All on farm processing is a legal mine field! Everyone, to include USDA, is confused as to the regs, especially their "INTERPRETATION" of those regs. In some states federal guidelines are followed and allowed to determine your legal status and some states their regulation is more specific and...
Hey Jeff,
If you do decide to breed Moulards please keep us informed on your progress. I am VERY interested in your results! Holderraads (sp) used to have a good strain of commercial Pekins. Good luck.
The cross of Pekin to Moscovie is called a "Moulard". They usually get them from a Moscovie Drake over a Pekin Hen. They are difficult to breed because they don't like each other (as a species Moscovies are closer to Geese than Ducks)! Moulards constitute the majority of meat birds in France...
Sorry but that doesn't fly. I am down south (Middle Tennessee) and I had trouble with these birds (read S&G fiasco thread). The genetics at S&G just aren't up to a commercial level. They may be one day but not yet.
In Tennessee I sell at $3.50 per pound. Unless all of your birds weigh the same be careful about selling at a set price. Your Customers will catch on pretty quick (your birds bigger than mine and we paid the same) and either cherry pick your product or end up silent (to you but not to anyone...
Thomas Jefferson said that Houdans were the best of all eating birds. He said they were very "fine boned" , whatever that means. If you ever get bored (very bored) read his notes on Agriculture. I would like to try one myself but I wonder how far removed genetically they have gotten from his day.
He uses Fertrell products from Countryside Products in Virginia. His Corn and Soy is , I believe, a commodity buy from I think Illinois. Out here even the locally grown products are questionable. When you start talking about GMO clean Corn/Wheat/Soybeans people look at you like you have 3...
Tnchicken,
I don't know where you are in Middle Tn but Edwards in Lebanon custom blends chicken feed for me. The feed was formulated by Fertrell (poultry nutritionist). I use it to grow broilers for market and I like it alot. Tim Edwards, Edwards feed is the one to talk to.
Has anyone seen the Poulet rouge fermier chicken at Costco? The birds are form North Carolina. Check out the price! $7.16 per pound! If your customers are balking at price tell them about Costco chicken.
Nebuniram.
The Grays were the best of the batch. There was too much inconsistency with the rest.
I wonder how the J.M. Hatchery birds do? They are supposed to be the true Label Rouge genetics.
We finally got through processing our S&G birds (100 Johnny Grays, 50 Red Rangers and 50 Dixie Rainbows). Out of 200, 172 made it to the processor. 3 dead were my fault the rest were defective birds. 6 birds I didn't even take to the processor because they are Bantam sized (at 11 weeks)...
I would have to agree with Zephyr. The birds left in will gain at a better rate than the ones on pasture. If it were all about gain only though, then we would grow Cornish and feed in a barn (CAFO !)We put our birds out at 4 weeks. 24/7 lights for 2 weeks, light at night only for 1 week and...
Burbs,
The Cornish are MUCH better used with a chicken tractor. If you want to use a day range model ,(Poultry Net), I have had better luck using S&G's Johnny Gray. The Grays will forage MUCH better than the Cornish and will still give you an accelerated growth that isn't quite as good as...
Thanks for your replies.
Zephyr, I wish it were management issues but I keep feed in front of them 24/7 and all the birds have full crops. Quantity/quality of feed isn't the issue, all the birds are getting good nutrition. A percentage of the birds just weren't (thrifty) and most of those...