BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[gevshiba]

Well, okay then. I don't like speckled sussex. They are cannibalistic and egg eaters. They dont get very big and really hogs at the feed trough. Enough said about those stupid birds. They were all put in the soup pot!

All chickens can be cannibalistic. Mine aren't egg eaters. They aren't supposed to be small, but have suffered from the commercial hatcheries and I'm working on that. Do they eat a lot? Maybe. All I have are SS and turkeys, so I don't have anything to compare them with.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Well I would take them but I can't pay for shipping that would be outrages to pay that for as far as we are apart

You are right - that wouldn't make sense. I was just joking with you...

@DesertChic , didn't you have a frustrating/irritating experience with Speckled Sussex as well? (Or was that someone else...)

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
I think mine suffer from being compared to Naked Necks in the same chicken yard. Not many other chickens can hold up to that in my eyes. (Not like I'm biased or anything...

)

But I'm going to CROSS mine with Naked Necks! So maybe we'll make some progress there!

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: @CanadianBuckeye - I took a photo today when feeding Apoc. This is the tractor that EIGHT Naked Necks lived in until their coop was done (yes, ok, a little cramped for 8, but they ranged all day and just slept here). Yes, it's a little sloppy looking right now. It's mostly covered with a heavy duty tarp, with some shade cloth as well. This is the tractor pattern that I'll be making my breeding and grow out pens out of. It's sturdy, easily moved, and also "parks" well (like this one). Joints are lapped which makes it easier for it to flex over uneven ground. Good ventilation. I have 24" hardware cloth laid down in panels outside the edges (and held down with concrete blocks) to prevent predators digging in. I'll add a raised platform at the back and some roosts, and also some nest boxes (for the breeding pens).

Got/bought the plans on the internet.


- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

@CanadianBuckeye - I took a photo today when feeding Apoc. This is the tractor that EIGHT Naked Necks lived in until their coop was done (yes, ok, a little cramped for 8, but they ranged all day and just slept here). Yes, it's a little sloppy looking right now. It's mostly covered with a heavy duty tarp, with some shade cloth as well. This is the tractor pattern that I'll be making my breeding and grow out pens out of. It's sturdy, easily moved, and also "parks" well (like this one). Joints are lapped which makes it easier for it to flex over uneven ground. Good ventilation. I have 24" hardware cloth laid down in panels outside the edges (and held down with concrete blocks) to prevent predators digging in. I'll add a raised platform at the back and some roosts, and also some nest boxes (for the breeding pens).

Got/bought the plans on the internet.


- Ant Farm

For sleep only, that's just fine.

EDIT: If I lived where you do, Naked Necks is the only breed I'd own. Period.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

I don't like the naked necks there creepy looking

 

[Our Roost]

In over 5 years of raising and handling chickens, I have ordered lots of hatchery birds. I admit that I have had a blend of good and bad but mostly achieved the intent of why I bought them in the first place. We started with the intent of raising chickens for eggs and not meat but our ambitions changed over time. It was at that time we started looking at different breeds and mostly the quality of what we were purchasing. Truthfully, you can only read so much and have to experience ownership of the breed to know it first hand. I didn't do a well enough search for a private breeder of the Speckled Sussex and opted for my well known hatchery source. Conversation and feedback on the breed was sufficient enough for me to take a chance and I purchased some. I posted my observation of owning this breed in particular and didn't make comparisons to any other bird I have owned. So yes, I have owned other egg eaters as well. Of all the different breeds I have owned, I disliked this one the most. Is that a more fair evaluation? I didnt find any value and put my efforts into something that was better suited to my needs and wants. The birds were well cared for and when they reached maturity, I culled them. I just felt I could put my efforts into something more productive then spending time with this breed. Too me, it would have been a wasted effort. If you like them, enjoy them and work with them. Just not my cup of tea.

 

[Our Roost]

The right strain is point on. This breed has potential but needs help thru proper breeding to be a home run. Difficult to find really good stock state side.

 

[Our Roost]

Me either! How could mother nature play such an evil trick on such a fantastic bird. It truly does have benefits but if looks could kill, well-- what can I say.

 

[DesertChic]

You are right - that wouldn't make sense. I was just joking with you...

@DesertChic , didn't you have a frustrating/irritating experience with Speckled Sussex as well? (Or was that someone else...)

- Ant Farm

Nope, not me. I managed to dodge this particular bullet thanks to reading about others' frustrations with the breed.