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That sounds promising! If I get a rental, and I think I'll have to for sanity, I'll come visit! You have camelids!! Maybe I could sneak one onto the plane home....
Welcome to AZ BYC. I'm sorry it's not under happier circumstances. I've seen you over on the Meat Bird side. Tell me about your project birds? I don't have a bator because my Engineer husband is too busy with school and Mikey is too busy shopping for chicks to make me
one..
Where's Larry, KS? I lived for four years just south of Pawahuska, OK, not too far from the KS border, while I was in medical school and
went into KS a lot for horse shows. ( I was a full time rancher, full time med-student
) we're trying to move back to that part of the world as soon as hubby finishes his PhD. I'm pushing him to fasttrack. He's on course to finish in just over three years, a record in his
department. I think he knows I'm about ready to leave this desert on my own if I have to spend much more time here, and we could
end up living a long distance relationship.
I think he's afraid I'll move to Montana, Washington or even Alaska if he's not in on
the decision.
CA that was one :yuck yuck
Thanks! I actually grew up in Casa Grande before moving to Lawrence, KS when I was a kid. I've been back pretty often until the last decade, when raising my kids. You should definitely check out the NE Kansas region, because we have hills, fields, creeks, trees, and soil that will grow just about anything. It's variable, but really black and rich in some areas. Glorious old farmhouses everywhere, and if you get in the right area, you can have culture to go with rural life, because of the University and proximity to Kansas City.
Worst part is you get the heat of Arizona, but the humidity is in the 75% range...and you get winter snows and brutal cold temps for spells. But that's just for periods, and it's lovely quite often.
My meat project is actually still a dual-purpose, so hens can be kept for eggs: using Australian Sussex (monstrous big birds) Partridge Chanteclers (upright, broad, and thick w/ a Cornish component) and giant Orps. I am now working with a cushion-combed bird, 3rd generation in, which is about 10# for the males at 18 weeks. Obviously, I'm working on a quicker growth, but I'm not looking for the kind of growth you get from CornishX, as I don't want them to max out so young and have issues, and I want the hens to be able to age out to laying. I'm also trying to make a bird that will forage some, lowering feed costs and keeping the integrity of a home-raised bird. I don't want a bird raised strictly on manufactured feed, as that's part of what I want to get away from! These will be a ranging bird, and are meant to withstand extreme heat and cold for this region.
I am pretty happy with this generation and can't wait to see the birds they produce! They look a bit like a Columbian Chantecler, but are much broader and HUGE!!! Skin varies from white to yellow, but I expect yellow will win that in the next generation. I also expect some of the mahogany to show up again and the lacing will likely come back in an incomplete form. The cushion comb is really wonderful, and the quick girth is encouraging.
That sounds promising! If I get a rental, and I think I'll have to for sanity, I'll come visit! You have camelids!! Maybe I could sneak one onto the plane home....
Welcome to AZ BYC. I'm sorry it's not under happier circumstances. I've seen you over on the Meat Bird side. Tell me about your project birds? I don't have a bator because my Engineer husband is too busy with school and Mikey is too busy shopping for chicks to make me
one..
Where's Larry, KS? I lived for four years just south of Pawahuska, OK, not too far from the KS border, while I was in medical school and
went into KS a lot for horse shows. ( I was a full time rancher, full time med-student
) we're trying to move back to that part of the world as soon as hubby finishes his PhD. I'm pushing him to fasttrack. He's on course to finish in just over three years, a record in his department. I think he knows I'm about ready to leave this desert on my own if I have to spend much more time here, and we could
end up living a long distance relationship.
the decision.
CA that was one :yuck yuck
Thanks! I actually grew up in Casa Grande before moving to Lawrence, KS when I was a kid. I've been back pretty often until the last decade, when raising my kids. You should definitely check out the NE Kansas region, because we have hills, fields, creeks, trees, and soil that will grow just about anything. It's variable, but really black and rich in some areas. Glorious old farmhouses everywhere, and if you get in the right area, you can have culture to go with rural life, because of the University and proximity to Kansas City.
Worst part is you get the heat of Arizona, but the humidity is in the 75% range...and you get winter snows and brutal cold temps for spells. But that's just for periods, and it's lovely quite often.
My meat project is actually still a dual-purpose, so hens can be kept for eggs: using Australian Sussex (monstrous big birds) Partridge Chanteclers (upright, broad, and thick w/ a Cornish component) and giant Orps. I am now working with a cushion-combed bird, 3rd generation in, which is about 10# for the males at 18 weeks. Obviously, I'm working on a quicker growth, but I'm not looking for the kind of growth you get from CornishX, as I don't want them to max out so young and have issues, and I want the hens to be able to age out to laying. I'm also trying to make a bird that will forage some, lowering feed costs and keeping the integrity of a home-raised bird. I don't want a bird raised strictly on manufactured feed, as that's part of what I want to get away from! These will be a ranging bird, and are meant to withstand extreme heat and cold for this region.
I am pretty happy with this generation and can't wait to see the birds they produce! They look a bit like a Columbian Chantecler, but are much broader and HUGE!!! Skin varies from white to yellow, but I expect yellow will win that in the next generation. I also expect some of the mahogany to show up again and the lacing will likely come back in an incomplete form. The cushion comb is really wonderful, and the quick girth is encouraging.
