The Wyandotte Thread

[sixpugs]

about the breeders you mentioned I only know of Foley and Paul. that being said I've heard enough about the Paul Birds to steer clear. most of the best birds came from a well-known deceased breeder named David Lefeber.Foley sourced from him & others. That being said NPIP has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the birdsonly that they're proving disease free on an annual inspection.as far as the size of your birds one must remember that Wyandottes especially large fowl are very slow to mature. depending on when your birds were hatched and the birds you're showing against can be as much as six months or more. That makes a huge difference. most people pick out a few birds to show & put them in smaller pens or large cages to condition. Free range or huge pens are great for early growing or breeders. Not so much a show bird. everyone breeds bigger and bigger and yes, the merch probably outside of the standard but not by much I promise you they aren't pounds. As for BLRW Bar none the best are from Jerry Foley. Ruth Carron of Texas has nice one's & I believe Peaky Beaky has good LF Wyandottes. Dick Horstman & Duane Urch have them. There's others but that's off the top.
My show birds are on shavings & feed with high fat & good protein. What are you all feeding & I will try to help tweak it if I can. Bottom line will be good quality from the right breeders for exhibition birds.

 

[amwchickin]

I have no clue on pepper spray. I would say it's bad to spray it around them at all. Raccoons can get through just about any enclosure. We killed a raccoon as it was trying to run off with a chicken in the middle of the night and I haven't had any problems since. All my birds are free ranging 24/7 and even though I worry about them, I have added roosters and that seems to help alert the others when somethings up.

 

[delisha]

One would assume being a Wyandotte thread, the roaster is a Wyandotte. Is it?

No,
He is an English Orpington. Most of my birds are large. (My DH raises silkies) My Wyandotties are SOP weight. I need a solid 2 years to get my girls size up. I have some eggs in my bator hoping for bigger girls to add.

. Later this year I am purchasing a pair of blues that I hope are going to add lacing delicacy.

I have a young male that I weighed yesterday and he is almost at 5lbs. I got him from Max..I love that bird. I wish he was older because i would show him this year in October. If I hit a show in November or January I will put him in. He should be over 10 by than.

This is how I add weight.

Quote: Your birds do look great..I love them

 

[SeattleLeah]

would love to get some gender guesses on my 7 week wyandottes, thanks!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...wyandottes-help-me-guess-gender#post_11806106

 

[erijn5]

about the breeders you mentioned I only know of Foley and Paul. that being said I've heard enough about the Paul Birds to steer clear. most of the best birds came from a well-known deceased breeder named David Lefeber.Foley sourced from him & others. That being said NPIP has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the birdsonly that they're proving disease free on an annual inspection.as far as the size of your birds one must remember that Wyandottes especially large fowl are very slow to mature. depending on when your birds were hatched and the birds you're showing against can be as much as six months or more. That makes a huge difference. most people pick out a few birds to show & put them in smaller pens or large cages to condition. Free range or huge pens are great for early growing or breeders. Not so much a show bird. everyone breeds bigger and bigger and yes, the merch probably outside of the standard but not by much I promise you they aren't pounds. As for BLRW Bar none the best are from Jerry Foley. Ruth Carron of Texas has nice one's & I believe Peaky Beaky has good LF Wyandottes. Dick Horstman & Duane Urch have them. There's others but that's off the top.
My show birds are on shavings & feed with high fat & good protein. What are you all feeding & I will try to help tweak it if I can. Bottom line will be good quality from the right breeders for exhibition birds.

I feed all of my birds... oyster shell, layer, all flock, scratch grain, cracked corn, veggies from the garden and they free range... we have geese and peacocks so I try to keep everyone higher proteins. I am seeing that I must need to include calf manna in their diet?

 

[ki4got]

SOMEBODY HELP ME OUT HERE: Okay so I went to the state fair today to try to get an idea of what the judges are looking for in the birds. I walk in there and I am shocked! Every bird is HUGE compared to mine, and I mean like 15/20lb birds. What the heck???

My birds are like 12lbs for roos, 8-9lbs. for the hens...And ppl have told me that these are big. So now I'm so very confused. My standard I thought my size was perfect, but these birds were on steroids. I have never in my life seen them so tall and bulky.

What are they feeding them? How do they get them so big? Are they suppose to be this big?

Even the Blue Wyandottes there were like twice the size of mine by at least 1/2 a chicken size. Do I need to be buying what the ppl I talked to there as "Exhibition" size birds to even compete?

Suggestions thanks,


If you have exhibition Wyandottes can you PM me Thanks

I already replied on the blrw thread but will here as well, since many may not read both.

you need to aim for what the standard calls for... judges should be knocking points off for birds that are too far over the size... the APA standard calls for 7.5-8.5 for cockerel/cock and 5.5-6.5 for pullet/hen. so even your birds are over sized by the APA standard I have sitting in front of me...

further reading thru the APA standard again, under disqualifications I found...
"Any bird (except Beltsville Small White Turkeys) that deviates more than 20% either up or down from the weight listed for its breed, sex and age should be disqualified." (p. 33 of the current standard)

 

[erijn5]

No,
He is an English Orpington. Most of my birds are large. (My DH raises silkies) My Wyandotties are SOP weight. I need a solid 2 years to get my girls size up. I have some eggs in my bator hoping for bigger girls to add.

. Later this year I am purchasing a pair of blues that I hope are going to add lacing delicacy.

I have a young male that I weighed yesterday and he is almost at 5lbs. I got him from Max..I love that bird. I wish he was older because i would show him this year in October. If I hit a show in November or January I will put him in. He should be over 10 by than.

This is how I add weight.


Your birds do look great..I love them

Thank you! Is that fish, beef, mouse and what is the other?

 

[erijn5]

I already replied on the blrw thread but will here as well, since many may not read both.

you need to aim for what the standard calls for... judges should be knocking points off for birds that are too far over the size... the APA standard calls for 7.5-8.5 for cockerel/cock and 5.5-6.5 for pullet/hen. so even your birds are over sized by the APA standard I have sitting in front of me...

further reading thru the APA standard again, under disqualifications I found...
"Any bird (except Beltsville Small White Turkeys) that deviates more than 20% either up or down from the weight listed for its breed, sex and age should be disqualified." (p. 33 of the current standard)

Thank you I saw it and replied, I appreciated your input!

 

[jockeyeba]

about the breeders you mentioned I only know of Foley and Paul. that being said I've heard enough about the Paul Birds to steer clear. most of the best birds came from a well-known deceased breeder named David Lefeber.Foley sourced from him & others. That being said NPIP has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the birdsonly that they're proving disease free on an annual inspection.as far as the size of your birds one must remember that Wyandottes especially large fowl are very slow to mature. depending on when your birds were hatched and the birds you're showing against can be as much as six months or more. That makes a huge difference. most people pick out a few birds to show & put them in smaller pens or large cages to condition. Free range or huge pens are great for early growing or breeders. Not so much a show bird. everyone breeds bigger and bigger and yes, the merch probably outside of the standard but not by much I promise you they aren't pounds. As for BLRW Bar none the best are from Jerry Foley. Ruth Carron of Texas has nice one's & I believe Peaky Beaky has good LF Wyandottes. Dick Horstman & Duane Urch have them. There's others but that's off the top.
My show birds are on shavings & feed with high fat & good protein. What are you all feeding & I will try to help tweak it if I can. Bottom line will be good quality from the right breeders for exhibition birds.

I have 4 Ruth Caron birds that we bought as 4 week old chicks-love them

 

[ki4got]

From what little I have read on SBB, judges aren't prone to taking the time nor risking being unpopular by weighing birds, eliminating those overweight. This has been going on for many years. Seemingly, large birds are winning a lot, and everyone emulates a winner. Personally, I went to bantams because I don't want to raise birds the size LF is now being bred. I also think if the SOP is abided by in other areas, the weights should be also. My opinion and $1.00 might buy you a cup of coffee.

personally, if I were to show an APA recognized variety of Wyandotte, and my birds are at or close to the required weights (and meeting the standard as closely as possible otherwise), any birds that are significantly larger should be disqualified. if the judge is not doing this, I would file a protest...

for a standard weight of 8.5 pounds (Wyandotte cocks), 20% is only 1.7 pounds (1 pound 11 ounces) so any roosters over 10.2 pounds (10 pounds 3 ounces) SHOULD be disqualified...