July 21, 2025

Improving Production In Barred Rocks-Part 2

Improving Production In Barred Rocks-Part 2

In this continuation of our in-depth series, host Carey Blackmon is joined by Jeff Mattocks and breeder Jason Yuke as they dive even deeper into Jason’s project to restore production quality in his Barred Plymouth Rocks. From managing harsh climates and selective breeding setbacks to measuring feed conversion, temperament, and thriftiness, this episode offers invaluable insights into the real-world challenges and breakthroughs of small-scale poultry improvement.

Jason discusses genetic bottlenecks, feed errors, managing aggression, breeding for uniformity, and how to identify pivotal "aha" moments when a breeding plan starts to pay off. He also shares advice for new breeders, insights on choosing birds suited to your climate, and the importance of setting clear, long-term goals before selecting your foundation stock.

Plus, we talk about culling practices, chick evaluations, and how Jason is working toward an "Ontario Barred Rock" that thrives in his cold Canadian climate while maintaining productivity and heritage breed standards.

Whether you're a seasoned poultry breeder or a small flock owner just getting started, this episode is packed with tips and perspective that will help you move your flock forward.

To listen now and subscribe for more episodes on poultry breeding, nutrition, and flock management go to www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com 

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WEBVTT

00:00:05.049 --> 00:00:08.480
Welcome to another episode of the Poultry Keepers Podcast.

00:00:08.769 --> 00:00:18.550
In today's episode Jeff Mattocks, Carey Blackmon, and Jason Yuke conclude their discussion on Jason's project to improve production in his flock of Barred Plymouth Rocks.

00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:21.949
So let's join them where they left off last week.

00:00:32.557 --> 00:00:33.476
So there's nothing,

00:00:33.616 --> 00:00:34.877
so tell us about it.

00:00:34.877 --> 00:00:37.396
Some unexpected roadblocks that you might have.

00:00:38.017 --> 00:00:41.377
Either they be genetic or logistical.

00:00:42.277 --> 00:00:45.356
Oh, look, I would say logistics are are tight here.

00:00:45.737 --> 00:00:52.246
Just what Jeff was saying in our climate's, tough even in April and May this year, it was too cold.

00:00:52.987 --> 00:00:55.627
I didn't wanna, I, it was just, it was really just too cold.

00:00:55.726 --> 00:00:57.646
I would've had to have been home that the eggs were freezing.

00:00:57.786 --> 00:01:00.207
So I've got a very small window to breed these birds.

00:01:01.106 --> 00:01:04.966
And so when it's go time, you, I, you have to acclimate the birds.

00:01:04.966 --> 00:01:10.557
You gotta put them in there for three weeks before you actually start collecting eggs.

00:01:10.557 --> 00:01:12.906
So I usually put them in April mid-May.

00:01:13.087 --> 00:01:13.326
I start.

00:01:13.867 --> 00:01:18.466
Collecting them for hatching and you do two, three weeks of collecting eggs and hatching them.

00:01:19.007 --> 00:01:21.606
And then it's just what what Jeff and I were just talking about.

00:01:21.706 --> 00:01:33.626
By the time you, you get the you get the birds up to 50% weight and you get into you get into October and you're starting to get flurries and you're, they are feathered out enough to be resilient.

00:01:33.846 --> 00:01:38.037
But but they spend a little bit more time in the coop getting outta the cold weather.

00:01:38.137 --> 00:01:41.147
But it I don't lose many birds at all to that.

00:01:41.206 --> 00:01:48.807
But I would say logistically that would be the most challenging that's the most challenging endeavor around your area.

00:01:49.706 --> 00:01:49.996
Okay.

00:01:50.826 --> 00:01:51.516
That makes sense.

00:01:52.417 --> 00:01:52.966
Let's see.

00:01:53.266 --> 00:02:00.206
How do you balance performance with things like temperament, thriftiness, seasonal heartiness, and feed conversion?

00:02:01.106 --> 00:02:01.326
Aha.

00:02:02.156 --> 00:02:12.926
I don't put up with a lot of a lot of nonsense in the in the hen house we did buy these to put in the stew pot and honestly, a small story about, about aggression, breeding aggression.

00:02:12.986 --> 00:02:19.687
For some reason I had a recessive gene that came back on me and it, it had a batch of of roosters.

00:02:19.687 --> 00:02:20.926
And I actually didn't use any of them.

00:02:20.967 --> 00:02:21.766
I called them all.

00:02:21.907 --> 00:02:23.276
They just got more aggressive.

00:02:23.276 --> 00:02:24.037
More aggressive.

00:02:24.037 --> 00:02:26.447
More aggressive to the point where, you're trying to sneak around.

00:02:27.347 --> 00:02:32.576
The vehicles so you can get to the chicken coop, so you won't get, you won't get stung from behind.

00:02:32.757 --> 00:02:34.037
I don't put up with that too often.

00:02:34.167 --> 00:02:40.336
There's really a zero chance policy for aggression or aggression around here just because we, the kids and we don't need it.

00:02:40.676 --> 00:02:43.667
Food conversion, I really started to start.

00:02:44.567 --> 00:02:47.347
Paying a little bit more attention to that.

00:02:47.526 --> 00:02:50.637
And that was that's on my on my list of improvements.

00:02:51.417 --> 00:03:02.586
I'll be honest with you, I've got this year, the reason why I say that we had some eggs that got outta hand and and there was a combination of overfeeding and a little bit too much protein.

00:03:03.007 --> 00:03:04.187
In, in, in the feed.

00:03:04.206 --> 00:03:07.646
And that was in my the problem developed in my breeding boxes.

00:03:08.546 --> 00:03:10.687
And it happened real quick.

00:03:11.586 --> 00:03:19.826
I always wanted a, the standard says a mid-size egg, I call that a 60 ounce egg, 57, 60 ounce or 60 gram a I'm sorry.

00:03:20.407 --> 00:03:25.507
And all of a sudden I go out one day and 1 65 and okay.

00:03:25.567 --> 00:03:27.426
And then the other one's 67 and I'm going.

00:03:28.326 --> 00:03:30.637
Maybe they just had a good time, right?

00:03:30.926 --> 00:03:31.276
Maybe.

00:03:31.856 --> 00:03:34.576
And it, I dunno what's going on here.

00:03:34.627 --> 00:03:38.167
And then you go out the next day and the 1 67 and 1 68.

00:03:38.167 --> 00:03:40.796
Within a week I was pushing some 70 gram s.

00:03:41.417 --> 00:03:46.306
And I got I got on on Messenger with Jeff and Jeff says, how much you feeding him?

00:03:46.306 --> 00:03:46.667
And I'm going.

00:03:47.567 --> 00:03:53.287
I hate to tell this guy, he's a nutritionist guy that I don't know, but I really don't know.

00:03:54.037 --> 00:03:54.326
Yeah.

00:03:54.747 --> 00:03:58.326
And he goes you need to cut that down to about three ounces real fast.

00:03:58.856 --> 00:03:59.556
And I did.

00:03:59.817 --> 00:04:02.396
And believe it or not, it didn't take more than a week.

00:04:03.127 --> 00:04:04.866
And everything straightened itself back out.

00:04:05.646 --> 00:04:09.206
So I have cut back considerably.

00:04:09.266 --> 00:04:11.407
And I do have, I do measure now per bird.

00:04:12.306 --> 00:04:28.007
And I found that they got a little bit ory at the three ounces, so I'm closer to the, Jeff told me they would I'm a little bit closer to the to the three and a half, four ounce per bird, but it seems to be, everything seems to be balanced and supplement them.

00:04:28.206 --> 00:04:32.127
I just kept Jeff said, go buy a couple bales of Alfal and throw it in the pen and.

00:04:33.026 --> 00:04:37.786
That seemed to take their mind off the food and give them something to do while they were in the breeding boxes.

00:04:37.956 --> 00:04:39.437
When they're free ranging, there's no problem.

00:04:40.257 --> 00:04:42.867
They seem to get enough on free range.

00:04:43.766 --> 00:04:54.067
So is there any specific moment or breakthrough moment in your breeding program that really stands out where you just looked and said, aha, I think I figured this out.

00:04:54.846 --> 00:04:55.247
I think it

00:04:55.247 --> 00:04:57.127
was this I think it was the F five hatch.

00:04:57.466 --> 00:04:58.526
The F five hatch.

00:04:58.927 --> 00:05:05.447
I bred father back to a bunch of daughters and a mother back to a son.

00:05:06.346 --> 00:05:15.937
And I think on my F five Carrie, I seen more uniformity, like I pay attention to which, and I mark them.

00:05:15.937 --> 00:05:17.937
I've got a red pen, a yellow pen, a green pen.

00:05:18.357 --> 00:05:21.776
But I think if I would've mixed them up this time, I would've been in real trouble.

00:05:22.336 --> 00:05:28.447
I wouldn't have been able to tell what came from what and when I said that, when I thought that you'd pick it up, you'd weigh it.

00:05:28.987 --> 00:05:30.166
Oh, that one's seven point.

00:05:30.197 --> 00:05:34.406
That one's seven pounds, and that one's 7.3 pounds and that one's 6.9 pounds.

00:05:34.516 --> 00:05:36.547
It's ah we're onto something.

00:05:36.766 --> 00:05:40.297
I think the F five, I just stuck with the pro for the program.

00:05:40.536 --> 00:05:41.216
I listened to you guys.

00:05:42.117 --> 00:05:44.367
And I bred and got rid of a few.

00:05:44.706 --> 00:05:45.966
You're not gonna get rid of them all.

00:05:46.346 --> 00:05:47.637
A few recessive genes.

00:05:47.976 --> 00:05:50.497
And I think I'm getting into more.

00:05:51.286 --> 00:05:51.576
Okay.

00:05:51.576 --> 00:05:56.456
I got the bird where I want it physically, and now I work on a little bit of aesthetics.

00:05:56.666 --> 00:05:57.266
Feathering,

00:05:58.166 --> 00:05:58.807
Coloration.

00:05:58.807 --> 00:05:59.047
All right.

00:05:59.067 --> 00:05:59.846
Things like that.

00:06:00.747 --> 00:06:01.047
All right.

00:06:01.076 --> 00:06:02.807
With that, hang on, we'll be right back.

00:06:03.706 --> 00:06:25.487
We would like to take a short break to express our appreciation to the Trail Company for their sponsorship of the Poultry Keepers 360 Live programming for Trail has been a trusted name and sustainable farming and poultry nutrition for decades, and their commitment to providing high quality natural product aligned perfectly with the values we hold there in our poultry community.

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Thank you Patrell for partnering with us to empower poultry keepers everywhere.

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We're truly grateful for your dedication and support.

00:06:34.406 --> 00:06:38.346
So there's lots of folks out there that are new to breeding.

00:06:38.807 --> 00:06:41.346
The last few years it's been a really big craze.

00:06:42.107 --> 00:06:49.826
A lot of people that sell hatching eggs or chicks or whatever have really seen a huge uptick in that.

00:06:50.726 --> 00:06:53.447
Obviously some of them people are probably feeling overwhelmed or whatever.

00:06:54.172 --> 00:06:59.502
What advice would you give someone that wants to improve their own birds?

00:07:00.401 --> 00:07:03.651
Just to improve them and make'em better for the homestead?

00:07:04.552 --> 00:07:13.701
Educate yourself and don't be afraid to I'm not speaking for anybody, but don't be afraid to reach out to people like I'll volunteer me.

00:07:14.591 --> 00:07:15.151
Probably you guys.

00:07:15.451 --> 00:07:28.492
The mistakes we've made, I've made personally, the mistakes I've made in selections and just little things you do wrong could save them years and years and years of working the birds to get them to where they need to be.

00:07:29.391 --> 00:07:30.372
Get, read some books.

00:07:30.632 --> 00:07:33.291
I don't know if you're if they wanna get into the standards that deep.

00:07:34.192 --> 00:07:35.492
But handle your birds.

00:07:35.862 --> 00:07:37.002
That's another big thing.

00:07:37.052 --> 00:07:38.362
Don't be afraid to pick them up.

00:07:38.362 --> 00:07:39.322
They're not porcelain.

00:07:39.812 --> 00:07:48.201
You can, you feel them, shove your fingers into places since you around muscles and back and learn what a good bird is and what a bad bird is.

00:07:48.221 --> 00:07:50.382
And I think that would be a good starting point.

00:07:51.161 --> 00:07:52.091
Know the difference of.

00:07:52.992 --> 00:07:54.411
Or know where you want to go.

00:07:55.041 --> 00:07:56.362
I've seen I did it myself.

00:07:56.862 --> 00:08:01.281
I spent a couple years not knowing where I wanted to go with the birds, and I went nowhere.

00:08:02.081 --> 00:08:10.351
When I first met rip I was asking him some questions like that and he's, he just kept saying what are your goals?

00:08:11.252 --> 00:08:29.252
And, I would think about it and we'd keep talking and he finally said, listen you really need to think about and figure out what your goals are because what your goals are for your birds, we'll dictate the direction you need to go and everybody's different.

00:08:29.982 --> 00:08:32.721
And I was like, man he's onto something.

00:08:33.621 --> 00:08:46.111
And it's forced me to think and stop and sit back and look and listen, which I know that's something that we really don't, we want to think that we've got it under control, but we always don't.

00:08:47.011 --> 00:08:47.302
Yeah.

00:08:47.302 --> 00:08:47.581
When,

00:08:47.642 --> 00:08:56.892
if you look at, if you said you were on F five now if you go back to F1, when you first got the birds that you have now that you're working with.

00:08:57.721 --> 00:09:01.221
What's something that you changed your mind about since starting the project?

00:09:02.121 --> 00:09:06.201
Oh, I would say honestly, is keep more of a positive mind.

00:09:06.581 --> 00:09:07.392
What, which one?

00:09:08.292 --> 00:09:17.782
I guess when I was into F two, I don't know if you can, if you remember your F twos, but F two just wants to make you quit.

00:09:18.672 --> 00:09:22.461
You get some birds and they shouldn't even look like that really.

00:09:23.081 --> 00:09:33.371
But but I guess what I guess in that regard, the best advice I could give anybody is build a game plan and stick to it.

00:09:34.272 --> 00:09:39.501
Don't change your mind, if you start changing your mind you end right back up at square one.

00:09:40.346 --> 00:09:43.136
And I've done that with a line and it's a reboot,

00:09:43.346 --> 00:09:43.697
right?

00:09:44.437 --> 00:09:46.216
So let me ask this.

00:09:46.787 --> 00:09:51.157
Let's say I want to get some chickens and I wanna, do I wanna make'em better?

00:09:52.057 --> 00:10:03.037
Should I, before I even get my first chicken, figure out what my goals are, or wait till I can find some birds and figure out goals based on what I can find.

00:10:03.511 --> 00:10:06.361
Because, oh, I, you can't always find good birds.

00:10:07.022 --> 00:10:07.241
No.

00:10:07.322 --> 00:10:10.481
I I think Carrie, you need to know what you wanna do before you go get them.

00:10:11.062 --> 00:10:12.841
Unless you just want backyard chickens.

00:10:12.841 --> 00:10:13.922
And that is fine too.

00:10:14.381 --> 00:10:17.701
Just having a backyard flock is the thrill to some people.

00:10:18.081 --> 00:10:19.152
And and that's good.

00:10:19.221 --> 00:10:23.251
But I would say that it, what I would do is find the breed or the breed you wanna work with.

00:10:24.152 --> 00:10:28.131
Do some research about that breed make sure that it's suited to your area.

00:10:28.591 --> 00:10:33.601
That's one thing that I, when I went with the barred rocks, the bell didn't go off right.

00:10:33.721 --> 00:10:35.642
I just thought, barred rocks, they'll live everywhere.

00:10:35.692 --> 00:10:37.302
They don't like minus 40 very well.

00:10:37.642 --> 00:10:42.741
And they don't they know they're not very smart when they drink in the wintertime at minus 40, they just keep going back.

00:10:43.392 --> 00:10:46.172
You have to watch, you have to watch that waddle damage.

00:10:46.231 --> 00:10:52.631
But, but yeah, do a little bit of research and what that, what bird is gonna work for you and get the right advice.

00:10:53.292 --> 00:10:59.192
Get the advice from people that want to steer you in the right way versus sell you a bird.

00:10:59.892 --> 00:11:02.011
'Cause there's a lot of people that just wanna sell you a bird.

00:11:02.912 --> 00:11:03.201
Yeah.

00:11:03.251 --> 00:11:08.922
I've had people ask questions and then they would say so and so says this, and I'll say.

00:11:09.741 --> 00:11:11.721
Who, how do you know that person?

00:11:12.101 --> 00:11:14.662
They were somebody that I was talking to about buying birds.

00:11:15.562 --> 00:11:15.851
Yeah.

00:11:15.871 --> 00:11:17.011
You may want to think about that.

00:11:17.442 --> 00:11:17.731
Yeah.

00:11:18.121 --> 00:11:20.491
That could have been the salesman hat that they were wearing.

00:11:20.711 --> 00:11:23.772
Not the friend Tell you about some birds now, right?

00:11:24.121 --> 00:11:24.412
Yeah.

00:11:24.601 --> 00:11:27.101
Ribbons and ribbons bring, make big money, right?

00:11:27.522 --> 00:11:29.062
So yeah, they do.

00:11:29.961 --> 00:11:30.461
So for

00:11:30.461 --> 00:11:32.822
you, your, with you and your bird, they don't

00:11:32.822 --> 00:11:33.861
taste good in the stew Pott?

00:11:34.091 --> 00:11:34.542
They don't,

00:11:34.682 --> 00:11:35.381
no, they don't.

00:11:36.282 --> 00:11:41.591
Although I have a friend, Jennifer, she's won several ribbons with her, or pinks.

00:11:41.601 --> 00:11:47.011
She's got some buffs and they also taste pretty good in the stupot.

00:11:47.312 --> 00:11:50.451
So for you, how do you define success?

00:11:50.591 --> 00:11:51.572
Or what does it look like?

00:11:52.471 --> 00:11:56.841
With your restoration project, say five years from now?

00:11:57.741 --> 00:11:58.022
I would

00:11:58.121 --> 00:12:04.581
say as long as I don't recess in in, keep maintaining.

00:12:05.481 --> 00:12:11.802
If I could fix a trait every few years, I would think that would be successful.

00:12:12.101 --> 00:12:12.481
And not.

00:12:13.381 --> 00:12:18.792
And not make the choices to let the recessive genes go back.

00:12:19.692 --> 00:12:24.072
And it's a really delicate balance, to do that.

00:12:24.331 --> 00:12:29.402
And you can fix one thing and break four, by trying to fix that one thing.

00:12:29.621 --> 00:12:37.932
And yeah, so I'd say a slow, steady approach and small baby steps from here on in not to hurt the production, not to hurt the meat.

00:12:38.711 --> 00:12:49.412
Keep, maintain my size of birds and if I can do that and get my feather quality, the where I would like to see it, it's close but it's not there yet.

00:12:49.751 --> 00:12:50.912
I, I think the borrowing can

00:12:50.912 --> 00:12:51.312
be tricky.

00:12:51.981 --> 00:12:52.272
Yeah.

00:12:52.542 --> 00:12:52.831
Yeah.

00:12:52.932 --> 00:12:54.111
I'd say that's a success.

00:12:55.011 --> 00:12:59.511
Yeah, but working on your body structure, your confirmation, right?

00:12:59.812 --> 00:13:05.741
Your station, all that, the width, those are harder to get than fixing the feathers.

00:13:06.442 --> 00:13:06.822
Oh, they are?

00:13:07.412 --> 00:13:07.701
Yeah.

00:13:07.881 --> 00:13:14.111
So you have to start with the foundational stuff, the production, the confirmation, the width.

00:13:14.701 --> 00:13:14.991
Okay.

00:13:15.361 --> 00:13:18.432
Those are by far more important for your journey, right?

00:13:18.432 --> 00:13:19.192
Where you're going.

00:13:19.371 --> 00:13:21.052
They're by far more important than.

00:13:21.951 --> 00:13:22.922
What the bird looks like.

00:13:23.152 --> 00:13:23.442
Okay.

00:13:23.442 --> 00:13:23.642
Yeah.

00:13:23.902 --> 00:13:25.081
And you'll get there.

00:13:25.552 --> 00:13:25.841
Yeah.

00:13:25.841 --> 00:13:26.001
Yeah.

00:13:26.121 --> 00:13:30.802
I have to ask though, because of where you live, why didn't you consider something like a fau?

00:13:31.121 --> 00:13:32.392
Which is a winter layer.

00:13:32.662 --> 00:13:39.392
They actually, they're really backwards in that they like to lay with shorter daylight and through the winter.

00:13:40.292 --> 00:13:43.991
So the year after I started, you know why I didn't rip?

00:13:44.591 --> 00:13:45.392
'cause I didn't know better.

00:13:45.572 --> 00:13:46.991
Or r Jeff, I didn't know better.

00:13:47.272 --> 00:13:49.471
I didn't do the research ahead of time.

00:13:50.371 --> 00:13:52.792
And you are right there for my area.

00:13:53.251 --> 00:14:00.392
I'll admit there are far better selections, like the y and dot the Sean cla, which I do have on my second breed now.

00:14:00.451 --> 00:14:02.351
So I do have Partridge Sean Clare's.

00:14:03.251 --> 00:14:05.142
And yeah, they're winter layers as well.

00:14:05.522 --> 00:14:11.922
And Jeff, I just, it was putting the the cart for the horse type deal and Oh, it's all

00:14:11.922 --> 00:14:12.081
good.

00:14:12.282 --> 00:14:13.682
I was just curious why you didn't No.

00:14:13.741 --> 00:14:14.481
It feel different.

00:14:14.511 --> 00:14:14.802
Yeah.

00:14:15.662 --> 00:14:24.422
And now that I've had so much work into it, it would really be hard to change for me to change, but I don't think I ever will.

00:14:25.267 --> 00:14:27.726
But you are 100% right.

00:14:27.746 --> 00:14:28.807
And that was a big error.

00:14:29.027 --> 00:14:29.407
In my

00:14:29.407 --> 00:14:29.527
No.

00:14:29.527 --> 00:14:32.246
Don't, I'm not even considering changing what at this point.

00:14:32.427 --> 00:14:34.167
So you have a consistent egg supply.

00:14:34.167 --> 00:14:34.447
Yeah.

00:14:34.826 --> 00:14:35.726
Why not have

00:14:35.726 --> 00:14:38.947
something whether it's okay.

00:14:39.527 --> 00:14:42.996
Rocks cover you for eggs all through the spring, summer,

00:14:43.326 --> 00:14:43.616
yeah,

00:14:43.836 --> 00:14:44.667
we cover both

00:14:44.697 --> 00:14:45.427
seasons, right?

00:14:46.326 --> 00:14:46.616
Yeah.

00:14:46.797 --> 00:14:51.476
It the look of the bird got me, Jeff, and I thought, geez that's a pretty bird.

00:14:51.576 --> 00:14:52.706
And yeah, it's,

00:14:53.216 --> 00:14:54.797
The others would be no challenge, right?

00:14:55.456 --> 00:14:59.716
Oh, so you gotta have something that's challenging and keep it interesting.

00:14:59.746 --> 00:15:00.037
Yeah.

00:15:00.547 --> 00:15:00.836
Yeah.

00:15:01.226 --> 00:15:01.517
Yeah.

00:15:01.567 --> 00:15:02.626
But I, yeah.

00:15:03.106 --> 00:15:06.226
Ted wants to know Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas.

00:15:07.126 --> 00:15:10.697
What would be a good dual purpose bird for that part of the world?

00:15:11.596 --> 00:15:15.167
It kind, that's almost like the central line of America.

00:15:16.067 --> 00:15:16.956
What do you guys think?

00:15:17.856 --> 00:15:21.057
Wouldn't the press be a good choice for that neck of the woods?

00:15:21.937 --> 00:15:25.697
Good genetic breasts will grow and produce anywhere.

00:15:26.596 --> 00:15:26.886
Yeah.

00:15:27.076 --> 00:15:29.006
Look, mine are molting.

00:15:29.822 --> 00:15:30.111
Yeah.

00:15:30.111 --> 00:15:32.822
And laying eggs make that make sense.

00:15:33.371 --> 00:15:35.101
They can be really hot in the summer.

00:15:35.351 --> 00:15:36.522
Just horrible hot.

00:15:36.701 --> 00:15:40.971
And then they can be really, they can have some really cold weather in the winter.

00:15:41.152 --> 00:15:42.812
The breast would be a good candidate.

00:15:42.991 --> 00:15:45.131
Sue says Rhode Island Reds, she's right.

00:15:45.261 --> 00:15:46.822
They can tolerate that heat pretty well.

00:15:47.721 --> 00:15:48.412
Yeah, they can,

00:15:48.822 --> 00:15:52.542
The breasts are white so that there, there's no color to fill the yard.

00:15:52.841 --> 00:15:56.812
That's the only downside that I can see is they're just white.

00:15:57.711 --> 00:15:57.932
The

00:15:58.001 --> 00:16:00.131
leghorn can take a little bit of heat too, can it?

00:16:00.231 --> 00:16:00.611
Oh, yeah.

00:16:00.841 --> 00:16:01.131
Yeah.

00:16:01.792 --> 00:16:12.111
You don't get quite as much body, so if you're looking for something for the crockpot, the leghorn might leave you wanting, there's not a lot of flesh on the majority of the leghorn lines,

00:16:12.491 --> 00:16:17.251
I was gonna say for the leghorns, you would probably have a surplus of eggs.

00:16:17.802 --> 00:16:18.091
Yeah.

00:16:18.432 --> 00:16:22.121
But that would not do good for the other.

00:16:23.022 --> 00:16:23.731
Let's see here.

00:16:24.631 --> 00:16:29.042
What do you hope your line of barbed rocks contributes to the breed's future?

00:16:29.942 --> 00:16:31.072
Yeah, it's a good question.

00:16:31.292 --> 00:16:33.501
So as of now just for.

00:16:34.402 --> 00:16:35.902
The security of my line.

00:16:35.971 --> 00:16:45.731
There's only one person, it's a friend of mine that, that has a few of my birds and they've got a couple of roosters and a dozen hens.

00:16:46.272 --> 00:16:48.101
But what I would like to do is breed.

00:16:49.001 --> 00:16:54.142
Breed, this rock, like Jeff said, it won't be an Ontario Bard Rock.

00:16:54.351 --> 00:16:58.101
Breed it to, to our, that favors our weather a little bit.

00:16:58.922 --> 00:16:59.701
Get it to.

00:17:00.601 --> 00:17:05.011
Back to the standard that I think, and everybody's gonna have a different opinion on that.

00:17:05.471 --> 00:17:11.902
But back to the standards that, that really work as a farm bird and then start letting them go.

00:17:12.122 --> 00:17:14.362
I don't know how many years down the road that's gonna be.

00:17:14.781 --> 00:17:16.781
I haven't, I have not sold a bird yet.

00:17:17.432 --> 00:17:18.271
I don't think they're ready.

00:17:18.692 --> 00:17:26.571
And, but when they get uniform enough that I'm comfortable start getting them out on farms and homesteads and I think that's the place to put these birds.

00:17:27.471 --> 00:17:30.582
So you says that breasts or hawk bait white.

00:17:31.481 --> 00:17:37.162
I, I'd have to fire my dog for not doing his job if that did happen, but.

00:17:38.061 --> 00:17:42.402
I'd like to see, I'd like to see a hawk pick up an eight pound chicken.

00:17:43.301 --> 00:17:44.152
That would be something.

00:17:45.051 --> 00:17:46.821
Ontario Bart rocks.

00:17:47.172 --> 00:17:47.461
Yeah.

00:17:47.491 --> 00:17:48.461
That has a ring to it.

00:17:49.021 --> 00:17:49.422
I like it.

00:17:49.821 --> 00:17:50.301
I like it.

00:17:51.201 --> 00:17:53.971
What is your favorite poultry book

00:17:54.271 --> 00:17:55.211
or resource?

00:17:55.912 --> 00:17:56.132
Oh.

00:17:57.031 --> 00:17:58.932
So I can't say enough about this.

00:17:58.981 --> 00:18:02.355
The man that wrote these books James e James E.

00:18:02.355 --> 00:18:12.112
Rice I don't think, I think that man, he's not around anymore, but he forgot more about this information that I'll ever know.

00:18:13.011 --> 00:18:17.152
But judging poultry for production, if anybody.

00:18:18.051 --> 00:18:22.721
Wants to get a thorough read about his interpretation on what to do.

00:18:23.602 --> 00:18:37.511
He goes into such detail about how he examines the vent and then and he goes into doing studies on eggs and evaluations on eggs over 40, eggs over with one bird.

00:18:38.211 --> 00:18:41.582
Real quality meat fibers in the meat.

00:18:42.481 --> 00:18:45.991
And yeah, by far excellent resource.

00:18:46.892 --> 00:18:49.662
It's gonna take me about five years to digest it, but it's there.

00:18:50.561 --> 00:18:50.862
All right.

00:18:51.041 --> 00:18:53.981
What's the first thing you do when you walk into the coop every morning?

00:18:54.882 --> 00:18:55.172
Duck.

00:18:55.561 --> 00:19:00.932
Usually, because they're all free range and they all come flying out the door at me about 300 mile an hour.

00:19:01.701 --> 00:19:07.041
But so that's, yeah so that's, and I'm dead serious so they're they love being outside.

00:19:07.582 --> 00:19:10.311
So when I use eve troughs a little bit off the ground.

00:19:10.311 --> 00:19:16.592
What I may, I've learned, sometimes I forget, but you never let the birds out before before you feed.

00:19:16.791 --> 00:19:21.951
I go feed outside, get the water ready, and then it's like the I'd say it's the det tone of 500.

00:19:22.666 --> 00:19:34.156
When you open that door, there's about there's six or seven roosters coming at you and not at you, but they're coming out and and 30 or 40, hes but no, what I do, I sit there and I watch them every morning.

00:19:34.567 --> 00:19:35.156
Every morning.

00:19:35.186 --> 00:19:36.037
It's just my ritual.

00:19:36.277 --> 00:19:38.997
I let the dogs out, the dogs go do their thing.

00:19:39.606 --> 00:19:42.207
They usually come in, they're out all night, but they come in, they go out with me.

00:19:42.207 --> 00:19:44.406
They sit, they watch, I pet the dogs and watch the birds.

00:19:45.307 --> 00:19:46.287
That's exactly what

00:19:46.287 --> 00:19:46.527
I do.

00:19:47.227 --> 00:19:47.606
Got it.

00:19:48.507 --> 00:19:54.196
What, let's see, what is one thing you do with your birds that makes you smile?

00:19:55.096 --> 00:19:55.386
Just

00:19:56.287 --> 00:19:58.866
honestly, anything different you do they're curious.

00:19:58.936 --> 00:20:03.596
They're so curious, it's, and it's the small things like I was cutting wood last.

00:20:04.356 --> 00:20:06.207
Last week, and I knocked a maple tree down.

00:20:06.916 --> 00:20:12.027
These birds, for the life of me, I can't figure out why they went after those leaves, right?

00:20:12.086 --> 00:20:18.346
But you just sit there as soon as the tree hit, it's just like all these birds coming towards the tree and they were picking the leaves off.

00:20:18.346 --> 00:20:24.356
So just really watching them, it just tickles me how they interact with each other, how they interact with the chicks.

00:20:25.176 --> 00:20:26.116
How they interact.

00:20:26.287 --> 00:20:28.267
They're different calls, watching the rooster.

00:20:28.527 --> 00:20:30.326
I always think you have a really good rooster.

00:20:30.346 --> 00:20:31.686
He is looking after the flock.

00:20:31.787 --> 00:20:33.126
My rooster never eats first.

00:20:33.196 --> 00:20:37.366
They always come out first, but they'll pick at the feed and make sure all the henze.

00:20:37.866 --> 00:20:40.287
But just watching the characteristics of birds.

00:20:40.467 --> 00:20:41.886
Carrie that's it for me.

00:20:42.787 --> 00:20:43.076
Okay.

00:20:43.977 --> 00:20:44.237
All right.

00:20:44.537 --> 00:20:46.717
We have a couple other videos that we're gonna show.

00:20:47.446 --> 00:20:48.356
Let's see here.

00:20:49.257 --> 00:20:50.346
He's a really good rooster.

00:20:50.376 --> 00:20:52.227
I'll keep him to breed him.

00:20:53.096 --> 00:20:56.547
There's some of my better hands right there with standards.

00:20:57.446 --> 00:21:01.267
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

00:21:02.166 --> 00:21:05.876
Really good there A, that one's getting beat up a little bit.

00:21:06.777 --> 00:21:07.826
There's some of the better.

00:21:08.727 --> 00:21:09.656
Sean declares.

00:21:10.557 --> 00:21:12.287
There's a really good rooster right there.

00:21:12.676 --> 00:21:17.067
He's pretty, his C's a little bit thick, but not too bad.

00:21:17.967 --> 00:21:25.146
But there's why I have so many birds, these guys, and that's a really big rooster.

00:21:26.047 --> 00:21:26.767
I gonna have a look.

00:21:27.057 --> 00:21:27.967
Might be too big.

00:21:28.866 --> 00:21:31.366
So if that one's too big outside of the standard, what happens?

00:21:32.267 --> 00:21:34.856
Hey he meets Jesus chicken nuggets.

00:21:35.757 --> 00:21:36.686
Good evening again.

00:21:37.027 --> 00:21:41.076
Following my last inspection, I just grabbed a little hand chick.

00:21:41.906 --> 00:21:44.076
This hand chick is just starting to feather out.

00:21:44.267 --> 00:21:45.237
It's four weeks old.

00:21:45.616 --> 00:21:47.807
About every two weeks, I grab them and have a look.

00:21:48.707 --> 00:21:52.596
And what I'm looking for are some real basics on these inspections.

00:21:52.656 --> 00:21:53.957
I'm just looking for split wing.

00:21:54.737 --> 00:21:59.636
I'm making sure that the bone structure's right and I'm making sure that the keel is straight.

00:22:00.537 --> 00:22:01.836
I'm having a look at the head.

00:22:01.846 --> 00:22:05.967
These aren't gonna be quite as, a cooperative is the hens, but nice, wide head.

00:22:06.586 --> 00:22:13.067
I'm looking to see how it's developing, checking the joints, checking the legs, making sure the toes are good.

00:22:13.967 --> 00:22:17.747
So I'm a little bit more particular in the traits at this stage with these little guys.

00:22:18.646 --> 00:22:24.737
And if there's something that I don't like about the bird we'll either call it or give it away to a local farm.

00:22:25.146 --> 00:22:26.467
But this one's developing Nice.

00:22:26.807 --> 00:22:33.007
You can tell that that she's going to she's worth keeping around, to at least the 12 maybe 20 week stage.

00:22:33.586 --> 00:22:36.277
And then we reassess them and and see what we got.

00:22:37.176 --> 00:22:37.477
All right.

00:22:38.176 --> 00:22:39.916
One last question I have for you.

00:22:40.817 --> 00:22:45.836
If there's one bird from your past that you wish you could have back, which one?

00:22:46.497 --> 00:22:47.156
Oh, I do.

00:22:47.477 --> 00:22:57.166
I had a, I do it was in 2021 and it was probably the best rooster that I've, in my early days, I didn't know how good it was.

00:22:57.987 --> 00:23:02.817
But now that I've had, now that I've been able to handle some birds it was probably the best rooster I've ever seen.

00:23:03.196 --> 00:23:04.777
He was a solid 10 pounds.

00:23:05.196 --> 00:23:08.186
And the thing was, there was no floss.

00:23:08.646 --> 00:23:11.557
He didn't have any running in the, in, in the, in the feathers.

00:23:11.737 --> 00:23:15.916
He had side saddles, he had five, five points.

00:23:16.257 --> 00:23:18.676
His beak was every, there was no flaws.

00:23:18.676 --> 00:23:21.116
Like he just, you'd pick up the bird and there was no flaws.

00:23:21.936 --> 00:23:24.957
And for some reason, I don't know what happened.

00:23:24.977 --> 00:23:28.916
It was just one of those things taking the chance on free range.

00:23:29.166 --> 00:23:32.707
It was right when I was getting my livestock bar guardian dogs and they were pups.

00:23:33.527 --> 00:23:34.267
Fox came in and took them.

00:23:35.166 --> 00:23:35.457
Okay.

00:23:35.457 --> 00:23:41.457
And the last I seen him he was, there were feather tail feathers going on up the hill, but these things happened.

00:23:41.457 --> 00:23:43.737
The dogs just weren't old enough to to look after it.

00:23:44.636 --> 00:23:45.156
I understand.

00:23:46.057 --> 00:23:47.037
That's all I have.

00:23:47.037 --> 00:23:50.477
Jeff, do you have anything, did you get any offspring from him?

00:23:51.017 --> 00:23:51.916
Do you got anything?

00:23:52.037 --> 00:23:52.317
I did.

00:23:52.717 --> 00:23:55.696
I did and I have his son still.

00:23:56.596 --> 00:24:00.116
And I do have I have the grandson and they're real close.

00:24:00.317 --> 00:24:05.787
I think I posted a picture of them on poultry keepers 360 a while back of the generations.

00:24:06.086 --> 00:24:09.067
And those And your daughters, daughter from I do.

00:24:09.267 --> 00:24:09.547
I do.

00:24:10.086 --> 00:24:13.467
And I still have one of the daughters and she's one of the matriarchs.

00:24:14.057 --> 00:24:14.346
Yeah.

00:24:14.846 --> 00:24:15.747
And so you may wanna

00:24:15.747 --> 00:24:18.507
cross those to see if you can get what you want, but

00:24:18.977 --> 00:24:19.426
that is.

00:24:20.156 --> 00:24:22.326
That is what's going on happen this year, Jeff.

00:24:22.426 --> 00:24:27.856
I'm gonna put my I'm gonna put my best rooster in with the matriarch and see what I'm gonna get in one pen.

00:24:28.396 --> 00:24:32.567
And then I'm gonna do some families with some other roosters in the other one.

00:24:32.567 --> 00:24:40.007
And I, honestly, there's no reason sometimes if you only have one good rooster, there's no reason to circulate the rooster either, right?

00:24:40.186 --> 00:24:40.646
You can do that.

00:24:41.511 --> 00:24:42.061
Let's see.

00:24:42.491 --> 00:24:51.102
I've been looking through over here and I think we've got all the questions from the audience and we're at our time.

00:24:52.001 --> 00:24:53.791
Jason, appreciate you coming on.

00:24:53.801 --> 00:24:56.031
Appreciate you telling us about it, right?

00:24:56.142 --> 00:24:56.432
Yeah.

00:24:57.251 --> 00:24:57.751
You take care.

00:24:57.751 --> 00:24:58.271
Everybody did.

00:24:58.271 --> 00:24:58.471
Great

00:24:58.471 --> 00:24:58.592
job.

00:24:58.902 --> 00:24:59.192
Yeah.

00:24:59.192 --> 00:24:59.511
Alright,

00:24:59.642 --> 00:25:00.711
y'all have a good evening.

00:25:00.791 --> 00:25:05.432
Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Poultry Keepers Podcast.

00:25:05.872 --> 00:25:10.342
We hope you learned how much work goes in to improving production qualities in a poultry flock.

00:25:11.011 --> 00:25:13.811
Be sure to join us for another podcast episode next Tuesday.

00:25:14.481 --> 00:25:21.481
Don't forget to visit us at www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com for more great poultry keeping information.

00:25:22.493 --> 00:25:26.773
Until next week keep learning, improving and enjoying the birds you love.