me 5.00 per chick that hatches.
Best,
Karen

 

[Lacy Blues]

You may run into a person that wouldn't be honest about how many hatched that way Karen. It's totally up to you though.

 

[3riverschick]

You may run into a person that wouldn't be honest about how many hatched that way Karen. It's totally up to you though.

Yeah, you're, right, it happens. However, this gentleman came by way of trusted referral and I have confidence he is not one of them.
Best,
Karen

 

[Wisher1000]

I have a cabinet incubator (288 LF eggs at a time) and occasionally hatch for people. I charge .50c per egg up front, and another $1.50 per chick that hatches. I will not incubate dirty eggs and will either refuse them or will wash them before I put them in. I ask them to mark their own eggs, and I save any eggs I pull to show them. For example, if they ask me to hatch a dozen eggs, they give me $6 when they deliver the eggs. I ask for them to be delivered on Weds. or Thursday and set them on Friday. I candle them around day 9 and if I pull three that are not fertile. I put them in the fridge. I let the owner know whenever I have to pull some. I candle again on day 17 and find a quitter and a stinker. I pull those and put the 7 viable ones in the hatcher. The obvious dud is put in the fridge as long as is passes the sniff test. If one stinks or I'm not sure about one, I'll put it in a ziplock bag and put it in the freezer. As soon as I see the first pip, I call to let them know to prepare for chicks. I keep the empty egg shells in an egg carton so that when they pick up the chicks, they also get the eggs that didn't hatch and the empty egg shells the chicks came from. That way, they know they got what they paid for. I collect another $10.50 for the seven live chicks but never let chicks leave my place until they are paid for. OH, and one more thing, I always hatch 4 - 6 of my own eggs along with each customer's batch to make sure the incubator was not responsible if they have a poor hatch rate. Usually, those are mixed eggs from the egg flock and I will just give those chicks to the owner if they want them. If all went as planned, they will be finished hatching on Saturday and they will go to their new home that day or the next. If I have to brood them past 2 days, I charge $5 for every day that I brood them starting the third day. Food, feeder, water, waterer, shavings, labor, electricity, lamp, bulb, etc. all adds up. If they pic up the chicks in a day or two, they end up paying a total of $16.50 for the 7 chicks, meaning they cost the owner just under $2.36 each. I think that's more than fair.

 

[Sunflowergirl]

I wonder if I might jump in with a question on feeding heritage breeds???

At what age does one start feeding the layer feed?

I understand that the Speckled Sussex (from Tony Albritton) that I have reach point of lay around 6 months (24 weeks). My chicks are 11 weeks now. When do I want to start feeding them the layer feed and giving them the oyster shell?

FYI, I started them on a "Texas Naturals" chick feed of 20% protein (peanut and fish meal). Just this week I have switched them to the "Texas Naturals" broiler/grower feed of 22% protein (same protein source).

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I wonder if I might jump in with a question on feeding heritage breeds???

At what age does one start feeding the layer feed?

I understand that the Speckled Sussex (from Tony Albritton) that I have reach point of lay around 6 months (24 weeks). My chicks are 11 weeks now. When do I want to start feeding them the layer feed and giving them the oyster shell?

FYI, I started them on a "Texas Naturals" chick feed of 20% protein (peanut and fish meal). Just this week I have switched them to the "Texas Naturals" broiler/grower feed of 22% protein (same protein source).

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

If you have oyster shell available free choice, potentially never?

Around here we found that using an "all flock" type formula for all our birds, then supplementing with oyster shell on the side, keeps things a lot simpler and saner for us. We usually have mixed ages of birds in our flocks, breeders, both genders ... and we find they all do better, even the layers, on the more nutritious formula of an "all flock" recipe.

To answer the specific question ... studies indicate pullets will benefit from having extra calcium a few weeks before their first egg. As that's difficult to predict and individual to each bird, it's good to have oyster shell available for them, too.

 

[Sunflowergirl]

If you have oyster shell available free choice, potentially never? o

Around here we found that using an "all flock" type formula for all our birds, then supplementing with oyster shell on the side, keeps things a lot simpler and saner for us. We usually have mixed ages of birds in our flocks, breeders, both genders ... and we find they all do better, even the layers, on the more nutritious formula of an "all flock" recipe.

To answer the specific question ... studies indicate pullets will benefit from having extra calcium a few weeks before their first egg. As that's difficult to predict and individual to each bird, it's good to have oyster shell available for them, too.

Thank you for your input LeslieDJoyce!
So, I can keep them on the feed I have now and then set out oyster shell around 20 weeks of age? Would that be soon enough if I am expecting point of lay to be 24 weeks, but not too soon so I don't get any harm done from improper excess calcium?

 

[bnjrob]

I wonder if I might jump in with a question on feeding heritage breeds???

At what age does one start feeding the layer feed?

I understand that the Speckled Sussex (from Tony Albritton) that I have reach point of lay around 6 months (24 weeks). My chicks are 11 weeks now. When do I want to start feeding them the layer feed and giving them the oyster shell?

FYI, I started them on a "Texas Naturals" chick feed of 20% protein (peanut and fish meal). Just this week I have switched them to the "Texas Naturals" broiler/grower feed of 22% protein (same protein source).

Thanks in advance for any advice!!!

Feeding is really up to you and what results you are looking for in your birds, and whether or not your chosen feed is getting you those results. I know, clear as mud right?

We don't use layer feed here. Our birds are dual-purpose birds that we use for both meat and eggs. We also breed to the APA standard. So we are looking at a lot of different traits in our birds. Layer feed doesn't have the protein level that we want for our birds to build big strong skeletons and put meat on their bones. We also routinely keep adult males in with adult females, and our roosters don't need layer feed with extra calcium in it. Normally we use the TSC Dumore brand 24% protein chick starter (actually marketed as starter for game birds) and feed that to our chicks until they are approximately 4-5 months old. Then we switch over to the 21% Flock Raiser feed for the rest of their lives. This has given us good results and doesn't clean out our wallets so bad since we have approx. 100 chickens to feed. It also simplifies feeding so we aren't having a ton of different feeds to have to remember who is on what feed. Once we see the first pullet egg in a pen, then we give them free choice oyster shell.

I will not use the TX Naturals brand again. We used that brand for a couple of months this year when we were unable to get our usual brand of starter feed. Our birds did not do as well on that feed as far as growth and development and looking like healthy birds. We're still trying to reverse the effects of that feed in our turkey poults and they are currently on a different feed and vitamin/mineral supplements in their water. They are improving but unfortunately with feed issues, it takes a while for any effect, good or bad, to occur. It took a month of different feed and vit/min supplementing to get our chicks back to where they should be after pulling them off that TX Nat feed. We are still working on getting the poults back to where they should be, but they are on their way. I can't recommend that feed brand. The non-gmo thing is nice, but not worth it after seeing the results in our birds. It may work fine for some folks, but not for us, not after we have seen what other feeding routines can do for our birds.

 

[Sunflowergirl]

Feeding is really up to you and what results you are looking for in your birds, and whether or not your chosen feed is getting you those results. I know, clear as mud right?

We don't use layer feed here. Our birds are dual-purpose birds that we use for both meat and eggs. We also breed to the APA standard. So we are looking at a lot of different traits in our birds. Layer feed doesn't have the protein level that we want for our birds to build big strong skeletons and put meat on their bones. We also routinely keep adult males in with adult females, and our roosters don't need layer feed with extra calcium in it. Normally we use the TSC Dumore brand 24% protein chick starter (actually marketed as starter for game birds) and feed that to our chicks until they are approximately 4-5 months old. Then we switch over to the 21% Flock Raiser feed for the rest of their lives. This has given us good results and doesn't clean out our wallets so bad since we have approx. 100 chickens to feed. It also simplifies feeding so we aren't having a ton of different feeds to have to remember who is on what feed. Once we see the first pullet egg in a pen, then we give them free choice oyster shell.

I will not use the TX Naturals brand again. We used that brand for a couple of months this year when we were unable to get our usual brand of starter feed. Our birds did not do as well on that feed as far as growth and development and looking like healthy birds. We're still trying to reverse the effects of that feed in our turkey poults and they are currently on a different feed and vitamin/mineral supplements in their water. They are improving but unfortunately with feed issues, it takes a while for any effect, good or bad, to occur. It took a month of different feed and vit/min supplementing to get our chicks back to where they should be after pulling them off that TX Nat feed. We are still working on getting the poults back to where they should be, but they are on their way. I can't recommend that feed brand. The non-gmo thing is nice, but not worth it after seeing the results in our birds. It may work fine for some folks, but not for us, not after we have seen what other feeding routines can do for our birds.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the Texas Naturals brand! I have been wrestling with the non-soy vs is it proper nutrition for my chickens!
Appreciate the advice to wait until first pullet egg is seen and then put in the free choice oyster shell!