Langshan Thread!!!

[PetRock]

I'll second the above post.
I received the first of my hatching eggs last Wednesday so they have been in the incubator a week. I'm not sure I will candle. Sometimes I think its better to just leave things undisturbed.
The second batch of Langshan eggs are in the mail, maybe will arrive today. I think I'll be able to brood them together, although a week apart is probably pushing it.

I've had good success with brooding multiple ages together. I just watch them carefully at first and have somewhere the little ones can go to hide away. I've put 3 day olds in with chicks up to 2-3 weeks old and never had a problem as long as there was plenty of room for all. The Langshan chicks that I raised last year were all very mild mannered and not aggressive except for a couple black cockerels. They did not like sharing their space in the brooder and picked on some of the other cockerels. They mellowed out some once they were moved to a larger outdoor brooder.

Oh, and that's exciting about all your soon to be babies! Are they all black?

 

[msladyhawke]

I am amazed at the amount of Langshan keepers/breeders that keep coming out of the woodwork. Anybody have any idea how many Langshans there is in the US?

Hard to tell. I noticed that one of the big mail order hatcheries lists LF Langshan as one of the chick varieties you can get, so who knows how many people have ordered from them...

 

[msladyhawke]

I've had good success with brooding multiple ages together.  I just watch them carefully at first and have somewhere the little ones can go to hide away.  I've put 3 day olds in with chicks up to 2-3 weeks old and never had a problem as long as there was plenty of room for all.  The Langshan chicks that I raised last year were all very mild mannered and not aggressive except for a couple black cockerels.  They did not like sharing their space in the brooder and picked on some of the other cockerels.  They mellowed out some once they were moved to a larger outdoor brooder.

Oh, and that's exciting about all your soon t be babies!  Are they all black?

I have to agree, 1 week difference in the brooder shouldn't be a problem. I've done this as well with no problems.

 

[PetRock]

Hard to tell. I noticed that one of the big mail order hatcheries lists LF Langshan as one of the chick varieties you can get, so who knows how many people have ordered from them...

I purchased my first Langshan from a feed store. She came from Privet Hatchery. She was nice sized and not to bad in conformation & coloring. They had a full bin of them at the store that spring so there must be other people in my area who at least have hatchery Langshans!

 

[Dirt Farmer]

I've had good success with brooding multiple ages together. I just watch them carefully at first and have somewhere the little ones can go to hide away. I've put 3 day olds in with chicks up to 2-3 weeks old and never had a problem as long as there was plenty of room for all. The Langshan chicks that I raised last year were all very mild mannered and not aggressive except for a couple black cockerels. They did not like sharing their space in the brooder and picked on some of the other cockerels. They mellowed out some once they were moved to a larger outdoor brooder.

Oh, and that's exciting about all your soon to be babies! Are they all black?

I just put the last delivery of Langshan eggs in the incubator. I have 19 Black Langshan eggs, 1 from a Blue pen that was thrown in as a bonus and 1 that was not marked. I'll hatch the blue egg in its own strawberry basket, and the mystery egg in another. The mystery egg came from a breeder that raises Black, Blue and White so could be any. I guess if it comes out Black, I won't know if it was Black from a Blue pen or a Black pen but the proof is in the pudding. If I like it I'll keep it. I band everything and keep notes.

Speaking of banding. I tried to put a size 12 on my new cockerel and it wouldn't fit. Need to buy some 14's. That boy has some legs.

 

[PetRock]

I just put the last delivery of Langshan eggs in the incubator. I have 19 Black Langshan eggs, 1 from a Blue pen that was thrown in as a bonus and 1 that was not marked. I'll hatch the blue egg in its own strawberry basket, and the mystery egg in another. The mystery egg came from a breeder that raises Black, Blue and White so could be any. I guess if it comes out Black, I won't know if it was Black from a Blue pen or a Black pen but the proof is in the pudding. If I like it I'll keep it. I band everything and keep notes.

Speaking of banding. I tried to put a size 12 on my new cockerel and it wouldn't fit. Need to buy some 14's. That boy has some legs

That's exciting! I had 12's on my young boys and that lasted about 3 weeks. They do have big legs! My pullets are doing fine in size 12's so far. I purchased some 14's at the Stockton show. I have 25 of them which is way more than I need. The lady had some singles that she was willing to sell me but they were pink. I told her that I just couldn't do that to my boys. She answered back that maybe the girls would like them in pink!

 

[tinkseattle]

Larry the Langshan at about 8-9 months. Critique please!

 

[mrheinz77]

Can you get an overhead shot of his back and a shot from behind?

 

[thorleif]

The picture from above will probably just show that he is a bit lean, but the next 6 months will probably fill him out. His lacing could have been stronger, maybe try him on a splash hen or two. His headgear is a little bit too large for me, but overall he seems a good sort. I like them better with a "kinder" eye, they look like they are dark enough. I'd probably breed from him, but I would try and find a hen with a small comb, that could keep on improving the breed. I find they are a very grateful breed to breed from, it is so easy to make generations better. We dont have LF blues here in Britain, bur if I was younger and my health was better, I would have created LF blues. A few people have started breeding blue bantams though.

 

[tinkseattle]

Thank you so much for your comments thus far! Here are a few more shots of Larry. He is a blast and so sweet to the girls.


Clean toes



Best I could get of his back



From behind - with his guardian pup, Buck looking on.


Sorry the quality of these isn't very good. Its been raining incessantly in Seattle so nothing but mud, rain and cold for these guys.