BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[3riverschick]

Check the Louisiana State BYC group. Maybe someone near you who you didn't know about has one to share. I have three but I am in western PA and they wouldn't reach you until yours did. I needed an extra one lasts season. Asked on my local BYC list and a lady near me offered just the bator I needed and saved my breeding season.
Best,
Karen

 

[hellbender]

Check the Louisiana State BYC group. Maybe someone near you who you didn't know about has one to share. I have three but I am in western PA and they wouldn't reach you until yours did. I needed an extra one lasts season. Asked on my local BYC list and a lady near me offered just the bator I needed and saved my breeding season.
Best,
Karen

My son and daughter have just finished making two incubators and they made them BOTH for under $150 bucks. They cost that much because I wouldn't let them use my ice chests so they bought 2--52 quart Coleman boxes for something like $55 bucks each. We had most of the other stuff laying around here or they picked it up new for just a few bucks. Below is one of two or three YouTube videos they watched a couple times and I couldn't believe how simple it was. They are 'tuning' them up now, getting the temps. and humidity tweaked in.

I was also informed that they have ordered 25 White Chantecler chicks...after I strongly suggested we not bring any fowl in for a while. They informed me that they took it as a suggestion and not an order. I thought it was an order, posed politely.

They also used the fact that they have heard me on the phone, talking to person about a half grown NN cockerel....I guess what's good for the OLD Gander...

 

[Beer can]

Good vid hellbender thanks. I've been debating what incubator to get for awhile, don't have much $ but don't hear good things about the cheap ones. I've always figured do it right the first time so I've been debating between a couple different expensive ones. Then I keep hearing people having great hatches with their homemade ones that cost less than what cheap ones run.
I saw this site to, would probably work great for someone wanting to set up a cabinet style one out of a old refrigerator or something.
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incukit-xl.html

 

[hellbender]

Good vid hellbender thanks. I've been debating what incubator to get for awhile, don't have much $ but don't hear good things about the cheap ones. I've always figured do it right the first time so I've been debating between a couple different expensive ones. Then I keep hearing people having great hatches with their homemade ones that cost less than what cheap ones run.
I saw this site to, would probably work great for someone wanting to set up a cabinet style one out of a old refrigerator or something.
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incukit-xl.html

One thing to be said for the homemade jobs...if something goes wrong, it can be quickly and inexpensively fixed...by just keeping a few spare parts 'in stock'.

The one we used for decades still works and was bought used from one of the major hatcheries. It's just too large and impractical for the relatively small hatches we plan on now, after reducing the flock so dramatically and heading in different directions.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: HEre I have protested that the inspectors come to inspect but do not wear any protective gear . . draggin in who knows what from the last farm before me. . .. the only answer I got was, I'll put on gear once we get to testing. My birds freerange and run every where his boots and car tires have been.

I've lost faith in the testing system as the "testers" drags around all the possiblities not tested for.

I have been waiting for one last shipment, but otherwise my flock is closed. For the buckeyes Chris McCathy said I should be able to go about 20 generations as I have three strains to use in rotational breeding. Come hell and high water . . . . they might see me thru.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
Yup I made my own too. THe basics work well enough. WIth a few changes I expect better hatch rates. . .. when I have time. TOo busy these days with planting and cleaning out coops from the winter.

Move all the speckled susex girls (that survived the fall raccoon attacks and conseqently moved in to any coop that had room for one more) back into one pen together. Only 4 girls to keep this project going. Fortunately had several roosters in the bachelor pen. So while I lost the senior male, I have 4 sons to pick from.

While they were sitting on the roost last evening I ran my hands down their chests looking for any malformed breast bones, and felt for how well the muscling filled out the breast bone. ( Realize these had already been thru a fall culling process and were the best 4) THen ran hand down over back to feel for wideth. Two had tails that were squirrel tail but one had far better muscling on the breast than the others. He was picked for the first breeding. One of the other roosters did not have the squirrel tail, so he will have a shot at the breeding girls; and another male has far better wing color as in all the right color so hoping he will do some breeding too. THe plan is to combine all the traits of the 3 roosters to get to a better overall bird in the next couple generations.

I have had this group of SS for about 3 years. Interesting that one of the faults is the high number of white wing feathers. Out of this genetic pool, ONE male has very good wing feather color.

Fortunately the breeder before me concentrated on SS body type so that is ok. Except for the squirrel tails.

Honestly I still cant fully understand the occurrance of the squirrel tail in relation to the conformation of the back and pelvis area. Overall the breast meat is more important than the piddling amt of meat in the back region. SO I still need convincing that squirrel tails are all that bad. Looking for more understanding here . . . .

 

[southernmomma]

@Arielle , I thought squirrel tail correlated with shorter back length so would impact laying capacity?

M

 

[Beekissed]

That's what they say and all, but the most squirrel tailed hens in the flock are the best layers and also layers of huge eggs~Black Australorp and White Leghorns. Of course, that's hatchery style birds but they still put out the eggs and do it for years. I've seen no evidence that a squirrel tailed hen can't lay like a dream. On the other hand, I've seen many with a beautiful level tail and wide tent not lay worth a dime, even on their best days and during the peak season.

Go figure.

 

[chickkrzi]

Good vid hellbender thanks. I've been debating what incubator to get for awhile, don't have much $ but don't hear good things about the cheap ones. I've always figured do it right the first time so I've been debating between a couple different expensive ones. Then I keep hearing people having great hatches with their homemade ones that cost less than what cheap ones run.
I saw this site to, would probably work great for someone wanting to set up a cabinet style one out of a old refrigerator or something.
http://incubatorwarehouse.com/incukit-xl.html

I've got the 45w one on a homemade bator now (for my birthday day, not really what I wanted but.... I just smiled and told her thanks.) Hatching out some RIR's. And it seems to be working ok. Have it on a 36 quart ice chest. But if something was to go wrong during a hatch, I'd be S.O.L. I agree with hellbender. You can get few heating elements and wafer thermostats For the price of the 24w and still have extra parts for backup. At least that's what I plan on doing when the incukit I have goes out.

 

[bramblefir]

We culled the adult flock down to 5 hens and 1 cock a couple of weeks ago. The culls were sold to a family whose kids are in class with my daughter, so we've been getting to hear about how they're getting on. It's amazing how quiet it seems with just one cock crowing and our really, really noisy hen gone.

The juvenile flock currently consists of 20 barnyard mixes of mixed ages and 33, 5-week-old, hatchery chicks. There are another 12 eggs in the incubator due to hatch later this week. I think that'll be the last hatch I do until the current pullets start laying. I'm hoping for 1 or 2 good cockerels from the barnyard mixes that I can use on the pullets in the fall. Right now there are 2 cockerels at 7-8 weeks that are definite culls. There is 1 cockerel from the last hatch that might be suitable. He's a Black Langshan x Barred Rock and is showing a lot of promise in the size department.