Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[centrarchid]

Ok... I am not finished but this is a preliminary breeding diagram I threw together this morning. I still have a lot to add in regards to my greys, blacks and golden hens.

Do you have a particular end point or direction with respect to your breeding efforts. As shown you do not have what would be considered a line, rather it is more like a population that has a great deal of immigration.

 

[centrarchid]

Guys, I am getting soft. I caught a oppossum just outside my winter keep. Dogs where to busy checking out Timberdoodles so I walked over and picked it up. A juvenile that was about 3/4 chocolate covered with one big white patch on its back. Critter was also underweight but otherwise spunky. I let it go without dogs around. I had it promise me that it would not mess with my birds. Think it will follow through?

Timberdoodle action will be whipping up big time this weekend. Son will get a kick out of that.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Guys, I am getting soft. I caught a oppossum just outside my winter keep. Dogs where to busy checking out Timberdoodles so I walked over and picked it up. A juvenile that was about 3/4 chocolate covered with one big white patch on its back. Critter was also underweight but otherwise spunky. I let it go without dogs around. I had it promise me that it would not mess with my birds. Think it will follow through?

Timberdoodle action will be whipping up big time this weekend. Son will get a kick out of that.

dont feel bad I've let plenty go that I've caught over the years. I've even let a few baby skunks go. One in particular didn't go so well. If you have never been sprayed by a skunk it is much different than what you smell on the road or in your yard from a distance. Aside from the smell it will actually take your breath away. I figured I already got sprayed so I still let it go. Nowadays I don't let possums go anymore. They will break that promise.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Found a starling perched on the roost right alongside the rest of the birds in one of my coops. Just what I need them little mite carriers all over the place.

 

[sdm111]

Sorry fellas I live around I very rich food source for animals if they come here for dinner well.....
2nd hen went Broody now to just stuff the right eggs under them.

 

[centrarchid]

I am gearing up for hatching eggs starting today. Gamble is the below 27 degree F weather is done for spring 2015. Will be setting up 10 breeding pens and twice as many broody hen / pullet nest sites. If all goes well I will have 125 to 150 game chicks running about before June 1. Also have switch over from wind breaks to shading. Those first plus 80 degree F of the year are hard on the birds, especially the cocks. They seem to have to lower basal metabolic rate in response to increasing temperature.. Should be a good and fun year.

 

[roosterhavoc]

12 degrees when I went out to feed and water. Broke three water cups on hopefully the last real cold morning of the winter. Strange day. Clearing snow off and from around the pens and adding straw. The 10 day forecast doesn't show it dropping below 27 and going up to 55 a few days. Gonna take the plastic off all pens too. Thank god I'm tired of dealing with it. Setting up breeding pens here too

 

[maranfarmer563]

Havoc,are the pens froze to the ground. I can't move my chicken tractors are frozen down

 

[roosterhavoc]

Havoc,are the pens froze to the ground. I can't move my chicken tractors are frozen down

Haha. Yes sir frozen solid. I think I broke my toe trying to kick em loose. Lol. My three doors to the runs I have attached to the coops are actually frozen open. Have been for 4 days. I even tried a sledge hammer. No luck. I'm gonna end up damaging them. Getting ready to go out and get to work again. Gonna be a long day

 

[JShubin]

Do you have a particular end point or direction with respect to your breeding efforts. As shown you do not have what would be considered a line, rather it is more like a population that has a great deal of immigration.

I know its a mess. lol Not nearly as scientific or orderly as your program.

Its just a hobby for me and I don't make any claims to have the best breeding program or practices. I just like selecting good gamecocks and breeding them with good game hens. Pairing up good broodfowl is fun and its exciting to the results. I day dream about what crosses I want procure and what traits I want to select for/against... Other times I let nature do the selecting for me and sometimes I select at random when I cannot make up mind.<~ SDM knows this, as we arranged to have him send me a surprise batch of eggs. Lol

I just want general purpose good gamefowl that I can be proud of. I am learning along the way from reading, experience, chatting with you guys and the feedback I get from everybody.