Langshan Thread!!!

[PetRock]

Boy #2 "Biggie Little" 15 weeks from Jim. This little guy is smaller than his other 3 hatchmates but he suffered a bad pecking from them so I think that he's a little behind in growth. He is a solid little thing and much friendlier than the others. It looks like I didn't get a top shot of him. They were very freaked out about my camera!

This little guy is built like a tank! He is the nicest of all the boys and is still getting picked on by his hatchmates. I think that's part of the problem with his tail. One of them got him again this week and he was bleeding from having a tail feather pulled out. His comb does seem to have the start of a comb over. It leans a little bit to one side. His head is wider than #1 and his body is wide and deep. His eyes are dark brown. We'll see how his tail angle grows in but it looks that he has a nice spread. I'm just hoping that he can catch up with the others as far as size. He is noticeably smaller at this point. He does have feathering on his middle toes.

New pic from yesterday

 

[PetRock]

One more pic of Biggie Little to show his back from the top:




You can see where he was pecked. I had to put some rooster booster on the spot so the cannibals wouldn't get him!

 

[mrheinz77]

One more pic of Biggie Little to show his back from the top:




You can see where he was pecked.  I had to put some rooster booster on the spot so the cannibals wouldn't get him!

Oh, his back is like his dad's I like! (And they have really wide, full tails)

 

[mrheinz77]

Question for my poultry friends... My chickens (5 full-grown, 6 pullets, 2 cockerels) free range in the back yard. I lock them up at night. Apparently there was a hawk yesterday that took my Sicilian Buttercup and scared my favorite Blue Andalusian into my neighbors yard where her dogs almost killed her. I had to put her down when the neighbor brought her home - she was bleeding from the mouth and wheezing - my first time to personally euthanize a hen... very sad.

Two questions. 1 - what is the most humane way to put a hen down.  Cutting off the head was violent and difficult. Any better options?  2. I want to get a flock guard dog. My yard isn't huge, but I live alone with 2 small dogs, the hens and a cat. I need to have a dog that is easy going but big enough to keep hawks at bay and be a big enough presence that the racoons continue to stay away. My large poodle passed a couple months ago and he was very loud. I would prefer quiet and watchful.  Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. 

Sorry about your losses. I have heard people put smaller birds in a closed container with a rag soaked in starter fluid (ether). For adults, some soak a rag in ether and hold it over their face. Others use a rag soaked in gasoline.

 

[PetRock]

Oh, his back is like his dad's I like! (And they have really wide, full tails)

That's good news! I'm having a hard time with boys 3 & 4. It is hard for me to even tell them apart. Boys 3, 4 & 5 do have beautiful, wide spread tails! I need to get some bands to help me with keeping track of who is who. Boy 5 does have the goofy wattles, big on one side and very small on the other. Have you ever had any that grew very uneven wattles? Should I just ignore that and keep him in the running for Roo of the flock? He has decided that he likes me because I carry BOSS & other seeds with me when I'm in the yard with them. He may be the smartest of them all!

 

[mrheinz77]

That's good news!  I'm having a hard time with boys 3 & 4.  It is hard for me to even tell them apart.  Boys 3, 4 & 5 do have beautiful, wide spread tails!  I need to get some bands to help me with keeping track of who is who.  Boy 5 does have the goofy wattles, big on one side and very small on the other.  Have you ever had any that grew very uneven wattles?  Should I just ignore that and keep him in the running for Roo of the flock?  He has decided that he likes me because I carry BOSS & other seeds with me when I'm in the yard with them.  He may be the smartest of them all! 

Yes, keep him in the running.
I have a Jersey Giant like that. I attribute it to an inkury, but it is a good reason to keep a back uo just in case.

Right now I have 2 pens of Langshan, pen 4 is a trio and pen 5 has 2 cock birds and 2 hens. I'm going to combine the hens and then rotate the boys. I can't decide who is the best so I will use all of them. I need to move others around so I feel comfortable moving them to the mixed pen while they are taking a break from the pen.

 

[PetRock]

Yes, keep him in the running.

I have a Jersey Giant like that. I attribute it to an inkury, but it is a good reason to keep a back uo just in case.
Right now I have 2 pens of Langshan, pen 4 is a trio and pen 5 has 2 cock birds and 2 hens. I'm going to combine the hens and then rotate the boys. I can't decide who is the best so I will use all of them. I need to move others around so I feel comfortable moving them to the mixed pen while they are taking a break from the pen.

My boy's wattle problem may have been an injury, too. He may have had it pecked off by a mean brother! I never noticed that they were different until 2 weeks ago when I was taking new pics of them. So, I need to critique him, too. This critiquing is not easy.

 

[Aroz26]

Hi guys, i'm new to this thread and have a question regarding my roos breed or breeds lol. He's a bit of a mix and I was wondering if he might have some Langshan in him? I'm no expert on the breed but someone suggested he might be Langshan Cross?

 

[mrheinz77]

I don't have much experience with Langshan crosses. Mine ore just a couple of weeks old and they are Bantam Langshan over Bantam Marans project hens. I don't see Langshan in him though. I'm ondering if there could be Black Copper Marans in the mix.

 

[PetRock]

I just read that many other breeds were created using Langshan blood in the foundation matings. These include Marans, Barnevelders, Black Orpingtons, and Jersey Giants. Maybe that's why we see some of the Langshan characteristics popping up every once in a while!