BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[3riverschick]

Well I have two laying pullets. at least I did have two laying pullets .one of the silly girls has decided to go broody in the middle of the winter .oh for goodness sake! so now I have to break this birdie. she's just tight on those eggs, silly girl ! it's too early in the winter to hatch chicks, you silly Sussex !! They aren't even fertile!!!!
Best,
Ksaren

 

[DesertChic]

Well I have two laying pullets. at least I did have two laying pullets .one of the silly girls has decided to go broody in the middle of the winter .oh for goodness sake! so now I have to break this birdie. she's just tight on those eggs, silly girl ! it's too early in the winter to hatch chicks, you silly Sussex !! They aren't even fertile!!!!
Best,
Ksaren

LOL! I've been battling a broody NN lately. I've got roughly 70 laying hens of age, and I'm lucky to get a dozen eggs per day because of winter laying, molting, and now a broody. Good grief, girls! Earn your keep! LOL!

 

[aliciaplus3]

I agreed to take a couple roosters from a gal.... she told me she had a leghorn and a barred rock..... um don't think so but this white one may be able to add size to my meat line mmmmm....

when i picked up the box i thought it was full of bricks.... nope just this big boy

 

[aliciaplus3]

Ok I have decided to keep tree beard and see what he can offer my meat line.... he weights in at 14 pounds according to my bathroom scale....give or take, both him,and the kid were wiggly

 

[DesertChic]

Ok I have decided to keep tree beard and see what he can offer my meat line.... he weights in at 14 pounds according to my bathroom scale....give or take, both him,and the kid were wiggly View attachment 1205474

WHOA! Fourteen pounds???? Put a saddle on that boy and ride him! LOL! Sounds like a very good contender for meat breeding. Good luck! I'm excited to see how his offspring turn out!

 

[3riverschick]

Boy was that pullet upset when we pulled her off that nest! Whew she scolded us! She was sitting on at least 10 eggs. Silly Sussex! I was glad to see her immediately start to eat. Hopefully she will get past this broody thing quickly.
Best,
Karen

 

[moomoodiddy]

Hey y'all. I'm in NC and looking to start a egg/meat production flock. Was going the endangered route, but took me about a year to realize it's nearly impossible. Would love heritage, any ideas?

 

[BlueBaby]

Ok I have decided to keep tree beard and see what he can offer my meat line.... he weights in at 14 pounds according to my bathroom scale....give or take, both him,and the kid were wiggly View attachment 1205474

14 lbs. is good! Have you found out what breed or mix that he really is yet?

 

[holm25]

Hey y'all. I'm in NC and looking to start a egg/meat production flock. Was going the endangered route, but took me about a year to realize it's nearly impossible. Would love heritage, any ideas?

Buckeye and Orpingtons are both great breeds! Are you going to try find a breeder? Buckeyes might be a little more practical for the winter as they don't have such big combs...

 

[DesertChic]

Hey y'all. I'm in NC and looking to start a egg/meat production flock. Was going the endangered route, but took me about a year to realize it's nearly impossible. Would love heritage, any ideas?

For egg and meat production I simply must sing the praises of the Naked Neck Turken. They're exceptionally hardy, healthy birds, have really good growth rates, and are surprisingly good layers. My top NN laying hen laid 250 eggs per year on average each of her first two years, and has laid 133 eggs half-way through her third laying year. She currently weighs 7 lbs while in molt. My top NN meat hen weighs over 8.5 lbs, started laying this past May, and has already given me 120 X-large eggs. My top NN roosters weigh in over 10 lbs. NNs have roughly 50% fewer feathers than other breeds, making them a lot faster to process, and their skin crisps up beautifully. Plus, you can cross them with almost any other breed in pursuit of traits you're looking for and still create hardy NNs from the crosses while also having lots of "eye candy" via a variety of feather patterns.