BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[hellbender]

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.

There was no offense meant when I made the post and I don't think any was taken by the poster. The graph is helpful to this particular poster and many others...I simply don't require such drudgery. I do take exception to your assertion that I don't get it. You sir, have no concept of my intellectual capacity.

George, if you have a problem with my post then the problem is yours. Again, no offense meant, just a statement of what is FACT for me.

By the way, I got the first two eggs from my Chantecler pullets this morning. Not saying it's the first they've produced, just the first to have dropped into the nest boxes. I will 'deploy' the wooden eggs this afternoon.

 

[Beer can]

I find the graph's data very interesting, glad someone is doing it it's good to see such stuff. I read somewhere on line recently where someone graphed the feed to meat ratio over time on several different hatchery dual purpose breeds. It was interesting.
I don't plan on doing anything like that myself, not interested in doing it myself, but I like to read what others have experienced.
I do plan and have been writing down some stuff, just because I can't remember everything. Dates I got the chicks, weights of carcasses and dates, how many weeks at butcher. When they start laying weeks.
In the spring, hatch date, caponizing date, culling date and weights, weight and weeks old when processing fully grown capons.
Just so when or if I'm discussing any of it I'm no longer saying, they laid early, young, they were big when I butchered them, they grew quick.etc.
Not a lot of data, but enough to keep my facts honest, I can't remember everything.
As far as doing any more than that, I'd rather read what someone else has done

 

[hellbender]

I find the graph's data very interesting, glad someone is doing it it's good to see such stuff. I read somewhere on line recently where someone graphed the feed to meat ratio over time on several different hatchery dual purpose breeds. It was interesting.
I don't plan on doing anything like that myself, not interested in doing it myself, but I like to read what others have experienced.
I do plan and have been writing down some stuff, just because I can't remember everything. Dates I got the chicks, weights of carcasses and dates, how many weeks at butcher. When they start laying weeks.
In the spring, hatch date, caponizing date, culling date and weights, weight and weeks old when processing fully grown capons.
Just so when or if I'm discussing any of it I'm no longer saying, they laid early, young, they were big when I butchered them, they grew quick.etc.
Not a lot of data, but enough to keep my facts honest, I can't remember everything.
As far as doing any more than that, I'd rather read what someone else has done

I have noted many times that keeping chickens is a hobby for me and I generally emphasize HOBBY. I don't pay much attention to the costs of our endevours because if I did, I wouldn't enjoy the birds nor would my family. If things work out, fine. If not...it's equally fine. We can change course on a dime and not really give a flip where the chips fall.

 

[Beer can]

I have noted many times that keeping chickens is a hobby for me and I generally emphasize [COLOR=FF0000]HOBBY[/COLOR].  I don't pay much attention to the costs of our endevours because if I did, I wouldn't enjoy the birds nor would my family.  If things work out, fine.  If not...it's equally fine.  We can change course on a dime and not really give a flip where the chips fall.    :yiipchick

Same here, just a hobby to feed us. If you noticed I didn't mention feed costs, I would rather not know.
If I was keeping track, wrote down and the wife saw it that would be the end of my little adventure, quest to eliminate buying store chicken at .79cents a pound.

 

[dfr1973]

It is now official: I am hosting a small Thanksgiving meal here for us and hubby's parents. The bird-of-honor will be Uno, the single comb GLW (full) capon hatched Jan. 21st from Ideal Poultry. He'll get our "blaze of glory" treatment, where he will first be smoked, then finished either in the crock pot or roasting pan in a low oven.

I am actually wishing I'd been keeping weekly weights of this latest batch of chicks - there is one cockerel who is massive! I picked up the two visually-largest the other morning, and there was an enormous difference in how much larger the one felt compared to the other. As is, I will stick to my plan of weights at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks old for all three - GLWs, Silkies, and Meaties.

The first of the Pretties (GLW pullets from Cackle, hatched 13 April) laid her first egg yesterday. All five of the splash Silkies started laying within the past two weeks, which may be on the early side for Silkies (?) but for hatchery GLWs, the Pretties are about two weeks later than I expected. I still have five pullets, so will be keeping an eye on them for comb development and egg laying.

Most of the January-hatched Wyandottes from Luanne are starting to molt ... and while not as ugly as Feyd's molt, Tiny and Azar aren't looking their best right now. Tiny and Azar may also be doing another growth spurt, as both look rangy and almost scrawny. Spikey, their single comb brother, is still a well-balanced looking feathered medicine ball. I catch myself thinking, "If only he had a rose comb ...!" While not as tall as his brothers, Spikey is easily as wide as the other two, and very round. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of Meatie chicks he throws when put over Feyd's big breasted daughters, Bertha and Greyscale. All of Feyd's cull daughters will end up with Spikey.

 

[nikkers390]

I have noted many times that keeping chickens is a hobby for me and I generally emphasize HOBBY. I don't pay much attention to the costs of our endevours because if I did, I wouldn't enjoy the birds nor would my family. If things work out, fine. If not...it's equally fine. We can change course on a dime and not really give a flip where the chips fall.

I'm with you there. My chickens are a hobby and costs really are not a big issue. I do what I do because I thoroughly enjoy it. If things work out well, then great!, if not, go to plan B. My chickens are for my family's benefit only. I feel you gotta love what you do.

Even though I have not contributed to this thread, I am learnlning lots of good things.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

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.

Was thinking the same thing as I was walking around at work today and had wanted to add that to my comment myself. I am relatively new to this chicken-keeping thing. Keeping this data is helping me jumpstart my experience. It also helps me compare actual weights vs. what I see or feel when I handle a bird, and to see different patterns of growth in big bodied birds over time. It's also helping me as I think through which to cull for the freezer. You have all your experience to lean on, and have quite the advantage over us. (That being said, I am the type of person that will probably always collect data...

)

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

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.

There was no offense meant when I made the post and I don't think any was taken by the poster. The graph is helpful to this particular poster and many others...I simply don't require such drudgery. I do take exception to your assertion that I don't get it. You sir, have no concept of my intellectual capacity.

George, if you have a problem with my post then the problem is yours. Again, no offense meant, just a statement of what is FACT for me.

By the way, I got the first two eggs from my Chantecler pullets this morning. Not saying it's the first they've produced, just the first to have dropped into the nest boxes. I will 'deploy' the wooden eggs this afternoon.

Thank you, George! But that being said, I wasn't discouraged. I just figured hellbender wasn't into that much work. I can certainly relate some days!

I read a lot and listen very carefully to advice I'm given, whether solicited or not. But I don't always take it and it takes an awful lot to discourage me. I'm stubborn that way...

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I managed to get away from work a little early today (cancelled meeting), so that I could finally drive across town to visit the local pasture seed provider, Douglas King Seeds (hours 8-5, Monday through Friday, so hard to get to them since I usually work those hours). Got myself a big 50# bag of forage blend to sow on my property for winter forage for the birds: Oats, winter wheat, triticale, cereal rye, hubam clover, crimson clover, yuchi arrow leaf clover, purple top turnips, daikon radish, and chicory. I'll broadcast it over my back acre and ask my big birds to be a little patient while it fills in, possibly staging with some moving paddocks to let them stretch their legs. The tractor birds I'll just have to work around.

Whenever things settle down enough for me to start my meat rabbits, this would be a pretty good fall/winter mix to grow for harvesting for them as well...

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

I'm with you there. My chickens are a hobby and costs really are not a big issue. I do what I do because I thoroughly enjoy it. If things work out well, then great!, if not, go to plan B. My chickens are for my family's benefit only. I feel you gotta love what you do.

Even though I have not contributed to this thread, I am learnlning lots of good things.

Very good to have you here. Don't be a stranger!!!