BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

We're actually about to make the tough choices about processing the Sulm boys now or waiting until they're fuller and meatier. (Or whenever we're ready to process the black sex-link boys) We're selling or trading off an extra pair of the CCLB as well. The NN and sex-link ladies are getting a reprieve until I see what their going to lay for me.


(In all honesty, it's all just in preparation for the horde of chicks coming in a month of so... )

I informed my son yesterday that I will be culling three of the four remaining Bielefelders, including my big Biel rooster, Hansel. The Biels simply do NOT do well out here and they're too much of a handful during the summer. Rather than losing out on the meat when they die from heat stroke I'm just going to cull them and be done with it. The two girls I have left were never good layers anyway. My beloved Bosch gets a stay of execution though. He's still my favorite rooster of all time and too much of a pet now to cull. He can live in the house if it gets too hot outside.

 

[Our Roost]

Bielefelders - I keep getting feedback related to this breeds stamina. Beautiful breed that seems to lack the hardiness it needs to be a good flock member without health issues cropping up. I have had some and I watched as one by one they just up and died on me. They just don't seem to have longevity in some cases. I enjoyed them very much but they left me in doubt.

 

[NanaKat]

​Bielefelders - I keep getting feedback related to this breeds stamina. Beautiful breed that seems to lack the hardiness it needs to be a good flock member without health issues cropping up. I have had some and I watched as one by one they just up and died on me. They just don't seem to have longevity in some cases. I enjoyed them very much but they left me in doubt.

Good to see you back!
How is the Maline X Cochin project?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

So after weeks (maybe months) of staring at my charts and graphs, handling my extra roosters, and quantifying every detail of my breeding plans, I finally ran out of excuses for keeping so many roosters around. I've tried finding new homes for the sweetest of my boys but without success. It's time to face reality and tone down the volume on my little patch of peace. *Sigh* Right now my birchen-esque NN, Pepper, is the first on the chopping block because he's just causing too many problems in the barnyard. Yes, he's beautiful and very good to his ladies, but he's also become a tyrant to the other boys. It will probably take me a couple weeks at least to get through all of the culls I've selected, both roosters and hens, but I'm actually looking forward to what this place will be like when I'm done.

It will be for the best and things will be more peaceful afterwards, but I know how hard it is for you (you let yourself get so attached to those bachelors). To mentally protect myself, I have to keep in my brain at all times that almost any boy is potentially dinner. But I have definitely found that the longer I keep them, the harder it is. Before Goodwin was killed, I had thought to get rid of Monkey the splash copper marans. But I had talked myself into actually finding a loving home for him (which is nuts compared to the way I usually think about my flock...). Now that Goodwin is no more, Monkey gets a bunch of new girlfriends instead.

We're actually about to make the tough choices about processing the Sulm boys now or waiting until they're fuller and meatier. (Or whenever we're ready to process the black sex-link boys) We're selling or trading off an extra pair of the CCLB as well. The NN and sex-link ladies are getting a reprieve until I see what their going to lay for me.


(In all honesty, it's all just in preparation for the horde of chicks coming in a month of so... )

You, too? I have WAAAAAAAY too many chicks on the way, between orders and incubating. I must be out of my mind. I realize that gives me more leeway to select the very best to keep, but I may need to buy yet ANOTHER freezer...

- Ant Farm

 

[NanaKat]

I started a thread in the Hatching and Incubating section on Caution and advice for hatching in winter. Too many new chicken owners are gathering and beginning to hatch in fridgid weather.
Sure would appreciate it if some of you could read the intro page and offer additional tips.

With our unusual extremes in fall and winter weather, the girls have finally finished their molts and are back up in egg production. We are now into a week of 20 and below temps after a mild week in the 50 and 60s...my jonquil bulbs were fooled into sprouting!

 

[dfr1973]

LOL - on the topic of hatching,last month, my mom tried to give me a warning about hatching all these cute little chicks. "This lady lives in Texas and blogs; she hatched and hatched and before she knew it, she had 50 chickens and needed a new coop!" I laughed and said that lady is an amateur ... I am up to about 70 right now with the current hatch. I didn't have the heart to tell mom I was over 100 chickens last spring.

 

[GabrielBane]

I informed my son yesterday that I will be culling three of the four remaining Bielefelders, including my big Biel rooster, Hansel. The Biels simply do NOT do well out here and they're too much of a handful during the summer. Rather than losing out on the meat when they die from heat stroke I'm just going to cull them and be done with it. The two girls I have left were never good layers anyway. My beloved Bosch gets a stay of execution though. He's still my favorite rooster of all time and too much of a pet now to cull. He can live in the house if it gets too hot outside.

Back in Orlando, there's a Biefielder CRAZE. The bird processor I mentioned a while back sells a lot of them? I guess someone around there breeds them and sells the culls to him or something. (Or they're crosses...not sure). I was going to get Biefielders, but we ordered Crele English Orpingtons (to satisfy the people who've been asking for orps, but my recent *need* for barred birds LOL) instead of them. I think they're quite lovely lookin'.

You, too? I have WAAAAAAAY too many chicks on the way, between orders and incubating. I must be out of my mind. I realize that gives me more leeway to select the very best to keep, but I may need to buy yet ANOTHER freezer...

- Ant Farm

I haven't even started incubating.... After processing 4 boys, I'll still have 13, plus the addition of the Crele Orps will make 17. (21 with the turkeys.) As soon as our home deal closes in a few weeks, we'll be jumping into the triple digits of chicks... After that, it's all going to be about record keeping. I was *so* close to adding 25 more chicks to the list and also getting some of the S&G NNs.... and I still may, but I actually want to buy some NN hatching eggs from some BYC'ers first.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Well, I'm currently building a new big brooder for the S&G batch that's coming February 22, but have another two batches of my own eggs that somehow fell into the incubator (how did that happen?!) Geez...

 

[DesertChic]

Bielefelders - I keep getting feedback related to this breeds stamina. Beautiful breed that seems to lack the hardiness it needs to be a good flock member without health issues cropping up. I have had some and I watched as one by one they just up and died on me. They just don't seem to have longevity in some cases. I enjoyed them very much but they left me in doubt.

I've had a few problems with some of the Biels beyond heat intolerance. Not only did they take an insanely long time to start laying, but they stop for any and every reason imaginable. While some of my NNs and WRs were practically bald for weeks while molting, they've either continued laying the whole time or only took 3-5 weeks off. My two Biel girls lost just a few feathers on their back and haven't laid eggs in over four months...and one of the girls seems to have a cold AGAIN. I plan to butcher her this week too. She's incredibly sweet and beautiful, but she's also adding plenty to my feed bill without paying for her meals.

For people who want pets, these birds are great. For people who want meat, I've actually found that Biel + Australorp crosses are not only big, fast growing birds, but are some of the tastiest with a really nice fat layer that keeps the meat moist and succulent. The pure Biels that I've butchered have had so much fat that I've actually cut over half of it off the carcass to render and use in other recipes. For people who want eggs....it's a bit of a crap shoot. I've heard from others that their Biels are amazing layers of huge eggs. My best laying Biel did give me a nice supply of jumbo eggs while she was alive, but they definitely need a particular environment to survive. I'll stick with my NNs and now my Silver Grey Dorkings, who've completely won my heart.

 

[DesertChic]

LOL - on the topic of hatching,last month, my mom tried to give me a warning about hatching all these cute little chicks. "This lady lives in Texas and blogs; she hatched and hatched and before she knew it, she had 50 chickens and needed a new coop!" I laughed and said that lady is an amateur ... I am up to about 70 right now with the current hatch. I didn't have the heart to tell mom I was over 100 chickens last spring.

Yeah, with this last hatch I'm up to 94 and gearing up to bring that number down quick. I've got another hatch I'd like to perform before it starts getting too hot here.