The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Goose and Fig]

We'll be hatching chocs in the fall, I hope. And maybe some mauve. Its too hot now for much of anything.

 

[BamaChicken]

Roger my LF/B choc cockerel is about six months old and I think I can start breeding him to LF blacks in another month. He is about half the size of LF males. It is going to take time as in several years to get them to proper size.

 

[Zgoatlady]

What age do you all change over to layer for your birds. I have one group that are 4 month old and the other group are 3 1/2 months ( most of them are on there way out)

 

[jeremy]

What age do you all change over to layer for your birds. I have one group that are 4 month old and the other group are 3 1/2 months ( most of them are on there way out)

Not until they begin laying eggs. Most of my girls started around 8 months old, give or take a few weeks.

3 1/2 and 4 months old, IMO, is way too young to be on anything but starter.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Mine start on layer soon soon after they can go outside without a light. I have found that keeping them on medicated chick start for too long can lead to deficiencies, and I cannot get un-medicated here except for Flockraiser. (and its really over-priced)

 

[jeremy]

Day 2 brings a second egg from the Partridge pen!

Hopefully in just a couple more days I'll be setting the first eggs from Prudence and Neville!

 

[jeremy]

Amy, what kind of deficiencies have you experienced?

 

[DaveK]

I've never understood the idea of layer for breeding birds myself. It's a product of the commercial poultry interests and is designed to have a hen be able to lay a well shelled and shipable egg at minimum expense. Minimum expense means minimal nourishment. Breeding stock is usually fed in such a way as to promote the laying of a fertile egg with a strong, vigorous and hatchable embryo. A good grower is a whole different plane of nutrition than layer. Sometimes what folks feed is a matter of mindset, sometimes it's a practical matter of what's available. Environment makes a difference too. Birds living where they have the ability to truly forage can often do really well on even layer. Birds lay according to their genetics and response to day light. Layer does not make birds lay, they do that on their own. Layer takes that egg and wraps it in a nice, heavy duty package that will ship well. But the inside of that package has not been well nourished in the way that breeding stock should be. Grower will do that if the breeder/gamebird/high $$$ rations are not an option. Just my opinion as feeding is one of those things with as many answers as folks to ask the questions.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Oh I don't JUST feed layer- I have my own mix of whole grains and fresh greens and all my birds free range on pasture and in the woods.
I just stop using the medicated chick feed when the birds are fully feathered and outside because the anti-cocci meds can block the absorption or vitamin B. I think we discussed this a while back.

Vitamin B deficiency can almost mimic some Mareks symptoms. Birds can lose the ability to walk and sometimes even become "stargazers".
Usually withing 2 days of taking birds off medicated feed and and providing vitamins the effects are reversed, but I still don't want to put any of them through that. Thank goodness when it happened to me I recognized the symptoms. Someone not familiar might have culled otherwise healthy birds, which would be tragic.


Good luck with the partridge eggs, Jeremy! How fun! I loooove blue partridge.

 

[deek]

Day 2 brings a second egg from the Partridge pen!

Hopefully in just a couple more days I'll be setting the first eggs from Prudence and Neville!