BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[LindaB220]

Because Paula was thin and sick for a day or two, I spent a lot of time looking at the "body condition" diagrams for birds. The bird above would be classified as *massively* obese.

Without intending to, I have begun to prefer dark meat anyhow. Some of it is the birds I have bought to eat (before culling my own) - I'm working my way through some "sale" pastured legs and thighs I had in the freezer, and they are SO much better than chicken breasts (just plain with rice and broccoli!). But part may be that I'm cooking more dishes that call for dark meat anyway (written by smart folks/cultures that realize all the flavor there). Especially Indian cooking...

- Ant Farm

Gotta tell ya, since moving to Washington in September, my eating habits have changed. Being able to buy organic fruits and veggies is wonderful. I've not dieted at all and have lost 9 lbs since Jan. 1. Buying the instant pot pressure cooker changed my life. It enables you to poach your food and keep all the vitamins. And you can make bone broth in 50 min. 3# beef, pork or chicken bones. That's it. It sets when it cools to gel, I had one cup of broth from the freezer to each meal I cook as the liquid part and the taste is unbelievable. I knew that bone broth was good for you but I used the first batch of broth that I had frozen for beef stew. The taste was apparent. Good as a restaurant.

 

[LindaB220]

I wanted to show off my new "used" incubator. While I wont be hatching all the eggs it will hold at one time, I'm collecting 12 to 16 eggs each day and each tray holds 90 eggs. Looks like my hatching schedule will be picking up.

I do so WANT one of those.

 

[LindaB220]

I think I am going to love this thread!

With that being said I found this thread trying to do a search and trying to figure out something. I have both production rir's and what some call heritage and I love em BOTH! My nephew wanted some pro eggs to hatch so he got 18 from me. ONLY 6 were fertile.

So I have given him 18 more and if these are that bad this pro rir roo is going in the pot. Now that said, I have 3 too many heritage rir's and hubby was telling me he didn't see WHY I wouldn't get rid of Cackles (the pro rir roo) and put one of the heritage rir roos with the pro girls. Wouldn't that mess up with the eggs? They are breed for laying and I just wonder if that wouldn't mess that up? I want those for eggs. They're getting older so I NEED to hatch me out some more from them but obviously this roo isn't doing his job and I am really funny about bringing in new for fear of making mine sick. This roo Cackles, I bought last summer actually bought 3 and picked the one I wanted and gave the other two away. But I quarantined them for 3 months before I put Cackles in the pen with the girls. Just don't have 3 months because I need to be hatching some eggs out. I'd love to hear your ideas on this.

Hey Girl, missed you missed you. I haven't updated my location yet but I moved to Vancouver WA in Sept. What a change from Shreveport.

I've been on this thread since day one and it's the best. Bar none

 

[neopolitancrazy]

... And his carcass was quite narrow, making it really, really hard to me to get my hand into the cavity to extract the organs....

Why didn't you spatchcock him? (Cut him into right and left halves.)
Angela

 

[NanaKat]

I have been running two Hovabators to incubate and one Hovabator as a hatcher.

I'm considering getting a Hovabator to use as a hatcher - have you been pleased with it?

- Ant Farm

It has been great. I place eggs in paper egg carton with a hole in the bottom of each cup to keep the eggs bottom up for hatching. The hole lets the eggs breath and the paper carton absorbs liquids .

With that being said I found this thread trying to do a search and trying to figure out something. I have both production rir's and what some call heritage and I love em BOTH! My nephew wanted some pro eggs to hatch so he got 18 from me. ONLY 6 were fertile.   So I have given him 18 more and if these are that bad this pro rir roo is going in the pot. Now that said,  I have 3 too many heritage rir's and hubby was telling me he didn't see WHY I wouldn't get rid of Cackles (the pro rir roo) and put one of the heritage rir roos with the pro girls. Wouldn't that mess up with the eggs? They are breed for laying and I just wonder if that wouldn't mess that up? I want those for eggs. They're getting older so I NEED to hatch me out some more from them but obviously this roo isn't doing his job and I am really funny about bringing in new for fear of making mine sick. This roo Cackles, I bought last summer actually bought 3 and picked the one I wanted and gave the other two away. But I quarantined them for 3 months before I put Cackles in the pen with the girls. Just don't have 3 months because I need to be hatching some eggs out. I'd love to hear your ideas on this. 

Don't move too quickly on Cackles. Cold temperatures can affect fertility in the rooster...Anything below 40 degrees.

 

[DesertChic]

Why didn't you spatchcock him? (Cut him into right and left halves.)
Angela

I couldn't cut through him with the scissors I have. Either they weren't sharp enough, I'm not strong enough, or both.

 

[Beer can]

I do so WANT one of those. 

I see the older huge wood cabinets occasionally on Craigslist, saw a not so old natureform safari? big cabinet recently, all decent prices, just know something like that would get me in a lot of trouble...someday...

Why didn't you spatchcock him? (Cut him into right and left halves.)
Angela

I had the same problem as DesertChic recently, I have big hands, I soo wanted to give up and halve them, or at least split the back, but was determined to leave them whole.

 

[ronott1]

I see the older huge wood cabinets occasionally on Craigslist, saw a not so old natureform safari? big cabinet recently, all decent prices, just know something like that would get me in a lot of trouble...someday...
I had the same problem as DesertChic recently, I have big hands, I soo wanted to give up and halve them, or at least split the back, but was determined to leave them whole.

Ever go hunting and have to dress a quail or dove?

You can get enough of your hand in there to get the job done. You can even push from the neck end. You do remove the neck and gizzard before gutting? It really helps to do that first.

 

[Beer can]

I couldn't cut through him with the scissors I have. Either they weren't sharp enough, I'm not strong enough, or both. :/

I bet the ones hellbender posted recently would be awesome! I saw a heavy duty pair at TSC once, gone when I wanted them..
I picked up a heavy duty pair a lot like the ones hellbender posted at a Christmas Tree Shop store pretty cheap.

 

[Beer can]

@Beer can
 in right. There's a lot of information on this thread and it doesn't hurt to repost things from time to time. I still have to repost my favorite chicken recipe. I just haven't had time to find my original post or re-type the darn thing. 

Have you tried 'search this thread' option?
All I did to find that post was put in 'interesting article' on search this thread. It listed a bunch, but a lot easier than flipping back through the whole thread.