Ross Cobs as meat birds

[brandywine]

Quote:
Bwaaa haaa haaaa haaaa haaaa! I'm gonna use that one.

Hey, let's all adjust our palates to the preferences of two-year-old boys!

Forget about venison in wine sauce, Guinness, asparagus with a nice vinaigrette, unagi, wasabi, Thai hot peppers, shepherd's pie, spinach lasagne ... they hath been pronounced "yucky" by the pediatric palate police.

We can all sit down to eight "meals" a day of fruit rollups, tater-tots, and cut-up hotdogs, washed down with some high-fructose corn syrup.

YUM!

 

[deb1]

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Were the Freedom Rangers from JM Hatchery? There website says: Performance goals under true natural rearing systems:
Based on the results and experiences of our own flocks and our customers’ flocks, the Colored Range assortment will reach 4 to 5 LBS Live Weight in a minimum of 9 weeks and a maximum of 11 weeks

20 weeks seems a bit old to process a bird and not expect some toughness in texture. I would think that in order to compare Freedom rangers in taste to Cornish X's, you would have to keep a Cornish X alive 20 weeks and then butcher it, wouldn't you?

Although it is certainly admirable that you are willing to try such taste experiments, you really need to make certain that all external factors are the same for each type of bird. So, you need a flock of Cornish Xs and Freedom Rangers reared under similar conditions and processed at similar ages to be able to make a fair comparison.

The wonderful thing is that you can decide what is best for your taste, family and lifestyle. If you prefer the Cornish Xs then good. If you prefer the Freedom Rangers that is good too. There is no one best answer for everyone.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
Bwaaa haaa haaaa haaaa haaaa! I'm gonna use that one.

Hey, let's all adjust our palates to the preferences of two-year-old boys!

Forget about venison in wine sauce, Guinness, asparagus with a nice vinaigrette, unagi, wasabi, Thai hot peppers, shepherd's pie, spinach lasagne ... they hath been pronounced "yucky" by the pediatric palate police.

We can all sit down to eight "meals" a day of fruit rollups, tater-tots, and cut-up hotdogs, washed down with some high-fructose corn syrup.

YUM!

Do you ever post ANYTHING that's not smart and hilarious? PM me if you have a blog somewhere, because I would be reading it DAILY.

And? I neeeeeed a recipe for "venison in wine sauce." Seriously. Deer season approaches! Good thing my 5-year-old doesn't pronounce it "yucky" and demand a Chicken McNugget instead.

True story: My nephew, when he was a toddler, referred to all fast food fare as "YUCKYFOOD," one word. You could point out a McDonald's and ask him, "What kind of food do they have there?" And he'd say, "Yuckyfood!" while making a face.

 

[becstar]

Blue 90290 and DB, thanks for your suggestions. My birds are a lot worse than the one in that thread you gave me. Their heads/necks eventually end up twisting 180 degrees(so their beaks are pointing at the sky), and this happens within about 24 hours of the first signs.

They have access to their 10mX5m run in the day, and I shut them into their house at night which has straw on the floor to keep them warm. Before they moved in, I thoroughly disinfected the house as I had had my bantams in there (they are now in a bigger run). I also sprayed it against red mite.

I clean out the straw every two days and their food tray and drinker gets cleaned and replenished daily. Basically, I treat them as I do all of my other poultry which I have never had any problems with.

I will try the person you suggested in the disease section. I am putting it up here too because I started this thread about these birds of mine and it's kinda become a 'mini serial', (punctuated by some really interesting discussions on a variety of topics)!

Stick around for the next gripping installment!

 

[brandywine]

becstar, when do you expect an answer from the vet/laboratory?

Will they just tell you nay or yeah on the Newcastle disease, or will they look for the root cause, whatever it is?

Anyone have any ideas how Newcastle could crop up in a British flock?

Could it come in on the boots of a visitor who had been overseas? Incubate and fly over in wild bird populations? Contaminated feed? Deluded health authorities who proclaimed the island "disease-free" as a PR move rather than on evidence?

My gut instinct is that it is not what is wrong with your birds, as my understanding is that your whole flock should be showing signs rather quickly, rather than one or a few at a time.

 

[blue90292]

becstar, that sounds alot like crooked neck (i don't know the official term.

) at least i hope it is for your sake and not NCD. crooked neck is usually caused by a vitamin deficiency, but happens alot in silkies for some reason. giving them the vitamins and massaging their necks will help them but with meat birds, you may just want to cull. it's alot of work massaging all those chicks.

here's a recent thread about it and dhlunicorn's replys. hope it helps.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=79751

 

[jacyjones]

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That seems a sensible response and probably the only way forward here, said with a sigh of resignation!

 

[Bossroo]

Wouldn't it be nice to direct a question to a person with 50 years of professional poultry experiense ? They could very possibly give you an answer with a few strokes on the computer keyboard.

 

[Windy Ridge]

How are the birdies doing, Becstar--better, I hope?

 

[jacyjones]

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Yeah - Bec - are they improving?