BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[FaerieChicken]

Turk, I wish you were nearby! My goal is to learn to caponize next year. How old are your boys when you do that procedure? Could you wear a GoPro and video it?

It looks like I'm not the only one having other things to do than play on the pc. So much to do before I can get away in the second week of Nov. The last chore should be caponizing about 10 or 12 of the 18 total Dominique cockerels. By then it should be easy enough to get some idea of the 5 or 6 best prospects to retain for my cross-breeding program. In fact, there are about that many that are standing out now at 8 days of age, based upon the head width and length of back. Of course, a bunch more indications will be obvious by Nov. 1.

In a perfect world, I'd like to grow them all out to about 8 or 10 months but that is far too much aggravation since 12 or 13 Dominique cock-birds would hold little or no value to me....in fact too much trouble to give them away. Of course, if I don't have them, there will be hellacious demand for them. They will do just fine as capons in my freezer.

TURK

What is the purpose of caponing the roos? I understand the meat factor and they wont be bred out, but really though, its an internal procedure that would be done anyway once butchered!

 

[FaerieChicken]

He got a bit of a frozen spot from being on the ice. These boys ranged the backyard and had the run of my 700 sq/ft pen. The last couple of days they spent in a 10x15' pen.

Ours that we plan on processing free range after brooder, then just weeks before we determine its time, we lock up in a pen as well to "Fatten" them up so to speak!

 

[Kusanar]

Turk, I wish you were nearby! My goal is to learn to caponize next year. How old are your boys when you do that procedure? Could you wear a GoPro and video it?

 
It looks like I'm not the only one having other things to do than play on the pc.  So much to do before I can get away in the second week of Nov.  The last chore should be caponizing about 10 or 12 of the 18 total Dominique cockerels.  By then it should be easy enough to get some idea of the 5 or 6 best prospects to retain for my cross-breeding program.  In fact, there are about that many that are standing out now at 8 days of age, based upon the head width and length of back.  Of course, a bunch more indications will be obvious by Nov. 1.

In a perfect world, I'd like to grow them all out to about 8 or 10 months but that is far too much aggravation since 12 or 13 Dominique cock-birds would hold little or no value to me....in fact too much trouble to give them away.  Of course, if I don't have them, there will be hellacious demand for them.  They will do just fine as capons in my freezer.

TURK

What is the purpose of caponing the roos? I understand the meat factor and they wont be bred out, but really though, its an internal procedure that would be done anyway once butchered!

I'm sure Turk will chime in, but, capons are supposed to be more tender at an older age due to lack of hormones making them fight and run around. They pack on weight more efficiently than a rooster, they don't fight, some will brood or even hatch chicks. You can keep captions in a flock and only process as needed to save freezer space and not have a bunch of crowing and fighting.

 

[lpatelski]

lpatelski, Congratulations!! Who's the daddy and the mom? is your goal to get your birds as pure dark Cornish as possible, with more meaty characteristics added from the Cornishx? Will your next cross be back to Cornish as well?

I have these in a group breeding. F1 Dark Cornish cockerels over 3/4 Dark Cornish pullets.









I am crossing my 3/4 back to Bob to get a more balanced Cornish crossbred. My 50/50 F1's are in with my F1 Dark Cornish cockerels to produce 3/4 stock. It seems to be more stable than leaning towards a more CX. I will cross them back and forth retaining the meat type characteristics.
Bob
Looking for this

 

[Turk Raphael]

I'm sure Turk will chime in, but, capons are supposed to be more tender at an older age due to lack of hormones making them fight and run around. They pack on weight more efficiently than a rooster, they don't fight, some will brood or even hatch chicks. You can keep captions in a flock and only process as needed to save freezer space and not have a bunch of crowing and fighting.

@FaerieChicken for all the reasons mentioned by Kusanar but far more importantly is the taste and flavor of the meat as opposed to birds that are raised to a very young age and butchered. After a point in time, every intact bird will be so tough that the only way to cook it would be slow braising or under serious pressure. Caponizing and poulardizing serves the same purpose as castrating a young bull calf. Rather than having all the fat on the outside of the meat, it produces marbeling within the muscle, keeping it tender and especially flavorful on-the-hoof, so to speak.

To save you a trip to Google, a poularde in a female chicken that has had her ovary removed or the oviduct severed.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I have these in a group breeding. F1 Dark Cornish cockerels over 3/4 Dark Cornish pullets.









I am crossing my 3/4 back to Bob to get a more balanced Cornish crossbred. My 50/50 F1's are in with my F1 Dark Cornish cockerels to produce 3/4 stock. It seems to be more stable than leaning towards a more CX. I will cross them back and forth retaining the meat type characteristics.
Bob
Looking for this

I just love how your birds are trained to sit patiently on the scale Your birds are amazingly meaty.

 

[Beer can]

@@FaerieChicken my main reason for wanting to caponize is being able to keep many males with the flock and not have them overbreeding the hens. Having a dozen+ rambunctious cockerels in a flock makes for some unhappy girls with no back feathers. You can just butcher early when they get to that age, I'd like to have some plump and fully mature.

 

[stryker]

This is the hull of the new hatcher that I made... Once the paint is cured the electronics will be installed.. I will add a window and all the air holes later...

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

This is the hull of the new hatcher that I made... Once the paint is cured the electronics will be installed.. I will add a window and all the air holes later...

@stryker that looks great|! How many chicks will it hold?
I need a dedicated hatcher too, there are so many good reasons to have an incubator and a hatcher.

 

[stryker]

@stryker that looks great|! How many chicks will it hold?
I need a dedicated hatcher too, there are so many good reasons to have an incubator and a hatcher.

It will have four trays in it. I can put about 45-50 eggs in each tray depending on the size. I like to space them out a bit. I have not had over 80 eggs to hatch yet so it could be more.