DemeterAD9
Songster
- Mar 21, 2024
- 956
- 1,973
- 193
New year and new plans, or really a continuation of my 2025 thread as it was getting lengthy. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-large-meaties-barring-lacing-and-ee.1637641/
Current head count is 44 hen/pullet and 5 roosters/cockerels for a total of 49. I know who and what everyone is plus their parents if they were hatched by me. I also know what eggs the girls lay with the exception of a few younger pullets.
I will be tweaking some of the goals as I get a somewhat better idea of things.
A list of things I want to improve on:
1. Breed away from big floppy single combs (prevent frost bite)
2. Raise some more patterned birds
3. Replace Pretty Boy (with DB roo?) and older hens with their best daughters
4. Continue with my meat bird project
5. Aim for more speckled eggs + improve egg size
6. Improve overall body size of laying flock
*7. Get my flock size down to 30(ish) by next winter
I have the egg color down pretty well, got lots of greens and olives, even a few medium brown and a couple blues, some with speckles and all that. Egg size is a work in progress but I'd say not a huge deal. Apparently egg color is the easiest thing to mess with in terms of genetics. I will still be going for some nice egg colors as most of my pretty layers are also part of the feather color/pattern project. I've got a handful of speckled layers to work with and 2 boys to get the job done, a blue copper maran and a blue EE X BJG who should carry the blue gene. I think I will be able to tell who fathered who based on comb and feathered legs. It helps that the girls have mostly split into two groups based on who they like more.
For nicely patterned birds, last spring my best OE, the OG hen who was part of the first flock, gave me a black/silver penciled (or laced?) pullet, a spitting image of herself (red/brown version of the previous bird), and a dark brown/gold necked broody-raised pullet who lays eggs nearly identical to her's. Plus an all black daughter one who has a single comb so guessing she won't lay a colored egg (to be culled later). Can't forget her only son who also has a single comb and will be culled. I've also got a pullet from my light brahma who is black with silver penciling/lacing on her breast and neck feathers who hasn't laid yet that I know of. Add a plethora of blue-based pullets from Mr. Pretty Boy the blue copper maran, 2 of which have a touch of lacing from their barred/laced mother. Then there's a lovely black based dark brown penciled pullet from my dark brahma hen, she's a winner. Even have a few white based spotted girls who are just nice to look at. Add 3 wyandottes (BBS, SLW, GLW) and I've got a decent amount to work with.
Now for my most anticipated goal, the meat birds. I'll be penning up a handful of girls with a cockerel who hatched from a Cornish cross egg fathered by a SLW x BJG. He looks great, white and yellow legged with a rose comb. I plan to weigh him eventually, likely when I move them all over to the separate pen mid-February. He's got some height but he also looks quite round bodied. In theory he should be barred but he may also have a bit of lacing genetics from his SLW grandma. The possibility of some really pretty meat birds has me excited! So far I plan to have him with the 3 wyandottes, a barred rock, one bresse daughter and a large fowl mix. I want to focus on larger/meatier bodies but also white and patterned feathering. Comb type is likely to be 50/50 split of rose and single. If all goes well I will have eggs in the incubator March 21st to hatch Arpil 11th and be raised alongside a shipment from Meyer that is due to arrive April 14-15th.
Chunky Junior, son of Chunky the Cornish cross.
Meyer order is:
-2x M 1x F dark brahma
-4x Cornish cross SR
-4x white Plymouth rock SR
-1X F speckled sussex (been wanting one for a while)
-1x F silver penciled Plymouth rock
-1x F Exchequer leghorn
-1x F Partridge cochin (got one last time but it was the only chick to die on me)
-2x freebie meal maker (likely a pullet) and homestead helper cockerel.
Now for getting the flock size down, that will be the real challenge. I have no problems culling extra cockerels, it's the pullets and hens that are a little harder. I'd prefer to sell them but at the end of the day there aren't too many people in my area who want to pay a fair price. Yes I could give them away but what good does that do me? I'd much rather benefit from the meat after putting all that time and money into my animals. I already have a list of birds I don't plan on using for any of the projects that I will try to sell come spring, maybe there will be a market for young layers during chick season.
Current head count is 44 hen/pullet and 5 roosters/cockerels for a total of 49. I know who and what everyone is plus their parents if they were hatched by me. I also know what eggs the girls lay with the exception of a few younger pullets.
I will be tweaking some of the goals as I get a somewhat better idea of things.
A list of things I want to improve on:
1. Breed away from big floppy single combs (prevent frost bite)
2. Raise some more patterned birds
3. Replace Pretty Boy (with DB roo?) and older hens with their best daughters
4. Continue with my meat bird project
5. Aim for more speckled eggs + improve egg size
6. Improve overall body size of laying flock
*7. Get my flock size down to 30(ish) by next winter
I have the egg color down pretty well, got lots of greens and olives, even a few medium brown and a couple blues, some with speckles and all that. Egg size is a work in progress but I'd say not a huge deal. Apparently egg color is the easiest thing to mess with in terms of genetics. I will still be going for some nice egg colors as most of my pretty layers are also part of the feather color/pattern project. I've got a handful of speckled layers to work with and 2 boys to get the job done, a blue copper maran and a blue EE X BJG who should carry the blue gene. I think I will be able to tell who fathered who based on comb and feathered legs. It helps that the girls have mostly split into two groups based on who they like more.
For nicely patterned birds, last spring my best OE, the OG hen who was part of the first flock, gave me a black/silver penciled (or laced?) pullet, a spitting image of herself (red/brown version of the previous bird), and a dark brown/gold necked broody-raised pullet who lays eggs nearly identical to her's. Plus an all black daughter one who has a single comb so guessing she won't lay a colored egg (to be culled later). Can't forget her only son who also has a single comb and will be culled. I've also got a pullet from my light brahma who is black with silver penciling/lacing on her breast and neck feathers who hasn't laid yet that I know of. Add a plethora of blue-based pullets from Mr. Pretty Boy the blue copper maran, 2 of which have a touch of lacing from their barred/laced mother. Then there's a lovely black based dark brown penciled pullet from my dark brahma hen, she's a winner. Even have a few white based spotted girls who are just nice to look at. Add 3 wyandottes (BBS, SLW, GLW) and I've got a decent amount to work with.
Now for my most anticipated goal, the meat birds. I'll be penning up a handful of girls with a cockerel who hatched from a Cornish cross egg fathered by a SLW x BJG. He looks great, white and yellow legged with a rose comb. I plan to weigh him eventually, likely when I move them all over to the separate pen mid-February. He's got some height but he also looks quite round bodied. In theory he should be barred but he may also have a bit of lacing genetics from his SLW grandma. The possibility of some really pretty meat birds has me excited! So far I plan to have him with the 3 wyandottes, a barred rock, one bresse daughter and a large fowl mix. I want to focus on larger/meatier bodies but also white and patterned feathering. Comb type is likely to be 50/50 split of rose and single. If all goes well I will have eggs in the incubator March 21st to hatch Arpil 11th and be raised alongside a shipment from Meyer that is due to arrive April 14-15th.
Chunky Junior, son of Chunky the Cornish cross.
Meyer order is:
-2x M 1x F dark brahma
-4x Cornish cross SR
-4x white Plymouth rock SR
-1X F speckled sussex (been wanting one for a while)
-1x F silver penciled Plymouth rock
-1x F Exchequer leghorn
-1x F Partridge cochin (got one last time but it was the only chick to die on me)
-2x freebie meal maker (likely a pullet) and homestead helper cockerel.
Now for getting the flock size down, that will be the real challenge. I have no problems culling extra cockerels, it's the pullets and hens that are a little harder. I'd prefer to sell them but at the end of the day there aren't too many people in my area who want to pay a fair price. Yes I could give them away but what good does that do me? I'd much rather benefit from the meat after putting all that time and money into my animals. I already have a list of birds I don't plan on using for any of the projects that I will try to sell come spring, maybe there will be a market for young layers during chick season.
