chickens, turkeys, rare birds, lgds with poultry

[Lenajo]

anybody got any idea what the breed of chicken is on the front of Hobby Farm magazine this month?

 

How do you keep a chicken coop warm enough when the temp go below 20F? Not chicks, just laying hens and meat birds. How warm is too warm?

 

Anyone got any catalog recommendations for getting an assortment of poultry this spring? I'm interested in heritage breeds especially, good free range layers and meat animals. Chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, peacocks.

 

Is there are a less, er aggressive, geese breed to be had?

 

I have Dominiques chickens now. Lovely birds.

 

My lgds guard poultry well, but I got them as adults. Anyone ever trained a lgd pup on poultry? How do you prevent bird losses during the play stages? I was sort of thinking the geese might be the birds to make the point with a young Maremma LOL

[stockdogranch]

I can only answer one question: Murray McMurray Hatchery has a great assortment of great birds. Good website,

A

[Debbie Meier]

Heat for the hens.. you mean people heat their hen houses??? Don't tell my girls that, our high was 6 below zero today. We don't have anything special chicken wise, just red hens and white hens that were given to us, I just watch for eggs so that I get them in before they freeze. Same with the duck eggs.

 

If I recall correctly the Red Star layers were one of the most popular layers around here from McMurray.

 

2nd McMurray Hatchery for their catalog

 

Deb

 

edited: Weather report just on, we made it up to 2 above zero today, but going down now.

[KathyF]

We have had subzero temps and we don't do anything special for our chickens. As long as they have a place to roost so that their feet are up off the floor they will be fine. That is presuming that you have a building for them to be inside out of the elements in.

 

I should add, we also pile snow around the base of our coop to keep the wind from blowing under the building.

 

Kathy

[Cynthia P]

We do not heat our coop; it is south facing and is bedded well with straw. You could insulate the north facing wall if you want. We only had one year where we had chickens with frostbitten combs.

 

Eggs freeze pretty rapidly, but we just feed those to the dogs.

 

Haven't looked at this months hobby farmer but i'm partial to the "good looking" birds. We have barred rocks, sexlinks (not so great looking) and auraconas (sp?)

 

cynthia

[juliepoudrier]

Some of my bantams perch in an enclosed chicken coop--small bantam-sized door at the bottom for them to come and go. The rest of the chickens perch on the tops of stall dividers or in the rafters of the stable. It's not enclosed, not draft free (up where they're perched) and yet they do just fine. Well-fed, healthy poultry ought to be able to withstand some pretty cold temperatures. FWIW, my ducks don't even use their well-bedded house, but instead prefer to sleep outside on the cold ground....

 

I have Dominiques, Rhode Island Reds, and numerous Old English Game bantams.

 

Sometimes I find chickens perched on the backs of sheep. I wish I had pictures, but it's usually dark when I see them.

 

P.S. I don't recognize the chicken breed on the cover of Hobby Farms.

 

ETA: The quality of Murray McMurray's chicks is not always the best. I would try to find local breeders if at all possible. One resource on what constitutes heritage poultry is the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

 

Another website I found, which is relatively new but which allows you to search for breeders in your state is Backyard Hatchery.com.

 

Backyard Chickens has a forum for folks selling eggs and chickens by location; they may be worth a look as well.

 

I sometimes go to poultry shows, especially if I know there is a sale attached because then you can actually see the birds and buy adult pairs or trios that you like.

 

Also check with your local feed store about where they order poultry. They can probably show you a catalog from their supplier and you can make a special order.

 

Hobby Farms also has hatcheries listed in the buyers directory in the back of the magazine IIRC.

 

J.

[NorthfieldNick]

I've had good luck with chicks from Lazy 54 Farms. I can't remember where you are, but the closer a hatchery is to home, the better. Lazy 54 is in OR. McMurray has a HUGE variety, although somewhat pricey.

 

I raise heritage turkeys, and I love them! At 24 weeks, the heritage toms dress out to about 12 Lbs, so significantly smaller than a Broad Breasted. I've found, however, that most of my customers don't want a 20+ Lb bird! They like them smaller! This year, I'm going to keep my turkeys for longer- 7 months or so- to see if they gain enough weight to make the longer growing time worth it. The heritage turkeys forage WAY better than the BB, too. My turkeys mostly stay in electronet. A few always fly out, and of course can't fly back in. Nick won't work chickens, but he will work turkeys. Even my loose birds never go far. I only feed once a day, what they'll clean up, so they figure out pretty quickly to come running when a person with a bucket shows up. The heritage turkeys have way more dark meat than BB, and far less fat. They benefit from brining and careful cooking. My favourite breeds are Black (aka Spanish or Norfolk Black) and Bourbon Red. I've heard good things about the Narragansetts, but haven't tried any yet. For a Thanksgiving turkey, get poults (or turkletts, as we call them) in late May.

 

For meat birds, I raise heritage breed cockerels. I refuse to raise Jumbo Cornish x Rocks. They're disgusting birds that don't do anything but sit around their feeders eating until they're so fat their legs give out. I've had good luck with Speckled Sussex (our SS hens are great, too- forage like crazy and reliably go broody), Wyandottes, Barred & White Rocks. At 16 weeks, they dress out 3-4 Lbs. Again, not nearly as big as a JCxR, but worth it to me. Better taste (ie, they taste like chicken should!), way better at foraging. I have no trouble selling heritage breeds.

 

ETA: For layers, we have an extremely mixed flock. I'm liking the Welsummers currently. They've picked up laying again already. Very pretty, dark, dark brown eggs, too. Our best hens, however, are our homebred half-Araucanas. They've been great little green-egg layers! Doesn't seem to matter what the other half is, Peep-the-Rooster must have good genes.

[bcnewe2]

I can only answer one question: Murray McMurray Hatchery has a great assortment of great birds. Good website

 

I second Murray McMurray. It's like Pipestone for sheep. If you have minor health questions you can refer to the catalogue or website and come up with ideas. Plus so many different breeds to choose from.

 

We've been down to -9 or -10 out here. I had to give up the light in the chicken coop (used to get them to lay) for the heated water base. they don't seem any worse for wear. BTW the light did nothing to help them lay, as soon as we passed the winter solstice they started laying again.

My favorite chickens are aracuana. Guess I can't get over the colored eggs. It's like Easter morning everytime I go out to collect eggs.

 

When we first started I got "top hats" (my kids were little) they were a fun breed but not near as healthy as the aracaunas.

For a while we rescued fighting roosters and had a few fighting hens. Wow were they the best ever broody hens. I kept taking away one particular fighting hen's clutch (she'd collect everyone's eggs) to keep her from going broody, she finally disappeared, I thought she had died, she reapeared 23 days later with 21 chicks. Amazing!

 

Question for raw feeders....Do any of you give your dogs whole eggs? I keep thinking that if I do, they will start helping me "collect" eggs and they'll eat them. Right now they don't know what an egg is or at least they really don't show interest. Although I'm sure they'd play fetch with one if I suggested it. I've had a couple frozen eggs that I've tossed out instead of tossing to them. Such a waste.

[juliepoudrier]

My dogs don't bother the eggs, even though they get fed eggs. I suppose if they found a nest on the ground right under their noses, they might help themselves, but my chickens lay either in the nest boxes or in the stall where I store the hay and the dogs don't have access to those areas, so I've never had an issue with it.

 

J.

[bcnewe2]

My dogs don't bother the eggs, even though they get fed eggs

Whole eggs in the shell?

I give mine eggs to but not in the natural form...

[Cynthia P]

We feed whole eggs in the shell; some of them eat the shell, some don't.

 

Some steal eggs if they find a nest on the ground, some won't touch them until they are cracked. No rhyme or reason!

 

We usually feed the frozen ones and left overs; feed without the shell, dry the shells and grind them for extra calcuim with other meals

 

cynthia

[juliepoudrier]

Whole eggs in the shell?

I give mine eggs to but not in the natural form...

Most of my dogs won't eat the shell, even if given the egg whole. Like Cynthia noted, if they find them broken, they'll eat them, or I imagine if they pick them up and they drop and break, they'd eat one. Once I collected eggs and set them on my van bumper for a second and one rolled off and broke. I couldn't even get half the dogs interested in the broken egg, though Twist finally consented to eat it (but left the shell)....

 

J.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Tess is a egg thiefl!!

 

The ducks will lay the eggs randomly and the chickens will find a hidely hole for their eggs. Tess will find them and eat the eggs whole. She won't do it when I am around as she knows she is not supposed to do it. I just hide in the tack room and she will go to the nest. That way I can find the hidden nests. If a hen is on the eggs, she has no interest. She won't go after the eggs in the hen house or hay bales.

 

She thought she hit the mother lode once when she *found* a bucket full of eggs.....about 30 or so. I caught her with her head in it and an egg in her mouth. I just had collected the eggs and put the bucket down and went into the tack room and then came out. I scolded her and now she will not look at an egg in a bucket. The looks on her face was priceless when she discovered the mother lode. It was like "Sweet Jesus, I hit the lotto!!"

 

Diane

[Lenajo]

Most of my dogs won't eat the shell, even if given the egg whole. Like Cynthia noted, if they find them broken, they'll eat them, or I imagine if they pick them up and they drop and break, they'd eat one. Once I collected eggs and set them on my van bumper for a second and one rolled off and broke. I couldn't even get half the dogs interested in the broken egg, though Twist finally consented to eat it (but left the shell)....

 

J.

 

The coop I'm moving the birds too is the end stalls of a large barn - the most outer being a fenced in area under cover, then the attached, next stall is closed in. The inner one has the roosts and nest boxes. Based on what you guys tell me that will be plenty warm as long the door is shut at night to block the wind.

 

Where I'm at now coops are designed to stay cool, not warm. As a result if you don't protect your birds when it dips below freezing they loose their combs and feet. Right now the girls and Mr Personality are in hay bedded dog crates in the haybarn

 

I've been corrected - my current breed of chickens (which were a gift) are Cuckoo Murans - they look like the Dominiques but have white legs and skin.

 

I put whole eggs in the blender, shell and all, to mix with my dogs meals about once a week. They don't pick up eggs here - none out and about and they don't have access the boxes. The few times they've seen one they've been baffled by the odd ball looking item - if it broke they licked up the mess but left the shell.

 

When Joey was alive and on her kidney diet she couldn't get any calcium other than egg shell. We would save then until we had a few dozen, dry them in the oven, then grind them with a coffee grinder to put on her food at the perscibed amount per pound of meat.

[geonni banner]

anybody got any idea what the breed of chicken is on the front of Hobby Farm magazine this month?

 

How do you keep a chicken coop warm enough when the temp go below 20F? Not chicks, just laying hens and meat birds. How warm is too warm?

 

Anyone got any catalog recommendations for getting an assortment of poultry this spring? I'm interested in heritage breeds especially, good free range layers and meat animals. Chickens, turkeys, geese, guineas, peacocks.

 

Is there are a less, er aggressive, geese breed to be had?

 

I have Dominiques chickens now. Lovely birds.

 

My lgds guard poultry well, but I got them as adults. Anyone ever trained a lgd pup on poultry? How do you prevent bird losses during the play stages? I was sort of thinking the geese might be the birds to make the point with a young Maremma LOL

 

The chicken might be an Appenzeller.

[martySQ]

If ya come get it, I'll give ya the damn guinea cock free...LOL

I have a goose and the guinea cock in with the ducks... only heat they want is heated water bowl... but the guinea isn't really a happy camper since he is the only one of his kind, his buddy got eaten by something when he wouldn't get back int he pen for the night.

They complain about the weather now and then, when it is bitter cold, significantly below freezing and really windy... I tell them to take it up with the creator... I don't make the weather. Basically, if they have drinkable water, and plenty of food... they are happy campers that give me eggs...(when the daylight hours are sufficient) I don't mess with chickens, too noisy and need more protection than the little hut I have for the ducks. They don't need to keep on a roost. (I have provided one for the guinea.) Hubby would like chickens with goofy plumage... looks like trouble to me.

[bcnewe2]

Hubby would like chickens with goofy plumage... looks like trouble to me.

 

I had those...loved them! They were a bit more work as they tended to have shorter lives but they also stayed around much better becasue most of them had feathers that affected their eyesight. eg: Tophats. But I did love to watch them and they were beautiful! One kind I stayed away from was the feather footed breeds. Living on a farm is a muddy life. muddy feather feet were a hassle!

[veezee]

Hi,

We are in northern VA. We have corn cob bedding with straw on top in our chicken coop plus a hanging heat lamp. Our chickens continue to lay eggs no matter how cold it is outdoors. They have their little door open if they decided to go outside but during the snow they prefer to hang out indoors. We also have a heated chicken waterer so we don't have to worry about their water freezing. Also we feed more corn scratch mixed with their layer food during the winter. More corn during the cold months and less corn during the hot months. Hope this helps.

[pastora]

I read Hobby Farm too...grin...also take Backyard Poultry. It's a great mag.

 

LGD's and poultry: augh....has not worked well for me at all. I start all my LGDs as pups, and they all seem to reach a point where they want to play with the chickens not guard them or just hang out.... Lost a chicken to them and finally decided to give my birds an area of their own fenced off from the dogs and goats, where they can still free range some, but no dog issues. The dogs can circle the area around them too so they still get predator control.

 

I know some people are very successful with LGD's and poultry but...just hasn't worked out with me, and I own several breeds of LGD's so it's not a breed specific issue at all.

 

As it's more vital to me that my dogs guard the goats and the ranch than just protect the fowl, I've just adapted to this...and the chickens are in a double fenced area and nothing can get to them now anyway.

 

I make a mash out of lay crumble in winter and add more corn. Keep a couple of heat lamps in there for when it really gets cold in the coop. Also, lots of thick straw bedding on the floor and in their laying boxes. I also supplement with "Kickin' Chicken".

 

I have Cochins, Brahmans, Polish, Old English banties and Buff Orphingtons.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Kodi, my now eldery Great Pyr was attacked by a Turken/banty cross when he was a pup. He thought he would chase after them. Big mistake!!

 

She had chicks and he wandered too close. One *incident* was all it took and he avoided the chickens after that.