BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[CanadianBuckeye]

lpatelski, those are amazing. That's a lot of chicken to eat

Have you seen any growth/health issues with your crossed chicks?

 

[Beer can]

I kinda liked @hellbender Demented Rabbit, and the big letters in his posts. Every time I read one of his posts I picture that rabbit hollering at me. Lol! The new avatar looks old and wise though.

 

[Beer can]

There was a discussion here recently on egg shape affecting hatchability. Believe I read long eggs don't hatch good?
With only two white giant pullets left I'm going to have to give it a try. One consistently lays a mid 60's gram normal shaped egg, other lays mid 80's gram long egg, not all of them that large but always a odd long shape. Will the larger sized help even though they are long? They are not double yolkers.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I doubt that big long egg will have any trouble hatching, but egg shape is heritable- so if you want to select away from those torpedo eggs, now is a good time to do it! Although if you want larger size, you can always hatch those eggs, get the size up and then hopefully you'll be able to select for size and shape together later. I've done a bit of digging around, with not much success, trying to research the selection of better egg shape.
I have done only one hatch, but small torpedo shaped eggs (between 50-60 grams) did not usually go anywhere- they might have been infertile or quit early. if the chick grew to lockdown they did manage to hatch from the long eggs. But I was very new to this, and I didn't pay as close attention to all that as I should have.
I'm just starting out with Buckeyes, and I'm in the same situation- I have a few small but nicely shaped eggs, big eggs but very poorly shaped,my best layer of X large eggs lays almost cigar shaped ones- and some pale, small, plus badly shaped eggs (too long, or irregular in shape). These eggs will be hatching my primary stock- it looks like a long uphill battle for egg size, colour and shape (unless I can add better egg laying ability stock down the road). But this is all I have for now. And I know others have succeeded producing some good laying Buckeyes so I'm hopeful.

Sadly my latest Buckeye hatching eggs were well scrambled in the courier ride, so I doubt many if any will hatch, but this time I'm watching which eggs actually hatch- size and shape.

 

[DesertChic]

There was a discussion here recently on egg shape affecting hatchability. Believe I read long eggs don't hatch good?
With only two white giant pullets left I'm going to have to give it a try. One consistently lays a mid 60's gram normal shaped egg, other lays mid 80's gram long egg, not all of them that large but always a odd long shape. Will the larger sized help even though they are long? They are not double yolkers.

All 3 of my Bielefelders lay variations of the torpedo eggs and they have definitely proven more difficult to hatch. I placed 6 of their eggs, 3 from each girl and all weighing over 2 ounces, in the incubator for my last hatch. Only one hatched. However....I put three of those torpedo eggs under my broody hen and all three hatched. Maybe a mother hen has the right touch to get them to hatch?

 

[cyborg]

I have been trying to post pics of my meatball chicks, but seem to have connection issues, the post has completely disappeared twice now while uploading. So, without pics, meatball batch #2 is approximately 3-4 days old, all active and feeding. I am starting them on NatureWise turkey starter at 30% protein, haven't weighed any of them yet.

Batch #1 is 2 1/2 weeks old now, averaging 1 3/4 pounds each. These are from Cackle hatchery, not sure which strain/line, but the feathering is pretty sparse. They have been moved to an outside grow out pen.

HA! Got at least one pic to load!

 

[cyborg]

Went out there again just now, and the fattest one I could catch weighed in at 1.96 pounds!

 

[lpatelski]

lpatelski, those are amazing. That's a lot of chicken to eat

Have you seen any growth/health issues with your crossed chicks?

Growth wise at times I have a slight toe curl in a few of the crossbred chicks. I cull heavily for feet. This maybe a carry-over from the White rocks. I also heard it is a humidity and or egg size thing as well. I just know that if I don't keep the vitamins at a certain level the fast growth is going to cause a weight issue. I can also see the angle of attachment being an issue. When there is too much weight on the outside of the feet. An imbalanced foot causes the inside toes to have less weight on them and curl in to compensate. This cockerel's inside toe his left foot started to curl-so culled him yesterday.

 

[bnjrob]

There was a discussion here recently on egg shape affecting hatchability. Believe I read long eggs don't hatch good?
With only two white giant pullets left I'm going to have to give it a try. One consistently lays a mid 60's gram normal shaped egg, other lays mid 80's gram long egg, not all of them that large but always a odd long shape. Will the larger sized help even though they are long? They are not double yolkers.

With ours, it is just how long or short the eggs are in relation to their width. There's like this intermediate area where I can get birds to hatch from a longer egg or an egg that doesn't have an obviously identifiable top and bottom end, but too far to either extreme and the hatch sucks. One thing I did discover with my rounder eggs is that they hatch better laying on their side, as opposed to having them sitting upright in a carton for hatching.

 

[bramblefir]

My ducklings and goslings are growing well and absolutely towering over the chicks that are in with them. I'm having the worst luck with my goose eggs though. Two were dead on day 25 and the third looks like it's dead now too (day 28). I'll candle it again this evening when it's darker. I still have 8 other eggs incubating; 3 under a broody hen and 5 in the bator.