BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bmvf]

So I decided not the start a 'breeding for beginners' thread. This thread and the comments on it are exactly what I'm looking to breed for.

My New Hampshire chicks are doing very well. They are already starting to jump out of the little kiddie pool that we were keeping them in. So today we moved them to my normal brooding box in the garage. They don't seem to need a heat lamp but I have it on if they need it. They have plenty of room to avoid it if desired.

Considering I want to be selecting birds from this group for breeding, what should I be doing for the first 2-3 months? I don't have any parent ID, so I wasn't going to ID any birds until I select which birds will be my breeding stock. I've read that I should be weighing birds at 8 weeks. Anything else? When should I separate male and female?

 

[LindaB220]

So I decided not the start a 'breeding for beginners' thread. This thread and the comments on it are exactly what I'm looking to breed for.

My New Hampshire chicks are doing very well. They are already starting to jump out of the little kiddie pool that we were keeping them in. So today we moved them to my normal brooding box in the garage. They don't seem to need a heat lamp but I have it on if they need it. They have plenty of room to avoid it if desired.

Considering I want to be selecting birds from this group for breeding, what should I be doing for the first 2-3 months? I don't have any parent ID, so I wasn't going to ID any birds until I select which birds will be my breeding stock. I've read that I should be weighing birds at 8 weeks. Anything else? When should I separate male and female?

Wise choice. I like this thread. Good advice without a lot of guff.

 

[gjensen]

Arielle, you know that all of that varies by strain.

I think the Dominique is under rated. They have a good laying type and have a lot of potential. There type is a lot like a Leghorn with a little more flesh. They could be selected to mature fast enough to reach some level of efficiency. I like their size. Large enough to be considered dual purpose, but small enough to not be classed with the big birds with big appetites. They could be, should be, thrifty. They also have a reputation for going broody.
Like everything else, it would vary by strain. I do believe they have a lot of potential as a "homestead" type bird. No one wants to hear this, but the hatchery bird do not have the greatest reputation. it might be best to find someone that knows their birds, and has done well with their birds.
As the oldest American breed, I would like to see them do well.

Think about what they were. They were probably game mixes early on. The were a bird for the small farm with no cabinet incubator, no electricity for fans or lights, their was no Tractor Supply etc. Yes they got passed p by the more popular Rocks, and the Rocks went in another direction. At a time when agriculture was becoming mechanized, there was plenty of grain, and it was affordable. The Dominique on the other hand ruled the day when people were settling the west, the south was entirely rural except for a few cities here and there. The birds got thrown a little corn, and the birds figured the rest out. In return they were decent layers of medium sized eggs, and reared their own replacements.

I mentioned the Anconas, and I would stand by that. A very under appreciated beautiful and productive bird. On a small farm where they were allowed to range, they would eat a lot less than the big birds, and produce as much or more.

The Sicilian Buttercup is a unique and delightful bird. If they had been imported recently with a beautiful story, they would be all the rage. Instead they sit in obscurity. They are not famous as Leghorn type producers, but they are a light fowl that could get much of their food from the tree line. They could be decent layers, where the hens were as colorful as the males. A lot less feed, and enough medium sized eggs to keep a family in eggs. I would find the best I could from someone that showed them, and then find the best hatchery for them. I would go from there.

I think the Minorca is too big too fall in this category, but they could be good birds for niche market eggs when free ranged.

The Catalana is probably the most overlooked and rare of all of them, but I am tickled with them. The hang up is that they are not really available. They are all business. I have went on about them enough, but they are a good example of how the best farm type birds do not interest anyone.

The Campine and Hamburg are good looking birds that could be good layers, and active on range. They are not going to eat as much as the big birds. I love a good looking Golden Campine. Some strains might not be as healthy as they should. I have heard that, but we hear a lot of things that are not true.

Cubalaya would be an excellent example.

I could name a lot more, and this could be debated until the end of time. On this point I am saying that the lighter breeds that eat less (and cost less), rustle up more of their own, and are as productive or more productive than the big birds are worth considering. They are the most neglected and overlooked. We prefer big, fluffy, and cuddly LOL.
The less they need, the more sustainable they are.

In third world countries what you see running around the farms are often games and game mixes. Our breeds started that way. Like the Dominique. We have moved up and past that for better, but I think there is a value and lesson there worth keeping in mind. That is what makes those birds sustainable.

 

[southernmomma]

Arielle, I would add one more to gjensens list, only because I think they're really cool.........and your buckeye breeder has them~ La Fleche.​

M

 

[Turk Raphael]

Arielle, you know that all of that varies by strain.

I think the Dominique is under rated. They have a good laying type and have a lot of potential. There type is a lot like a Leghorn with a little more flesh. They could be selected to mature fast enough to reach some level of efficiency. I like their size. Large enough to be considered dual purpose, but small enough to not be classed with the big birds with big appetites. They could be, should be, thrifty. They also have a reputation for going broody.
Like everything else, it would vary by strain. I do believe they have a lot of potential as a "homestead" type bird. No one wants to hear this, but the hatchery bird do not have the greatest reputation. it might be best to find someone that knows their birds, and has done well with their birds.
As the oldest American breed, I would like to see them do well.

Think about what they were. They were probably game mixes early on. The were a bird for the small farm with no cabinet incubator, no electricity for fans or lights, their was no Tractor Supply etc. Yes they got passed p by the more popular Rocks, and the Rocks went in another direction. At a time when agriculture was becoming mechanized, there was plenty of grain, and it was affordable. The Dominique on the other hand ruled the day when people were settling the west, the south was entirely rural except for a few cities here and there. The birds got thrown a little corn, and the birds figured the rest out. In return they were decent layers of medium sized eggs, and reared their own replacements.

I mentioned the Anconas, and I would stand by that. A very under appreciated beautiful and productive bird. On a small farm where they were allowed to range, they would eat a lot less than the big birds, and produce as much or more.

The Sicilian Buttercup is a unique and delightful bird. If they had been imported recently with a beautiful story, they would be all the rage. Instead they sit in obscurity. They are not famous as Leghorn type producers, but they are a light fowl that could get much of their food from the tree line. They could be decent layers, where the hens were as colorful as the males. A lot less feed, and enough medium sized eggs to keep a family in eggs. I would find the best I could from someone that showed them, and then find the best hatchery for them. I would go from there.

I think the Minorca is too big too fall in this category, but they could be good birds for niche market eggs when free ranged.

The Catalana is probably the most overlooked and rare of all of them, but I am tickled with them. The hang up is that they are not really available. They are all business. I have went on about them enough, but they are a good example of how the best farm type birds do not interest anyone.

The Campine and Hamburg are good looking birds that could be good layers, and active on range. They are not going to eat as much as the big birds. I love a good looking Golden Campine. Some strains might not be as healthy as they should. I have heard that, but we hear a lot of things that are not true.

Cubalaya would be an excellent example.

I could name a lot more, and this could be debated until the end of time. On this point I am saying that the lighter breeds that eat less (and cost less), rustle up more of their own, and are as productive or more productive than the big birds are worth considering. They are the most neglected and overlooked. We prefer big, fluffy, and cuddly LOL.
The less they need, the more sustainable they are.

In third world countries what you see running around the farms are often games and game mixes. Our breeds started that way. Like the Dominique. We have moved up and past that for better, but I think there is a value and lesson there worth keeping in mind. That is what makes those birds sustainable.

I've been kicking around the idea of breaking the (one breed) rule we had at to other place, where we only had 3 acres. We have a lot of room here, both barns and land. My notion is to have the Buckeyes for exhibition, reasonable egg production and meat from the culls, which should be plentiful. I'm considering getting a breed that is known for heave egg production as well.

I never considered it before but I could unload (sell) many dozens of free range eggs at work. Still in the planning stage...planning to look into breeds and how to get it through a 'family squabble Discussion' without bloodshed.

As a matter of fact, my partner has hundreds of potential customers at work.

 

[jonsccm]

I think that one reason that Hatcheries are demonized is because most of the birds have been crossed with leghorns to bump up the  egg production.  That's why I can't get my hands on any of my birds.  They run screaming if I try to  pet or even touch one.  I want to try something different this time.   

I have a couple exchanger leghorn chicks from meyer hatchery about a month old, and they are friendly to a fault! One is obsessed with being held! Even by my 4 year old daughter. If anyone goes in the run she will stop what she is doing and run up to you stand there looking up and chirps until you pick her up. It's the weirdest thing ever! Most ode the others could care less. But all I'm saying is even hatchery chickens can be good. It seems that all of mine once the get to laying calm right down and get to be almost lap birds! Could be that I'm just lucky but who knows. Hatcheries are not all bad. Just throwing out my experience.

 

[bnjrob]

So I decided not the start a 'breeding for beginners' thread. This thread and the comments on it are exactly what I'm looking to breed for.

My New Hampshire chicks are doing very well. They are already starting to jump out of the little kiddie pool that we were keeping them in. So today we moved them to my normal brooding box in the garage. They don't seem to need a heat lamp but I have it on if they need it. They have plenty of room to avoid it if desired.

Considering I want to be selecting birds from this group for breeding, what should I be doing for the first 2-3 months? I don't have any parent ID, so I wasn't going to ID any birds until I select which birds will be my breeding stock. I've read that I should be weighing birds at 8 weeks. Anything else? When should I separate male and female?

Personally I like to put colored leg bands on the birds well before it's time to choose who stays and who goes. That way I can watch them as they grow and note the ones that grow faster/slower, who starts laying first, who starts crowing first, who is a jackass and will be eaten, who is more dominant/subordinate. When you're running birds that all look the same, one of them can catch your eye for something good or bad, but they get back into the group and you can't tell one from the other unless they have something to ID them.

I like to separate by gender as soon as I can tell who is who and housing is ready for them. So far separating them by at least 2 months old is working better for us. Get them separated well before anybody gets an idea that there is such a thing as the opposite sex. It also has helped being able to put in two different age groups together easier because none of the males were anywhere near maturity yet and they were all still young and scared to be thrown out into the pen so I didn't have to build a creep feeder for the younger ones.

 

[ronott1]

I have a couple exchanger leghorn chicks from meyer hatchery about a month old, and they are friendly to a fault! One is obsessed with being held! Even by my 4 year old daughter. If anyone goes in the run she will stop what she is doing and run up to you stand there looking up and chirps until you pick her up. It's the weirdest thing ever! Most ode the others could care less. But all I'm saying is even hatchery chickens can be good. It seems that all of mine once the get to laying calm right down and get to be almost lap birds! Could be that I'm just lucky but who knows. Hatcheries are not all bad. Just throwing out my experience.

Same here with Partridge Penedesencas that I got from Our Fly Babies. I pick up the Rooster each afternoon and carry him out to a breeding pen. He is very calm and friendly. Opposite of the description you get from the Chicken places.

The also stand confinement just fine.

 

[neopolitancrazy]

My family and I have had hatchery birds all my life, and I still drool over the McMurray, Cackle and Ideal catalogs. Seven years ago, my husband and I moved back to the country, and we got more hatchery birds as I really missed "yard eggs" and happy chicken noises. A few years later, I found Bob Blosl's photo essay on the difference between hatchery and standard-bred Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds, and I was an instant convert to standard-bred chickens. Now I am working on developing a flock of Dorkings that is not only up to exhibition standards, but vigorous and productive as well. We may or may not add an egg breed, but will certainly have an egg flock while I am working on getting the Dorking eggs up to a large size.
All that is to say, hatchery birds fill a niche, and fill it well.
Best wishes,
Angela

 

[Arielle]

If you have a goal age to put into the freezer, would that weight at that age be the most helpful?? Just because a bird fills out heavier than another at a later date, how is that helpful?

I noticed my boys start running the girls-- I would think they should be culled by then or put into bachleor pens out of sight of the girls, to finish the selection as breeder stock.

I haven't figured out how to free range girls and boys separately. WOnder how YHF does it??