BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Kassaundra]

I am much more likely to "dance naked in the moonlight" then to keep a detailed list! lol I get all kinds of ideas that flit through my head and I keep them loosely in order of my idea of importance. Some stay until complete, some wander off before I get to them and a few return again. lol

 

[Kev]

I'm down to three Chantecler cockerels of my own. I think they are the best of the lot. Daughter and # 1 Son have three of them in their flock so there is no shortage of reasonably good Chantecler stock on this farm. I feel I have superior Chantecler pullets for a number of reasons. When things get less hectic around here, I'll try to get some staged (literally) photos of my best cockerels and pullets..the ones I plan to use for breeding in the spring.

I might even feature one or two of my 'special' Naked Necks that I did some 'wheeling and dealing' to get. They have no neck feathers or in a few cases, one feather on either side of the neck.

Ah, the inevitable EDIT: I've yet to cull my Dark Cornish pullets. I am keeping only 5 of 12 for breeding. The rest will get the 'finishing' treatment and will adorn our table in due time.

Looking forward to seeing your birds!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

It's Wednesday, which means... Data day! A couple of the Naked Neck cockerels seem to be on a growth spurt - you can see the trajectories (below), number 18 and 22. We've gotten lots of rain a few weeks in a row, and so while they had previously been tractoring over relatively barren ground (no other option), they now get fresh new growth greens with muddy bugs every day when I move the tractor. Makes them very happy, as I'm not ready to let them wander afar to forage yet.





I'm not posting the NH weights because they are a bit all over the place - and the cockerels are all smaller than the pullets, and they all seem... odd. I don't know how to describe it, it's a gut instinct (combined with medical training) that tells me there might something genetically wrong with the male NHs - though I don't have enough chicken-raising experience to know how often one sees significantly smaller males than females, or significantly later blooming males (if they speed up later). The proportions seem odd and they are super quick to mature as well. For whatever it's worth, the runt of the NH group (tee-tiny male, smallest chick, still smallest bird) has also been the very fastest to mature, and was the very first chick I could sex by comb. Now he has a big red comb on his little bitty body at 8 weeks, and he was crowing this morning!!! He's also challenging NN males twice his weight (which is hysterical - I'm glad the NNs are so good natured and haven't beaten him up). The pullets seem to be ok (except the neurological abnormal one). I picked the three best pullets out to give to a friend to start a small little laying flock (they look great, actually, though still narrow of body), and the rest of the NHs I will grow out until freezer camp time (keeping most or all of the NNs). I'm going to be starting over with good German New Hampshires in the spring.

- Ant Farm

 

[LindaB220]

I am much more likely to "dance naked in the moonlight" then to keep a detailed list! lol  I get all kinds of ideas that flit through my head and I keep them loosely in order of my idea of importance.  Some stay until complete, some wander off before I get to them and a few return again. lol

Bwahahaha. A kindred spirit.

 

[DesertChic]

I'm not posting the NH weights because they are a bit all over the place - and the cockerels are all smaller than the pullets, and they all seem... odd. I don't know how to describe it, it's a gut instinct (combined with medical training) that tells me there might something genetically wrong with the male NHs - though I don't have enough chicken-raising experience to know how often one sees significantly smaller males than females, or significantly later blooming males (if they speed up later). The proportions seem odd and they are super quick to mature as well. For whatever it's worth, the runt of the NH group (tee-tiny male, smallest chick, still smallest bird) has also been the very fastest to mature, and was the very first chick I could sex by comb. Now he has a big red comb on his little bitty body at 8 weeks, and he was crowing this morning!!! He's also challenging NN males twice his weight (which is hysterical - I'm glad the NNs are so good natured and haven't beaten him up). The pullets seem to be ok (except the neurological abnormal one). I picked the three best pullets out to give to a friend to start a small little laying flock (they look great, actually, though still narrow of body), and the rest of the NHs I will grow out until freezer camp time (keeping most or all of the NNs). I'm going to be starting over with good German New Hampshires in the spring.

- Ant Farm

I've had a few smaller males that matured super quickly as you described, and I wound up culling all of them. Not only did they remain small in stature (not what I'm breeding for), but they were the trouble makers in the flocks. They were the first to torment the girls, typically proved flighty and even aggressive with me, and spent most of the day running off the food they consumed in abundance. I hope your experience is better than mine, but don't be surprised if you get similar results.


Edit....Oh, and they were the first to crow, and rarely shut up.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I've had a few smaller males that matured super quickly as you described, and I wound up culling all of them. Not only did they remain small in stature (not what I'm breeding for), but they were the trouble makers in the flocks. They were the first to torment the girls, typically proved flighty and even aggressive with me, and spent most of the day running off the food they consumed in abundance. I hope your experience is better than mine, but don't be surprised if you get similar results.


Edit....Oh, and they were the first to crow, and rarely shut up.

Yeah, that was what I was afraid of. This little guy may get culled way early even though he's only about 1.5 lbs - and yes, he's pecking at my pants legs a lot already. But all of the NH boys are smaller and fast maturing - this info helps me, I may not wait too much longer in hopes of getting more meat on them. From what I saw today (I like to sit and watch for a while sometimes), I also think they may be picking at the back feathers coming in on some of the bigger NNs while they're on the roosts. I'm losing patience with the little monsters. A bonus would be that that would reduce space pressure in the tractor as they grow. (Still working on the Necked Neck coop, but we keep getting lots of rain on the weekends, which is when I can work on it!

).

How disappointing, though it's been a good learning experience with regard to the importance of the source of your birds. (Though I have to say I'm very pleased with the NNs I've gotten from Ideal for my purposes - just not with the NHs.)

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

It's Wednesday, which means... Data day! A couple of the Naked Neck cockerels seem to be on a growth spurt - you can see the trajectories (below), number 18 and 22. We've gotten lots of rain a few weeks in a row, and so while they had previously been tractoring over relatively barren ground (no other option), they now get fresh new growth greens with muddy bugs every day when I move the tractor. Makes them very happy, as I'm not ready to let them wander afar to forage yet.





I'm not posting the NH weights because they are a bit all over the place - and the cockerels are all smaller than the pullets, and they all seem... odd. I don't know how to describe it, it's a gut instinct (combined with medical training) that tells me there might something genetically wrong with the male NHs - though I don't have enough chicken-raising experience to know how often one sees significantly smaller males than females, or significantly later blooming males (if they speed up later). The proportions seem odd and they are super quick to mature as well. For whatever it's worth, the runt of the NH group (tee-tiny male, smallest chick, still smallest bird) has also been the very fastest to mature, and was the very first chick I could sex by comb. Now he has a big red comb on his little bitty body at 8 weeks, and he was crowing this morning!!! He's also challenging NN males twice his weight (which is hysterical - I'm glad the NNs are so good natured and haven't beaten him up). The pullets seem to be ok (except the neurological abnormal one). I picked the three best pullets out to give to a friend to start a small little laying flock (they look great, actually, though still narrow of body), and the rest of the NHs I will grow out until freezer camp time (keeping most or all of the NNs). I'm going to be starting over with good German New Hampshires in the spring.

- Ant Farm

I understand and concede to this being a very good and useful regimen for some but before I get pinned down with something like this, I will simply get out of chickens.

The 'Family' is doing something similar and that's ok-doakey with me but Ol' dad will not be bothered with it. The Dairy Goat Herd is going on test (again) in the Spring and I see real and useful potential for our breeding program in doing so and again, I see the enormous value in the chicken growth/weight charting but not enough for me to shackle myself to it. I'll continue to heft and feel the live birds for all the information I WANT!!!

lololol

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I understand and concede to this being a very good and useful regimen for some but before I get pinned down with something like this, I will simply get out of chickens.

The 'Family' is doing something similar and that's ok-doakey with me but Ol' dad will not be bothered with it. The Dairy Goat Herd is going on test (again) in the Spring and I see real and useful potential for our breeding program in doing so and again, I see the enormous value in the chicken growth/weight charting but not enough for me to shackle myself to it. I'll continue to heft and feel the live birds for all the information I WANT!!!

lololol

Oh, please understand - I'm having FUN doing this (in addition to getting good info). Not implying that others should, just sharing. I'm a bit compulsive and I loves me some data!

- Ant Farm

 

[DesertChic]

I understand and concede to this being a very good and useful regimen for some but before I get pinned down with something like this, I will simply get out of chickens.

The 'Family' is doing something similar and that's ok-doakey with me but Ol' dad will not be bothered with it. The Dairy Goat Herd is going on test (again) in the Spring and I see real and useful potential for our breeding program in doing so and again, I see the enormous value in the chicken growth/weight charting but not enough for me to shackle myself to it. I'll continue to heft and feel the live birds for all the information I WANT!!!

lololol

You have an advantage of people like @Fire Ant Farm and myself....experience! Like her, I keep charts and graphs on my birds during this learning curve, and I really look forward to the day when I feel confident enough in what I'm doing to eschew the tracking in favor of "trained intuition". Thankfully, it's already starting to happen. I now test my visual and hands-on observations by checking them against the data I collect. Eventually I won't bother with all the documenting (except the photos), which does take a whole lot of time, unless I'm looking for something very specific and don't trust my "instincts" to steer me in the right direction.

 

[gjensen]

I understand and concede to this being a very good and useful regimen for some but before I get pinned down with something like this, I will simply get out of chickens.

The 'Family' is doing something similar and that's ok-doakey with me but Ol' dad will not be bothered with it. The Dairy Goat Herd is going on test (again) in the Spring and I see real and useful potential for our breeding program in doing so and again, I see the enormous value in the chicken growth/weight charting but not enough for me to shackle myself to it. I'll continue to heft and feel the live birds for all the information I WANT!!!

lololol

You do not have to graph it to see it.

If you do not see it, you do not get it. Obviously, you do not get it.

What you have there is a member of your thread that is trying to illustrate the rate and gains during a period of growth. You should encourage it because when it is more complete, it is rather informative. Instead of discouraging it, you should encourage it. It really is part of "breeding for production". See, when you breed, you breed for improvement. You do not depend on any touchy feely notions. Production is defined by numbers. Here you discouraged a member for sharing actual evidence. Something that is in short supply here.

This thread is titled breeding for production. It is not a thread on breeding, which is fine. It is just misleading. It implies that those that are interested in that should contribute, but if they do, they get a response like above.

Just remember, you titled the thread what you did. Breeding for production is actually breeding for improvement. Concerning utility, improvement is measured not by touch feely impressions, but by numbers.