BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[NanaKat]

I posted a while back about the many different ways I have shortened spurs.

The best way to deal with them is keep an eye on them and keep them short.

Every time I worm my birds, I clip their toenails....lets me know which bird has been dosed. I do it at dusk when the birds are on their roosts.

The roosters have their spurs trimmed then too.

Yeah, I'm leaning toward that approach as well. 

I have about 150 birds right now. It takes a couple of evenings to get them all, but well worth the time and effort. Each bird also gets a thorough checkup up close and personal.

 

[GabrielBane]

Tanks offspring and looking great!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: I have about 150 birds right now. It takes a couple of evenings to get them all, but well worth the time and effort. Each bird also gets a thorough checkup up close and personal.

I don't have that many, but that was my thought as well, that it would be a good way to get a check up. Do you do it at night off the roost?

Tanks offspring and looking great!

Thanks!!!!

 

[DesertChic]

Thought I'd post some 3 week photos of some nice big boys from the cross of my Naked Neck rooster Tank and German New Hampshire pullets. Out of 10 chicks, 7 or 8 are boys, and of those all but one is bigger at 3 weeks than their father was. (And their father, from Ideal, was several ounces heavier than his hatch mates). Largest boy is 11.85oz at 3 weeks, most 10.41-11.85oz. (I only have two weight points, so I'll wait to graph until next week). This is looking to be a very nice cross. (Of the pullets, one is a runt, but the other one - or maybe two - are pretty big.) If you're on the NN thread, pardon the posting of these on both threads.

For reference - this is Tank at 3 weeks:


His kids:

Heaviest boy at 11.85oz:

Heaviest boy again:

Other boys:








"Runt" pullet (well, in comparison to the rest of the monsters - 7.48oz):

Big pullet (8.82oz):


My ambiguous chick - pullet or cockerel - all the other boys are obvious at this age in this cohort. 9.74 oz (which may mean it's a late developing small boy, I suppose)


- Ant Farm

Those are some nice looking birds, and really awesome weights!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Thanks!!! (Eventually maybe I'll have a flock of big birds like you do!

)

 

[Kev]

Agree those are really nice looking chicks.

Hope I am wrong this time... typically those red/buff birds throw pullets a shade lighter than cockerels. especially when the little feathers on wings come in- they often are distinctly darker shade than the secondaries on the cockerels. however the GNH might have things I am not familiar with so maybe that doesn;t quite apply here? The obvious boys already are showing a very nice deep red on their newest feathers. Seems to be rather clear and even in color so far.

edit- as for picture box, try having the top open to let more light in? brilliant idea of shelf lining on top of scale.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Agree those are really nice looking chicks.

Hope I am wrong this time... typically those red/buff birds throw pullets a shade lighter than cockerels. especially when the little feathers on wings come in- they often are distinctly darker shade than the secondaries on the cockerels. however the GNH might have things I am not familiar with so maybe that doesn;t quite apply here? The obvious boys already are showing a very nice deep red on their newest feathers. Seems to be rather clear and even in color so far.

edit- as for picture box, try having the top open to let more light in? brilliant idea of shelf lining on top of scale.

Thanks! I'm enjoying them feathering out. (If these are all boys except for PeeWee, I'm gonna lose my mind...

)

 

[NanaKat]

Yes, I clip toenails and Spurs as I worm birds individually right off the roost in the late evening.
I turn a light on in the barn, leaving lights off in the henhouse. Or I wear a cap with a night light for the coops without electricity.
I can take a bird off the roost, then dose it for worms, check eyes, mouth, comb, body, keel, feathers, wings, etc. I check legs as I clip the toenails and spurs....all in 3 - 5 minutes per bird. I estimate the weight and set the bird back on the roost and pick up the next.
Since the birds shuffle around at night, the clipped toenails lets me quickly determine who has been handled and who hasn't. I know each bird has been dosed and who needs a dose.
Every bird gets checked and handled.
If I time worming with one of my cull dates, I put a colored ring band on the keepers and pink coil on the ones to cull. I still have time to visually study the birds marked for cull during daylight.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Yes, I clip toenails and Spurs as I worm birds individually right off the roost in the late evening.
I turn a light on in the barn, leaving lights off in the henhouse. Or I wear a cap with a night light for the coops without electricity.
I can take a bird off the roost, then dose it for worms, check eyes, mouth, comb, body, keel, feathers, wings, etc. I check legs as I clip the toenails and spurs....all in 3 - 5 minutes per bird. I estimate the weight and set the bird back on the roost and pick up the next.
Since the birds shuffle around at night, the clipped toenails lets me quickly determine who has been handled and who hasn't. I know each bird has been dosed and who needs a dose.
Every bird gets checked and handled.
If I time worming with one of my cull dates, I put a colored ring band on the keepers and pink coil on the ones to cull. I still have time to visually study the birds marked for cull during daylight.

Helpful - yes, I'd likely do it with a head lamp. I can see Snape being a challenge - he doesn't like me being in there after dark. He'll just have to suck it up until he gets used to it.

Can you see mites when you do this? (Is there enough light?) That was my concern...

 

[bnjrob]

Helpful - yes, I'd likely do it with a head lamp. I can see Snape being a challenge - he doesn't like me being in there after dark. He'll just have to suck it up until he gets used to it.

Can you see mites when you do this? (Is there enough light?) That was my concern...

Yes you can see mites and lice with a headlamp. I get the headlamps that have a red light on them, as well as two different white lights so that you can have different areas lit up or both white lights on for extra light. The red light is good for not disturbing them as much, but still lets you see to get stuff done.