Recent content by Wildgrass

  1. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    Well, it was a bad year to decide only a few months ahead of time that I wanted a big batch of meat birds...but I was finally able to put in an order. No fast-growing birds available except cornish crosses, so this year I'm raising a bunch of Buckeyes! I've got another month before they're...
  2. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    That means a lot to me, thank you. If I had to do this to turn a profit I wouldn't be able to prioritize such a high quality of life for them, and that's really what brings me joy. Over time I hope to learn to be more efficient and lower costs, but taking money out of the equation and just...
  3. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    I can almost picture a possible squeeze chute in my head...if only I was mechanically inclined! I think it must be possible to combine good design and behavioral conditioning, if only I had both those skills. Your method is a lot of work, but it does sound more efficient than me chasing down...
  4. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    Last year I spent lots of time with them! As a breed I found the rangers to be much flightier and neophobic than what I'm used to, but they did acclimate to having me sit in their flock. I found they tended to want to keep their distance from me except when they were out of food, at which...
  5. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    You know, I don't know why I NEVER think of that...but that's a great idea.
  6. Wildgrass

    Suggestions Please! Low-Stress Handling and Weighing for Meat Birds

    As chick season arrives, I'm making plans for raising Red Ranger meat birds, my second year raising a flock of birds to butcher! I'm very interested in doing this as cheaply as possible while also providing the highest quality of life for the birds possible before they meet their demise. This...
  7. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    I'm really curious to see the columbian pattern on some/all offspring...I have noticed that the 3 I think are from Mama A have more black pigment than the rest. Also curious whether I will see any difference in homozygous vs. heterozygous babies for mahogany! I updated the parent gene lists...
  8. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    From spending the last few hours on this, I think this is what I have so far in terms of genotypes for my 4 parents. Mama A (Mari): r/r, P/p (peacomb, incomplete dominant) e+/? (duckwing? masked under recessive white) c/c (recessive white) cr+/cr+ (wildtype) Mb/? (bearded, homozygous?) Mama B...
  9. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Seeing all the very different loci all these birds are working with...I am understanding why my babies all look the same. 😂 Reverting to wildtype in practice! Finnie, I like the mesh bag idea and may try it out for my next hatch if I can make it work with my little cheapo incubator. I need...
  10. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Ok, not going to bother with the individual pics because I just don't think they'd be helpful. But I did take this one, where you can see two of the babes are more gold-colored. Fairly sure they're the ones with white wingtips right now and are the full Sussex chicks. Here they are at one...
  11. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Ok, I didn't get great day-old pictures, I was trying to photograph wing feather growth and their face markings. So, not amazing full body pics. But I'll grab the best one I have of each chick!
  12. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Ahhh, thank you. I wouldn't have put together that the sussexes are Co/Co and I haven't gone looking around for the breed genotype(s) yet. So, Sussexes are e+/e+, Co/Co, Mh/Mh and mo/mo I believe...? And my legbar is wildtype for all of those loci?
  13. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Super helpful, thank you! I do plan on looking at Mari's comb some more, but I believe you and it's good to know that P is more incomplete dominant. That means I could definitely have single-combed chicks from her, then. And also she lays nice green eggs. This is a lot to chew on, so I'm...
  14. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    :p That's about as far as I've gotten in my reading. I'm starting with a lot of single combs, but if I keep track of who's carrying it (which is everyone right now, until I replace Papa), I don't think it will be difficult to breed toward homozygous RR and/or PP. Especially if I "tested" a bird...
  15. Wildgrass

    Trying to ID Chick's Moms and Color Genetics

    Thanks again! I'm stuck on comb types at the moment, I am looking at different sites and videos but haven't found a resource that includes a lot of photos. If Mama A is rrPP, that's nice for me, because I want to breed toward pea or cushion combs (as Papa's frostbitten comb attests). I...
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