BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[FaerieChicken]

 

[bnjrob]

Not sure if he bled overnight or not (and I forgot to check under the roost before dark). He's moving around ok, and ranged, but is subdued and went to roost early. The spurs are blackened (dried blood), no new bleeding now. I'll keep an eye on him.

How do you handle it - do you observe them for a given period of time?

Thanks for the heads up/tip!

- Ant Farm

No, I don't do a lot of observation unless it just doesn't want to stop. If it is more than I am comfortable with or keeps oozing through the flour/styptic, I sometimes will put on a light pressure dressing with vet wrap, but otherwise I don't do anything special. I try to clip nails and spurs earlier in the day, so that I can go back out and eyeball them later on in the day just for my own peace of mind. One time I did have a boy that ripped his own spur off fighting with a pen mate, so I had to bandage him up and I put him in the garage for the day so I could frequently check, but that was a major bleeding episode, more than I've ever had with trimming spurs or nails with the nail trimmers and nicking them.

 

[DesertChic]

Do these weights look accurate in growth for the first week?
Wk 1 is actually at 1 to 2 days old...

I'm assuming that all of your weights are listed in grams? If so, and not knowing specific breeds, the weights do not seem unreasonable.

 

[FaerieChicken]

I'm assuming that all of your weights are listed in grams? If so, and not knowing specific breeds, the weights do not seem unreasonable. 

Yes they are in grams. Sorry, I thought that is a given in weighing them. So I can tell you that I'm pretty sure that:
Meat project....
~ 2 browns are from a Partridge rock hen,
~ the black with white spot is probably jersey giant hen,
~ black with silver chin is from the Cuckoo marans hen,
All from my slow broiler rainbow rooster

Random eggs set...
~ all black runt & Black with red-brown face are from a Black Star hen, unknown rooster (s)

 

[DesertChic]

Yes they are in grams. Sorry, I thought that is a given in weighing them. So I can tell you that I'm pretty sure that:
Meat project....
~ 2 browns are from a Partridge rock hen,
~ the black with white spot is probably jersey giant hen,
~ black with silver chin is from the Cuckoo marans hen,
All from my slow broiler rainbow rooster

Random eggs set...
~ all black runt & Black with red-brown face are from a Black Star hen, unknown rooster (s)

Handsome rooster! I hope you'll continue to report their progress as they continue to grow. It sounds like you've got some interesting mixes there.

I'm a bit behind the curve when it comes to reporting in metric. I still weigh mine in ounces and lbs.

Old habits die hard, LOL. Ironically, when I build furniture or other construction projects I measure everything in mm. Do you know how hard it is to find metric tape measures in this country?

 

[DesertChic]

Well, my Silver Grey Dorkings are now 2 weeks old and I'm pretty confident that I only have 2 cockerels from the hatch, and 6 pullets. Unfortunately, one of those cockerels has really, really crooked toes and has to be excluded from breeding. That's seriously going to limit my breeding plans unless I "supplement" my new flock with even newer blood. Hey @lpatelski ! How's this for "bad feet"?

 

[FaerieChicken]

Those babies are stinking cute, are they for eating or....

Well, my Silver Grey Dorkings are now 2 weeks old and I'm pretty confident that I only have 2 cockerels from the hatch, and 6 pullets. Unfortunately, one of those cockerels has really, really crooked toes and has to be excluded from breeding. That's seriously going to limit my breeding plans unless I "supplement" my new flock with even newer blood. Hey @lpatelski ! How's this for "bad feet"?

I thought maybe I had weighed them in the wrong measurement. I'm having fun tracking their growth it is interesting to see how much weight they gain.

Handsome rooster! I hope you'll continue to report their progress as they continue to grow. It sounds like you've got some interesting mixes there. I'm a bit behind the curve when it comes to reporting in metric. I still weigh mine in ounces and lbs. Old habits die hard, LOL. Ironically, when I build furniture or other construction projects I measure everything in mm. Do you know how hard it is to find metric tape measures in this country?

 

[DesertChic]

Those babies are stinking cute, are they for eating or....
I thought maybe I had weighed them in the wrong measurement. I'm having fun tracking their growth it is interesting to see how much weight they gain.

They are for eating and for heritage breed preservation....and no doubt I will cross them with my NNs too because I cross EVERYTHING with my NNs at some point. The SGDs were the first breed I fell in love with once I decided to raise chickens, but until now I haven't been able to find any quality ones. In hindsight I'm kinda glad it took this long, because I've learned so much since I started 2 years ago that I now feel competent to actually take on the responsibility of heritage breed.

I'm a total nerd when it comes to chicken data. I've got measurements on just about everything including hatching egg weight and weight changes, which birds' eggs pip and hatch first and how long it takes, etc. All of my data combined with continual interaction with and handling of my birds has proven invaluable to me.

Have you graphed the growth rates yet? It really is quite helpful to do so.

 

[Kev]

Well, my Silver Grey Dorkings are now 2 weeks old and I'm pretty confident that I only have 2 cockerels from the hatch, and 6 pullets. Unfortunately, one of those cockerels has really, really crooked toes and has to be excluded from breeding. That's seriously going to limit my breeding plans unless I "supplement" my new flock with even newer blood. Hey @lpatelski ! How's this for "bad feet"?

Oh wow... never seen toes twisted out like that.

 

[DesertChic]

Oh wow... never seen toes twisted out like that.

I know. It's awful, isn't it?

I've been doing some research today and I'm going to try splinting his toes to at least improve them. I still probably won't breed him, but at least he can live a more normal life while he grows out for butchering.