BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[JRNash]

I have reached out to some breeders for specific type birds. If I can cull for type and better hatch survival then I can concentrate on traits I'd like to develop

 

[Arielle]

Here's some interesting article about how the bird flu has effected price of egg (liquid form)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...anything-made-with-them-a-lot-more-expensive/

Hmmm, makes $5 a dozen for free range eggs look better and better.

Quote: The one LT sussex I had was an eye opener. HUGE and fast fast growth. I would have to be careful to find a meat line rather than just a show line.

Be warned. It gets harder and harder to butcher the little furry critters. I finally stopped when I couldn't eat em.

I bough one buck with the plan to raise rabbits. . . . .I will need someone else to do the deed. SO I have been asking around. I can clean them, I can eat them, I just cant break their neck.

before we leave the rabbit topic completely I want to add that I found the Google "Texas A&M rabbit" an interesting search and found the breeds
that this farm raises interesting:
http://www.carterfarmsrabbitry.com/
I also found the comments by Joel Salatin interesting as his son attempted to raise rabbits on pasture in chicken tractors (youtube).

I read some interesting comments on pelt quality on meat rabbits during my search. Show rabbits versus commercial ..................

As I remember, Salatins son didnt find pasture raised rabbit to be a successful venture. Something about the set up not being satisfactory for rabbits. Perhaps cut and carry is better. THat is how we supplement our rabbit.

Amina, You don't have to be challenged by numbers to breed successfully. If you start with reasonably good stock you don't have to keep chasing rainbows by having more numbers. By selecting the best of your offspring you can gain ground in just a few seasons of breeding. Breeding a specific breed for showmanship quality and standards is for notoriety amongst other piers but not all of us small time chicken owners breed to ever consider the competitive field. We breed with a different purpose in mind. Surely its about quality but so much more comes from it. The term breed is vast and the never ending descriptions and techniques within it will awe you. Different breeds have different strengths and weaknesses. To be able to breed attaining certain traits or features is the ultimate challenge of creating your own signature bird. To me, this is where the fun is at.

I tried several breeds over the 4 years that I have had chickens. Gave me a clear picutre of those that will work here . . .and those that wont. THe buff orpington lines I have are too weak to last long as the pullets never seem to make it longer than 2 years, though both roosters are about 3 years old and one only recently died. THey are too docile for my set up. BUt would be great for young kids and those new to chickens. TO do BO again I would go to a reputable breed and get on the waiting list for chicks, or a trio.

In the end the best breeds we have came from a reputable breeder and so far they are hardy and wise to the predators. The buckeye males congregate at one coop at night but spread out far and wide during the day having conquored and held a bit of land each is not willing to share with another rooster. THey are curious and come up to the car, but have not behaved agressively. THey appear to be carrying a bit of meat and when I pick them up, they are solid as a rock. So far they will stay.

THe BA hens, the RIR hens from the hatchery stay because they are over 4 years and earned the right to keep laying for me by surviving this long.

Easter eggers are a tough lot. THe males are very diligent about protecting their space. THey are the top roosters. Perhaps too tough. THe combs hold up well to the cold winter here of course. I have one old AMeraucana rooster that is about 4 now and still on the job covering a number of hens. He is kept in a coop and run as I value him.

Speckled sussex-- while not as large as the LT sussex, these seem to have a good breast meat. Butchered several males last fall and was pleasantly surprised at how well the muscling filled along the keel. The males also get along well with out the issues that the buckeyes seem to have about NOT sharing space.

Ultimately, the breeds that came from better stock have outperformed the hatchery stock in my case.

I like to visit shows but not to enter. . .so far. HEck I cant show even my own dogs or horses as I get too nervous.

 

[Beer can]

Arielle , I've been very impressed in the four EEgrs we have and I never heard of them before. They were laying early, all of our subzero winter, and still laying. And the hardly any comb and built in scarf is great around here, boy they looked warm this winter lol. While my breed focus is going an entirely different direction I do plan on always having a couple around just for the cool colored eggs. Right now I'm getting a olive, two green and one almost in the right light blue. Gave a carton of eggs to my dad awhile ago with mixed olive (lays as often as my daily brownleghorns) and white and he said they looked rotten, he's never seen or heard of them either lol I hope he cracked them open and saw they look the same in the frying pan...

 

[JRNash]

That's the consensus I keep hearing. The only benefit to the hatchery chicks is that they DO lay eggs and they are readily available. Feel free to correct me on my interpretation

 

[hellbender]

That which is lacking in many birds bred for meat can be ameliorated with just a 'Nip@Tuck'.

We are experimenting with castrating some of the hybrid rabbits as soon as their nutz can be easily distinguished from their skin and tying a tight piece of cat gut very firmly around them.

The first process is tried and true but castrating rabbits is my daughters latest addition to the brain trust. She likes rabbit meat but finds it too firm and 'fat free' to enjoy. In all fun...leave it to a woman to start castrating the males...lol

I was in doubt they'd live but they are thriving. Just have to let a few of them 'grow old' by meat rabbit standards, so to speak, and see what the flesh is like!

Will report back.

 

[JRNash]

Ouch!!!!

 

[hellbender]

Ouch!!!!

They don't seem to notice.

 

[JRNash]

Would be curious about the weight gains.

 

[gjensen]

The 3-5 years is for the production goals. It may take decades to get them from being "just" pretty birds to looking beautiful, while not slacking on said production goals. What is the expression? "You got to build the barn before you can paint it."

I was just joking around.

Do not buy into the build it before you paint it, unless you are working with single color varieties. There are some colors that you can get away with doing that for a time, but any color that has any challenge to it . . . be careful what you ask for. We can spend more time painting it than we did building it, or have to rebuild it to paint it. That catch all phrase is useful in some cases, but very misleading in others. It is only really useful as a matter of priority, but many understand it as a license for neglect. I have heard it over and again while watching a relatively simple color go down hill in the hands of the adherent. There are entire threads of this as an example on this board. And they think they are making progress is the irony.

All of these projects are lifetime adventures. I wish that we were in the golden years of poultry keeping, and were able to devote a farm to a single breed. They could hatch and rear the thousands required to make substantial progress in shorter periods of time. Then we could accomplish in two seasons what requires 10.

But the enjoyment for me is in the doing, so I will enjoy the doing.

 

[Arielle]

Arielle , I've been very impressed in the four EEgrs we have and I never heard of them before. They were laying early, all of our subzero winter, and still laying. And the hardly any comb and built in scarf is great around here, boy they looked warm this winter lol. While my breed focus is going an entirely different direction I do plan on always having a couple around just for the cool colored eggs. Right now I'm getting a olive, two green and one almost in the right light blue. Gave a carton of eggs to my dad awhile ago with mixed olive (lays as often as my daily brownleghorns) and white and he said they looked rotten, he's never seen or heard of them either lol I hope he cracked them open and saw they look the same in the frying pan...

In contrast . . . . My egg customers feel cheated if there are no colored eggs in the carton!! lol Must have blues, very dark browns( marans) and many shades of olives to keep the customers happy.

That's the consensus I keep hearing. The only benefit to the hatchery chicks is that they DO lay eggs and they are readily available. Feel free to correct me on my interpretation

Which is why I started with hatchery stock. FIgured laying was the top priority. THen I learned about the stock kept by others. . . . so I have BOTH. Sometimes hatchery stock is the only place to start as a breed is too difficult to find. ANd given that one hatchery last year aquired stock from a well established white chantie breeder. . . perhaps some lines at big hatcheries are better than others.

Finding out what stock is better takes much time and luck.