BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

@Beekissed WOW! Now those are some educational photos. I've never seen such yellow fat...and in such abundance. And those are some beautifully meaty carcasses. Do you skin your birds instead of plucking?

 

[Beekissed]

Castor Oil? Do you rub it on the skin or feed it to them?

On the skin. Don't want to feed it to them, just might skittle 'em.

 

[Beekissed]

@Beekissed WOW! Now those are some educational photos. I've never seen such yellow fat...and in such abundance. And those are some beautifully meaty carcasses. Do you skin your birds instead of plucking?

Almost always now. We used to pluck when I was growing up and I have plucked before~mostly CX~ but found I rarely ever roast a bird and use them more in dishes that don't require skin, so now I skin then for canning.

 

[AnthNDacula]

OK Beekissed. You've got my full attention. Those are beautiful birds... skin on or off. I'm hoping you will keep posting pics of those White Rocks every time you butcher them. I'd especially love to see direct profile shots with them on their backs to show breast development and flatness of back. Of course only if you have the time. I don't mean to be pushy. I'm just excited about your birds. I'd especially love to see one butchered at about 15 weeks if you ever do that.

You are clearly doing some things right. How long have you had this particular line of rocks and how do you choose your breeders?
Anthony

 

[AnthNDacula]

IMO, for good quality and healthy capons .. feed them like breeder birds, along with time to do some foraging. Dorking (or Wyandotte!) capons are the exact opposite of the CX broiler, and should be fed differently.

Sorry that I'm so dense but acronyms are my bane. What is IMO? And how do you like to feed your breeder birds?

 

[Beekissed]

OK Beekissed. You've got my full attention. Those are beautiful birds... skin on or off. I'm hoping you will keep posting pics of those White Rocks every time you butcher them. I'd especially love to see direct profile shots with them on their backs to show breast development and flatness of back. Of course only if you have the time. I don't mean to be pushy. I'm just excited about your birds. I'd especially love to see one butchered at about 15 weeks if you ever do that.

You are clearly doing some things right. How long have you had this particular line of rocks and how do you choose your breeders?
Anthony

IMO~In My Opinion

I'll try to remember that the next time I butcher and take some good pics of the cockerels from this line. This line is the start of my own making, but I got help from the donation of a great male WR from Ken Weaver, out of PA, and the male is out of Bob Blosl's original line of WRs. I crossed him over an ancient hatchery stock WR hen, then bred him back to the pullets from that mating. The male you see in the pic is his son, which looks almost identical to the sire.

The cockerels I butchered this year were 5 mo. and I rarely do them younger than that, but if I have a particularly big ol' boy at 4 mo. I'll try to process and get a pic for you. The current male I have would have been a good candidate for that...he's as broad as a barn and thick as a ham. But, since he WAS so very good, he was not eaten, but saved for breeding.

 

[dfr1973]

Sorry that I'm so dense but acronyms are my bane. What is IMO? And how do you like to feed your breeder birds?

Sorry, IMO = In My Opinion (so take it FWIW ... For What It's Worth

) Chicks get Dumor 24% protein chick starter for 4-6 weeks, depending on weather - I feed it longer for those hatched during the colder months. While they are still on the Starter, I begin to feed them some fermented wet scratch. I started my ferment liquid with a probiotics powder from the feed store a couple years ago, and have only needed to restart the original once, then added a second glass jar (2 gallon size). Once they are fully feathered, I shift them over to what I feed all birds as the base feed: 1/3 Mid-South Game Cock Maintenance, 1/3 Purina FlockRaiser, and a third fermented scratch. I do decrease the fermented scratch once the heat hits in the summer, but do not cut it out completely due to the moisture and lactobacilli. My birds also rotate out for "ranging" time in the electric enclosure to stretch their legs and wings, plus hunt up whatever insect, lizard, or small amphibian they can catch.

Apparently, even my layers look good on this, as when I set mine in the auction Saturday afternoon the first comment I heard was how healthy they look. The fellow who made the remark won three of the hens. I do know that I love to look out my window and see everyone not in molt shining in the sun.

I'll mention that hellbender has a specific "finishing" diet he feeds for either the last couple weeks or last month, plus being in a finishing pen, but I'll let him elaborate on that. I have not bothered to fully finish my birds, as I am pleased with the flavor they have on their regular diet.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I'm so glad to hear he's healing well! Though I'm insanely jealous that he gets more spa treatment than I do.

If it were me, I would probably switch out some of the egg and meal worms with shelled sunflower seeds, but in moderation, and add ACV to the water and probiotics to the feed. He's already getting a lot of fat, protein and calories from the flock raiser so I'm not sure that so much supplementation is needed. I'd worry about him packing on too much fat since he's not able to exercise much.

Thanks - yeah, he gets better spa treatments than I do! It turns out to also be one of the best ways to get to examine how his healing is going, so it's worth it. Antibiotics are done as of tonight, so no more eggs - just flock raiser and whatever little bits he can peck out of the hulled sunflower/mealworm treat basket (he doesn't get much at a time). Good point about probiotics, I have some Sav-A-Chick Probiotics somewhere here - I guess that would go into the water?

Thanks!

- Ant Farm

 

[Beer can]

@Beekissed do you leave the fat on when you can? Do you debone them? Keep the meat a mix, or separate out the breast?
My mother always canned the old birds. I just freeze and crock pot, easy to monitor. I tried the pressure cooker again for a tough rooster a couple weeks ago, almost ruined it, can't see it in them. Only cooked it 20 minutes, but let it cool down before opening. It was still together but I had to be extra careful removing the meat, borderline falling apart. Made excellent soup!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I got a lot of fat like that on my Naked Necks that I culled in December (it was impressive - and lots more than the New Hampshires at identical age and feed). I didn't skin like Beekissed, but there was extra that came off around organs or near where incision was made. I put it in the bag with the other soup-making stuff (necks and feet) to render. So good with potatoes!

- Ant Farm