BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[hellbender]

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.

Seems like you still have your hands full.

 

[hellbender]

I saw where the avian flu struck all those chickens in Iowa. Scary stuff.

 

[gjensen]

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

M

A squirrel tail is not necessarily linked to the length of back, though it often is.

Length of back does impact laying capacity. As you mentioned capacity is just that. Capacity. Capacity is not the full sum of a layer. It is a part, an important part, but not the sum total.

 

[DesertChic]

I saw where the avian flu struck all those chickens in Iowa. Scary stuff.

Very scary. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't make it here, but the realist in me fully expects it.

 

[Beer can]

I don't know which I'm more worried about. I have chicks coming from SandHill in Iowa in a couple weeks. Don't know if I'm more worried that I might not get the chicks or if this will get worse before it gets better. :-(

 

[bramblefir]

Here's an article that everyone might be interested in (besides chuckling over the picture of "barred rock breed" chickens):
Why nothing, especially chicken, tastes like it used to

 

[bnjrob]

Here's an article that everyone might be interested in (besides chuckling over the picture of "barred rock breed" chickens):
Why nothing, especially chicken, tastes like it used to

Funny how they did research to get the numbers and such for the article but didn't check to see that the chickens were appropriately identified.

 

[Beer can]

I found this little experiment/study interesting. It would have been better comparing breeder quality heritage chickens rather than hatchery but interesting non the less.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...14HoCA&usg=AFQjCNHQp37ynO9sUNNcPCbYJoH4lbArRQ

 

[Beer can]

Wow! That was a bit much for a link, didn't see it like that on my phone. At least it worked lol.

 

[dfr1973]

I found this little experiment/study interesting. It would have been better comparing breeder quality heritage chickens rather than hatchery but interesting non the less.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...14HoCA&usg=AFQjCNHQp37ynO9sUNNcPCbYJoH4lbArRQ

Shorter link: http://mysare.sare.org/mySARE/ProjectReport.aspx?do=viewRept&pn=FNC12-866&y=2013&t=1

Interesting indeed - the surprise for me was how poorly the SLW did in that survey. I am hoping Cackle's GLWs are a bit better than their SLWs, as I have 26 GLW pullets happily hopping around in the brooder coop.