BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

Growth curve is a term used to express the rate of growth and rate of decline. If you calculate the percentage gain weekly, on a chart, you will see it rapidly rise, then drop off. The peak of the growth curve is the point before rate of percentage gain begins to plummet. Different strains will look different on the chart. Some are rather flat, some are pretty sharp, some plateau, etc.
I use this expression because it describes adequately lbs. of feed per lb. of flesh. If they get to 75% of their weight at 14, 16, wks. etc. then we use twice as much feed to get a carcass that weights 10-15% more at 28wks etc.

The flatter the growth curve, the less suitable they are for this purpose.

The goal is to get an adequate carcass as close to that peak as possible. It is easier said than done, but once an acceptable target is established, then the birds can be properly evaluated and the progress tracked. That target might be two or three weeks past the peak, but then we can make progress. We cannot make progress just waiting until they get big enough. We are at the mercy of the flock, and the flock is applying the pressure rather than the breeder. That is upside down, and backwards. That is how some breeds and strains ended up where they are at. An absence of pressure on the traits that made them productive. It is use it or lose it. It takes years to recover what has been lost over years. It is possible that it is not even recoverable at a certain point.

All this requires is a pair of hands, interest, a scale, observation, and a calendar. Different years will have slightly different results. Weather, seasons, etc. play a role.

Anyone serious about breeding for production has to become familiar with how they grow out. It is not just when, but how. That is if they are interested in the production of fowl meat. You have to have targets, and you have to evaluate them. Otherwise we are just playing pretend. Anyone can raise up chicks, and dress them when they get big. How do we know unless we know?

All of the above expressions and numbers are just illustrations.

See...now I MUST take all that data I've been tracking on my newest flock and put it into a graph because this totally feeds into my slightly anal/control-freak/obsessive personality....LOL!

(Why I didn't think to do this already is a mystery to me.)

 

[DesertChic]

Don't use DE (Diatomaceous earth) in deep litter, I hear it kills the good microbes. I haven't ever put lime in mine, but I do put some wood ashes in with the sawdust.

DE is inert and doesn't effect microbes. It works to kill mites and other insects only by being ingested by them as these fossilized particles are sharp and jagged and rip up the digestive tract of the bugs. Those same particles are too large to be absorbed/ingested by microbes. The greatest threat the DE poses to chickens is by being inhaled and aggravating their respiratory systems, though mine don't seem to have a problem with it.

 

[Beer can]

I guess it doesn't directly kill the microbes, but apparently deep litter must have a little moisture.

 

[Our Roost]

I never thought of chicken poo as (kitty) litter? Ha. Unlike some animals and such, chickens expel their water intake out the rear end into their fecal waste. This contributes to the products people use for the deep litter method. Reccomended ventilation can and will remove a majority of the dampness but some is definitely absorbed into those products and yes, the soil if that is what you have underneath. Straw and hay products harvested from crops generally are not disinfected with pesticides before you purchase them. Unfortunately you can bring in mites, ticks, and lice along with other bacterial components. Now ask yourself again if using DE in moderation is worth some side effects? I think one has to way the benefeits verses the alternatives or another product or method. Is fireplace ashes a good alternative? I dunno but am asking.:/:/

 

[Shellz]

It's my understanding that DE is rendered useless once it makes contact with anything wet. Pretty sure a chicken is wet inside. Wish I had the link to a scientific study I found 2 years ago. It's why I decided to stop using it - proven ineffective by science & my own flock, so I'm not wasting my money. That's just how I roll - not criticizing anyone here.

 

[Shellz]

Ok, on another note...I'm striving for better record keeping this year. As gjenson posted earlier, I would like to weigh my birds more often. I need to know the easiest way to weigh large fowl when they start getting over a few pounds - outgrow the little, digital kitchen scale. Anybody got any ideas for best scale they use - how you do it? Also I have a rooster that's quite heavy & hard to manage. He's docile, but just not used to being handled much.

 

[Dueling Rooster]

I have been keeping a heat lamp in the coop mainly to keep their inside water from freezing. I have a light but turned it off as it didn't help with the egg laying situation. I had hoped the heat lamp would help but atlas, no avail. Counting what I have molting I should be vetting 10-12 eggs everyday but only getting half that. Just looking at some possibilities to increase egg production. Birds look good, healthy. Poop looks right. Eating good drinking good.

 

[Our Roost]

Shelley! So you agree that using wood ash is not only cheaper but kills mites as well?

 

[Our Roost]

A very smart acquaintance mentored me on outcrossing for a utility breed. The one thing she mentioned was weighing weekly. "YOU" have to decide at what weight you want to reach and when to cull or harvest your birds at. Your birds could reach 6 lbs for example but if you are happy eating a 4 1/2 lb bird, so be it. You can reach a growth peak where weight gain starts to drop significantly and you are spending good feed money trying to reach max weight of the breed. You are doing the right thing and I will do the same this year.
Getting a bird to cooperate on a scale is difficult. I tell them its a photo shoot but they will not pose! Try pulling up scales on google or the internet and browse thru what they have. A flat surfaced package scale might work.

 

[DesertChic]

I guess it doesn't directly kill the microbes, but apparently deep litter must have a little moisture.

Hmm....That makes sense since deep litter is essentially a form of composting. I live in the desert SW and have been using DE in my deep litter and it's still been decomposing normally. I even use DE in my straw bale garden without moisture issues. Interesting. Now I'm going to be watching all of this more closely.