BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[hellbender]

Hi All, i have been lurking around this thread for a month or so, well its taken me that long to read it all,

any way, what a great read it is and you have some really interesting discussion.

i have 2 projects going on at the minute, my dark egg project where i cross my Welsummer over Cukhoo marans hens.
The chicks are sex linked, hens are black and cocks are barred.
They lay really dark eggs and more importantly lay more offtern.

Then i have my Meat birds, i breed La Bresse, Dark Cornish and i reared some Poulet Galouise which are a french meat hybrid they use in Label Rouge style rearing, like Cornish cross these birds dont bread true but i kept some hens back to put my DC over next year, i plan to mix them with the LB as well to try to get a fast maturing table bird which also lays well.

Thats what i'm upto,
Dave.

Welcome to the PRODUCTION THREAD... You have some very interesting projects. Looking forward to what pics you are willing to provide

Speaking of pics...It's a beautiful Indian Summer day here in the West Virginia mountains. I plan to get some pics of my 'big puppies' this afternoon, when the kennels have been cleaned. In the mean time, here's a pic of my Ovcharka Bi### taken when she was about 9 months of age. Unlike some reports, this gal has been 'as advertised'. She's not as crazy as most of her hybrid offspring but is very protective of the property. These dogs are let out at night to keep out all sorts of predators but only after the day-time canine guards are safely put away because they would likely kill them as well as every chicken that couldn't get up out of their way.

 

[hellbender]

The Canteclers look better in this set. Do you expect to keep any of these pure? Where did you get these from?

Yes indeed....going to keep pure Chanteclers and DCs. The Buckeyes are 'terminal'...at least in my flock area.

OOPS...I got them from Cackle Hatchery.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Welcome to the PRODUCTION THREAD... You have some very interesting projects. Looking forward to what pics you are willing to provide

Speaking of pics...It's a beautiful Indian Summer day here in the West Virginia mountains. I plan to get some pics of my 'big puppies' this afternoon, when the kennels have been cleaned. In the mean time, here's a pic of my Ovcharka Bi### taken when she was about 9 months of age. Unlike some reports, this gal has been 'as advertised'. She's not as crazy as most of her hybrid offspring but is very protective of the property. These dogs are let out at night to keep out all sorts of predators but only after the day-time canine guards are safely put away because they would likely kill them as well as every chicken that couldn't get up out of their way.

Beautiful dog. Love the breed but definitely not for everyone. Is she okay with most humans? Strangers? Some say this is the most aggressive breed of dog there is, so I'm curious.

 

[hellbender]

Beautiful dog. Love the breed but definitely not for everyone. Is she okay with most humans? Strangers? Some say this is the most aggressive breed of dog there is, so I'm curious.

Honestly, I do not socialize our night dogs. The only dog that actually is being 'socialized' is IKE...because he is on the long track of being trained as a personal protection dog for my daughter as a traveling companion. He has the perfect temperament and size for such. His size is also ideal, being a very large... medium to small beast. lol He is very powerfully built but only about 18 or 19 inches at the withers and roughly 50 pounds in hard condition.

 

[gjensen]

Many of them make good LGDs when raised with the other animals. Many are fine with what they are raised with. It is what they are not raised with that needs to beware. LOL.

I have a friend/associate that breeds some. I considered a pup from him, but decided on an Akbash. White like the dog that you have in your picture. I am looking for a good female now. I want a good one, and they are hard to come by.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Being that this is the production thread, I thought I'd share the most recent 4-week data from my group of Naked Neck and New Hampshire "meat" chicks. (I hope those who also are on the NN thread don't mind some repeat info.) I have saved (Word document) a post from someone (can't remember if it was here or elsewhere) that talked about criteria to use to choose breeders to keep, and I know I'm just at 4 weeks, but welcome any input. In brief, I'm currently planning to harvest all (or nearly all) of the New Hampshires and only keep Naked Necks (larger and more easy going, super friendly & impressive chicks, fewer feathers), but I remain open minded as I watch them grow - there's one NH pullet I like so far. I have generally avoided naming any of them, but "Tank" is a huge Naked Neck that will likely be a keeper, and two pullets that I will keep are Sweetie and Puppy.

They have just been moved into a tractor (6x10), and though they will have some supervised roaming outside of that with some overhead netting (hawks!) and electric fencing, they will need more space pretty soon. The good news is that I have a good idea of boys vs. girls at this point, so I'm building the keepers' "forever-home" coop and will plan to move the keeper girls in there early as I continue to evaluate the boys, and I will likely bang together another tractor and separate out the non-cooped growout NHs vs. NNs to allow me more leeway in harvest time (if I want to let some go longer). There is a neurologically abnormal NH that has so far toughed it out and has been growing well with everyone else, but her growth curve may (or may not) be starting to fall off - I will continue to watch, but she may be the first harvested.



Growth curves per chick:



Here's Tank:



And here's Sweetie, who is aggressively friendly:



- Ant Farm

 

[JRNash]

Welcome Dave!!

 

[JRNash]

Impressive dog hellbender!! Antfarm you look like your on the right track with your birds,you can NEVER have too much information.
@Dave C. Do the Bresse really TASTE as good as all the publicatios say?

 

[Dave C]

Some of my La Bresse

This years

This years Dark Cornish

Poulet Galouise

My Welsummer

 

[JRNash]

Beutiful. Your Bressse and Cornish are massive.