Bob Blosl's Heritage Large Fowl Thread

[catdaddyfro]

I would try not to make any breeding decisions before I have even seen the birds. I am bad about getting idealistic fanciful ideas in my head, but I tend to change my mind when I know better.
I would recommend just getting them, enjoying them, and getting to know them. The rest will come.

I too get the cart before the horse(or worse try to pull the "wheel barrel" instead of push it) often, myself. I have to remember to step back and take breather regularly.

Jeff

 

[Apdeb]

Wisher if you acquired proven "show quality stock". I've been told by the breeders i acquired mine from you can start out slow with only 35 chicks!!!!

 

[finnfur]

OK since we are are talking accumulation of eggs to hatch I have a question. I have heard to accumulate keep at 50>55 degree F but is there a preferred humidity level and is there a preferred
position ; on the side or which end up . Should you tilt/rotate them during the storage period. Since my breeder #s are low and only one bator I will need to accumulate the max time.
I have a old dorm fridge I am working on for this purpose. Testing it now.

 

[lawatt]

RedRidge and Lawatt - very nice set ups! I would love to have either (or BOTH) at my place to use for my birds.
Thanks for the pics, I will get some of my new breeder coop and post them as soon as there is something to look at!

Right now it is just newly cleared land, a huge burn pile, stakes, string, and lumber laying on the ground.

to give credit where credit is due, my coops are all adapted from plans bought ($20, a worthwhile investment!) from this guy:
http://www.thegardencoop.com/

 

[Wisher1000]

Wisher if you acquired proven "show quality stock". I've been told by the breeders i acquired mine from you can start out slow with only 35 chicks!!!!

I believe I am getting the best birds available in the US. At least I am getting the best I can locate. I have been researching and contacting people for over a year. My birds are coming from Duane Urch. I don't think he would show this breed, as he has many others that I would think would be more likely to end up at the shows. I have not been able to find anyone who has been breeding them as long as Mr. Urch. With his experience, and expertise, and having had them as many years as he has, I expect they must be excellent quality. I have not seen them yet, but will get to see them and hopefully get some pointers from Mr. Urch (and possibly other judges) at the show in November.

With my luck, I will not be surprised if I end up starting out with only 35 chicks! Ha! Ha!

 

[lawatt]

I believe I am getting the best birds available in the US. At least I am getting the best I can locate. I have been researching and contacting people for over a year. My birds are coming from Duane Urch. I don't think he would show this breed, as he has many others that I would think would be more likely to end up at the shows. I have not been able to find anyone who has been breeding them as long as Mr. Urch. With his experience, and expertise, and having had them as many years as he has, I expect they must be excellent quality. I have not seen them yet, but will get to see them and hopefully get some pointers from Mr. Urch (and possibly other judges) at the show in November.

With my luck, I will not be surprised if I end up starting out with only 35 chicks! Ha! Ha!

I am definitely jealous -- have five silver campines myself, two pullets are just starting to lay and the other three (i *think* one is a girl, two are boys) are only about 10 weeks old -- can't wait to see pictures of your birds!

 

[Wisher1000]

Where did your's come from? I know of breeders in South Carolina and in California, (there was a second one in CA, but she recently sold all of her's to someone else there who is supposed to be working with them but the original owner couldn't tell me the new owner's name. There is a breeder who has been working on them as a side project in Texas and I actually had a pair of her's but the hen was taken by a hawk and the rooster fell to some unknown illness that swept through my flock last summer. BGMatt is raising them but he has not had them long and I think he may be getting out of them. That leaves Mr. Urch who has been working on his line for decades and who is kindly sharing a few with me. I may be the only person with them in Alabama and maybe the surrounding states as well. I have been unable to locate anyone who shows them regularly, anywhere. There are frequent Golden Campines that are exhibited, but not silvers. I have not found any judges that remember seeing any in shows in many, many years.

 

[lawatt]

Where did your's come from? I know of breeders in South Carolina and in California, (there was a second one in CA, but she recently sold all of her's to someone else there who is supposed to be working with them but the original owner couldn't tell me the new owner's name. There is a breeder who has been working on them as a side project in Texas and I actually had a pair of her's but the hen was taken by a hawk and the rooster fell to some unknown illness that swept through my flock last summer. BGMatt is raising them but he has not had them long and I think he may be getting out of them. That leaves Mr. Urch who has been working on his line for decades and who is kindly sharing a few with me. I may be the only person with them in Alabama and maybe the surrounding states as well. I have been unable to locate anyone who shows them regularly, anywhere. There are frequent Golden Campines that are exhibited, but not silvers. I have not found any judges that remember seeing any in shows in many, many years.

my two older pullets came from Shannon, the woman here in CA who recently stopped breeding them -- these two were her last two birds, after she sold the rest. the three younger chicks came from Debs_flock here on BYC, who lives up in the Sierra foothills. here's a snap of one of them recently, they've both been fascinated by flying up into the trees lately:


i'm not planning on showing (although who knows, perhaps i'll end up changing my mind), but i absolutely love the silver campines & am hoping to keep them going (also planning to take Walt up on his offer to come look at the birds, once the little chicks are a bit older!) -- perhaps we could swap eggs next year?

 

[NanaKat]

OK since we are are talking accumulation of eggs to hatch I have a question. I have heard to accumulate keep at 50>55 degree F but is there a preferred humidity level and is there a preferred 
position ; on the side or which end up . Should you tilt/rotate them during the storage period. Since my breeder #s are low and only one bator I will need to accumulate the max time.
I have a old dorm fridge I am working on for this purpose. Testing it now.

I keep my eggs for hatching in the back bedroom on a auto egg turner. I also have the incubators set up in that room. The temp in the house is 72. No special humidity until they go in the incubator.

 

[finnfur]

I keep my eggs for hatching in the back bedroom on a auto egg turner. I also have the incubators set up in that room. The temp in the house is 72. No special humidity until they go in the incubator.

Ok Thanks - don't know where I read 55 - So keep em turning just like the incubator - regular temps