BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bramblefir]

Are you going to eat the goose egg?

We'll be eating this one and also the next couple. After that I'll try to incubate some and then let her keep the rest to hatch herself.

 

[NanaKat]

When we had domestic greese, I saved the egg shells whole for Christmas ornaments. A hole at each end, use a straw to break up the yolk and blow out the egg. Nice scrambled egg, omelet, or used for cooking. Our Chinese White laid 119 eggs in one year.

Hatched 12 chicks Saturday and Sunday . One of my favorite broody hens lost her two chicks that I had given her Friday...one was grabbed by a crow and the other drowned in a waterer. I put Mandy in a brood pen and gave her the 12 chicks. A very happy dozen babies all snuggled under Mandy's fluffy Cochin feathers as she purred her content.

The next small hatch goes to another broody hen.

Then the eggs gathered after trimming the fluff bums on the breeding hens will go to any broody hens available...71 remain in the incubator after candling. Yes trimming those feathers increased fertility in all pens. My electric brooders are ready too.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

When we had domestic greese, I saved the egg shells whole for Christmas ornaments. A hole at each end, use a straw to break up the yolk and blow out the egg. Nice scrambled egg, omelet, or used for cooking. Our Chinese White laid 119 eggs in one year.

Hatched 12 chicks Saturday and Sunday . One of my favorite broody hens lost her two chicks that I had given her Friday...one was grabbed by a crow and the other drowned in a waterer. I put Mandy in a brood pen and gave her the 12 chicks. A very happy dozen babies all snuggled under Mandy's fluffy Cochin feathers as she purred her content.

The next small hatch goes to another broody hen.

Then the eggs gathered after trimming the fluff bums on the breeding hens will go to any broody hens available...71 remain in the incubator after candling. Yes trimming those feathers increased fertility in all pens. My electric brooders are ready too.

I hope I end up with a few good broody hens, but I'm hoping it's not the Cornish- they are kind of klutzy and heavy.......

 

[ronott1]

I hope I end up with a few good broody hens, but I'm hoping it's not the Cornish- they are kind of klutzy and heavy.......

This week I have an Australorp and a Splash barnveldner go broody.

Too bad you are so far away, you could have the Australorp!

 

[bramblefir]

Just one broody hen here. The other hen that was broody changed her mind and left the nest, thankfully before I gave her any eggs. So, I have 5 Muscovy eggs that are looking good under the Partridge Chantecler plus 9 Ancona duck eggs that I gave her this weekend. They should all hatch the same weekend.

 

[varidgerunner]

My broodies are cranking here, I have one that is setting eggs on top of a pen that is covered with chicken wire. Thats right, she is nesting on top of chicken wire. I am going to have to do something about that I guess, if the chicks hatch out up there they will either get tangled in the wire or fall about eight feet. Might try to slip a piece of cardboard under her or something. She is one of the wild woods chickens that wandered in last fall. I am purposefully holding some of mine off for a little while because I just set up some of my breeding pens that I want to hatch eggs out of.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Seems to be a theme this time of year - found this today, Puppy's been escaping the paddock once a day to work on this:



- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

@gjensen I have a question - harkening back to our discussion of compiling a reasonable breeder ration from what is easily available in feed stores, and that there were a number of options that were ok. (I put everyone on Flock raiser).

You mentioned before recommending Dumor, and considering mixing half Dumor layer and half Dumor chick starter as a good option. (I apologize, I can't manage to find the post where you said this). Well, I happened to get into a discussion with the manager at Tractor Supply when I was getting feed (he was restocking a LOT of Dumor feeds). I pointed out that the Garmebird feed was from 2014. He was chagrined and expressed frustration that his employees didn't always rotate and clear old feed like they had been told (and he tossed it). We got into a longer discussion, and I asked about what he was restocking. Upshot is that they go through Dumor REALLY fast, so it's very fresh (fresher than the Purina Flock Raiser). I'm using their 20% chick starter right now for some cream leg bars (and some smaller aloha NNs). But they also have a 24% starter (which they also go through a lot of).

I'm inclined to use feed that is as fresh as possible, and would like to switch over to Dumor for everyone. Would you recommend mixing layer and 24% (vs. layer and 20%)? That's what I'm inclined to do, but was curious what you ( or anyone else) had to say about Dumor - I'd been meaning to ask...

- Ant Farm

 

[stryker]

I'm inclined to use feed that is as fresh as possible, and would like to switch over to Dumor for everyone. Would you recommend mixing layer and 24% (vs. layer and 20%)? That's what I'm inclined to do, but was curious what you ( or anyone else) had to say about Dumor - I'd been meaning to ask...

- Ant Farm

I use the elevator feed since it is $5 cheaper a bag. I mix my layer 17% with 20% game bird grower. Their starter is only 18%.. I have been mixing it 2 bags layer and 1 bag grower. I usually do a 50/50 mix... Good luck,,,,

 

[AnthNDacula]

So my capon project just took a major step forward. My caponizing table came yesterday from China via Poco Pollo in Oklahoma. She was kind enough to import it for me, and I'll be getting a large set of operating tools thru her as well. Now if I can just get my White Dorking chicks... my fingers are crossed.

The Chinese clearly have a handle on the art of caponizing, and with this table the operation only takes a few seconds... with some experience I'm sure. The table quickly restrains the chick and then drops it into a box at your feet before the chick knows what's happened. You don't have to tie feet and wings or hang weights. It's much simpler looking than all the descriptions I've read. I'll include a link to the video below.