BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

Hello! Looking for standard Cornish or Cornish x Jersey cross thanks

@lpatelski has some nice DC and DC x CX.

@Beer can has beautiful White Jersey Giants, but I'm not sure he's crossed them with CX or DC.

 

[Beer can]

@lpatelski
 has some nice DC and DC x CX. 

@Beer can
 has beautiful White Jersey Giants, but I'm not sure he's crossed them with CX or DC.

Ipatelski's crosses are amazing!!

I'm not crossing my giants with anything at the moment, except I did incubate some crossed with TSC white 'silkies' this last spring Lol!
Maybe down the road I might cross with cx or the naked necks or both. Don't get me wrong, giant's are big birds with a huge bone structure and IMHO plenty of meat even when processed at a young age, just not really a fast growing 'production' type bird in comparison to so many more options out there. I personally don't know what crosses with would bring though, might be interesting.

 

[DesertChic]

Ipatelski's crosses are amazing!!

I'm not crossing my giants with anything at the moment, except I did incubate some crossed with TSC white 'silkies' this last spring Lol!
Maybe down the road I might cross with cx or the naked necks or both. Don't get me wrong, giant's are big birds with a huge bone structure and IMHO plenty of meat even when processed at a young age, just not really a fast growing 'production' type bird in comparison to so many more options out there. I personally don't know what crosses with would bring though, might be interesting.

Do I detect a new project brewing?

 

[dfr1973]

Do I detect a new project brewing?

Does anyone here actually have the yard space for another project?? LOL

This holiday is finally over - I went simple-but-good here with a roast Muscovy duck, baked sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a can of cranberry sauce. Hubby's parents came down with their RV and camped in our front yard, so there was no hurry on getting the duck done (it turned out GOOD).

While I had 9 chicks hatch by Tuesday evening, one of the ones I helped out of the shell had a dislocated hip so I put that one down. Eight Wyandotte chicks, weighing from 1.2 oz for the smallest up to 1.5 oz for the largest, which is the remaining one I helped out of the shell. Five of the eight weighed 1.4 oz, with the last weighing 1.3 oz. Forty-one more eggs set, all GLW, from only three breeding groups. I weighed the eggs while giving them a check for cracks, and the range is 1.6oz up to 2.4oz, with most being 1.9-2.1oz. Oh, the three breeding groups are Azar x the Sisters, Tiny x the Pretties, and Azar x the Flashy Girls. The one Feyd's Daughter is still on the nest out there, and I suspect she's tucking newly laid eggs under her as well. She's going on day 9 now. Those are all Bigfoot's chicks-to-be.

 

[Molpet]

Ipatelski's crosses are amazing!!

I'm not crossing my giants with anything at the moment, except I did incubate some crossed with TSC white 'silkies' this last spring Lol!
Maybe down the road I might cross with cx or the naked necks or both. Don't get me wrong, giant's are big birds with a huge bone structure and IMHO plenty of meat even when processed at a young age, just not really a fast growing 'production' type bird in comparison to so many more options out there. I personally don't know what crosses with would bring though, might be interesting.

What age and weight do you process at? I have some mix roo/BJG chicks that are 11 weeks old.. I had read 8-9 months old for JG, thinking the unknow mix daddy may help it be sooner.

one of the 4 roos started trying crowing yesterday LOL ...way to little to eat and he is the one I was thinking to keep.. although his daddy is not happy about another roo crowing.

 

[DesertChic]

Does anyone here actually have the yard space for another project?? LOL

This holiday is finally over - I went simple-but-good here with a roast Muscovy duck, baked sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and a can of cranberry sauce. Hubby's parents came down with their RV and camped in our front yard, so there was no hurry on getting the duck done (it turned out GOOD).

While I had 9 chicks hatch by Tuesday evening, one of the ones I helped out of the shell had a dislocated hip so I put that one down. Eight Wyandotte chicks, weighing from 1.2 oz for the smallest up to 1.5 oz for the largest, which is the remaining one I helped out of the shell. Five of the eight weighed 1.4 oz, with the last weighing 1.3 oz. Forty-one more eggs set, all GLW, from only three breeding groups. I weighed the eggs while giving them a check for cracks, and the range is 1.6oz up to 2.4oz, with most being 1.9-2.1oz. Oh, the three breeding groups are Azar x the Sisters, Tiny x the Pretties, and Azar x the Flashy Girls. The one Feyd's Daughter is still on the nest out there, and I suspect she's tucking newly laid eggs under her as well. She's going on day 9 now. Those are all Bigfoot's chicks-to-be.

Congrats on your hatch!

We went simple this year too. We had a traditional meal for our employees at our business with a smoked turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing...the works. But here at home, the following day, I roasted a brisket, steamed some broccoli, and whipped up some cream for the blueberry pie I made for dessert. I love simple, homemade food.

I saw some Muscovy at the poultry show I went to recently and am more tempted than ever. The hubby still isn't convinced though, especially since I'm up to 75 chickens again with this last hatch and told him I really want to hatch out some eggs from my two breeding pens. Oh...and I finally gave my little Buff Silkie three LF eggs to sit on from my breeding pens. She's been wanting to be a mommy for years and I've always broken her broodiness, but this time, since she's 2 years old now, I thought I'd go ahead and indulge her. She find a "hiding place" under the nesting boxes in my Bielefelder pen and flat out refuses to be moved. My eldest Barred Rock hen, Luna, is her best friend and sits right next to her much of the day (Luna is currently in a severe molting stage and doesn't like to be around the other birds) and even sits on the eggs during Didi's brief breaks. It's kinda sweet to watch.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Congrats on your hatch!

We went simple this year too. We had a traditional meal for our employees at our business with a smoked turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, stuffing...the works. But here at home, the following day, I roasted a brisket, steamed some broccoli, and whipped up some cream for the blueberry pie I made for dessert. I love simple, homemade food.

I saw some Muscovy at the poultry show I went to recently and am more tempted than ever. The hubby still isn't convinced though, especially since I'm up to 75 chickens again with this last hatch and told him I really want to hatch out some eggs from my two breeding pens. Oh...and I finally gave my little Buff Silkie three LF eggs to sit on from my breeding pens. She's been wanting to be a mommy for years and I've always broken her broodiness, but this time, since she's 2 years old now, I thought I'd go ahead and indulge her. She find a "hiding place" under the nesting boxes in my Bielefelder pen and flat out refuses to be moved. My eldest Barred Rock hen, Luna, is her best friend and sits right next to her much of the day (Luna is currently in a severe molting stage and doesn't like to be around the other birds) and even sits on the eggs during Didi's brief breaks. It's kinda sweet to watch.

75?!!!! I m getting there, I have more than 50. I will need to cull hard for egg laying ability, but culling hens....... ugh that's very difficult. I don't even name them. This breeding stuff is harder than I thought! They all seem to have at least one interesting characteristic worth keeping......... aaaaarrghhhh

 

[GabrielBane]

We're still at about 30. But now that our land has pretty much quintupled.... well... 2017 is gonna be busy.

 

[WPFarmstead]

75?!!!! I m getting there, I have more than 50.  I will need to cull hard for egg laying ability, but culling hens....... ugh that's very difficult. I don't even name them. This breeding stuff is harder than I thought! They all seem to have at least one interesting characteristic worth keeping......... aaaaarrghhhh

I "cull" my hens by selling them to other people who just want a few around. I absolutely hate putting down hens or pullets, too. Seems like such a waste.

 

[Molpet]

I "cull" my hens by selling them to other people who just want a few around. I absolutely hate putting down hens or pullets, too. Seems like such a waste.

yeah I was thinking of selling my BO's... and of course those are the ones that have quit laying already .. so I guess I have to wait until spring and hope they start up again..... then I wonder how they will be treated and think maybe I should process them

ETA: when they quit laying for good