Raising Hackle...Not your spouses.

[yooper 0]

Anybody out there raise their own roosters for hackle.

Went to buy some the other day and got sticker shock.

 

I priced some eggs off the internet....$55 for a dozen and they're not gauranteed to hatch.

There are some other web sites that have Bantam Rooster poults.

I already have some chicken for eggs. I thought what's a few more for some hackle.

If I get a dozen eggs and they all hatch that would be too many plus I understand they tend to pick at each other for dominance thereby ruining the hackle.

Maybe someone would be interested if I had extra roosters?

[Moushka 0]

Why not raise fancy ducks or pheasants? I once raised ducks and loved their eggs! Got so I preferred them over chicken eggs. I wasn't tying flies at the time and I could kick myself for all the pelts I thru away! Check out the Murry McMurry Hatchery on the internet for fancy poultry.

 

Your local county and state fair is also an excellent source for poultry breeding stock at reasonable prices. I bought champion roosters for $15 and $20.00 after the fair was over at the expo in Portland, Oregon. At the time I was after rumpless Aracaunas (lay colored eggs). A good rooster can greatly improve a flock in just one year. I wish that I till had poultry they were a lot of fun!

[burninbriar 0]

Anybody out there raise their own roosters for hackle.

Went to buy some the other day and got sticker shock.

 

I priced some eggs off the internet....$55 for a dozen and they're not gauranteed to hatch.

There are some other web sites that have Bantam Rooster poults.

I already have some chicken for eggs. I thought what's a few more for some hackle.

If I get a dozen eggs and they all hatch that would be too many plus I understand they tend to pick at each other for dominance thereby ruining the hackle.

Maybe someone would be interested if I had extra roosters?

Where are you from ? I'm in S.W. Pennsylvania. I might be interested in it if youre close to where I live.

[Termite 0]

Yooper,

 

OK, here is the deal. If you buy some realy good hackle you can buy it and forget about it for years! You will spend more on raising the birds than you would buying one or two necks and saddles.

 

I started over 20 years ago trying to raise hackle for tying flies. I fell in love with chickens (not that way ) I started showing chickens then attended Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin for poultry breeding, husbandry, and managment. Just last fall the gods were smiling on me and my buddy and we bought out a breeder of genetic hackle. We don't have a huge farm but we have fun :headbang: You won't get the kind of hackle held by the private companies from any source, however the eggs you looked at are very good birds, and they are the ONLY source of genetic hackle avalible to the public.

 

You CAN produce good hackle yourself but you must dedicate your life to it and for most people it is not worth the price. Most ppl on this board will discourage you but if you want to do it don't let them! I love chickens and it is a great hobby especialy when I'm not out fishing.

 

If you free range your chickens you should be able to raise them without excessive picking. They are not like gamecocks and they don't fight all the time. If you keep them penned up then you would need to pen the roosters separate to eliminate damage to the feathers. I hope this helps.

 

Mark