Langshan Thread!!!

[cluckcluckluke]

Bit early to tell but I would say pullet at this stage.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

See if you can source some Croad Langshans. Your Poultry-club may be able to help you? They are the same chicken as the Langshan in the US, and I really dont know why the Americans dont call them that. From the original stock, imported from China to England in 1872, there was developed two main lines, one taller than the type we call Croads plus the type we now call Croads. The other type was named Modern Langshan, and I only know of a handful of people that still breeds them, so they are ectremely rare nowadays. Later the Germans developed a new breed, called German Langshans. They are poor layers, and mainly an exebition-breed. Very pretty, though. When the breeder mentioned breeding lines, he ment you keep them in 2 (or more) flocks, and only cross those two lines every 6-10 years. Dont ever cross siblings, and then you will see size, fertility and laying improving. You have to be a bit hard to begin with, cull bad types, and only breed from good layers, but after a few years you will see how it works. I only keep LF (Big) White Croads, and I hardly have to cull any, as the pure Langshan is a very old breed, and they have very strong genes. If you cannot have two flocks, see if you can find somebody to breed one (or more) flock, and swap a cockeral every so often. They will be related, of course, but they are still a valuable outcross.
I will go more into detail about this in some articles I write for http://www.thechickenwhisperer.co.uk/ so keep an eye open for that. I will have as a guess they will be published in February sometimes. There will be at least 3 arrticles about breeding, and in the one about breeding rare breeds, there will be a part where I explain how I do with my Croads.

Unfortunately, people automatically say Croad and only think of the color of the eggs. And since we can't truly link our birds such as those in the UK and other European countries can to Croad directly, we just don't say it. There's also the thing that only the feather-legged Langshans are included in the breed standard. No other Langshans are accepted, so there's no real need for a distinction as of yet.

Just a few reasons off the top of my head that I could think why we don't call them Croad. Mostly it's American Langshan or just Langshan.

I don't really care how well they lay, I would kill for some German Langshans! I absolutely love them!

Excellent explanation of the A and B method. Many breeders go a bit further and use 4 different lines. Many only have a male and female line. To me, good Langshans should come from both. I don't breed for a "female line" or for a "male" line. If I see a male and a female that look excellent, they are going together.

It does help to keep a record of which birds are which. I usually only hatch from one pen at a time with a week difference between "sets" of eggs. This helps me know which chicks came from which pens so that when I wing band them, I'm not confused and accidentally throw siblings together.

 

[Ryan521]

Here's some newer pics of mine.








I swear these two just don't like me.

 

[PetRock]

Here's some newer pics of mine.








I swear these two just don't like me.

But they are so cute! I had four black cockerels who were full of it. 2 of them pecked me any time I was close to them and didn't mellow with handling. The other 2 calmed down and became easy to handle. Guess which 2 ended up in the freezer?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

haha!

For some reason, this breed goes INSANE for the first few months of their lives. Then, about 5 months, they calm down and are perfect angels. Any males that freak out when I'm in their pen (literally, off the wall freak-out to get out of the pen), I will get rid of. I don't need that in my lines. Any male that tries to attack me gets knocked and destroyed. If I have my face in a pen and am bent over to get an egg, I don't need a 10 lb. rooster attacking my face.

That being said, I have a broody hen that will try to kill me and HAS ran me out of the barn for walking into the pen.



Ryan, I really like that hen that has the red comb. She has a nice tail spread. The other one kind of comes to a point. Some good things to try, and I know it sounds awful. Keep water and food from them for a day. Then, give them the water and food. Usually they will run up to you for it. If they don't, keep food and water away again.

The next day, they WILL run up to the water and food. For some reason, this makes them understand that you are the one providing the food and water. It won't make them all cuddly, but will bring them to you and make them relax around you.

Repeat the process as necessary. Give treats only while you are standing there in front of them. I don't really give treats and when I do, I just pour it over the pen. But that's because all my birds are chillaxed.

 

[PetRock]

haha!

For some reason, this breed goes INSANE for the first few months of their lives. Then, about 5 months, they calm down and are perfect angels. Any males that freak out when I'm in their pen (literally, off the wall freak-out to get out of the pen), I will get rid of. I don't need that in my lines. Any male that tries to attack me gets knocked and destroyed. If I have my face in a pen and am bent over to get an egg, I don't need a 10 lb. rooster attacking my face.

That being said, I have a broody hen that will try to kill me and HAS ran me out of the barn for walking into the pen.

LOL!!! The one black boy that I have makes me a little nervous when I'm bent over working in the yard. He is so nosy and is always where ever I am. I try to keep an eye on him because I sure don't want him jumping on my back. So far, he has been a gentleman but I have caught him looking at me with that certain look in his eye. I do not want to be rooster jumped!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

LOL!

I have one male that does the same thing. He stands right beside me and watches everything. Looks me in the eyes and then talks to his hens while I'm in there. He just wants to be around me! haha!

 

[cluckcluckluke]

O.K thorleif I went to the guys house yesterday I got another hen of him she is so pretty (by far my favourite). here she is.






I told him about you guys(all good things of course.lol.) and asked about his hens bantam looking faces and we talked about croads etc: He said he knows that the Croad owners
think that the OZ Langs have batam faces but that's Is how they are bred and supposed to look, last show he even got a warning because his hens where getting to big, so they are supposed to be small. He also doesn't really like the Croads, which ludacris.lol. He really doesn't know a lot about his Langs as I had to tell him about their history with the Australorps etc. He is more in to Australian game and bit of OEG (he has sooooo many of them). He even breeds black skinned Australian game for the Asian restaurants and get quite a bit of cash for them. He knows of some people that have Croads so I might be getting some soon

.
Also does any one know if you can get German Langs in other countries of is it only Germany? Thanks thorleif for all the wonderful info, I still haven't had time to read it but will get there.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Man...I wish I could tell you were to find Germans. There are none in the US and I am dying to have them!

 

[ashandvine]

I just have to pop in to say one of the birds that left a real impression on me at the NE Poultry Congress, and which happened to catch my eye when I walked in, was a blue Langshan Cockerel. This bird was AMAZING and there were Langshans being shown... more than two or three and I thought they were pretty good quality. It made me want them all over again.