multi strain meat bird breeding mix

[enel 1]

The chipmunk colored ones are the SandS line DC

 

[sandspoultry]

It says "private breeder" not "show quality."

Exactly, Thanks Felix

 

[Triple Willow]

I really appreciate the work you've done "enel 1". I hope to see more. That slaughtered bird in the pic is awesome. You have done what several have only tried.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THis fits with what Walt Leonard told me about he show cornish-- very poor layers.

I would be interested in hearing more about your cornish. Since you have 15 years of effort into them they will be light years ahead of anything I have found so far. Do you use them for cross breeding and if so what is the female breed/line??

 

[sandspoultry]

We are breeding them with the Cottage Hill line of Black Copper Marans and the Fitch line of Cuckoo Marans. We always liked the taste of the Marans and hoped to move that into the body type of the DC. From last years breeding we held back the biggest two hybrid roosters that had the most DC body shape and the biggest hens - this year we plan to breed them together and see how the offspring turns out.

 

[Arielle]

We are breeding them with the Cottage Hill line of Black Copper Marans and the Fitch line of Cuckoo Marans. We always liked the taste of the Marans and hoped to move that into the body type of the DC. From last years breeding we held back the biggest two hybrid roosters that had the most DC body shape and the biggest hens - this year we plan to breed them together and see how the offspring turns out.

Interesting reason to pick the marans. I haven't eaten any of my marans-- yet. I have a group of 7 month olds that will correct that.

By saving back the cross breds then you plan to build a new flock of cross breds? I'm curious, why not stay with DC x marans and harvest all the f1's??

Will you be keeping a pure line of DC in addtion to the marans crosses?

 

[sandspoultry]

Of all the chickens we have raised with the exception of the semi wild barn yard chickens the Marans have the best taste. you will like the taste I'm sure. Yes the plan is to keep the cross breeds if they work out and get rid of the BCM's and DC's, feed prices are the main reason for that. We downsized a lot the last few years, went from 6 varieties of turkeys down to just the Midgets and the Bronze, only have Muscovy ducks now and Buff Orps, pheasant and quail.

 

[Arielle]

Of all the chickens we have raised with the exception of the semi wild barn yard chickens the Marans have the best taste. you will like the taste I'm sure. Yes the plan is to keep the cross breeds if they work out and get rid of the BCM's and DC's, feed prices are the main reason for that. We downsized a lot the last few years, went from 6 varieties of turkeys down to just the Midgets and the Bronze, only have Muscovy ducks now and Buff Orps, pheasant and quail.

I remember my feed prices 7years ago where about half of what they are now. Up around 14-16 now, compare to about $7.50 so I understand. I am looking to improve the land and see if I can use it to feed over the late spring and summer, then all into the freezer by mid OCtober as it is getting chilly by then and the grasses have noticably slowed production. I do like the muscovy-- hardy, very hardy. ANd tastey.

Long term how do you keep up the vigor in a flock? THis is the biggest long term problem that I see . . . though I bet yu have some insight based on breeding the DC for so many years . . .

 

[sandspoultry]

We line breed our birds similar to the chart above. We breed them in the spring and grow them out for 6 months or more culling as we go until we get the birds we want to keep. Breeding them once a year we modify the chart as by the 4th year a lot of hens don't lay very much and go broody so fast so we add the new line in sooner than the 5th year. The hardest part is keeping track of all the birds, we use colored zip ties for each year then multiple ties for each line that we have going. For example last year was orange, line A was single orange, B two orange, C three and so on, each year is a different color and then we use clear zip ties on the other leg to identify yearly breeding. If we anything ever happens to our breeding notebook we are doomed. We tried using wing bands before but it's even more time consuming as you have to catch each bird one by one and separate them into cages so you can get the breeding groups you want. With the zip ties you can just look at them and catch the ones you want for breeding. We don't have enough pens to keep them all separated year round so we have to catch them and put them into breeding pens. Our peafowl we use wing bands as there is only about 15 of them and we only breed them for us every three years so it's not that much of a pain. The Muscovies, pheasants and quail we just pen breed them and bring in new blood every so often to keep them going.

 

[Arielle]

Thanks for posting that diagram. I have seen it before but couldn't relate to it. NOW I get it!

Sure hope you have a copy of that book-- photocopying can be helpful with that. You clearly are an excellent data manager.


HOw many DC to you keep over the winter??

If you stick with just the cross breds ( CD x marans) how will you get fresh DC blood? Of course, I'm assuming you can go back to FItch or Black Hill for marans.

Now you have me thinking about what to do about the 2 BCM x cornishX chicks I have. Given the motherline is likely to be short lived, I can see the limits of the idea I was trying to work out- I have 2 cornishX pullets but no male is interested in them--maybe when spring comes . . . I do have a cuckoo marans in need of a job . . . . ..