BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ronott1]

Thanks so much - me, too!!! The more good vibes the better...

- Ant Farm

The timing is not correct for mareks. The primary infection usually happens soon after hatch. The secondary infection is cancer at about 24 months. If she has mareks eyes, then she already had the primary infection and will be fine, unless she winds up being the 3% that go on to develop cancer.

That is what the vaccine is for really--to lessen the number that die of cancer. There is a better vaccine but that is not available to us and is injected into the egg at the hatchery.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

The timing is not correct for mareks. The primary infection usually happens soon after hatch. The secondary infection is cancer at about 24 months. If she has mareks eyes, then she already had the primary infection and will be fine, unless she winds up being the 3% that go on to develop cancer.

That is what the vaccine is for really--to lessen the number that die of cancer. There is a better vaccine but that is not available to us and is injected into the egg at the hatchery.

Very helpful. (And indeed, no other dreaded lethargy/neuro symptoms). If this is the case, also, it would explain why her eyes have almost always been that color, since I've noticed - I thought it was just a non-SOP non conformity, but they really have always had that milky blue green coloring (since just a few weeks old). The others have nice orange irises as expected.

I've read enough to know/realize that it's not a biohazard emergency (aka chicken version of the Silkwood shower), since it's so common and also since all my birds have now exposed at this point. I am just hopeful for her function to stay ok. Even if it just stays with the eyes, not sure how well she'll do if she has significant vision loss. The flock cockerel stays close to her, hangs out with her some of the time if she stays in the coop during range time, and rarely leaves her side when she is ranging outside of the coop - I think he's protecting her (oddly, he hasn't covered her that I've seen, but she's his "best friend"). He's been a very good boy so far...

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

oops

 

[moms3cuties]

[COLOR=333333]Thanks so much. She JUST started laying, so she is right at POL (which someone said was when it usually shows up), but that's just by deduction because Paula and Lissa have been laying 48-50g eggs for over a week, and I found a little 40g one on Thursday. I could be wrong (didn't get three eggs that day) - I don't think she's laid one since, though I found a tiny shell-less egg under the roost today.[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333] [/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]She's not acting REALLY strange, moving and balancing fine. Just enough for me to look her over. She is vaccinated. I'm realizing that her eyes have looked like this for a while, I just haven't looked at them so super close before - she doesn't particularly love to be picked up. (It's both eyes, but no other symptoms that I can tell). At this point, everyone's SUPER exposed (and all the other birds are vaccinated as well - though I can't recall whether the CL cockerel is, got him from someone), so I'm taking my time to think about whether to do anything or not. She actually ranged a lot outside today (as if to prove me wrong).[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]I've read the whole big Mareks article/post, and I'm taking deep cleansing breaths, simultaneously hoping it's not and preparing myself if it is...[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333](sigh)[/COLOR] [COLOR=333333]- Ant Farm[/COLOR]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's not Mareks.

x2

 

[hellbender]

Finally got all the young rabbits butchered...No plans to do any more rabbit breeding 'til Spring. However I do plan to breed my pure Ovcharka beiotch at least one more time...to her best half breed son. One will go to my son in KY...he had two of the first litter but that was just too much for them to deal with. They got the pups at neatly 4 months of age and I plan to get the single pup to him by about age 13 weeks.

Others have been promised to people in good standing who feel quite threatened for whatever reasons. I promised one to a BYC friend to try to take the place of a lost well-loved pet and I think this post will notify them of the pending breeding. If not, I'll PM them.

I've decided to require a substantial sum for these pups despite the fact they will be .75% Ovcharka and 25% Heeler. Frequently gifts aren't as highly valued as things which cost money. There will be NO charge to my BYC friend.

 

[Beer can]

I would love to hear about how folks manage their breeders. I would love to see pics of breeding pens and hear about successes, and failures with different breeding plans Pair, trios, quads, what ever.

Any input?

I was going to go with tractors then decided to go bigger for my breeders.

Might not be as easy to move as a tractor, but I shouldn't have to move it very often. The 100'x4' fence I had bought when we moved here because the wife was worried about the pond, for a kid coral, run, pen (Lol) but we never put it up. They plywood was mostly left over xtras from house and garage projects, roofing is painted galvanized steel from a old 24' swimming pool I had planned on taking to the scrap yard. Lumber, the 2x4 roost I had xtra in the garage, bought cheap 2x3s for the rest of the frame. Bird netting wasn't a lot, got it at either home depot or lowes, 7'x100, cut it in two and attached it together with cheap zip ties, why I went 14' wide on run. Don't have much out of pocket right now money in it.

I built a small portable coop, 4'x8', 14'x40' bird netting covered run. The coop has a removable roof, takes two people. I still have to add a couple small windows to the peak, couple nesting boxes to the end, and definitely wheels, I dragged it to where it is now with the roof off but it would be much easier with wheels and maybe a hitch for the lawn tractor.
Have both the sussex and giants in it now but will be removing the sussex back to the big coop before spring, have to get rid of some layers in that coop yet. I was hoping with them all together they would make quick work of clearing/tilling/fertilizing our garden area expansion for next yr. They seem to be going about it to slow, was planing on moving it three times before the ground freezes, it looks like it will be only one move and then wait till spring unless the ground doesn't freeze the fence posts in. Plan on building another set up for a grow out pen next yr for capons I hope.

 

[Beer can]

Ohh, and plan on covering the part of the run in front of the coop for more room if it ever snows

(I hope it doesn't)

 

[Beekissed]

I would love to hear about how folks manage their breeders. I would love to see pics of breeding pens and hear about successes, and failures with different breeding plans Pair, trios, quads, what ever.

Any input?

I'm just small time, small flock breeding here, so nothing to shout about, but I've got my own ideas on some things that may differ from other folks. I've only got one breeding pen and I do a trio or quad breeding there. This spring I'm changing things up a bit to include a small run attached to the breeding pen that will also have an outside roosting area so that the actual pen is used for nesting only.

I've got a few nesting ideas I'll talk more about in the spring that I'm going to try this next year to increase clutch size and ease in sitting a large clutch by my fat girls. I'll be breeding in April and not collecting the eggs from the nests but will let them build up to see if I can bring on that broody feelin' in the breeder girls so that when they get an appropriate clutch they start sitting them as a natural consequence of being bred in the spring and having a natural nesting site in which to lay a clutch. If this method doesn't induce broodiness, I'll breed again in May when they all went broody last year and use the same method. Sure to get a broody or two then.

Hopefully all the breeders will go broody at that time, as that's what I'm breeding towards...WRs that raise their own replacements at the appropriate time of year, raise their family and then get back to laying but no more brooding.

I'll also let any broody in the general population that wants to sit have a go at some eggs, as I'll be buying some good Red eggs from Fred this spring for some color variety in the flock.

My first breeding of an heirloom line male WR was to an ancient hatchery WR female that had many traits I wanted in my line. Those 50% offspring were then bred back to their sire to produce some 75% heirloom genetics birds which I hope will retain the early maturing, excellent laying of the hatchery genetics. So far one of the 50s has done well and is performing the way I wanted and she will be bred back to her son in the spring. She and her sister produced some really nice looking pullets that should be coming into POL this next month, as they hit the 6 mo. mark at Thanksgiving. I'll be banding those that started laying in the 6th mo. and, according to their other traits, I'll be choosing my breeders from that group to go along with their mama into the breeding pens.

The original breeder hen from hatchery lines...5 yrs old at time of breeding and producing these offspring...





The heirloom lines male, via Mr. Weaver and out of Blosl lines...he's molting a tad in his tail in this pic but still a fine bird...



My 50% female as a young pullet....the one that made the grade for breeding in the spring. The other 50% pullet didn't make the cut and will be used for brooding but will be culled next fall.




And a few shots of this year's hatch, at 5 mo.....will take better pics later when they've matured more....










So, there ya have it. My small time breeding efforts to get the kind of WR I like to have....early maturing, excellent laying, longevity of laying life, great feathering, good form, hardy, good forager, good mother but not excessively broody, hard working, calm, good survival instincts out on range, good meaty carcass when done laying and able to turn out meaty males for butchering.

Will take pics later of the flock when they get their mature size and shapes and will show chosen breeders in the pen come spring. Should be an exciting spring as I start the Fox Run line of WRs, all my own line.

 

[Beer can]

WOW! Beekissed, you don't sound 'small time' to me, that's awesome! Beautiful WRs! And awesome plan!

Your whole broody thing I think will go fine IMO, my father when I was a kid always had RIRs, not known for broodieness, I guess they would be called 'heritage' now, they sure were not production reds, always had them '70s-late-80s. He never had a incubator, and always had plenty of chickens, what we grew up on their eggs and meat. He always had some favorite broodies. I don't think he even could figure out a incubator today, very technologically inept Lol!
I can't even remember or think of a time when they bought a chicken in the store, thinking back, nope, never any big fat meaty store chickens on the table.
Wish he still had them, he never got chickens again after a weasel wiped out his whole flock late '80s, just took the heads off every one, even his super mean rooster, that as a kid loved and hated.
He said my EE, olive egger eggs looked 'rotton' Lol! Never heard of the breeds available today.

Those out there keeping the old heritage breeds alive, I have nothing but respect for you all, doing a great thing, you all are my hero's, there isn't many of you left, or the heritage breeds. I might be a weird chicken dude, but there ain't a football or basketball player that could light a candle to what all of you are doing.

 

[Mini Meat]

Thanks to all who responded to my request for info on managing breeders. I have had a hell week and am processing the info. I will respond more specifically later. Much food for thought with my tired, mush brain.

I just wanted to quickly let you all know I do appreciate your time, and this thread of course... wink, wink Hellbender.