BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beer can]

We way to many bears here. The state does not allow dogs or baiting so getting one is a per chance lucky thing. The bear harvest numbers go up every yr but they say the population is not in check, still going up. So there has been talks from the DEC to allow baiting and maybe dogs.
Hellbender, Lol! I know quite a few people who do not like bear meat. Those of us that do have found it is best to immediately get them hung up, skinned, all fat removed. Bear breakfast sausage is awesome!
Many bears here but I don't hear of them bothering livestock, I think my chicken coop is safe. They cause more problems for the dairy farmers. Most here do wrapped round bales, balled green and sealed with thick plastic wrap. When you open them they are like fresh grass, slightly fermented. Most farmers leave them in the edges of the fields and get them as needed. Bears love to rip them open, ruins them. They don't even eat them, just rip them open out of curiosity, smells sweet? Bears also mow down acres of corn.

 

[hellbender]

We way to many bears here. The state does not allow dogs or baiting so getting one is a per chance lucky thing. The bear harvest numbers go up every yr but they say the population is not in check, still going up. So there has been talks from the DEC to allow baiting and maybe dogs.
Hellbender, Lol! I know quite a few people who do not like bear meat. Those of us that do have found it is best to immediately get them hung up, skinned, all fat removed. Bear breakfast sausage is awesome!
Many bears here but I don't hear of them bothering livestock, I think my chicken coop is safe. They cause more problems for the dairy farmers. Most here do wrapped round bales, balled green and sealed with thick plastic wrap. When you open them they are like fresh grass, slightly fermented. Most farmers leave them in the edges of the fields and get them as needed. Bears love to rip them open, ruins them. They don't even eat them, just rip them open out of curiosity, smells sweet? Bears also mow down acres of corn.

We have a serious over population of bear around here. They get into corn and just about everything else...especially the honey farms and young lambs/goats. There's no baiting allowed here and I think that's a good thing but we can run dogs year round...not a good thing because that trains the bears too and lots of young dogs get killed by walking bear every year now, since the open training began.

 

[Beer can]

Hey, guys, forgive me if this has been covered a lot and I've completely blanked it from my memory, but what sort of housing arrangements do you guys use as growout pens - either for those littles you are evaluating, or those you know are headed to the freezer? While the tractor has worked fine for me so far, I'm interested in other options, not sure that's ideal. I've heard of some folks using kennels...

- Ant Farm

Check out hoop coops, the ones using cattle panels with tarp roofs. That's what I plan on using with a fenced in run. Drag-able if you don't build them too heavy.

 

[miss heny]

Haha fair enough. Sorry on the phone probably doing to many thing at once but I got a breather.

I have going on Swedish Blacks hens who culls are going tout be bred into our silkies to make black skinned meat birds to be sold to the local market
I have Self blue OEGBs I would like some sorta direct on helping their build (I never seem to be able to sadly get help on the site if I post about them on their thread)
The Isbars coming in March are gonna be a wait and see if we like them as a breed or put them in our laying flock.

Then my pride and joy, Bantam Kraienkoppe. I been working on them with a help of a fellow breeder but I am game for suggestions on how to breed down weight, and breeding methods?

 

[Beer can]

Haha fair enough. Sorry on the phone probably doing to many thing at once but I got a breather.

I have going on Swedish Blacks hens who culls are going tout be bred into our silkies to make black skinned meat birds to be sold to the local market
I have Self blue OEGBs I would like some sorta direct on helping their build (I never seem to be able to sadly get help on the site if I post about them on their thread)
The Isbars coming in March are gonna be a wait and see if we like them as a breed or put them in our laying flock.

Then my pride and joy, Bantam Kraienkoppe. I been working on them with a help of a fellow breeder but I am game for suggestions on how to breed down weight, and breeding methods?

I have no help for you but I'm sure some here do, lot's of informative people here.
I do hear what your saying. I'm sure there is some good ones but the breed specific threads I've been on are pretty much dead threads, sometimes breeders pop on just long enough to say your birds suck, cull them all and pay $$ to buy theirs or so and so's with their noses stuck up in the air.
On the Jersey Giant thread someone was looking for good birds and I suggested Maria's Jersey Giants, she has a famous old line she took over and has been breeding for SOP for decades, and is the only breed she has. I was blasted for suggesting her, 'costs too much, can get better birds cheaper here!'.
No one spoke up and offered birds or eggs for sale!??
Sussex thread seems to be more for taking pictures of your pretty birds dressed up in sweaters sitting on your dinning room table....
Only breeders and chicken eaters here, and lots of good info!

 

[miss heny]

Yea I don't even get that my OEGBs were a gift from a old retired breeder who had them pop up in his flock. He used to breed for so but as life went on he just bred them for pleasure. And honestly I adore them and want to work on creating a good laying show line of them, but I swear Self Blues are like the rarest out there!!

And my black meat birds are something that I know I will have to up their size but I want to keep of course the color of the meat so I got to be careful on who I cross into that line.

To add to that I am small farm haha, so I can't hatch 100s of chicks to full but a few lol. We are hoping to get more land which for me, the poultry maniac on the farm means I get to go wild... With in reason

 

[Beer can]

And my black meat birds are something that I know I will have to up their size but I want to keep of course the color of the meat so I got to be careful on who I cross into that line.

I'm trying something similar, wish I had access to swedish black or cemani. I'm trying a TSC white silkies (they are big) cross with white jersey giant. The silkies are very black skinned, have to wait and see how the chicks turn out, I'm going to line breed any that turn out fibro.
I thought about scrapping the idea when I saw someone post here their large Naked Neck fibro's, they looked AWESOME! Can't remember who it was, dfr1973 or Kassaundra??

 

[miss heny]

My TSC silkies are small sadly.

I was thinking Delaware for their quick growing once I have my cull Swedish hatch out hopefully next year (I only got one pair and getting another pair of pure black this March)

I may toss in some NN to get that naked neck lol it helps cut down the plucking... Then it just looks funny IMO.

 

[DesertChic]

#2 Bear. Ariel took it out of a sycamore tree with the hunt-master's .444 Marlin. That's a whole lot of gun for a small woman but it would likely kill an elephant at very close range.

EDIT: This is NOT the bear they thought they were after. This one was in his prime and has a great jacket. Ariel begged them out of it (jacket only) and wants a rug for her bedroom. It will be ready in about 8 months to a year.

I'm guessing Ariel is the pretty one without the beard?

I've gotta admit....I'm impressed!

 

[Beer can]

My cockerel was over six pounds at six months. Yeah I was thinking a faster growing cross would be better, Meyer's has 'white rocks' but I already have the giants and don't want any new breeds at the moment, have to suppress the 'morehens disease'. It's just a side project for personal use not what I'm focusing on unless it works out, if it doesn't we will just eat them all and start over down a new path