BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[NanaKat]

Processing depends on the goal size attained and season. I like to process extra cockerels before the winter...so I don't have to feed them.
These are chicks hatched in the spring months, that made it thru the first and second culling, and are not the final keepers.
The pullets in the final cut for breeders will go into the layer flock or sold as layer replacers.

I run freezer camp each time I go thru a cull.

 

[Beekissed]

I do the same as Miss K.

I can get by on very minimal feed for three parts of the year, then only wintering over the necessary stock for laying and breeding in the spring helps me even further. This isn't a hobby for me, so keeping expenses down is paramount. I do two culls a year...one in March/April and one in Sept/Oct. One to cull nonlayers that will not be used as broodies, the other to cull extra roosters produced, old roosters no longer at peak fertility or no longer needed, and broody/nonlayers that have been replaced by new broodies. I keep only a core flock of hard working birds through the winter. Come spring they better be producing something if they want to see another year of life.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I personally try to keep the biggest flock number growing through the spring summer fall, when natural food is most plentiful and pare down the numbers going into winter when I have to provide the most of the food.

Ahhh, then I really SHOULD cull in summer - everything is the greenest here between October and May, and often a barren wasteland once into July... Right now they have a FEAST of yummies that are coming up, with rain and cooler weather.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Ahhh, then I really SHOULD cull in summer - everything is the greenest here between October and May, and often a barren wasteland once into July... Right now they have a FEAST of yummies that are coming up, with rain and cooler weather.

Oh wait, there's the day length thing. Dang. What to do...

 

[bnjrob]

So....do you guys typically process a bunch of your chickens before winter? I honestly hadn't really thought about doing that...maybe because we don't really have four seasons here. I think I've been in the desert too long......

We butcher at any time of year, depending on when we hatched and when birds grow into flaws that they need to be culled for. We butchered a couple of times this year already, I've got some turkeys to do this month, and there will likely be some cockerels to butcher come January/Feb, and I've got a hatch that is a month old and will look to see about culling some of them when they are 4-6 months old as a first cull for that hatch.

 

[Beer can]

Oh!!' How do you get them to eat kale? I can't get them to touch it! Stalks or leaves?

I think chickens change their preferences, or at least mine do. Last yr mine wouldn't touch swiss chard, but would eat the crap out of dandelion greens. Last winter they wouldn't eat pumpkin, unless I cooked it first, noticed they would eat the extra cooked when we made a pie, would eat leftover butternut squash off the kids plates (the kids hate squash, weirdo's, butternut squash is like candy, mmm!) So when I fed them the extra pumpkins we had I just did a quick cook in pressure cooker. Last winter I hung a cabbage by a rope in the coop, I think they were scared of it, didn't touch it for two weeks so I took it down, then they ate it.

This year they are eating anything and everything, raw pumpkin, even hung up cabbage. And now I have kale, chard didn't do good, they love the kale.

So....do you guys typically process a bunch of your chickens before winter? I honestly hadn't really thought about doing that...maybe because we don't really have four seasons here. I think I've been in the desert too long......

We have four seasons here, almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction....Lol!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I think chickens change their preferences, or at least mine do. Last yr mine wouldn't touch swiss chard, but would eat the crap out of dandelion greens. Last winter they wouldn't eat pumpkin, unless I cooked it first, noticed they would eat the extra cooked when we made a pie, would eat leftover butternut squash off the kids plates (the kids hate squash, weirdo's, butternut squash is like candy, mmm!) So when I fed them the extra pumpkins we had I just did a quick cook in pressure cooker. Last winter I hung a cabbage by a rope in the coop, I think they were scared of it, didn't touch it for two weeks so I took it down, then they ate it.

This year they are eating anything and everything, raw pumpkin, even hung up cabbage. And now I have kale, chard didn't do good, they love the kale.

This is actually reassuring, as my little buggers seem to be a bit picky...

We have four seasons here, almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction....Lol!

 

[Kassaundra]

A chicken or a flock of chickens that are "picky eaters" aren't hungry enough.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

A chicken or a flock of chickens that are "picky eaters" aren't hungry enough.

Long story - the cream leg bars (three pullets) actually WERE hungry, not gaining weight, but oddly picky about their feed until I found the right one (no, it hadn't gone bad or anything). Don't get me started (sigh) - they were my first and they're "pets", and the only birds with names except Tank and Sweetie (NNs), so I console myself with that (I wouldn't put up with that with production birds and I won't with any future birds). Also, they had a few feed changes in their chickhood while I was figuring things out, so some of it may be my fault. But currently, it's just that they prefer grass and mud and bugs when they are ranging than veggies I may provide, which I suppose is totally reasonable...

But yeah, crazy chickens. My explanation is that Cream Legbars are the cats of the chicken world. It's true in every way, I swear! My NNs are my puppies...

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

Long story - the cream leg bars (three pullets) actually WERE hungry, not gaining weight, but oddly picky about their feed until I found the right one (no, it hadn't gone bad or anything). Don't get me started (sigh) - they were my first and they're "pets", and the only birds with names except Tank and Sweetie (NNs), so I console myself with that (I wouldn't put up with that with production birds and I won't with any future birds). Also, they had a few feed changes in their chickhood while I was figuring things out, so some of it may be my fault. But currently, it's just that they prefer grass and mud and bugs when they are ranging than veggies I may provide, which I suppose is totally reasonable...

But yeah, crazy chickens. My explanation is that Cream Legbars are the cats of the chicken world. It's true in every way, I swear! My NNs are my puppies...

- Ant Farm