Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[OSUman]

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[har]

I bought a 1905 SOP last night on E-Bay. Should be a interesting read.

 

[Robert Blosl]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/400344/lightbox/
I want to start raising Heritage Large Fowl Poultry but Don’t Know How
First thing you got to know what breed you might want to keep on your yards and I thought here are pictures of different breeds posted on this tread for three years. If you see a breed that catches your eye or maybe five post a message with the picture of the bird and ask us what are these breeds that I am interested in and their benefits of raising them.
Then we can see who owns this picture or what breed it is and maybe we can line you and them up with some eggs or started chicks this spring. Beginners you got to get this through your heads we breeders have a season to breed our chickens from about February to May of each spring depend what part of the county we live in. The colder climates may only have a three month breeding period and others in the south or west where the weather is milder may have four months. After four months are breeding pens are broken up and we start raising our young birds. Some will share their young birds that they do not want to keep for mild faults like combs, tail angles or color issues but these birds make great breeders for beginners and you can go to their homes and pick them up.
You do not need to have a army of these birds to reproduce them a good trio laying well can provide you with fourthly chicks and that is enough chicks to get a good sample and not over crowd your rearing area so the chicks have plenty of room to grow. The most important issue is to get on these breeders list so you won’t be waiting till the end of the spring for eggs or chicks. Eggs can be a tricky issue. The post office is rough on the eggs and the big injury to the egg is rupture air cells. If this happens your egg will not hatch. I think you would be better off shipping the eggs UPS ground with the eggs fitted big end up in bubble wrap packed firmly in shavings or saw dust than any method.

Shipping ten chicks at ten days old In a Horizon Single Nest box or a baby chick box with a filter on it is the next method. They are shipped overnight express at the post office and get to your home in great shape in about twenty four hours. They do not need feed or water as they can go about two to three days with that but don’t worry they get there in good shape. Now once you get them raise them just like you do your feed store chickens. They cost the same to feed as they do and you have made a great investment in getting started with a rare breed that needs some help to keep them from going extinct.
At this time you just sit back and enjoy their growth and learn how they develop and you only have ten so most of the beginners just let them grow up and cull the ones that they may not want to keep at about four to five months olds. By then you should be able to locate the top two males and put them in a four by four holding pen for latter when you wish to breed from them. The pullets can go in a regular pen till you wish to pick two or three to breed to your best male. See how simple this is.
I hope I have explained to you the lurkers and the beginners who want to convert this spring as so many who write on this tread have done over the last three years. Our success rate is just amazing and there is no reason you will not be successful also. The biggest issue is to get the courage to do it. Or mentors on this tread will be willing to help you. Who else better to ask than folks just like you who did this last year or the year before? Remember they were just like you back then and are happy with their decisions that they made.bob

 

[saladin]

Except that there are not as many fowl listed you will find very little difference in the Standard description of the fowl. Yes, there are minor color changes in some fowl, but type has stayed very static through the years: which is as it should be.

The older SOP's do generally give more information on judging points and on 'chick' and 'egg' shows.

I've honestly never understood it when I hear someone say, 'Oh, I breed to the 1945 Standard (pick any date you like).'
1. Little has changed.
2. Anybody can pick any arbitrary date they like.
3. Older is not necessarily better.
4. It's the most recent Standard that should be used in the Exhibition Hall.
Sometimes I think folks just like to sound important.

 

[Texasmja]

I bought a 1905 SOP last night on E-Bay. Should be a interesting read.

The only change in the Wyandotte that I can see from the 1909 SOP to the current standard is the tail angles have come down 10 degrees. If you have an older breed the SOP may still apply today.

 

[Robert Blosl]

Sam and Mr. Weaver this is a white Plymouth Rock Ckl from a two male three female delivery to a fellow in Canada
three years ago thanks to Anthony when he went to the Indiana big monster poultry show.

The fellow brought them back to Canada and they have adapted well from 25 years living in the deep south and being up there in that frigid cold climate for only three years . Notice his top line lift Anthony looks like the cold weather got it up where it should be. Should fill out in the breast next year as a cock bird and be right on he money. For you newbies this is the easiest H old time standard breed fowl you can raise except maybe White Wyandotte's.
They where forced to lay heavy by me to get the feather quality right so they lay like crazy compared to most strains of white rocks out there. They are a very pretty easy to raise dual purpose fowl to start with good meat property's . No color issues to worry about. If your kids want to show them in 4H better buy a big thropy case.

Good leg color also. See I told you don't have to have a army of chickens and he only hatches about 30 chicks per year from two females and one good male. Look at the results a killer male in his third year.

 

[thedragonlady]

Sam and Mr. Weaver this is a white Plymouth Rock Ckl from a two male three female delivery to a fellow in Canada
three years ago thanks to Anthony when he went to the Indiana big monster poultry show.

The fellow brought them back to Canada and they have adapted well from 25 years living in the deep south and being up there in that frigid cold climate for only three years . Notice his top line lift Anthony looks like the cold weather got it up where it should be. Should fill out in the breast next year as a cock bird and be right on he money. For you newbies this is the easiest H old time standard breed fowl you can raise except maybe White Wyandotte's.
They where forced to lay heavy by me to get the feather quality right so they lay like crazy compared to most strains of white rocks out there. They are a very pretty easy to raise dual purpose fowl to start with good meat property's . No color issues to worry about. If your kids want to show them in 4H better buy a big thropy case.

Good leg color also. See I told you don't have to have a army of chickens and he only hatches about 30 chicks per year from two females and one good male. Look at the results a killer male in his third year.

What a smashing bird he will be as a cock bird !

 

[Extra Java]

Question:

Can anyone explain feather "shafting"? Example pictures?

 

[thedragonlady]

Question:

Can anyone explain feather "shafting"? Example pictures?

Shafting is when the main feather shaft is lighter, or darker, than the webbing of the feather. It is very common in Blues, and laced breeds. Some colored varieties like buff, red, Buff Columbian also show it.

 

[bantams galore]

. After four months are breeding pens are broken up and we start raising our young birds. Some will share their young birds that they do not want to keep for mild faults like combs, tail angles or color issues but these birds make great breeders for beginners and you can go to their homes and pick them up.

Really great Post Mr Blosl, It certainly makes it sound so simple.


When You "break up your breeding pens" do you let all your birds just out together in one pen? I know that it is suppose to be possible to mix strange females, but can the males be mixed together?

I got some prices on a building today, and WOW are things expensive around here! A 8x12 baby barn is almost 2000$!

From what you guys are describing that it no wheres near enough space. I was thinking I would build a shelf along one side that was 3 feet deep and divide it into 3 pens that are 4 feet by three feet for a trio in each pen. Then I could raise young birds on the floor through the summer. Would that be a problem? I guess I would need some room for spare males incase someone died?

NOW I am wondering do the breeders live in their raised pen all year? or do I need a pen to put them all down on the floor for the other 8 months?

Is a building that small at all practical?