BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[LeslieDJoyce]

Traditionally pullet eggs are used for baking. they are supposed to make the rise higher. They are still used for baking. The egg whites and other already processed eggs that bakeries use come from pullet eggs. That is what commercial egg batteries do with them.

For sure no eggs are going to waste. They can also go in liquid egg products, etc.. So we're not going to save the world one pullet egg at a time.

Here, we know people who like to make egg creams, and they like the pullet eggs for that, so we tend to save pullet eggs for those people, if we aren't using them ourselves one way or another. I pull anything under a certain weight from the cartons we sell.

 

[hellbender]

I just caught up the cockerel I call Bigfoot and "marked" his comb with Blu-Kote so I can easily identify him in the dark, then hubby took a few pics. Bigfoot is from the October 19th hatch, and will be the only one I grow out without caponizing..

Do you let 'em get that big before you caponize, as a rule?

EDIT: I use Blue Cote mixed with alcohol and a touch of propylene glycol as a marker for white birds...can't beat it.

I use other colored dyes for dark colored birds.

 

[hellbender]

First...I've been away from the BYC for a few days dealing with family issues, and I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to Dumbledore. What a beautiful rooster! And what a heart-wrenching tragedy for both of you to endure. I'm glad he's recovering well. Chickens really are amazing. When my favorite NN was stung by a Bark Scorpion I was convinced he would die, but with just a few hours of TLC he recovered full and told me when he was ready to be released from my care to return to his flock. We can learn a lot from our chickens.

Now...to your question...when I hatched this past summer I simply collected the eggs and left them in a basket on a shelf in my air conditioned house with room temps around 78 degrees. I had a 100% hatch rate after collecting eggs for five days. As long as you don't wait too many days I really don't think you're going to have any problems with keeping them at room temperature.

78* is room temp. in your house? We begin to salivate and lick our arms like kangaroos at 72*!!

 

[Kassaundra]

78* is room temp. in your house? We begin to salivate and lick our arms like kangaroos at 72*!!

If I didn't have to pay the electric bill I'd go to 78 in the winter especially. 72 warrants long sleeves and maybe a light jacket, below 70 is a coat, and below 65 usually 2 coats (happens at work all the time, I work w/ polar bears)

 

[dfr1973]

Do you let 'em get that big before you caponize, as a rule?

EDIT: I use Blue Cote mixed with alcohol and a touch of propylene glycol as a marker for white birds...can't beat it.

I use other colored dyes for dark colored birds.

Not usually, but my assistant (hubby) had the sinus crud last week, and the only good morning for it this week weather-wise was when I had an early appointment up in the little city. As for the Blu-Kote, I just need to be able to tell him from the others in the dark, and it takes me about as week to wash Blu-Kote off my hands/fingers/arms.

78* is room temp. in your house? We begin to salivate and lick our arms like kangaroos at 72*!!

Here in the summer, we do around 82F for room temp. If you try to go lower on one of these older houses, the electric bill will give you a heart attack.

I just got back from the livestock auction, and laying hens must be at a premium right now! I made out like a little bandit just taking six layers and one Silkie cockerel ... of course, the youngest hen (actually pullet, but everything is labeled hen rooster or chick at the auction) laid an egg a couple hours before she went across the table, so all prospective bidders had proof of laying.

 

[AnthNDacula]

So I tracked down Dr. Brigid McCrea at Delaware State University. She heads up The Center for Small Flock Research and Innovation. She also did the research and wrote the paper on Delaware chicken production vs. Cornish Cross chicken production. In broadest terms it says the following:

Delawares reached a slaughter weight of approximately 2.2 KG at 15 weeks and ate approximately 220 KG of feed.

Cornish Cross reached a slaughter weight of approx. 2.2 KG at 6 weeks and ate approximately 100 KG of feed.

There was a lot of other technical stuff, but I was able to glean that much.

First of all I'm amazed there is a center at a university dedicated to helping people like us. Second I'd like to talk to the woman who makes it happen. So I've emailed Dr. McCrea, and she has graciously offered to talk to me on the phone. Does anyone have any questions they would like to suggest?

Anthony

Apologies! I was so excited by the response from Dr. McCrae I forgot I was posting on a public forum here. Guess I'm guilty of the same stupidity kids are when they post inappropriate pictures of themselves on-line for all eternity. You'd think at 51 I'd know better. I didn't say anything about discussing what Dr. McCrea might say in such a forum, so it would be a terrible breach of confidentiality if I did so. Please forgive my lack of judgement and accept my retraction. I will to keep any suggested questions in mind in case there is a future opportunity for me to ask them with full disclosure. And feel free to kick me in the pants for unwarranted indiscretion.

 

[hellbender]

If I didn't have to pay the electric bill I'd go to 78 in the winter especially. 72 warrants long sleeves and maybe a light jacket, below 70 is a coat, and below 65 usually 2 coats (happens at work all the time, I work w/ polar bears)

As I think you know, we have 'free' natural gas but just can not stand a hot house. I have my bedroom windows open ALL winter or I would choke to death.

EDIT.. Speaking of utilities...internet access at our house in Brasil is worse than what we have in WV (Frontier Communications)...never thought it cold be worse. We are about 30 miles from the main city. Didn't have access from last night until about 2 hours ago.

 

[angry rooster]

So I tracked down Dr. Brigid McCrea at  Delaware State University.  She heads up The Center for Small Flock Research and Innovation.  She also did the research and wrote the paper on Delaware chicken production vs. Cornish Cross chicken production.  In broadest terms it says the following:

Delawares reached a slaughter weight of approximately 2.2 KG at 15 weeks and ate approximately 220 KG of feed.

Cornish Cross reached a slaughter weight of approx. 2.2 KG at 6 weeks and ate approximately 100 KG of feed.

There was a lot of other technical stuff, but I was able to glean that much.  

First of all I'm amazed there is a center at a university dedicated to helping people like us.  Second I'd like to talk to the woman who makes it happen.  So I've emailed Dr. McCrea, and she has graciously offered to talk to me on the phone.  Does anyone have any questions they would like to suggest?  

Anthony

Is there any difference in nutritional value is protein %

 

[hellbender]

Is there any difference in nutritional value is protein %

Oh...absolutely...but I'm very tired and will let someone else lay it out...

RON

 

[Beekissed]

If I didn't have to pay the electric bill I'd go to 78 in the winter especially. 72 warrants long sleeves and maybe a light jacket, below 70 is a coat, and below 65 usually 2 coats (happens at work all the time, I work w/ polar bears)

I'm with HB on this one...anything above 71* in the winter has me shedding clothes and opening a window, trying to put my hair up because it's dripping with sweat. Must be our mountain upbringing, 'cause I'm outside in shorts and Tshirt when it's 50*-60*.

I used to sleep with my window open in the winter and wake to find snow on my blankets.