BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bnjrob]

I have just started a flock of black Javas. They are lovely, large birds, very slow growers. I'm wondering if growth rate for the table could be improved by adding a dark Cornish to the bloodline.

You should have some birds which develop faster than others, so choosing faster maturity can be part of your breeding plan. It is important to do weights and hands-on exams to help you discover which of the birds to look at for breeding purposes - their feathers can be deceiving so you have to feel and weigh them to get the right info. In a few years of selective breeding, we've gotten more of our Java cockerels uniform, so that their dressed carcass weight at 6 months is the same as the dressed carcass weight of 10-12 month old cockerels the first few years. It just takes time when you're breeding for multiple traits, to see the results, because you're having to balance so many things. But type and size should always be the highest priority, followed by the other things.

 

[DesertChic]

I harvested the Armenian Cucumbers today and was shocked to see how big they'd gotten in the past four days.





I managed to make six jars of refrigerator pickles before running out of dill. I still have half the basket of cukes left to work with tomorrow.

 

[bnjrob]

Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertChic

I harvested the Armenian Cucumbers today and was shocked to see how big they'd gotten in the past four days.







They look great!

 

[ejcrist]

I harvested the Armenian Cucumbers today and was shocked to see how big they'd gotten in the past four days.





I managed to make six jars of refrigerator pickles before running out of dill. I still have half the basket of cukes left to work with tomorrow.

Wow! They look great. Do they taste like other cucumbers?

 

[Turk Raphael]

I harvested the Armenian Cucumbers today and was shocked to see how big they'd gotten in the past four days.





I managed to make six jars of refrigerator pickles before running out of dill. I still have half the basket of cukes left to work with tomorrow.

It all looks great! To my delight, my helpers decided to make apple sauce and apple butter, starting today. There are so many good apples out there and I can't even give them away...UNLESS I were willing to bag/box them up. That will never happen. I'll let my chickens eat on them and I do pick up loads upon loads of them for the pigs...a reminder...I have to arrange to have them dealt with while I'm gone. My neighbor knows how to make really great country hams and bacon.. I'll have to wait a while to enjoy the products but really love the dry-cure method.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Well...there must be a glut of baby Dominique chicks at Cackle Hatchery. I only wanted 5 but many of you know 15 is the smallest order without having to pay a big 'shortage fee' so, I ordered 15. When I get them back home, Betty had everything all ready for them and she counted them as she 'dipped' heads. 23 live ones with one deceased. I can live with that.

I am planning on leaving in about 30 or so days for my exxxxtended vacation but since I haven't gotten around to making reservations, I may have to stay about another week or ten days in order to caponize at least half (or more) of these because I only really wanted/needed 5 cockerels. At least with these, there won't be ny problem of having to poulardising any because they are ALL little cockerels, with their very obvious light spot on their heads.

I'm still fairly young but I've been around chicks/chickens all my life and I still get as excited about baby chicks as I did when I was 5 or 6 years old.

Oh, the good thing about these chicks is they came from stock that was left after Mr. Mark Fields had come into Cackle Hatchery's Dominique breeder pens and 'Cleaned House'. He was also partly responsible for getting some very good stock in to replace the culls. Even though these are all cockerels and will be used in a meat bird cross, I think it's still important to have reasonably good stock for that situation. Plus, when I get back from vacation, I might (almost certainly) decide to locate a few older pullets from a good private breeder and keep a few purebreds around.

Aaron

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Well...there must be a glut of baby Dominique chicks at Cackle Hatchery. I only wanted 5 but many of you know 15 is the smallest order without having to pay a big 'shortage fee' so, I ordered 15. When I get them back home, Betty had everything all ready for them and she counted them as she 'dipped' heads. 23 live ones with one deceased. I can live with that.

I am planning on leaving in about 30 or so days for my exxxxtended vacation but since I haven't gotten around to making reservations, I may have to stay about another week or ten days in order to caponize at least half (or more) of these because I only really wanted/needed 5 cockerels. At least with these, there won't be ny problem of having to poulardising any because they are ALL little cockerels, with their very obvious light spot on their heads.

I'm still fairly young but I've been around chicks/chickens all my life and I still get as excited about baby chicks as I did when I was 5 or 6 years old.

Oh, the good thing about these chicks is they came from stock that was left after Mr. Mark Fields had come into Cackle Hatchery's Dominique breeder pens and 'Cleaned House'. He was also partly responsible for getting some very good stock in to replace the culls. Even though these are all cockerels and will be used in a meat bird cross, I think it's still important to have reasonably good stock for that situation. Plus, when I get back from vacation, I might (almost certainly) decide to locate a few older pullets from a good private breeder and keep a few purebreds around.

Aaron

Sounds like you got a good deal! You make like Dominiques more than you think. I purchased Mark Fields' rare book "The American Dominique" - sounds like a very interesting, unique breed. You might be ordering some pullets soon .......

 

[Turk Raphael]

Sounds like you got a good deal! You make like Dominiques more than you think. I purchased Mark Fields' rare book "The American Dominique" - sounds like a very interesting, unique breed. You might be ordering some pullets soon .......

Yep. To boot, they were only $1.50 each. Basically give-away.

I have admired this breed for quite some time now but didn't

feel I had time to add another project but now...the situation

has changed, far to the good for me.

Aaron

 

[DesertChic]

Wow! They look great. Do they taste like other cucumbers?

Yep! They have a different texture to their skin and if allowed to grow to big will be very heavy in seeds in the middle, resulting in a concave shape on the inside if you scrape those seeds out, but they're wonderfully crisp and slightly more delicate in flavor than some of the other varieties I've grown.

Do you want some seeds? I harvested a bunch of them yesterday and would be happy to send you some.

 

[DesertChic]

Yep. To boot, they were only $1.50 each. Basically give-away.

I have admired this breed for quite some time now but didn't

feel I had time to add another project but now...the situation

has changed, far to the good for me.

Aaron

I'm really curious to see how you like these birds. The Dominques have been on my radar from the start of my chicken adventure and I'm anxious to hear what you think of them as you work with them more.