Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[sdm111]

A little winded but he's a keeper.

and you sir, are safe

 

[sdm111]

Nice! Albany?

yes sir the stag and the brown pullet in front

Need to pull her before I have Albany roundhead crosses

 

[roosterhavoc]

Another one that is safe.

 

[sdm111]

Nice

 

[Texicano]

One of my older hens

Shes purty

 

[Texicano]

.

 

[Texicano]

just a couple pullets and a hen

Nice ladies!

 

[B123]

I am making final preparations to get three game broods through winter. Each is getting a 10' long x 4' wide x 3' deep cage over a framed hardware cloth bottom elevated about four feet above floor. The cages are all in the center of the barn where they will get sun for the first 3 hours of each day when it is needed most. If winter like last which was incredibly mild, then nothing special will be needed to keep them well. If a lot of very cold (< 10 F) and extreme (< 0 F) then I will put a a fair amount of legume hay in so they can spend more time in that. Once they reach point they can handle soaked grains well then keeping them hydrated will not be a problem no matter how cold it gets. I do not normally try to raise broods like this but see a need for it with my non-game interest so using these broods for a trial run. They should all be at least 5 weeks old before very cold conditions realized. problem will be when it is time to split stags out in roughly March as pens will not be as protective when young birds do not have fully closed body feathering.

Quality of games so reared will not be so good on the stag side in particular because the running about and eating lots of live forage gives better frame and feather development.

Centra, will your young chicks burrow into hay for warmth? I had not seen this type of behavior before until I had a late batch of chicks a couple of years ago that was weaned pretty early. On cool/cold nights, they would come off the roost to huddle up in a nest box. I thought this showed a lot of instinct and forethought, so would put a towel over them. It worked great. They decided when to use the nest box and I would just check on them after dark to cover them. Smart little buggers!

 

[B123]

A little winded but he's a keeper.

Looks nice, did he win the race? lol

 

[centrarchid]

Centra, will your young chicks burrow into hay for warmth?  I had not seen this type of behavior before until I had a late batch of chicks a couple of years ago that was weaned pretty early.  On cool/cold nights, they would come off the roost to huddle up in a nest box.  I thought this showed a lot of instinct and forethought, so would put a towel over them.  It worked great.  They decided when to use the nest box and I would just check on them after dark to cover them.  Smart little buggers!

Yes, they will cluster in the hay for warmth. The hay really helps slow airflow trapping heat better. Problem with roosting on ground in hay for extended periods like occurs at higher latitudes during late fall and early winter means they are more apt to be in contact with wet feces. That is on top of more likely to have crops depleted because of increased energy needs and longer time between last PM feeding and first AM feeding. Once I get them roosting up I will try to get roost bar circular so they form a ring like quail so no body is on the outside. Less nutrition is devoted to growth as more needed for maintenance. Adult in good feather have no problem even though they do complain.