theflywizard

Howdy Folks, You are in for a fun adventure in raising rabbits....... especially for tying. I'm a some what retired pro fly tier who used to raise a lot of rabbits for meat but for us, it was a two fold operation since I was a tier as well. There are a lot of colored rabbits out there in the world, but for us, we had found that both the "New Zealand Giants and the California giants were great rabbits for meat and skins as well. The hair wasn't too short or too long and they grew nice thick haired pelts when skinned in the late fall. We made sure that they were well fleshed, washed, dried and slightly stretched when drying. When stretched, the fur on their skins stayed nice and full. The New Zealands had a large selection of natural colors yet took a dye really well. The Californians had white bodies with black ears and nose. They dyed up well also. Hope this bit of info can help you on your adventure. Good Luck and have fun The fly wizard

OK so now I feel really stupid...... but thanks Shoebop

Howdy Evan, I used to raise alot of hackle birds many years ago. I had the Keough strain Grizzlies and some of Charlie Collins Brown neck strain as well. As time went on, moving around from place to place. making bad choices, I lost my birds but am wanting to get back into the swing of it. One year alone I harvested 988 roosters and hens. That was alot of work .............. too much for one guy. So now I just want to raise enough for myself and my friends and have fun doing. Please put me on your egg list for at least one dozen eggs........... if you have enough to go around. Thanks , good luck and hope to chat with you later on . Kevin

Hi Mike, thanks for the welcome......... I am no computer wiz here so I have to ask the question........... what does SBS stand for ?

Raising hackle birds can be alot of fun but very frustrating as you are finding out with the lice. There is a product out on the market called " Seven Dust" It is used for killing afids on rose bushes. I've used it for years and have great success and it does not hurt your birds. It's alot cheaper then the lice and mite bug dust you get from the Vet's office. Lice and mites can take a lot of the energy out of your birds, so when they get infested, through in a little extra vitamins and electrolites into their water. It'll help bring them back faster. Good Luck

Mornin' folks.......... the flywizard here. Been wanting to join your group for a while now, and finally have found the time to sit and introduce myself. Kevin is my name and been tying for many moons now. Used to be the fly tying instructor at Eastern Oregon State, owned a flyshop and outfitting business in Montana, raised a nice bunch of hackle birds for many moons, and used to be a pro tyer and commercial tyer for some of the fly shops in Montana, Idaho, and Yellowstone park country. Been enjoying looking at all the patterns you folks have been tying here on this site......... Hats off to you all...... they sure look nice. Hope you're having fun and taking the time to go give them a try........... ! If I can ever help anyone, please feel free to drop a line. Take Care and keep a hook in your vise. Kevin

New to the forum, any help on how to write up the profile on yourself, where to go...... etc Thanks Kevin