Re: Amber Stars - Now months on

Jill wrote:
Steve Newport wrote:

My view is that Black Rocks are good for true free range but any form
of confinement and forget it.


They are fine in most garden environments. They do not need acres, just normal daily freedom to mooch around. A garden is perfect.
I agree, they do not like to be confined for much of the time. When talking to customers for housing etc around the country, if their needs are that the birds are cooped up then I would steer them to the commercials, rather than Black Rocks or pure breeds. The latter are not intensive birds, which is in essence the conditions provided when contained much of the time. Being kept outside but not able to enjoy the freedom is understandably frustrating and they will exhibit the normal behaviours. Commercial birds have had their 'expectations' modified so deal with such situations with fewer problems.


The Amber Stars however, are a eral
pleasure. Still want to experiment and try other birds though; Marans
are something I want to try.


You will likely have similar problems with any of the pure breeds, unless you can find a breeder who has not had his birds ranging for several generations.
The likes of Marans are, generally, bold birds, needing space and freedom.

Again some of the lookelike commercials might cope.

Two in the Naught Girls' pen again... and I'm thinking of getting a couple of egg-factory type of birds to get a bit of that non-broody characteristic into the family. All the ones I've got are from my friend - a setting of eggs some time ago, later the big influx when her cancer came back and wasn't going to leave without her.

So they're all variations with varying degrees of purity from when she first moved onto the farmlet and with characteristic energy and enthusiasm gathered a range of interesting chooks in breeding groups. Later the separate pens got too much, and anyway the chickens had the skill of master safecrackers so the cross-breeding started whether she wished or no. But one thing they share and that's the desire to sit clamped to the nest going "Book-book - book off!" when I point out that so far nobody's hatched a plaster chick from a nest egg.

And that's why the thought of some bland non-brooders is rather tempting. Would that be likely to be inherited by their offspring (Papa would be my adorable Frizzle because I can only manage one rooster (neighbours, regulations) and he's an adorable sweetie-pie.

A L P


.

Relevant Pages

  • Free like a bird
    ... There exists a certain species of birds that usually ... to find food and shelter. ... the noble concept of freedom. ...
    (soc.culture.cambodia)
  • Re: WAYLTL? - July 2009
    ... a rigorous and orderly serial-based scheme of rhythms and ... but so too is freedom. ... vast counterpoint of birds in eighteen real voices unfolds ... The other movements feature a lot of winds and percussion, ...
    (rec.music.classical.recordings)
  • Re: Metal Detector For Shot
    ... or you could just feel the meat around the pellet wounds after you clean ... the birds. ... I haven't had a piece of shot in one of my ducks or geese in ... You always have freedom of choice, but you never have freedom of ...
    (rec.hunting)
  • Re: (OT) : There is "Hispanic" and there is hispanic
    ... am one of those rare old birds that believes in FREEDOM. ...
    (rec.radio.shortwave)