BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Shellz]

  People like to play and experiment. There is nothing wrong with that. I did it for years, and still do on a different level. Some might become interested in real breeding. Most will not, but occasionally one will. I wish more would, because that is where the fun is. In the attempt to "perfect" something.


 That is where I decided I was going to commit to a breed, and the added challenge that goes with it. I decided to go with NHs because they had the type that I come to appreciate and the color that I came to admire. The problem was that there was none that was worth anything to be had. Just junk scrawny poorly colored hatchery birds. They were not even NHs. They were only red. LOL.

 Now I have added the Catalana. I proved to myself that I can maintain something, and gradually improve something. I wanted a re building project that I could call my own. The fundamentals of the color was one I had become familiar with.
 I enjoy the challenge of the problems. I enjoy the challenge of the color, the feather, the comb, the tail, the vigor, the health, the type, the size, the egg qty/quality and size, etc. etc. 10 years from now, I want to have something that is worth something, and call it my own. I will know where they started.

 So I have been there. I can relate with both sides. I only decided to take a step forward concerning the challenge, and breed productive birds that have history and a Standard. I can still experiment, but the experiments are side mating hoping to improve what I am working on.

Yes, this resonates a lot to me, but I got started late (in my 40s). I admire those who got an early start & got some good mentoring at an early age. I started with hatchery stock & was going nowhere fast goofing around with them!

I got the Malines in 2013, after a year of researching what breed would really fulfill our small family's needs. They've provided great meat & some eggs along with a stimulating challenge to keep them going.

 

[LindaB220]

You and everyone else!    I'm betting some on here who read that snorted and dismissed it out of hand.   Some STILL won't try it but continue to complain of pain.  I think most folks tend to poo poo something that seems so simple as not being strong enough to address the kind of pain THEY have....most have tried some heavy hitting drugs and sometimes even those don't work, but I have some pretty stiff pain going on nowadays and I wouldn't even recommend it if it didn't knock it down to size. 

You'll be needing that again any day now, won't you?  I'm hoping it all goes well and you have a swift recovery, Miss Linda! 

Thanks,honey. Yes, I will totally have my big bottle sitting by my bedside.

Going to the hospital today to do the pre-op workup for the 10th.

 

[Shellz]

Yep.  Some advise placing a warm, moist pack or pad over it to enhance the action but I never do that as it works just fine as is.  In the horse racing industry it's been used for ages on sprains, inflammations, etc. to get horses back on the track faster.  It can even draw infection from wounds.  It's pretty powerful on regrowing hair(African American women often use it to regrow damaged hair or gain length on their hair), skin, scales and hooves as well....I got to see that one on my birds here.  Also got to see how it worked on an old, gimpy rooster...gave him relief that lasted a long, long time. 

It's thick and goopy but has no smell, taste or odor.  I used it on plantar fasciitis recently and it worked quickly and lasted several days, I've used it on arthritis pain, neurological pain, herniated disc pain, etc. 

Don't let the medical community hear about us using it for pain...they'll revamp it, rejuvenate the patent and start charging an arm and a leg for it. 

Looking into this & going to try with our teen son. Tried everything else it seems, to no avail. Prescription meds don't even work. Can't hurt to try!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: As long as castor oil is still available as the cheap stuff, I'm good

I'm ready to buy a good book on herbal remedies, etc.

Quote:
ok I'm sold.

Since we eat a lot of chicken already AND I can get silkies from a friend that just loves his silky girls ( and on e rooster, other roosters went to a shelter) I would be willing to try back meat. I'll just pretend it is a new meat as it SURE is not gonna look like "chicken". lol We eat a lot of WILD blueberries and bough a few goji berry plants ( yet to see if they survived this extremely cold winter.) Kids already suck down broccai and spinach is hidden in their salads.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
LOL Another pyramid scheme!!


I actually started to consider the alpacas last fall when I realized the prices had dropped to about25% of what they were years ago. I like to knit and I used to love to spin, but that was years ago. THe alpaca fleece seems to be easier to clean as it lacks the oils found in sheep wool. Getting the beasty sheared would require someone skilled, and THAT is not ME.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
George, I think that older man came into your life at a perfect time. Without the years of playing with genetics in the mice and then the hatchery chickens you would not have had the background to hit the ground running with a good line of true heritage birds.

Lesson learned, hold back a breeding trio and a spare cock when you have something really good. If possible. BUt what happened to that fine line you had experience with seems to be the same ending so many many flocks experienced. THey are peices of fine art lost to history. I for one appreciate that you share your lifetime of experience!! Many thanks.

 

[Shellz]

George, I think that older man came into your life at a perfect time. Without the years of playing with genetics in the mice and then the hatchery chickens you would not have had the background to hit the ground running with a good line of true heritage birds.

Lesson learned, hold back a breeding trio and a spare cock when you have something really good.  If possible.  BUt what happened to that fine line you had experience with seems to be the same ending so many many flocks experienced. THey are peices of fine art lost to history. I for one appreciate that you share your lifetime of experience!!  Many thanks.

 

[gjensen]

George, I think that older man came into your life at a perfect time. Without the years of playing with genetics in the mice and then the hatchery chickens you would not have had the background to hit the ground running with a good line of true heritage birds.

Lesson learned, hold back a breeding trio and a spare cock when you have something really good. If possible. BUt what happened to that fine line you had experience with seems to be the same ending so many many flocks experienced. THey are peices of fine art lost to history. I for one appreciate that you share your lifetime of experience!! Many thanks.

That is the thing Arielle. I did not realize then how big a deal it was to enjoy a strain like that. We do not get it until we do I guess. I also did not know how rare the good stuff was. The backyard chicken movement had not started yet. The internet was just becoming something that was discussed etc. If you were not in the loop, you did not know. I only began to fully realize when I began looking for NHs.

 

[gjensen]

Looking into this & going to try with our teen son. Tried everything else it seems, to no avail. Prescription meds don't even work. Can't hurt to try!

I might try it to. I have SFN, and it would be worth trying anyways.

 

[bnjrob]

I actually started to consider the alpacas last fall when I realized the prices had dropped to about25% of what they were years ago. I like to knit and I used to love to spin, but that was years ago. THe alpaca fleece seems to be easier to clean as it lacks the oils found in sheep wool. Getting the beasty sheared would require someone skilled, and THAT is not ME.

I've got some alpaca fiber that I still have not finished carding that has been waiting for several years for me to finish - it is so snarled and has so many bits and pieces of vegetable matter stuck in it. But it was free and I just can't bring myself to throw it away. I've cleaned up worse sheep fleece so I can't give up on this bag of alpaca fiber yet. LOL. I want to have a few alpacas in the future for their fiber.