NORTHERN
NEW YORK POULTRY FANCIERS JUNE 2005 2nd QUARTER NEWSLETTER
IMPORTANT
DATES:
Sunday. September 18.2005 - NNY Poultry Fanciers Show will be at the Waddington Arena. Anyone wanting to put a Special in for our Fall Show or for more information on Specials, Showbooks or the Show, call Gary Wells at 322-8993 or Floyd Rood at 379-9498.
Anyone who did not show last year can receive a showbook by emailing Tonya Rood at frood@twcny.rr.com or calling her at 379-9498.
Club Meeting Dates: Please take note at these dates for our Club Meetings. Because of the 4th of July and Labor Day in September, the dates have changed for these two months only. The Upcoming Meeting Dates are: May 7, June 4, July 9, August 6, September 10, October 1, November 5 and December 3. Our meetings are held in the Madrid Library at 7 p.m.
The Swap Meet and the Auction in May were both a huge
success. The Club profits from each are as follows:
The Swap Meet - $626.25 and the Auction -
$574.
From the President:
Dear Members,
Your hard work paid off. The auction was a SUCCESS! Some of you must have been dead tired! So many of you turned out to help. Three generations of the Wells family, that's saying something!
And the animals offered - most
were of superior quality. Mr. Kosmen really did a very good job of getting the best possible prices.
I know some of you already have ideas for next year. Wish I could have done something!
Melvina
From the Show Secretaries: Gary Wells and Floyd Rood
September is fast approaching and our Show is coming up. Anyone with Specials to put in for the Show contact Gary at 322-8993 or me at 379-9498. We will again need work details for the Show. Please call
Gary or me to find out times and what we need for crews on set up and tear down. Also, anyone wanting a Showbook contact Tonya by email, frood@twcny.rr.com or call 315-379-9498. Have a good summer and enjoy your birds.
Floyd
OLD ENGLISH GAME BANTAMS
Raising Old English Game bantams is not for a person with a laid back approach to life. Old English are feisty, aggressive, and demanding. They are, however, a great joy for the many people who raise them, including the writer.
There are many colors of Old English, both solid and parti-colored. After choosing a color, seek out a reputable breeder. I would suggest that you visit his/her yards to see firsthand the birds and the management system. Purchasing birds through the mail is risky. Ask any questions that come to mind. Ask for a pair or trio that is related in a manner that will produce quality offspring. Avoid birds too closely related (i.e. brother and sister). If your goal is to just have a few bantams for enjoyment, then healthy birds is your main concern. If you wish to develop your own strain of Old English, I suggest you buy a pair or trio from two breeders. Mate each set of birds and then cross mate with each breeder's birds. You now have three families of birds to breed from which should provide birds for several years. Always mark your chicks from each family. Discipline yourself to keep records of the progeny from each family. Consult the literature on the art of breeding. John P. Baldwin and Fred P. Jeffrey are authors who have written extensively on the breeding of Old English.
Hatching your Old English is an important aspect of your breeding program. Have access to a reliable incubator or setting hens. Do not keep hatching eggs over ten days before setting them. Wash your eggs and keep them separate in the incubator. Study the successful procedures of hatching before setting your eggs. You may wish to have a mend hatch your eggs for you.
After the chicks have hatched, proved a brooder that maintains a temperature of 95 degrees and reduce the heat as the chicks grow. Old English will do well on a starter that has at least 20% protein. Clean water in a clean container is very important.
Growing your Old English to maturity is a very enjoyable exercise. The birds seem to change almost daily. If possible, young birds should be placed in a grassy area. If they are raised inside, greens should be provided for them. Old English can be fed a starter-grower feed until they reach maturity. Light colored bantams such as White or Red Pyles should be kept in a shaded area to avoid discoloration of their plumage. As soon as you can discern the cockerels from the pullets, they should be separated. When cockerels are five to six months old they should be dubbed.
Housing for Old English is not complicated. Because they are small, they do not require a lot of space. Single birds or pairs can be kept in a 2' by 2' pen. Young birds need ample space to grow and should not be overcrowded. With a little forethought and some plywood, many types of pens for Old English can be built. Again, consult the literature for ideas on housing. If you have a knack for gardening, you can incorporate flowers and vegetables with your pens for beauty, shade, and treats for the birds. Sunflowers and vines make excellent shade for outdoor pens during the growing season. Tomatoes and squash are fine treats for the birds.
Preparing Old English for shows is an exciting phase of the management program. As the young stock grows, you will pick out favorite birds that resemble size, type and color that the standard calls for. These males should be penned separately and handled daily to acclimate them to a judge's handling them. Practice posing your birds in an exhibition size pen. Females can be penned in small groups with similar procedures used on them. Special supplements to the regular feed can be given to the show birds. Sunflower seeds, greens, dog and cat food are some treats used by breeders. An occasional washing of show birds will enhance feather quality. This applies to dark colored birds as well as white. White birds should be washed about three days before show day. Beaks and toenails should be trimmed prior to showing. Old English grow beaks at a rapid rate. Transporting your birds to the show can be done with a cardboard box from the grocery store or in a fancy hauling coop that has been built for that purpose. Do not expect to beat the breeder you bought the birds from. Be content to take less than first or second until you have "learned the ropes". The breeding of winners is a matter of time, patience, and study. When other birds place ahead of yours, ask the judge in a positive manner what improvement you need in your birds.
As you learn about your Old English from a practical standpoint, join a breed club such as the Old English Game Bantam Club of America, the American Bantam Association, and the American Poultry Association. Through these organizations, you will learn the finer points of breeding Old English. Purchase a copy of the Standard of Perfection of poultry and study it carefully. It is your compass for breeding.
Enjoy
your Old English. Handle them often to learn each bird and his/her
characteristics. Sometimes when you handle Old English males, you will have to
impress on them just who is in charge of the henhouse, as they often like to
challenge you. Organize your pens so that daily chores are a pleasurable task.
Welcome visitors to your pens and enjoy sharing
ideas about Old English. '.
Carl L. Stough
Poultry Hobbyist for 53 years 511 Beardsley Road
Galion, Ohio 44833
Created on ... July 31, 2005