BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

I know many of you have seen where I have posted that I have had more than 50 years experience with chickens and that is absolutely true. However, most of those years I dealt with essentially two breeds; Black Australorps and NN/Turkens. These years didn't give me the experience I'm now gaining with two new breeds to our menagerie, the White Chanticlers, whose gender is enormously obvious and I use the word enormous again, to describe these less-than 4.5 month old birds, two of which stand nearly 25 inches from ground to top of head...let's minus 2 inches for bedding....still, by virtue of a wooden measuring stick, these two big boys really baffle me, essentially because of their youth. I started to kill the two larges cockerels (out of stupidity) but I maintained enough common sense to speak to an 'expert' on the breed who told me to let the birds grow out 'til they are 8 to 9 months before even thinking of culling/eating them. I will get better pics this coming week...my batteries are through and won't recharge for some reason???

Another little surprise...I thought I had 11 pretty nice Dark Cornish pullets but I have only (perhaps) 10 because at least one is a very nice cockerel...evidenced by his growing sickle tail feathers and of course watching him try to crow this morning sorta' flipped me a solid clue.

Early on I thought I had two black cockerels and this bird is one of them. He did seem to look very dark but has since developed very beautiful natural coloring. There still may yet be another but I have not been able to put my finger on him?

As a point of interest, I buy and use only Duracell batteries in my cam and just about every other device I use. Just can't figure how these miserable Energizer things got into my camera but I have two choices to consider. Ol' dad won't miss 'em because he almost never takes pics. (Which is true)....but I really want to show what I taking about here so will invest in new rechargeable batteries tomorrow and will take the pics when the weather co-operates... some rain in the forecast.

I'm still hoping/planning to work with Dark Cornish one day...but given the extreme heat out here I'll have to live vicariously through you in regards to the Chanteclers. They're absolutely gorgeous birds....but built for cold, not heat. I'm having enough struggles with the Bielefelders and really don't want to have to invest in central A/C for my chickens.

 

[hellbender]

I'm still hoping/planning to work with Dark Cornish one day...but given the extreme heat out here I'll have to live vicariously through you in regards to the Chanteclers. They're absolutely gorgeous birds....but built for cold, not heat. I'm having enough struggles with the Bielefelders and really don't want to have to invest in central A/C for my chickens.

Honestly...there were a few days here that SOARED to the mid 80*s F that made me wonder about the wisdom of having them but as I mentioned somewhere on some thread, I've been Canada very frequently in the past, that is from Western Ontario to several cities in Quebec exhibiting dogs and remember very well temperatures in the low 100*s F so if that doesn't kill off the Canadian birds, ours should make it.

 

[cyborg]

He's a pretty one!

Edit: this is for the BCM too.

 

[holm25]

He's a pretty one!

Edit: this is for the BCM too.

Who has the BCM. Mine looks like a BCM but is BAxWelsummer.

 

[JRNash]

I keep hearing bred for the cold. The progenitors of this breed that donated their dna were dual purpose American and European stock. The Chanteclers are more than capable of handling warmer climates. They are suited for the cold. Simply because of smaller wattles and combs. There are many breeds that would fit this description. The good Monk WANTED A CANADIAN CHICKEN. So he bred his own. They don't have a unique physiology. Chanteclers provided suitable water and open areas with shade should have no problem handeling the heat and humidity. People raise them here in southeast texas,Ive ran across adds. If The Cornish X can be raised here through the hottest months of the year with NO PROBLEMS then i DON'T see the Chanteclers batting an eye. My birds are provided with Clean abundant water,plenty of open range and shade. No fans and definitely NO AC.

 

[hellbender]

I keep hearing bred for the cold. The progenitors of this breed that donated their dna were dual purpose American and European stock. The Chanteclers are more than capable of handling warmer climates. They are suited for the cold. Simply because of smaller wattles and combs. There are many breeds that would fit this description. The good Monk WANTED A CANADIAN CHICKEN. So he bred his own. They don't have a unique physiology. Chanteclers provided suitable water and open areas with shade should have no problem handeling the heat and humidity. People raise them here in southeast texas,Ive ran across adds. If The Cornish X can be raised here through the hottest months of the year with NO PROBLEMS then i DON'T see the Chanteclers batting an eye. My birds are provided with Clean abundant water,plenty of open range and shade. No fans and definitely NO AC.

Makes sense. I think humidity is hard on all large fowl, more so than the heat.

 

[JRNash]

The humidity kills me

 

[hellbender]

The humidity kills me

Me too! When I was a kid, NOTHING bothered me except sitting still, regardless of the weather...It's pouring rain here now and I'm happy to sit here so relaxed and dry while my Indentured Servants slosh and muck around...doing my work AND theirs!

 

[DesertChic]

The humidity kills me

Ugh! I hate humidity! I grew up in Ohio and in the summer you never dried off....85 degrees with 85% humidity. Yuck! A few years after moving to AZ I had to go back to Ohio to visit my parents and swore that would be my last trip there. I woke up that first morning and couldn't move...every part of my body ached. That humidity is a killer!

This summer has been very humid here in southern AZ. I'm looking forward to everything drying out again. But, this week they're calling for record breaking high temps over 103 degrees, and our humidity is still hovering around 20-30%. Yuck! I'm ready for autumn.

Thanks for the input on the Chanteclers. I love coming here to the BYC threads. I have a whole slew of enablers.

 

[hellbender]

Ugh! I hate humidity! I grew up in Ohio and in the summer you never dried off....85 degrees with 85% humidity. Yuck! A few years after moving to AZ I had to go back to Ohio to visit my parents and swore that would be my last trip there. I woke up that first morning and couldn't move...every part of my body ached. That humidity is a killer!

This summer has been very humid here in southern AZ. I'm looking forward to everything drying out again. But, this week they're calling for record breaking high temps over 103 degrees, and our humidity is still hovering around 20-30%. Yuck! I'm ready for autumn.

Thanks for the input on the Chanteclers. I love coming here to the BYC threads. I have a whole slew of enablers.

I have honestly never shipped eggs or chicks but in the spring I would gladly send a dozen or so fertilized eggs. Nothing beats an effort...not even failure.

I'll be crossing the NNs to Chantecler and for that matter...three other breeds as well. My plan is to have nothing BUT rose or pea combed birds on the farm with the exception of the rekindled effort to breed exhibition quality NNs....must have straight combs...