Show off your Old English Game Bantams!!

[Alex1010]

Jophus what do you look for when picking you're brood cock? Should I consider darker lacing? They both have the same personality.

 

[Rocky64]

They're just a little bigger than a Serama which is good that's what your looking for in breeding

Seramas are smaller, but I've hatched some that size.

Silver Duckwing

Lemon blue sport

Brown red

Three blue brassies and a SDW in the middle.

Brown red

Oh I see, that's not too small then, I am just worried about whether or not small birds like that can handle Michigan winters without supplemental heating. And thank you for the pictures. And off the topic question but I've heard that TSC sells the silver duckwing variety in the bantam bin( when they have chicks) is there any special markings that'll help me pick them out from all the other bantams with clean legs?

 

[jophus]

Jophus what do you look for when picking you're brood cock? Should I consider darker lacing? They both have the same personality.

You want good even lacing, not too heavy, not too light.. They'll get dark on you if you're not careful. I like a little length to the tail, but not too long. You'll see what I'm talking about when you start hatching chicks. I like the one on the right, but the other one is standing kind of odd. I'd breed them both to your pullet, mark the offspring, and bred those pullets back to the other roo. Once you get some birds to select from you can set up two lines. Those are really nice Alex. Good quality.

 

[jophus]

Oh I see, that's not too small then, I am just worried about whether or not small birds like that can handle Michigan winters without supplemental heating. And thank you for the pictures. And off the topic question but I've heard that TSC sells the silver duckwing variety in the bantam bin( when they have chicks) is there any special markings that'll help me pick them out from all the other bantams with clean legs?

I can't imagine that they could survive the kind of temps you'll see without any supplemental heat. We see minus single digits here, and except for a little frostbite to undubbed birds, mine do ok. I know it gets much colder there. There's a post up the thread from a guy who lives up north and how he cares for his birds. It's a page or two back.

 

[Rocky64]

I can't imagine that they could survive the kind of temps you'll see without any supplemental heat. We see minus single digits here, and except for a little frostbite to undubbed birds, mine do ok. I know it gets much colder there. There's a post up the thread from a guy who lives up north and how he cares for his birds. It's a page or two back.

Could I keep some docile larger fowl like austrlorps with the OEGB to help them stay warm in the winter? I read the post about that guys -30 and -40 degree winters and the system he uses but I don't want to use supplemental heat because the risk of a fire, it doesn't get that cold here normally, the coldest night we've had this winter where I'm at was about -10 but it was only for one night.

 

[Alex1010]

You want good even lacing, not too heavy, not too light.. They'll get dark on you if you're not careful. I like a little length to the tail, but not too long. You'll see what I'm talking about when you start hatching chicks. I like the one on the right, but the other one is standing kind of odd. I'd breed them both to your pullet, mark the offspring, and bred those pullets back to the other roo. Once you get some birds to select from you can set up two lines.

Those are really nice Alex. Good quality.

I'll get better pictures of them by themselves

 

[bantiesrule]

I raise OEGBs here in central Minnesota without heat and they do just fine. The combs can be an issue when it's especially cold but I put bag balm on them and that keeps them from frostbite. My sister lives 15 miles from me and she raises Seramas without heat. As long as you have a draft free coop, they will be ok. Remember, wild birds are much smaller and they don't have a coop to go in.
My chickens are afraid of snow though-will not go out in it no matter what. It's vicious chicken-eating white stuff for sure.

 

[Alex1010]

I raise OEGBs here in central Minnesota without heat and they do just fine. The combs can be an issue when it's especially cold but I put bag balm on them and that keeps them from frostbite. My sister lives 15 miles from me and she raises Seramas without heat. As long as you have a draft free coop, they will be ok. Remember, wild birds are much smaller and they don't have a coop to go in.
My chickens are afraid of snow though-will not go out in it no matter what. It's vicious chicken-eating white stuff for sure. 

Yeah they usually don't need any extra heating, they carry themselves okay in the winter

 

[Rocky64]

I raise OEGBs here in central Minnesota without heat and they do just fine. The combs can be an issue when it's especially cold but I put bag balm on them and that keeps them from frostbite. My sister lives 15 miles from me and she raises Seramas without heat. As long as you have a draft free coop, they will be ok. Remember, wild birds are much smaller and they don't have a coop to go in.
My chickens are afraid of snow though-will not go out in it no matter what. It's vicious chicken-eating white stuff for sure. 

Oh okay, thank you for the information, that's great because I really want some but don't want to use heating, so I'm glad someone from a cold state( I'd say even colder than Michigan) raises them without heat. Haha my chickens are the opposite, although they don't play in the snow, they will go out in it and eat some snow.

 

[jophus]

Could I keep some docile larger fowl like austrlorps with the OEGB to help them stay warm in the winter? I read the post about that guys -30 and -40 degree winters and the system he uses but I don't want to use supplemental heat because the risk of a fire, it doesn't get that cold here normally, the coldest night we've had this winter where I'm at was about -10 but it was only for one night.

If you're just getting to -10 then I would say you could get by without heat. It gets that cold here on occasion and I don't use heat, and my coops aren't completely sealed or insulated. I feed lots of corn and oil for fuel.