BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

dfr1973 said:

Another thing to remember is for a few generations, you will have more than enough genetic variety to account for these kinds of differences in size and coloring. If you have a very specific picture in your mind of what you want to breed, then each year you'll keep only the ones closest to that ideal until your hatches are more uniform-looking. This is especially true when crossing two different phenotypes, either breeds or varieties or very different lines.

As an example, I am crossing hatchery stock gold-laced Wyandottes with black phase blue-laced red Wyandottes from a breeder near me, so with both a variety cross and a big-difference line cross, I know I'll have quite the variety of results for at least three generations, probably five, and this is with a very clear picture of my goal.

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DesertChic said:

My only recommendation is to handle them a lot so their used to you, and throughout the day put your hand in the brooder, moving it slowly to touch various chicks. I only had one hatch of birds there were super flighty and no matter what I did they would freak out. The rest of my hatches all gave me chicks that would eventually run TO my hand and sometimes jump on to be lifted out and petted. The breed matters a lot though. Some birds are just more nervous.

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Fire Ant Farm said:

Very good point. And I'm glad I have a variety to choose from. It's just interesting that my assumption was that the NHs would be bigger and so far, they're not. (Their growth curve may evolve differently, though).

I think it was the New Hampshires who were skittish and setting most of them off - that sort of panic reaction then set off even the NNs that usually run up to me like puppies.

But now, after the round up and having held and weighed each one (each got a nose-to-beak "Hello, I won't hurt you" greeting), when I walk in to the room, instead of being startled, they all just ignore me or look up as if to say "Oh, it's just you. You're boring."

I put my hand in the brooder - I am now clearly forgiven:




- Ant Farm

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hellbender said:

@Ant Farm...how many chicks do you have in total. Forgive me if I missed it in a previous post.

RON

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DesertChic said:

First off....I LOVE that little chick. I don't know why, but I just find NN chicks to be exceptionally cute.

Secondly, I've consistently found that my NNs grow faster than other breeds. Perhaps because they have fewer feathers and can devote more calories to growing bigger rather than fluffier? I think that's one of the things that make them good meat birds.

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