BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ocap]

I am considering doing this with bantams. Making a half sized utility strain. Not as small as the bantam where the hens are supposed to be 22oz, but not as large as the large fowl. Maybe hens around 40oz.

Would you need to go pure Leghorn or would a hatchery strain that has (maybe) 20% leghorn work for your ideas? I hatched some half hatchery and half Standard Australorp last spring and like the shape of the pullets that I have not culled.

edited for spelling

 

[LindaB220]

Quote:
I was pleased with the Super Blue Egg Layers that DMRippy sent me. Crested Cream Legbar over Leghorn. The eggs are very light blue but bang on everyday. A smaller bird still but will get a little bigger and has good breast size. Very docile. I only kept 2 pullets, (regret that now) and gave away all the k's. I sold 8 pullets to free up room. Now I'm buying eggs until new batch starts laying. I'll be incubating the white rocks so still not many eggs. The second blue egg layer will start laying soon. The excess white rocks will give me good eating when the time comes. Not a quick bird by any means but with hybrid matches I'll do it quicker. Delaware and New Hampshire are something I want to get into my mixture.

 

[DesertChic]

Naked Necks do have a practical advantage. Less protein and energy devoted to the production and maintenance of feather. Not only are they naked in sections, but they have less feather elsewhere. Usually when you look at a NN, you get what you see. They have a face only a mother could love, but they do have their advantages.

The Beilefelders in the States should not be called by that name. I am a long time admirer of the breed. I have admired the birds in Germany for a decade. I considered making some, but decided against it. I was disappointed to see what Greenfire had. I would have purchased some if they were remotely as good as what I had admired all of those years. I still toy with the idea of making them as bantams.

I've become surprisingly fond and quite impressed with my little NNs. (I still think they look rather like vultures when they mature, but that look actually fits in well here in the desert.

)

I never had the pleasure of seeing authentic German Biels but I can imagine they were quite a sight. In this case I feel fortunate for the whole "ignorance is bliss" aspect since I really like the looks of these birds and all I've read about them. Not having that basis of comparison leaves them "unruined" for me. Your comment does resurrect the memory of a distant conversation I had with a friend of mine in Europe regarding agricultural practices over there vs. here in the U.S. His opinion is that the way the animals are fed and handled over there seems to render them far superior to what's typically raised here in the U.S. That discussion played a huge part in my development of a feeding plan for my flock(s). Maybe the dietary differences contribute to the inferior appearance of Biels and other such breeds here in the U.S.???

 

[DesertChic]

Just posting this now because with so few birds here, comparatively speaking, I have plenty of time on my hands and finally I feel retired.

All told, there are fewer than 100 birds here and that is a very manageable crowd and for as long as chickens are raised on this farm, there will always be Naked-Necks. However, my plan is (except for birds being bred for conformation), we intend to have nothing but birds WITHOUT straight combs.

I may be going through a second childhood or the first stages of senility but over the last year or so, I've become increasingly attracted to the pea, rose, walnut combed types and decided we could do as we pleased. It was an easy decision to make and to pull off because of our interest in meat birds like Buckeyes and Dark Cornish.



Also posted on another thread.

Congratulations on your retirement!

 

[DesertChic]

A 90 day old RB pullet who finally exhibiting some dual purpose qualities - both body cavity and breast.

How big (heavy) are your RBs when processed? I've only recently become aware of this breed and am curious to hear all that owners of them have to share.

 

[hellbender]

Congratulations on your retirement!

Thank you ...I've been retired for almost 5 years but it just didn't seem like it...

 

[Arielle]

-- Thank you LInda for mentioning DOnnas SUper blue egg layers. I was trying to remember how she called them.

THis brings up the important point that crossbreds is a viable option for production. It is a viable commercial production model as crossbreds are the back bone of the beef, hog, lamb and chciken industry. Because heterosis adds to the rate of growth and other particulars like survivability, feed efficiency and more. THis is the theory anyway. THe CX is the result of careful breeding and careful niching of two breeds. The latter is a matter of finding published works of efforts by other breeders, or trial and error.

Having good birds to cross breed also requires good purebred strains too.

Another point I would like to bring up is that we are discussing the merits of each breed or line of chickens of heritage or other non-commercial type, and these are a far cry from the CX and leghorn production hen. Meaning that find a bird that thrills you and go ahead and dig in. If you are like me, that as too much for a noobie just getting started in a whole new animal to breed, so I started with an order of 25 buckeyes from a good breeder. It was not a big investment when I think of other bills. WHen I think of the feed bill to raise them-- or to build their housing-- Those added up to far more.

I added Meyers pullets to my trio of SS. Figured they would be pushing for egg production and often egg production seems to get lost in the exhibition birds for some reason IMHO.

Brown egg layer-- ISA brown.
meat-- red rangers

I got stuck on a heritage breed because I wanted to be a part of that history. I have come to realize buying a boat load of chicks is only the beginning. . . . and I will need to put in years of selection and harvesting to be more than a wanna be.

 

[gjensen]

I've become surprisingly fond and quite impressed with my little NNs. (I still think they look rather like vultures when they mature, but that look actually fits in well here in the desert.

)

I never had the pleasure of seeing authentic German Biels but I can imagine they were quite a sight. In this case I feel fortunate for the whole "ignorance is bliss" aspect since I really like the looks of these birds and all I've read about them. Not having that basis of comparison leaves them "unruined" for me. Your comment does resurrect the memory of a distant conversation I had with a friend of mine in Europe regarding agricultural practices over there vs. here in the U.S. His opinion is that the way the animals are fed and handled over there seems to render them far superior to what's typically raised here in the U.S. That discussion played a huge part in my development of a feeding plan for my flock(s). Maybe the dietary differences contribute to the inferior appearance of Biels and other such breeds here in the U.S.???

Whether or not the difference between good German Beilefelders, and those here is diet? . . . . Absolutely not. It is purely genetic. The reality is less than average stock was imported (and poor selections since), and being a German breed (a new one developed in the 80s using American breeds) the good ones are still in Germany. You would have to have an understanding of good Beilefelder type to get it. The birds here have the color pattern, and little more. I could get that color pattern in a few generations with Welsummers and Barred Rocks etc.
Possibly someone here with them could breed them up to be something. Unfortunately the interest for the most part is people that will have them today, and not tomorrow. I say unfortunate because I admire the breed. It would be nice to see some good birds here. It will be interesting to see who has what five and ten years from now.

The Germans are good animal breeders. So are the Dutch and others. There are fine poultry breeders across the pond. There are some here as well. I do have to tip my hat to the poultry breeders in Germany though.

The idea that they feed their poultry better than us, is not grounded in facts. It might be some impression that some have, but that means very little. If you actually read the labels on their bags of poultry feed, you will see they are very similar to ours over all. The biggest differences being product availability.

 

[RedRidge]

A 90 day old RB pullet who finally exhibiting some dual purpose qualities - both body cavity and breast.

How big (heavy) are your RBs when processed? I've only recently become aware of this breed and am curious to hear all that owners of them have to share.

Only foundation stock and F1s have been processed. Half to 2/3 what I'd like with not near the breast meat. That said, the best are belong used for breeders to create F2 and BC1 generations. They are improving, but it's a gradual thing. My goal is to have the carcasses I have on my reds... 7 lb carcass on an 8 month bird

 

[gjensen]

-- Thank you LInda for mentioning DOnnas SUper blue egg layers. I was trying to remember how she called them.

THis brings up the important point that crossbreds is a viable option for production. It is a viable commercial production model as crossbreds are the back bone of the beef, hog, lamb and chciken industry. Because heterosis adds to the rate of growth and other particulars like survivability, feed efficiency and more. THis is the theory anyway. THe CX is the result of careful breeding and careful niching of two breeds. The latter is a matter of finding published works of efforts by other breeders, or trial and error.

Having good birds to cross breed also requires good purebred strains too.

Another point I would like to bring up is that we are discussing the merits of each breed or line of chickens of heritage or other non-commercial type, and these are a far cry from the CX and leghorn production hen. Meaning that find a bird that thrills you and go ahead and dig in. If you are like me, that as too much for a noobie just getting started in a whole new animal to breed, so I started with an order of 25 buckeyes from a good breeder. It was not a big investment when I think of other bills. WHen I think of the feed bill to raise them-- or to build their housing-- Those added up to far more.

I added Meyers pullets to my trio of SS. Figured they would be pushing for egg production and often egg production seems to get lost in the exhibition birds for some reason IMHO.

Brown egg layer-- ISA brown.
meat-- red rangers

I got stuck on a heritage breed because I wanted to be a part of that history. I have come to realize buying a boat load of chicks is only the beginning. . . . and I will need to put in years of selection and harvesting to be more than a wanna be.

The CX of today is not the blending of two breeds. It is simpler for people to understand that they are Cornish x Rocks, but that is not the case.

There is some value in breed crosses at home. I think there could be a role for Standard breeds in traditional simple crosses where one can effectively manage two breeds.