BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

@DesertChic that's a shame, I'm sorry to hear that.

RIP Shiloh.
Was it the heat, or do you think it was heart failure? Poor guy, was he taken out by his own sons??!| But you are right, they are handsome fellows so the line will continue.
At least you did the pragmatic thing, I hope he turns out delicious.

Thanks. I don't think it was the heat because it was only 83ºF when this happened around 7:00 a.m., but the humidity was up to 87%. We've have a full week of heavy monsoon weather with lower temperatures, but very high humidity and rain. I suspect the combination of the heavy air plus the stress from all of the attacks and chases just finally got the better of him.

My big breeder, Monty (not his son) was the primary attacker along with Shiloh's brother, Heisenberg. As of late Heisenberg has decided that the NN girls are his and his alone even when they've shown preference for Shiloh. Maybe he died of a broken heart?

Monty


Heisenberg

I performed a necropsy and found absolutely nothing wrong with his innards...very healthy and clean organs, no parasites or worms....It's got to be some kind of environmental stress. *Sigh* I'll let you know how he turns out for dinner.

 

[ejcrist]

Thanks. I don't think it was the heat because it was only 83ºF when this happened around 7:00 a.m., but the humidity was up to 87%. We've have a full week of heavy monsoon weather with lower temperatures, but very high humidity and rain. I suspect the combination of the heavy air plus the stress from all of the attacks and chases just finally got the better of him.

My big breeder, Monty (not his son) was the primary attacker along with Shiloh's brother, Heisenberg. As of late Heisenberg has decided that the NN girls are his and his alone even when they've shown preference for Shiloh. Maybe he died of a broken heart?

Monty


Heisenberg

I performed a necropsy and found absolutely nothing wrong with his innards...very healthy and clean organs, no parasites or worms....It's got to be some kind of environmental stress. *Sigh* I'll let you know how he turns out for dinner.

Gosh, sorry to hear about that - that's a shame. You're right about it not being a good way to start the day. Hope the boys get it worked out.

 

[draye]

I'm so bummed! My top breeding NN rooster, Shiloh, died unexpectedly today after being chased by two of my up-and-coming cockerels. I was still distributing feed, had just seen him settle into their favorite dust bathing area, and not five minutes later he was laying there dead. My morning chores doubled while I immediately set to work processing him so as not to lose out on the meat, but it was NOT a good way to start the day.

Gonna miss the ole boy. At least he gave me some outstanding offspring to work with, but I had big plans for him.

Shiloh in his prime:



He processed out at only 5.5 lbs. I think he lost weight over the past few weeks during the pecking order battles, but he was incredibly lean and muscular. I'm thinking I'll try my hand at making Coq au Vin outta this boy after about a week of brining.

Some of my favorites of Shiloh's offspring:

Sorry about Shiloh. I don't remember seeing a picture of him up this close. His color is almost New Hampshire (red). I really like that color of red over the Rhode Island Red (red).

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Quote:Originally Posted by DesertChic



Thanks. I don't think it was the heat because it was only 83ºF when this happened around 7:00 a.m., but the humidity was up to 87%. We've have a full week of heavy monsoon weather with lower temperatures, but very high humidity and rain. I suspect the combination of the heavy air plus the stress from all of the attacks and chases just finally got the better of him.

My big breeder, Monty (not his son) was the primary attacker along with Shiloh's brother, Heisenberg. As of late Heisenberg has decided that the NN girls are his and his alone even when they've shown preference for Shiloh. Maybe he died of a broken heart?

I performed a necropsy and found absolutely nothing wrong with his innards...very healthy and clean organs, no parasites or worms....It's got to be some kind of environmental stress. *Sigh* I'll let you know how he turns out for dinner.



Awwww! Poor Shilo...

That's so sad. I wonder if the other roosters sensed some kind of weakness that wasn't apparent to humans?

 

[lpatelski]

@DesertChic - I'm so bummed! My top breeding NN rooster, Shiloh, died unexpectedly today after being chased by two of my up-and-coming cockerels. I was still distributing feed, had just seen him settle into their favorite dust bathing area, and not five minutes later he was laying there dead. My morning chores doubled while I immediately set to work processing him so as not to lose out on the meat, but it was NOT a good way to start the day.

Gonna miss the ole boy. At least he gave me some outstanding offspring to work with, but I had big plans for him.

Shiloh in his prime:

Poor Shilo, they luer us in with their charm just like they charm the hens. It's not fair when our favorites pass. I am never prepared for that kind of disappointment. Much like Charlotte's Web, I hope he has left his legacy in the barn yard.

 

[Mini Meat]

@DesertChic Sorry to hear about your loss. He was a beautiful bird and his kids are stunning too.

Today I killed this in my new chicken barn:

Any chance he was snake bit?

I know you don't want him to go to waste, but I'd think twice about eating chicken that died of unknown causes.

 

[DesertChic]

@DesertChic Sorry to hear about your loss. He was a beautiful bird and his kids are stunning too.

Today I killed this in my new chicken barn:

Any chance he was snake bit?

I know you don't want him to go to waste, but I'd think twice about eating chicken that died of unknown causes.

Don't you hate uninvited "guests"?

Because of the timing of everything I feel really confident that there were no snake bites or any other bites. Plus I checked him over VERY thoroughly during processing, plucking instead of skinning. If I hadn't just had my eyes on him, watching him get chased around the yard and then stopping in the dust bathing area just a few feet away from me before he dropped I wouldn't even think about eating him, but with this guy I'm confident.

@CanadianBuckeye I think that's a distinct possibility. Shiloh had been at the top of pecking order for a long time and two roosters that used to be VERY intimidated by him recently supplanted him. He may have been fading before my very eyes, and I never saw it.

 

[Mini Meat]

Quote: Okay, I didn't mean to question your judgment, but do to this very fresh incident, I just felt I had to through it out there.

 

[Beekissed]

Question is, are you sure you want to breed a line from a bird with a dickie heart?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Question is, are you sure you want to breed a line from a bird with a dickie heart?

This brings up a good point, I think it's good advice (others have said) to breed only from birds that have been around for a while, a couple of years old. But sometimes that's not possible, and there's always the risk of losing a good potential breeder if you wait that long and there's probably always going to be some flaw or other.
I've compromised by trying to wait until they are a year old. My cornish rooster dropped dead of a heart attack before he was a year old, but I have his sisters/half sisters who have lived for over a year- but I wonder if that weakness is still in the line. We'll see, I have a Jr. cockerel from another line coming along nicely, but it will probably be a number of years before I'll know if heart problems are still there in my cornish.