BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[3riverschick]

Joybelles,

I'm looking into buying some Basques. They are the friendliest birds ever. Everybody mentions it. I chose them because of the heat factor in Louisiana. They come from Spain and are heat resistant. Ordering eggs early next month, some Basques and some Coronation Sussex. So excited.

That's really true about the Basque ( Euskal Oila) . They newborn chicks will run right to your hand and try to climb into it.
I considered the breed once. Did a lot of digging and research on it a couple of years ago and posted onto the original EO forum. translated some of the Spanish language papers into English. A fascinating , government created breed.
Best,
Karen

 

[Joybelles]

Thank you for the feedback and recommendations! I will look into the Basque as well. I suppose I could always get more than one breed and "test drive" them to see which fits my needs better?

 

[Arielle]

Thank you for the feedback and recommendations! I will look into the Basque as well. I suppose I could always get more than one breed and "test drive" them to see which fits my needs better?

Yes, you can definitely do this. Surprizingly these birds do vary a bit in subtle ways that can sway our choices. Living conditions also effect the birds, so what works for one p erson may not for another.

I had a group of EE/Am that kept close to home and didn't roam far. I was a bit disappointed but like the eggs,a nd the loved the girls and the boy was good enough. Decide in early sparing to move them to the new cooop when clearly the birds for that coop would not be coming ( another story for antoher time) and those birds loved it there. THe boy loved nothaving to consatntly defend his space and his girls fromt he other 10 roosters . He and his grils comb the woods far and wide and only run i nto 1 rooster. I was very surprized to see how far these birds roam. ALl a matter of circumstances.

 

[Turk Raphael]

Thank you for the feedback and recommendations! I will look into the Basque as well. I suppose I could always get more than one breed and "test drive" them to see which fits my needs better?

I took one breed for a 'test drive' that lasted three years. The egg production was great but they produced far more eggs than we could eat and the so-called other part of the dual-purpose was almost totally lacking. They dressed out like road-runners.

We have settled in for the long haul on another breed and in fact, we doubled our order of a meat-breed to get us through until we can get to our prime objective. Still a learning process.

 

[LindaB220]

I took one breed for a 'test drive' that lasted three years. The egg production was great but they produced far more eggs than we could eat and the so-called other part of the dual-purpose was almost totally lacking. They dressed out like road-runners.

We have settled in for the long haul on another breed and in fact, we doubled our order of a meat-breed to get us through until we can get to our prime objective. Still a learning process.

What kind did you have?

 

[Turk Raphael]

What kind did you have?

I almost afraid to say. Australorps.

 

[LindaB220]

I almost afraid to say. Australorps.

Bahahahaha Should've known. Chuckle

 

[gjensen]

You are better off with less birds that lay more, than more birds that lay less. That is if our concerns are practical concerns.

A good Australorp should have a decent carcass. It is unfortunate that the hatchery birds do not. Many do not want to show birds, and they buy such and such breed expecting one thing. Then they get another. They did not get what they paid for. They paid for a dual purpose bird, but they didn't get one. If they do not want to process them and eat them, then I guess they are ok.

I drove out of State to pick some New Hampshires up for Kathy Bonham. The person I drove to was getting rid of Australorps. I almost came home with them. They were pretty darn good. Many of the exhibition strains I have been around were more like Orpingtons. They also looked like more than I had in the hand. These were different. They were solid birds. They were good sized birds. Sometimes I wish that I had brought them home. I could have at least found someone that wanted good Australorps. I do not know if they were good layers, but the eggs were big eggs.

The point is that for some of these breeds, they are out there. It takes some digging to locate them, and maybe a disappointment before success. I wish that it was different, because it should not be so hard to locate something worth working with.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

All about which line!!

 

[bmvf]

I just ordered some Cornish x's and a few Pioneer birds from Murray hatchery. I want some birds ASAP for meat.

One question I have as I search for good Delawares that I can't seem to locate. If I crossed them with a New Hampshire, can they be sex link? What color would the males be? What breeds could I use with a Delaware to produce a white male?