2017 Groundhog Day Hatch-a-long!

[duluthralphie]

Its okay, I've read about Guineas- not interested!

Even good used low mileage ones like mine?

 

[RodNTN]

Even good used low mileage ones like mine?

Maybe, we have a friend who keeps Guineas, and their okay. I don't know, I'll have to try them sometimes!

 

[duluthralphie]

In all seriousness, if I did not live so close to the road I would keep them. I am just tired of raising guineas and never getting to eat any. I start with 20 and I have 3 at the end of the year.

I have 30 this year in a pen. They are not good "pen" birds. I need to cut back on birds, I have too many, way too many. I want to get down to under 50 birds and only 5-6 breeds.

I am seriously considering filling my freezer with 25 guinea and letting the predators have the rest. For what it costs me to feed them over winter I can afford to buy frontline for the dogs to keep the ticks off.

Also if I lived somewhere that did not have 9 months of winter it would be easier to have them too.

 

[RodNTN]

Yeah, we have a lot of land. But if I have to keep my chickens away from the road sometimes, and we coyotes, hawks, dogs, etc. Guineas might not last too long where were at

 

[Chaos18]

In all seriousness, if I did not live so close to the road I would keep them. I am just tired of raising guineas and never getting to eat any. I start with 20 and I have 3 at the end of the year.

I have 30 this year in a pen. They are not good "pen" birds. I need to cut back on birds, I have too many, way too many. I want to get down to under 50 birds and only 5-6 breeds.

I am seriously considering filling my freezer with 25 guinea and letting the predators have the rest. For what it costs me to feed them over winter I can afford to buy frontline for the dogs to keep the ticks off.

Also if I lived somewhere that did not have 9 months of winter it would be easier to have them too.

What breeds are you hoping to keep?

 

[duluthralphie]

What breeds are you hoping to keep?

I am thinking of going mainly anything without a single comb.


I will be keeping:

Dominiques
Partridge Chanticler
Yokohama
Appletinnis

Royal Palm Turkeys
Slate Turkeys



I am thinking of getting rid of:
Cuckoo Marans
Guineas



I am on the fence with:
Bronze Turkeys
Black turkeys
Speckled Sussex ( I worked hard to get quality show birds, but the single comb is bad here)
Polish--- and I am leaning to getting rid of them.




I have all 3 colors of Legbars, I like the blue eggs and I have worked hard get a good line of them, so I just do not know what to do.


I have way too many birds. I have 20 pens (covered) and a 40x80 pole barn filled with cages. I have 3 1202 incubators not counting the 1202 hatcher. I really need to cut back, I hatch 250 chicks a week when I really get going,,,WAY too many.


I also have my own line of meat birds, Toads, I will most likely keep them even with the single combs. I like the 15 pound roasting birds.

 

[Chaos18]

I am thinking of going mainly anything without a single comb.


I will be keeping:

Dominiques
Partridge Chanticler
Yokohama
Appletinnis

Royal Palm Turkeys
Slate Turkeys



I am thinking of getting rid of:
Cuckoo Marans
Guineas



I am on the fence with:
Bronze Turkeys
Black turkeys
Speckled Sussex  ( I worked hard to get quality show birds, but the single comb is bad here)
Polish--- and I am leaning to getting rid of them.




I have all 3 colors of Legbars, I like the blue eggs and I have worked hard get a good line of them, so I just do not know what to do.


I have way too many birds.  I have 20 pens (covered) and a 40x80 pole barn filled with cages.  I have 3 1202 incubators not counting the 1202 hatcher.    I really need to cut back,  I hatch 250 chicks a week when I really get going,,,WAY too many.


I also have my own line of meat birds, Toads,  I will most likely keep them even with the single combs. I like the 15 pound roasting birds.

I like birds without a single comb as well. What all went into making your Toads?

 

[duluthralphie]

I like birds without a single comb as well. What all went into making your Toads?

They were very simple to make, I bred CX's from Hoover's hatchery back to Cx's from hoovers.



I then crossed them to the Dixie Rainbows. Those are lizards.

Then I crossed those back to the CX's again. Those are frogs..

Then I cross the frogs to each other and get toads.

That little bit of Rainbow in them gives me larger legs, and a taller bird. It also gave me a bird that can carry itself and is very mobile. It also give me a bird that has less heart and kidney problems.

!5 pounds is the normal dressed weight of a rooster. I have never dressed a hen.

The line almost ended on me a couple times because of the difficulty keeping a CX alive long enough to breed.

I know have 4-5 hens and the same number of rooster. I have fertile eggs in the incubator so I am happy and optimistic I have a good meat bird and the line will not die.


I used the names in jest originally because someone on BYC got their panties in a wad (can I say that here?) Because I was calling them F2 CX's. They chewed me out because the name was copyrighted and the breed patented and it was illegal to call them CX's,,and so on..


Have you seen them?

 

[Chaos18]

They were very simple to make, I bred CX's from Hoover's hatchery back to Cx's from hoovers.



I then crossed them to the Dixie Rainbows.  Those are lizards.

Then I crossed those back to the CX's again. Those are frogs..

Then I cross the frogs to each other and get toads.

That little bit of Rainbow in them gives me larger legs, and a taller bird. It also gave me a bird that can carry itself and is very mobile.   It also give me a bird that has less heart and kidney problems.

!5 pounds is the normal dressed weight of a rooster.   I have never dressed a hen.

The line almost ended on me a couple times because of the difficulty keeping a CX alive long enough to breed.

I know have 4-5 hens and the same number of rooster.  I have fertile eggs in the incubator so I am happy and optimistic I have a good meat bird and the line will not die.


I used the names in jest originally because someone on BYC  got their panties in a wad (can I say that here?)  Because I was calling them F2  CX's. They chewed me out because the name was copyrighted and the breed patented and it was illegal to call them CX's,,and so on..


Have you seen them?

I have not seen them. How long do you let them grow out before butchering?

 

[duluthralphie]

I have not seen them. How long do you let them grow out before butchering?

Most of these are May Hatches and already laying fertile eggs:







You might have seen this one:
These two are the same age the turkey was 11 pounds the Toad was 15.5



This is the father of this years toads.



They hit full weight at around 15-16 weeks, I like to let them go a little longer to assure I get filled out birds. The drumsticks are huge. I am very proud of my toads. You can not believe how many people told me it was impossible to do, They were almost right.


I have a 4h kid that is going to show some in the meat division this year. I would love to beat the CX's with them.



Oh they are good layers and the eggs are 2.9 to 3.1 ounces.. they are huge.