BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bmvf]

A couple questions as I gear up for incubating eggs.

1. Is it important to rotate eggs as they wait for the incubator?

2. How long can I wait to put eggs in the incubator if kept at a temp around 60-65?

One of my criteria for my NH's is egg size. We get around 8 eggs a day but usually 2 are small. I'd like to set 50 eggs in the incubator but that's 8-9 days of holding eggs.

I was going to cull some hens (move to the non breeding coop) that appeared below average. But looking at the 10 or so I couldn't find any out of place. So I decided to keep them all!

 

[ronott1]

A couple questions as I gear up for incubating eggs.

1. Is it important to rotate eggs as they wait for the incubator?

2. How long can I wait to put eggs in the incubator if kept at a temp around 60-65?

One of my criteria for my NH's is egg size. We get around 8 eggs a day but usually 2 are small. I'd like to set 50 eggs in the incubator but that's 8-9 days of holding eggs.

I was going to cull some hens (move to the non breeding coop) that appeared below average. But looking at the 10 or so I couldn't find any out of place. So I decided to keep them all!

This has great information on collecting eggs. Shipping too if you ever ship eggs.

 

[hellbender]

Look at that full round breast!

Now that I have the buckeyes, this is a cross that I have thought about.

I did have 3 Cornish rock crosses. The Cornish rock pullets were bred to buff orpington or black copper marans roosters. THe survivability of the Cornish rocks definitely was not the best, and in the long run I hesitated to continue this angle of adding in fast growth. None of the three breed crosses made it to a year old. Hence my thinking moved to the dark Cornish. FInding a good production line of Cornish seems to be the usual work to find a good line for this type of production.

The bird(s) you decide to cross with the Dark Cornish is very important as is the direction of the cross....what breeds are top/bottom. Makes a difference.

 

[bnjrob]

A couple questions as I gear up for incubating eggs.

1. Is it important to rotate eggs as they wait for the incubator?

2. How long can I wait to put eggs in the incubator if kept at a temp around 60-65?

One of my criteria for my NH's is egg size. We get around 8 eggs a day but usually 2 are small. I'd like to set 50 eggs in the incubator but that's 8-9 days of holding eggs.

I was going to cull some hens (move to the non breeding coop) that appeared below average. But looking at the 10 or so I couldn't find any out of place. So I decided to keep them all!

Yes, you should rotate your eggs while you are storing them. I actually bought an egg turner to put stored eggs in, but the first time I stored eggs for a bit, I just stuck them in a carton and every few hours I would lift one side of the carton & prop it up on something, then do the other side the next time, to simulate an egg turner. I found that the more often that I turned the eggs, the better hatch rate that I had when storing for a week or more.

Every day that you store an egg, the chance increases for the egg not to hatch. I have successfully hatched 2 week old eggs, but the hatch rate does drop a good bit beyond a week of storage.

 

[gjensen]

A couple questions as I gear up for incubating eggs.

1. Is it important to rotate eggs as they wait for the incubator?

2. How long can I wait to put eggs in the incubator if kept at a temp around 60-65?

One of my criteria for my NH's is egg size. We get around 8 eggs a day but usually 2 are small. I'd like to set 50 eggs in the incubator but that's 8-9 days of holding eggs.

I was going to cull some hens (move to the non breeding coop) that appeared below average. But looking at the 10 or so I couldn't find any out of place. So I decided to keep them all!

1. Yes. It is more important later in storage than early, but you will do well to rotate them. Without an automatic turner, just prop up an egg carton on one side. Reverse it morning and evening.

2. 60-65 are good temps for storage. Humidity is a factor. I know someone that sets eggs for up to 2 weeks because she likes to limit the qty of batches. She does well and gets reasonable rates. Occasionally it could be considered beneficial to push the limits, and tolerate the lower hatch rates. I tired this myself and had a decent hatch. I was not happy with it, and decided to lift the set time to ten days. There is a drop from ideal, but a small one. Longer storage times require more precision during storage. If your goal is 50 eggs, and you can get them in 9 days, go for it. Understanding that you may lose a couple of them.

Less obvious issues, and deformities, you will have not hurt a lot by hatching from the entire group. And I believe that flock mating is a good way to start, allowing for some room for error. Now as you move forward cost alone will motivate you to select. They cost too much to breed from them all, and grow out inferior offspring.

I like that you are selecting for egg size. That is part of the selection process. An often neglected one.

 

[gjensen]

The bird(s) you decide to cross with the Dark Cornish is very important as is the direction of the cross....what breeds are top/bottom. Makes a difference.

Historically the Cornish x New Hampshire was a popular cross. That is what started the industry as we know it. First the NH, and then the NH x Cornish cross. They were called Red Cornish.

Often a NH male was used.

I imagine what is on what side can matter, but that would be more about the individuals (or particular line bred strains) than the method. Less sex linked genes the contribution is equal. I imagine what matters most is that everything is present between the two sides. For example a large breed with a good rate of growth x a bird with a muscular body and solid frame.

Males from sex linked laying strains (like the black sex linked males) could be useful in such a cross. They have exceptional rates of growth, and paired with some heavy Cornish, they could be beneficial. This would be a three way cross, of sorts, and in some crossings shown to be superior.

Size, ideally, needs to be on both sides. Rate of growth should be on at least one side.

There is a practical advantage to the better laying strain being on the female side.

Regardless, the experimenting with simple traditional crosses is interesting. It can prove interesting to see what "nicks" with what. The Buckeye x Cornish cross is interesting.

 

[LindaB220]

Apropo...my family and I kept (still keep) Australorps and NN/Turkens for several decades but since we have decided to absolutely stop selling eggs to the public, we are going to essentially eliminate all breeds except our meat birds and meat bird experimental projects.

We're not going to screw around with it either....this will be done by march. Other than our 'show' project with NNs, we will likely have nothing here but Buckeyes and Dark Cornish. Pretty darned radical directions for us.

My son in Ky will continue with the Buckeyes over NN pullets because it's gotten under his skin from the historical connection but from a point very soon, every egg that's laid here will either be eaten by someone/something here
or hatched for our meat flock, to be sexually altered or add to the breeding gang. (Again, show birds excepted).

EDIT: Due to new developments, our layer breeds will be out of here by by mid-Feb., thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Giampaolo who live near Indian Head Maryland. They have family here who are my friends and they were instrumental in helping to locate the buyers....(going quite cheap'.

I really did NOT want to resort to my usual method of dispersing birds but that would have worked...I do have lots of dogs to feed.

As a point of discussion, I had to 're-possess' the hybrid pups from my son in KY...not for any other reason than his hired man simply couldn't handle the dogs. I gave him a Heeler male pup to work with...Still a lot of dog but without the balk...lol

Are you going to continue caponizing? This is a very radical direction for you. Good luck. I saw a picture of the hybrid pups you were talking about. I don't blame the handyman at all.

That's some wild looking dogs. Turk still super busy with his job? .

 

[hellbender]

Are you going to continue caponizing? This is a very radical direction for you. Good luck. I saw a picture of the hybrid pups you were talking about. I don't blame the handyman at all.

That's some wild looking dogs. Turk still super busy with his job? .

Yes...we will continue to caponize because we like the flavor of the more mature birds, in addition to the size. It's a Win-Win situation and additionally, the capons can be kept together indefinitely with no fear of anything than a squabble now and again as compared to fights to the death.

Cocks will pay the capons little or no attention because the capons will not be pressing the hens.

Turk spent a bit over one month in Brasil, came back and needed almost another week to rest up before going back to work. So, I guess they had a great time. lol That city (about 25 miles from the property) is a combination of high-tone evening affairs, Wild and wooly sections that only the young could enjoy and everything in between. Turk would like to live there but his partner...not so much. Turk could walk into a well paying job and his partner wold have a harder time getting a placement in the news print industry, anywhere near corresponding to what he has at the Journal in Louisville.

I'm actually glad to have the pups back...especially the biotch, She's a big gal and looks almost pure. No hurry to breed any more pups but she might be a prospect, well down the line. I'm looking around for a good young ale...gonna' bite the bullet and get a on to up-grading in a year or so...

Thanks for asking!!

 

[1zooman12]

Thanks for the opportunity to expose a load of horse feathers:
1) LOL? What is so funny? 2) What relevance do a load of doubtless leftists degrees have to do with the topic at hand? The question posed by the original essayist merely asked what sort of scales are to be preferred to which I gave an opinion not requiring a backup of modern erroneous academics. 3) "We"? Who is this we to whom you refer and where was it stated in the original query that the goal was establishing EPDs? I saw no such objective being established. 4) Certainly certified instruments are required to such a task you postulated but none was indicated. 5) Your stated inability to count whether it be scales or loads of horse excrement or whatever you choose is something you will have to work out for yourself with the available remedial aide of your choosing but was not an integral part of the original question. But I wish you luck with that as a lab technician with such a handicap should have such basics under control before being allowed to run amok in a scientific laboratory. 6) And measuring materials for anticipated nuclear fission? Who postulated that might be one of the options suggested by the essayist? 7) Your reference to record keeping is laudable but was not once mentioned by the questioner. 8) If devotees of leftist ideology were adept at sticking to a subject without practical experience in using measuring devices then maybe our country would not be burdened by a 17 trillion dollar national debt and the dire prospect of losing our liberty. 9) One must always stick to any original hypothesis and refrain from going off like a lost soul engaging in some pathetic hysteria. I hope that you are able to get relief from your inner demons. You expose what very well may be a serious illness.
Thanks for an opportunity to help you with you're a anxieties without ever having to brag about degrees accumulated nor resort to any hysteria likely stemming from inappropriate effects of a misguided philosophy.
Neal, the Zooman

 

[hellbender]

Thanks for the opportunity to expose a load of horse feathers:
1) LOL? What is so funny? 2) What relevance do a load of doubtless leftists degrees have to do with the topic at hand? The question posed by the original essayist merely asked what sort of scales are to be preferred to which I gave an opinion not requiring a backup of modern erroneous academics. 3) "We"? Who is this we to whom you refer and where was it stated in the original query that the goal was establishing EPDs? I saw no such objective being established. 4) Certainly certified instruments are required to such a task you postulated but none was indicated. 5) Your stated inability to count whether it be scales or loads of horse excrement or whatever you choose is something you will have to work out for yourself with the available remedial aide of your choosing but was not an integral part of the original question. But I wish you luck with that as a lab technician with such a handicap should have such basics under control before being allowed to run amok in a scientific laboratory. 6) And measuring materials for anticipated nuclear fission? Who postulated that might be one of the options suggested by the essayist? 7) Your reference to record keeping is laudable but was not once mentioned by the questioner. 8) If devotees of leftist ideology were adept at sticking to a subject without practical experience in using measuring devices then maybe our country would not be burdened by a 17 trillion dollar national debt and the dire prospect of losing our liberty. 9) One must always stick to any original hypothesis and refrain from going off like a lost soul engaging in some pathetic hysteria. I hope that you are able to get relief from your inner demons. You expose what very well may be a serious illness.
Thanks for an opportunity to help you with you're a anxieties without ever having to brag about degrees accumulated nor resort to any hysteria likely stemming from inappropriate effects of a misguided philosophy.
Neal, the Zooman

I think it's just a bit over 18 trillion....but I wouldn't split hairs. Very interesting post.

I appreciate a poster with conviction...

RON aka Hellbender!!!!