BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[LindaB220]

Not speaking from experience but I think Easter Eggers sound like an easy breed to purchase and keep; the eggs are fun and the hens are pretty and all a little different. Might be a fun way to start.

Welcome

,
M

As long as you stay away from the cocks. I've heard that they are mean and really not much meat.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: My boys are good boys-- but then they supposedly came from GreenFire ( thru a second party), never a problem with my boys or their sons; no prob with the one cckl that hatched from eggs from another farm either. THey are tough on other roosters, man they protect their space and their girls!! THey stand theire ground, but don't go looking for a fight.

BUt as you said, no meat on those bones-- at least NOT mine.

 

[southernmomma]

The poster is looking for an egg layer and specified no males.

M

 

[Arielle]

The poster is looking for an egg layer and specified no males.

M

Sorry-- Just trying to clarify the males are not necessarily bad boys. I love my girls-- my boys palyed and play and palyed with those chicks for HOURS. Divided those chicks by colorsa nd named them the FBI, NCIS and the Police-- one group kept changing names: the white chicks also were referred to as the Potatos. lol BOy humor.

I love the egg color and in my pen working toward improving the blue coloring. In the EE the egg color can vary a lot. Can't have egg basket without them!

 

[southernmomma]

I wasn't taking anyone to task

Not in the slightest....just thought I'd mention it in order to keep suggestions relevant. Egg color on its own doesn't rock me, but I can see how it can be important to some or in certain situations.

M

 

[Arielle]

I wasn't taking anyone to task

Not in the slightest....just thought I'd mention it in order to keep suggestions relevant. Egg color on its own doesn't rock me, but I can see how it can be important to some or in certain situations.

M

WHo has a link to hensens chart?? Maybe that would be helpful-- with the understanding that lines vary from the given.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I read that a few years back, and it resonated with me then. That probably illustrates my interest and position as well any. I am most interested in seeing these breeds put back to work.

I question how practical the notion really is, but I would like to see an alternative to the status quo.

Call it nostalgia, or whatever, but I am most interested in using Standardized pure breeds. I am interested in non standard breed as well, but I do tend to think we should take care of what we have.
I will use the Minorca for example. I do not think there is any good old time Rose Combed White Minorca out there. They were common at one time. It would be nice to see a good looking flock on quality pasture doing what they were bred to do. No, they aren't as efficient as the Leghorns, but they were famous for their extra large eggs.

The article mentioned the oldest breeds, and how they were replaced by our more modern Standard breeds. They did get replaced by more productive breeds, that were developed in a time when we had a surplus of grain.
The oldest breeds might be less productive, but they could be potentially be more productive under a more rugged setting. Many of the oldest breeds were better suited for a low input management style. How we kept poultry changed with the times also. Are they genetically capable of such now? That would be debatable because we have not kept them like for a long time.

One thing I have wondered about is with all of the interest in being more sustainable or preparing for harder times (prepping), all of the interest is in the highest input breeds. I have wondered about this. The most "sustainable" breeds, are the ones no one is interested in.

Like many, perhaps most, we live from day to day. We do like to keep a reasonable amount of canned/dry foods around but the only 'prepping' we do in fill the freezers with meat (mostly chicken) and we never let our vehicles get below half a tank...that as much for keeping down condensation as anything else.

If the @@it ever really does hit the fan, we do have an open invitation to go stay with the ULTIMATE prepper and wouldn't hesitate to take them up on the standing invitation.

That's the extent of our plans for national/civil emergencies. We have that much faith in this principal!!!

 

[ronott1]

My boys are good boys-- but then they supposedly came from GreenFire ( thru a second party), never a problem with my boys or their sons; no prob with the one cckl that hatched from eggs from another farm either. THey are tough on other roosters, man they protect their space and their girls!! THey stand theire ground, but don't go looking for a fight.

BUt as you said, no meat on those bones-- at least NOT mine.

GreenFire sells Easter Eggers? There is a big difference between what Hatcheries sell as Americaunas and non standard Ameraucanas. They are very different things.

EEs were imported several times for Hatcheries from around 1922 and later. They have been around longer then Ameraucanas.

Any way, The EEs from a hatchery is the one that has a reputation for nasty Roosters.

 

[gjensen]

The charts do not give good information. Kind of like judging someone by their reputation before you know them. Too much variation between strains to be reliable. The charts are good to get a list of breeds to investigate when we do not know what breeds are out there. Otherwise they help as much to tell you what color eggs they lay.

It is hard to recommend someone a breed. It is easier to recommend breeds that are not good for beginners, but beginners are never interested in them. They are more of an acquired taste.

A breed/strain that is good for beginners is the German strain of New Hampshire. I say that because they are pleasing to the eye, are pretty good layers, but most of all they are calm and easy to manage. I am not recommending the breed. I am offering the strain as a good option.
There are a few people breeding them in Georgia.

 

[gjensen]

YOu have hit on a track that greatly interests me--

With the buckeye I am concerned that the chicks need 27% or more protein for the first 8 weeks. I am concerned that this is a high input that cannot be sustained on a sustainable farming style. To reach that level of protein the birds need a high level of insects I would think, and not a high density of birds.

SOmeone once suggested games to me . . . I declined at the time, but never forgot that advice.

No one is interested in the most "sustainable" breeds. I always thought that was interesting when many want them to be more sustainable. That was not my concern initially. The "idea" began to interest me more along the way.

I am going to use an example. Plymouth Rocks are very popular. I like them to. Then there is the Anconas. Hardly anyone is interested. The irony is the Ancona will eat half a much, but will lay more eggs of the same size or larger. The difference in feed costs widens even more when they are allowed to range.

There are a lot of reasons why, but the results are the same. Twice the input, and less output.

I am no different. I have New Hampshires. I am not being critical. Just challenging common thought.