Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[sdm111]

huh odd it wont load the other pullet pic

 

[sdm111]

Lmljsl my reasons for deciding on the 2 would be,

I had 5 I had to pick 2 to be bred back to their father next year so I don't really have the room to wait so I went with which 3 seemed to me to be the most proud if you will like how they carried their self as opposed to the other 2 that seemed more timid then out of those I picked the 2 that conformed to what I believe what a good kelso hen should look like. Med station and athletic looking with good feathering. Leg color will be yellow but did not matter cause all kelso have or should have yellow legs. With that said everybody sees stuff different that's just my perspective
Now I get to wait to see how they are when they have chicks if they like their dad they will be a ok lol

 

[roosterhavoc]

Havoc how many do you need to get off if? That's the difficult part choosing who goes and who stays. I think Lmljsl may be having the same issue lol. It's hard y'all but gotta be done or we'd all have a zillion chickens. I know I would but it's for the greater good

I need to decide real soon, cause the free range stags are starting go at it and stay a little longer.
I'm planning on keeping 5 pairs of blacks. 3 different breedings. All 3 miner/sweater stags and two ruble/mug stags just to see how they turn out. I have a few black X ruble chicks I'd like to hold on to as well. Then it's a toss up of the rest. There's a few good looking stags in the bunch but not enough room.
The goal is to keep what I want this year while also bringing my overall numbers down some. Just about all the cross pullets are going except one that my wife likes (figures)

 

[Lauravonsmurf]

there are reasons why someone would want a certain station.
Also wanted to say thanks in asking questions and trying to get to know what you're getting into if you decide to raise some because the management is different from other chickens. There's the whole housing side of them too.

As for station it is about how the body sits on top the legs. Leg length technically has nothing to do with it its just that the higher station birds usually have longer legs. The type of competition for lack of an uncensored word dictates which station is preferred.

I realize they all have their place, but I am partial to the medium to high station birds. They are just a proud sight to see standing out in the yard.

I think I like the proud looking ones too which I figured out are usually High to Medium-High Stationed birds. However it is good to know the different stations all have a place.

One of the things I am trying to understand is the difference between breeds so one I know a decent example of X breed and two if a breed has special needs... like I know now the Japanese Shamo need special care in certain climates and because of their size you do their perches different. I suspect there are several tight hard feathered pea comb breeds one should at least be aware cold might be an issue. I don't currently live in a place where it gets super cold but I still need to be concerned about wind chill & rain if I where to do certain Asian breeds. I just see no point in acquiring one's desired breed only to kill or injure them pulling a bone head move in their care. So I am taking my time on deciding what I like and what is probably best to start with and what I need. I keep chickens because I like them, they are my stress relief. I like to sit on my porch or under a shade tree with my Ice Tea and just watch them and as stress relief goes they give me the bonus of eggs. Though I am going to try some training experiments on the 2 laying hens I am currently keeping (I have had a variety of standard breeds in the past, mainly utility breeds, except for the Vietnamese RJF/RJB hen I had years ago... now I found her fascinating and would love to replace her. Some debate on exactly if she was JF or JB as she was given to me as a Jungle Bird and not a JF and it is possible she was a JB as that is a specific very different looking wild bird from Vietnam the hens look a lot like RJF but the males are totally different looking) I am using the 2 EEs to try new ideas on chicken care versus what I did in the past with my birds plus I have not kept chickens for many years and a lot of OMG stuff has happened while I was out of the loop, mainly in the diseases that have struck. I began lurking in Game Fowl Forums/Threads to up my understanding of Rooster behavior, my logic was who keeps lots of roosters, well Game Fowl breeders & owners... and I kept reading horror stories in the Utility/Pretty breed threads concerning either Man Killer Roosters or overly aggressive hens/roosters killing and cannibalizing the other birds in the flock and this was not my experience with chicken keeping in the past. I then discovered I really appreciated the game fowl breeds for what they are... for all the reasons most Utility breeders don't, I like strong animals, with smarts, spirit and I appreciate warriors.

I am partial to a Vietnamese Breed the Ga Noi, and the Japanese-American breed the Tuzo. Indian Game AKA the Cornish from pictures I have found used to be a leaner or maybe taller looking bird but once they became a meat bird I think they changed, though the bantams are cute little tanks. One of the problems I am having is trying to understand is how the OEG and the AG are different beyond obvious feather and leg color or comb variants allowed. I can see certain OEG colors have unique leg and eye colors, did some reading and the color lines had more variance and comb type used to very more in the OEG before the show bench became the only standard... but I am a little unsure past the obvious stuff how they really are different. Also PI breeds, I do like Lemon 84s. I like Hulseys but I am also trying to learn more, just got done reading up on them & roundhead lines. So much to learn.

I have a Q on feeding and watering systems... I am dissatisfied with my current feeder & waterers. The waterer (the round dish with container type, even off the ground (on bricks right now) gets fowled to much and takes up too much space for my liking, so I am open to suggestions on systems/styles that have worked for others. I have a hanging feeder which has worked to help keep the feed from being fowled but the feed wastage is still too high in my opinion & despite hanging it still takes up more space than I would like, plus it's plastic and less than a year old and on it's last legs (if the laying hens can break it, it ain't tough enough). I am thinking of trying a hanging in the corner galvanized steal one, any one use those or something else that works? I really don't want to use galvanized steal for the waterer as I sometimes put Apple Cider Vinegar in the water and I think that will react with the steal. So open to ideas on waterers, I want a system I can add herbal teas/brews/water soluble meds or supplements to if need be. Anyone use nipples? If so did they work out okay or should I stick with something more traditional. I have been looking at products but so far it is looking like I should build something: Home Desperate Projects are okay, I have tools and I am not afraid to use them

Once I work out a better feeder/waterer system for the current coop I need to build a second coop that is better than the one I have, the little one was to get me started up again and easy to put together (a kit I got on sale), and does have some nice features but honestly it is a pain in the *** to clean the run area as it is too short, so I am thinking I need something with more height (so I don't need to bend down so low) but we will see as I am a weekend warrior on projects. The perches get knocked out of place in the coop I have so I am thinking I need to put something across the top of each perch ends to stabalize them better but that can still be removed so the perches can be pulled out for scrub downs. I need to wander around the Hardware store and see what might work for a fix.

I can order some things I need from Amazon like the type of small wire so raccoons can't pull bird heads through the wire... I already had that experience years ago, so sucks to go feed the birds and find several dead. I am trying to prevent death by raccoon and various other critters... that is why all coops have to go on bricks here so nothing can burrow/dig under and gain access that way. I let the birds out during the day when home so they get free range time & dust bath time. I am on year 2 so I should start to see various critters scoping out the birds... it takes about 1 1/2 to 2 in my experience and then shazam the predators start trying to get takeout.

Staking out birds? Any of you do that? Pros/Cons special considerations or things I should be aware of? I am thinking of trying it on the hens to contain them to an area I want them to forage in plus learn how to use that tool.

 

[B123]

Lmljsl my reasons for deciding on the 2 would be,

I had 5 I had to pick 2 to be bred back to their father next year so I don't really have the room to wait so I went with which 3 seemed to me to be the most proud if you will like how they carried their self as opposed to the other 2 that seemed more timid then out of those I picked the 2 that conformed to what I believe what a good kelso hen should look like. Med station and athletic looking with good feathering. Leg color will be yellow but did not matter cause all kelso have or should have yellow legs. With that said everybody sees stuff different that's just my perspective
Now I get to wait to see how they are when they have chicks if they like their dad they will be a ok lol

Thanks for the explanation! It sounds like how I go about it, but I am not overly confident in my initial round of selection. lol

Guess it will be live and learn!

 

[sdm111]

Out of all that all I can say is if u have waste you're feeding too muck

I use feed cups and cut gallon jugs for water

Gotta admit I laughed on staking the birds what came to mind is grabbing up chickens and saying ok u going here bam bam bam, you going here bam, bam bam. Sorry its tie cords and no I don't but others do

Oh and imo the oeg are a show chicken and has been bred to a standard at whatever cost including losing its gameness. Whereas the American games are bred for gameness

And the different breeds that is just gonna have to come with reading and experience.

 

[sdm111]

Thanks for the explanation!  It sounds like how I go about it, but I am not overly confident in my initial round of selection. lol

Guess it will be live and learn!

yep sometimes u hit the nail on the head and sometimes well........lol

 

[flypen]

a couple pullets I kept

Dang! They're looking good

 

[sdm111]

I need to decide real soon, cause the free range stags are starting go at it and stay a little longer.
I'm planning on keeping 5 pairs of blacks. 3 different breedings. All 3 miner/sweater stags and two ruble/mug stags just to see how they turn out. I have a few black X ruble chicks I'd like to hold on to as well. Then it's a toss up of the rest. There's a few good looking stags in the bunch but not enough room.
The goal is to keep what I want this year while also bringing my overall numbers down some. Just about all the cross pullets are going except one that my wife likes (figures)

yeah my wife wants to keep excess her thoughts are " if we lose one we need back up" which I totally agree with but the subject changes when I tell her she cares for the ones she keeps

 

[sdm111]

Dang! They're looking good

thanks flypen I was gonna see if you responded I feel better with my decision now thanks again