BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

Weighing day here too! Our boys are slowly but surely starting to get the idea of this. Our turkeys INSISTED on supervising weighing today.

Here's Red, who is currently at 2lbs 13 Oz. Has some red leakage in the crest, but otherwise the content for our main breeding cock, so long as the single patch of red doesn't grow...



Here's boy #2, pretty consistent color, but a bit flighty and well.... 2lbs 5oz. Eek.


The other two may escape the dinner table *if* only for breed preservation, but if they truly exhibit a lot of faults, I'll be culling them.

They really are handsome birds! What age are they now?

 

[GabrielBane]

They really are handsome birds! What age are they now?

The should be between 10-11ish weeks old (The estimated hatch date greenfire gave us was October 9th.) , they really are a pleasure to have so far. I've enjoyed them a lot (and the Silver Wheaten pullet has slowly made Silver Wheaten one of my favorite variations for girls! She just looks so *soft*)

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: Oh, you're BAD!

(I'll let you know...)

So excited, tonight is weigh the chicks night!
Also I finally fired up my new bator for the first time, this is my first artificial hen!

@Beer Can, my NNs couldn't care less about the cold. The Marans are more uncomfortable than they are - and they have feathers on their legs!!!!

- Ant Farm

 

[dfr1973]

OK, I am now juggling two hatches. First, the new babies - 15 total (including one with a bad wry neck that hubby wants to give a chance to straighten out - likely malpositioned in egg) from two breeding groups: Tiny x the Pretties (F1s) and Azar x the Sisters (F1.5s, I'm calling them, the Sisters are F1s and Bigfoot's hatchmates).
one at 1.2 oz
one at 1.3 oz
seven at 1.4 oz
two at 1.5 oz
four at 1.6 oz (all from Tiny's group)
Those weights are from Friday evening. We are trying to keep food in front of this batch at all times.

Week four weights for the 22 Nov hatch, where the chicks were not contained in the containers, from three breeding groups, the two above plus Bigfoot x Feyd's Daughters (true F2s). Six chicks still:
two runts, both appear cockerels: one at 5.1 oz and one at 5.2 oz. Middle-sized one, probable cockerel at 5.5 oz. Three largest: probable pullet at 7.3 oz, one that could be either at 7.9 oz, and a definite pullet at 8.0 oz.. The wide range in size/weight doesn't surprise me, as I expect the F2 and likely even the F3 gens to be all over the map in both size and type. Just a reminder, I am blending together at least four different lines from two varieties, so things will be wonky for a while. Keep the best, eat the rest.

 

[GabrielBane]

Oooo! Pics! Pics! I love reading about everyones hatches! *eyeballs incubator* sooooooon...

 

[dfr1973]

Oooo! Pics! Pics!

You obviously don't know about me and the digicam.

I even get fuzzy pics of the plants, which at least hold still for my pitiful attempts at pics. That being said, I probably do need to at least try to get somewhat-clear pics of the chicks for my blog, or family up in Indiana will start clamoring again. A couple family members are "farming vicariously" through me, and the one thing they LOVE to see on blog updates is bunches of pics.

ETA: Here's a couple.

 

[Kassaundra]

Late to the discussion, but dubia absolutely do not fly. The males have non functioning wings, I raised them for a couple of years. In my area they needed heat in the winter, we had an ice storm lost electricity for a week, and no more dubia.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Late to the discussion, but dubia absolutely do not fly. The males have non functioning wings, I raised them for a couple of years. In my area they needed heat in the winter, we had an ice storm lost electricity for a week, and no more dubia.

Buuuutt...... they run really, really fast, right?

 

[GabrielBane]

Buuuutt...... they run really, really fast, right?

not faster than me when I realize one has gotten out LOL

Late to the discussion, but dubia absolutely do not fly. The males have non functioning wings, I raised them for a couple of years. In my area they needed heat in the winter, we had an ice storm lost electricity for a week, and no more dubia.

I'm going to see if I can convince him again, I thought they were a great option for us

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

not faster than me when I realize one has gotten out LOL