Langshan Thread!!!

[southernmomma]

I have a flock of free ranging Langshans as well as some breeding trios. My birds are on a friend's 10 acre farm because I live in town and value to goodwill of my neighbors! We have breeding pens set up but the large layer flock and Langshan hens not currently in the breeding program have a long horse trailer coop that gets moved around in the pasture. They are presided over by 5 Langshan cocks who all get along famously. All of them free range during the day and are shut in the trailer at night. They don't stray too far from the trailer which is good news for our large garden. We very rarely have a problem with predators but the property is fenced and patrolled by 2 Great Pyrenees guardian dogs. People often come to the farm to buy birds and the ones they always want are the Langshan cocks. They comment on how big and beautiful they are. They are probably thinking about how much meat is on them!

I recall your reply from earlier You have Sherry Parker birds, correct? They are handsome. I would think their size, to some degree, might dissuade aerial predators. Have you culled at all? If so, did you process them or sell them as live birds~ I would like to get an idea of carcass quality.....harsh sounding I'm sure but it is what it is and I would be considering them as working farm birds versus lawn ornaments I'm mostly interested their potential as I realize most breeds are not what they should/could be.

M

 

[PetRock]

I recall your reply from earlier You have Sherry Parker birds, correct? They are handsome. I would think their size, to some degree, might dissuade aerial predators. Have you culled at all? If so, did you process them or sell them as live birds~ I would like to get an idea of carcass quality.....harsh sounding I'm sure but it is what it is and I would be considering them as working farm birds versus lawn ornaments I'm mostly interested their potential as I realize most breeds are not what they should/could be.

M

I haven't culled any this year but we did cull the extra cockerels last year. With the first round of processing, we processed some that were around 24 weeks old and the second round were older birds. This year, since I have 2 big beautiful black boys (1 from Sherry and 1 from Dirt Farmer), I need to thin the number of field cocks but I haven't decided if we will process them or sell them to the people who are always asking to buy them. I'm sure they want them for meat so they will be eaten either way.

We did do a taste test last year comparing Cornish X, Langshan, and Silver Penciled Plymouth Rock. We roasted all 3 and then compared the taste of both white and dark meat. All 3 processed out at about the same weight between 4 and 5 lbs. The Cornish X had more white meat and all of its meat was moist and delicious. But in our opinion, the meat was more tender but not as flavorful compared to the meat of the 2 heritage breeds. The heritage birds didn't have as much meat but it was almost as tender and had more flavor. I preferred the taste of the Langshan meat but my daughter preferred the SPPR meat and my DH was somewhere in between. The Langshan sure had a lot of leg meat! LOL! Somewhere in this thread, we have discussed the meat of older birds and how this is one breed that can be culled and eaten at an older age. I need to see if I have an older bird and a younger bird still in my freezer and do a taste comparison!

 

[sewandgrow]

How very interesting Debi.....................

 

[PetRock]

How very interesting Debi.....................

Karen, come on over to the dark side! I know how much you LOVE big birds! Langshans fit that qualification perfectly!!!

 

[sewandgrow]

Karen, come on over to the dark side! I know how much you LOVE big birds! Langshans fit that qualification perfectly!!!

I may have to do that Debi.........LOL but first I have to sell my Orpingtons B/B/S & Buffs to make room for the Pita Pintas & Cuckoos.....LOL

 

[PetRock]

I may have to do that Debi.........LOL but first I have to sell my Orpingtons B/B/S & Buffs to make room for the Pita Pintas & Cuckoos.....LOL

It's a good thing that I gave you young chicks instead of some of the big ones I have here! That gives you some time to empty a pen for them! When you are ready for Langshans, you know where you can get them!

 

[sewandgrow]

It's a good thing that I gave you young chicks instead of some of the big ones I have here! That gives you some time to empty a pen for them! When you are ready for Langshans, you know where you can get them!

Luckily I had Aaron set up a couple of new pens the day of the party so if I want I can be good to go anytime.....LOL.

 

[GrammiChelle]

Hi, I'm a newbie as a chicken owner and I got 6 of what I believe to be Langshan bantams from Tractor Supply about 6 weeks ago. I posted a few pics on a thread I started and the prevailing opinion is that they are Langshans. But I thought I'd post here, on the Langshan thread, to see if y'all agree.
Also, how can I tell if they're bantams or not. I know that Langshans are slow to mature. Mine are much smaller than the 6 red pullets I bought at the same time, so they're the same age. They're almost the same height as the reds, but much smaller in size, and the height comes from their legs.
I just LOVE them. I've always wanted chickens with feathery feet. I'm just starting out, have wanted chickens for years and we just moved to Southwest Texas, I. A grandmother of 5, and had a heart problem last year. I. Fine now, but it was a bad scare, so I decided to fulfill a dream.
I guess I should have done more research before I got them, but my husband was in the store with me that day, offered to buy me a coop, and so I just let my heart lead me. So I've got 6 red pullets. Pretty sure they're RIRs. Then the little ones.
Here's a few pics. They're So cute! I have 2 that are really blue, 2 that seem to be very black and 2 that have a mixture of gray and black. I think I might have a splash?
First of all, please tell me if you think these are for sure Lanfshans?
And secondly, how can I tell which are hens and which are roosters? I saw where someone was naming theirs Chinese names, but I've already decided to name them from the musical "Chicago" and my Reds are named from "The Sound of a Music " or they will be if I ever figure out how to tell them apart. Lol

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I included one pic showing the Reds so you can see the size difference.
I know now I want to have full, heritage breeds in the future. But everyone has to start out somewhere.
Thanks for any input or advice you might have for raising my sweet little ones!

 

[Dirt Farmer]

I'm guessing large fowl. Langshan bantams are a fairly rare find. I think Murray McMurray is the only large scale hatchery that has them. (But then again, I'm guessing hatchery blues aren't all that common either.) The reds are probably production RIR or hybrids, and are a particularly fast developing bunch which would explain why they are bigger. I've never raised a bantam so I'm not sure how big it would be at about 6 weeks. The ones in the pictures seem generally the right size for a hatchery large fowl. Just a guess. It will all become clear in a few more with regard to the sexes. Females are smaller paler combed, feather in faster and lack the pointed saddle feathers. Langshans are the best kept secret in chickendom.

 

[PetRock]

Hi, I'm a newbie as a chicken owner and I got 6 of what I believe to be Langshan bantams from Tractor Supply about 6 weeks ago. I posted a few pics on a thread I started and the prevailing opinion is that they are Langshans. But I thought I'd post here, on the Langshan thread, to see if y'all agree.
Also, how can I tell if they're bantams or not. I know that Langshans are slow to mature. Mine are much smaller than the 6 red pullets I bought at the same time, so they're the same age. They're almost the same height as the reds, but much smaller in size, and the height comes from their legs.
I just LOVE them. I've always wanted chickens with feathery feet. I'm just starting out, have wanted chickens for years and we just moved to Southwest Texas, I. A grandmother of 5, and had a heart problem last year. I. Fine now, but it was a bad scare, so I decided to fulfill a dream.
I guess I should have done more research before I got them, but my husband was in the store with me that day, offered to buy me a coop, and so I just let my heart lead me. So I've got 6 red pullets. Pretty sure they're RIRs. Then the little ones.
Here's a few pics. They're So cute! I have 2 that are really blue, 2 that seem to be very black and 2 that have a mixture of gray and black. I think I might have a splash?
First of all, please tell me if you think these are for sure Lanfshans?
And secondly, how can I tell which are hens and which are roosters? I saw where someone was naming theirs Chinese names, but I've already decided to name them from the musical "Chicago" and my Reds are named from "The Sound of a Music " or they will be if I ever figure out how to tell them apart. Lol[IMG
ALT=""]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6365816/width/350/height/700[/IMG]





I included one pic showing the Reds so you can see the size difference.
I know now I want to have full, heritage breeds in the future. But everyone has to start out somewhere.
Thanks for any input or advice you might have for raising my sweet little ones!

Congratulations and welcome to the thread! My first Langshan was a blue from Privett Hatchery. I fell in love with her and that began my obsession! Your little ones will catch up to their brooder mates in a few weeks. I only have large fowl not bantams but I'm pretty sure that they would be even smaller if they were bantams. I will be a grandma of 5, too, in August when my granddaughter is born!