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Interesting article - I've seen many times when they are smarter than other people give them credit for.
I've been letting my turkeys out during the day, so they hang out with the chickens. Their hanging bucket feeder was higher than most chickens could reach, but soon they discovered their 21% feed. How they know it's more protein, I don't know! So, I raised up the bucket even more, but still they seemed to be going through more feed than when they were "cooped" up (so they'd know where home was, since they'd been on pasture during the summer). Anyways, I watched today as a group of hens and one rooster, my Blue Laced Barnevelder, were trying desperately to get the turkey's feed, even though it was several feet off the ground. I watched as the rooster circled the feeder, then jumped up, and quickly grabbed one "pellet", often sending another pellet to the ground where the hens grabbed it. It would have been much easier to just go over & eat their own layer mash from the feeder that's at their level! The extra energy it takes for him to leap in the air repeatably to get a few pellets, I'd think would outweigh the benefit of "stealing" the higher protein. So, I raised up the feeder even higher, and checked back later, and they'd left the turkey's coop in search of easier to get food!
they want them live with "big head thing" and 4-8 months old. They loved my production red boy for his side and "fancy" head. No EE though they are not fancy heads.
So, they just like roosters with large single combs. That's pretty easy, as the further along I get in my Catskill Homesteader breeding, the more I'm trying to cull out the single combed roosters. Even though they're easier to tell who's male/female as chicks if they're single-combed, I prefer the roosters to have small combs. Well, any extra roosters beyond the 3 I'm growing out for guy who likes them "NY dressed", I'll keep that in mind.
Are they in the same town as you? Even though you're a bit of a drive, it's not much further than going to Unadilla auction - which seems to be a dead-end street unless I'm desperate & don't care if I "give them away". I'd love to get a group of people who prefer "ethnic chickens" - I don't mind them one bit. But the general American public have gotten spoiled by the Cornish, so the regular "dual-purpose" chickens are of little value. I know the guy I've supplied a few times was very pleased that they were "so lean" and didn't have "so much meat" like those store chickens. I was nervous at first, because I thought they'd be "too small", but that's how he prefers them.
