Cream Legbars

[HaplessRunner]

Pictures of my new cream legbars. The sun was shining, wind was blowing, and the temperatures was mid-upper 30s. So they are huddled in the pictures and I had to move quickly.

Hatch #1 - February 28

This will be a big boy. He weighed 7.9 ounces.

This is 'Tex" the pullet hatched from Curtis. She weighed 6.2 ounces.

This little girl is a live wire! Always first to check things out & constantly moving. She weighed 4.3 ounces. She scheduled to be sold on Friday.

This white sport cockerel weighed 6.3 ounces.

Hatch #2 - March 8

These two pullets are doing well and weighed 4.4 ounces. They are scheduled to be sold on Friday.

This pullet weighed 4.1 ounces but is the lightest color of the three and is being retained.

This WS pullet weight 3.6 ounces

Hatch #3 - March 18

Left to right 4 cockerels and two pullets.
As you will note there are four different shades of cockerel chick down.



Far right is a light tan down. He is the lightest color and weighed 1.7 ounces. The cockerel on his left is a brownish down color. This boy weighed 1.6 ounces.

The cockerel on the left appears the to have a very dark gray to blackish down. The cockerel to his right has a gray down. These boys weighed 1.7 and 1.6 ounces, respectively.

These two pullets show dissimilar growth. The one on the left weighed 1.1 ounces and the one on the right weighed 1.7 ounces. The right one is keeping up with the cockerels in this hatch.

Your thoughts and comments are welcomed!

 

[chicken pickin]

I will be leg banding my 6 male chicks by Saturday. Im afraid Im going to forget whos who. They are 7days old and 5 days old. Once I have them banded I will start taking some weekly pics of them.

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
nice, keep us updated

 

[Ashdoes]

One of my light males

What does everyone do with their extra males?

 

[DCchicken]

One of my light males


What does everyone do with their extra males?

I give all of my extra males away and just sell the girls. The one exception is that if I have too lopsided a hatch, I will only sell pairs until the level is corrected.

 

[chicken pickin]

My boys aren't leg banded yet but I did take a few pics of all 6 of them today. Three are 8days old, three are 4days old.

 

[TwoBit]

Awe... So cute.

Here's my girls. What do you all think of them?

 

[faykokoWV]

I give all of my extra males away and just sell the girls. The one exception is that if I have too lopsided a hatch, I will only sell pairs until the level is corrected.

I do the same thing - I have found that this is the one breed of rooster I can sell one I've grown them out enough to show their color though

 

[lonnyandrinda]

If I'm having very heavy male hatches I've started putting some down at hatch. It's not the solution for everyone and I do not by any means find it pleasant but it is what I have chosen to do. When you are hatching 10 males to 5 females there is just not enough of a market, even for "pretty" roos. I mark the ones I want to keep and grow out and put down about half of the others. Once in a while I will take a big batch of baby boys to the auction but they go for pennies.

 

[HaplessRunner]

If I'm having very heavy male hatches I've started putting some down at hatch. It's not the solution for everyone and I do not by any means find it pleasant but it is what I have chosen to do. When you are hatching 10 males to 5 females there is just not enough of a market, even for "pretty" roos. I mark the ones I want to keep and grow out and put down about half of the others. Once in a while I will take a big batch of baby boys to the auction but they go for pennies.

Well, I have found a solution for my excess cockerels that I cannot sell. I intend to caponize them. During the first weekend on of March, I worked with a mentor to caponize nine marans cockerels. I own the "Chinese tools" which make the process easier. So the excess cockerels will grow out as fatter, heavier, laid back, non-crowing, tender capons for the table. If anyone is interested in learning to caponize there is an excellent thread on BYC and some great teachers/mentors for learning this old time art.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/675898/graphic-pics-of-my-day-learning-to-caponize