BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[3riverschick]

Go forward Turk! How are the chanteclers coming along ?
Karen

 

[BantyChooks]

Turk, you have Chanteclers too?

White or Partridge?

If all goes well, I'll be the proud new momma of some PCs this next week.... Can't wait to try out this lovely heritage breed.

 

[Gorman Farm]

Just when I thought I had regained my sanity after the crazy BS I've been through over this past year, I seem to have stomped around in the tall weeds long enough to step into a new pile of ##IT. I had all my breeding plans worked out and all was full speed ahead but...a lady in Jeffersontown Indiana (just across the river from Louisville) offered me 5 young American Bresse pullets that are out of birds her 'wife' ordered from Florida. I should have said NO for a hundred reasons but the one that first comes to mind the fact that some of their siblings were hatched with "feet problems".

Many folks think they are being bred too close due to the very narrow genetic bottle-neck of the breed in this country. I had mentioned to them that I would half-way like to take a shot at them in a small way but didn't say what I would do. What I should do is wring their necks and forget about it but I'm just intrigued enough to give it a shot.

My Hillbilly helpers are returning this spring to help me again because they really had a good time while they were here last and had good use for the money. I go ahead and mention my plans in this paragraph...My helpers are going to bring me 3 seasoned Black Australorp cocks from Jason and I plan to cross them over the Bresse...injecting some seriously needed ultra-wild genetic material...then pick out the best phenotypically correct male offspring back over the pure American Bresse hens....

Why??? Because I can. What do you think @Kev ?

adventures are fun...the twists and turns keep us on our toes

 

[BantyChooks]

Okey doke.... I've got a question here. Iffn' I'm jabbering too much, just tell me to go stick my head in a snowbank.

Just how perzactly does one judge back width & heartgirth, both of which are supposed to be indicators of laying capability? I've looked at the APA SOP illustrations until my eyeballs bled but for the life of me can't figger out how it stacks up on a real chook. Anything that helped give any of you the "aha" moment?

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Okey doke.... I've got a question here. Iffn' I'm jabbering too much, just tell me to go stick my head in a snowbank.

Just how perzactly does one judge back width & heartgirth, both of which are supposed to be indicators of laying capability? I've looked at the APA SOP illustrations until my eyeballs bled but for the life of me can't figger out how it stacks up on a real chook. Anything that helped give any of you the "aha" moment?

There is actually a really good description in one of the old references. It might be The Call of the Hen - let me go check...

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Yup - Chapter 3, "The various steps in the application of the method of selection for egg-production". I think you can find it online for free (I might be wrong) - I got mine as a reprint from Amazon.

Edit - and more after that, of course, eg, Ch. 4 is abdominal capacity...

 

[BantyChooks]

Thanks, I will go poke around for that.

 

[BantyChooks]

Found it. Looks like I'll have me some reading for a while.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Found it. Looks like I'll have me some reading for a while.

Many very informed, very experienced folks have used it with good effect. Great photos showing how to check the various capacities, etc.

 

[Gorman Farm]

Ok guys so I am a little happy and a little disappointed. Some of you remember that I lost my big beautiful Buff Orpington Rooster. During the time he was breeding my girls I was selling fertile eggs to a guy and he was hatching them out and selling them. I called him and asked if there was any way I could get a couple buffs back from him hoping to score another rooster. So he said he said he kept only a few chicks and grew them out and he was going to bring me a rooster. Bad news the rooster he brought me is "not" a Buff Orpington, good news, he is fathered by my Buff Orpington, he is about 12 weeks old, what do you all think?