BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[CanadianBuckeye]

They don't always stop. If you don't intend for a broody hen to hatch chicks, you need to break them. The sooner the better and the more smoothly it goes.
There are many techniques but most take a long time and lots of labor. The simplest, quickest, tried and true method is to put them in a suspended wire bottom cage with food and water. If caught early, it will be over in 2 days.
I know a woman that had a pet turkey go broody and didn't break it. After a long time, she spent 3,000 in vet bills and months of physical therapy and the bird still died. I know, I buried it for her.

Why does the cage have to be suspended in the air? Does leaving the cage on the coop floor or outdoors not work sometimes? I have a Cornish in a wire bottom cage, but the wire bottom is about a half inch off the bedding. I'm on day 3, she's still puffy and clucky and heads back to the nest when I let her out for a break (a few times a day). Then I pick her up and back into the cage she goes. During the day she's out doors in the cage in a shady spot with food and water, at night she's in the cage on the coop floor. It's a pretty small cage for such a large hen, she's pretty cramped in there.
If I let her hatch some eggs (I am NOT planning on letting her do that) will it take longer for her to be broody again? So far she's gone broody every 4-5 weeks, the cage has worked in a few days before but this time she seems more determined to stay broody. I really like this hen, she's a poor example of her breed but she's huge and very docile. She's never pecked at me when I pick her up. She'll hopefully make a good broody someday, but I don't want her hatching chicks right now.

 

[lpatelski]

lpatelski I'm just in awe of your breeding program. I'm a newbie when it comes to doing something on purpose with my chickens, and I'm finding out just how much work goes into what you've accomplished. I'm primarily trying to breed for egg production but I have a keen interest in the meatie dept. as well, mostly for my education. It's so easy to read the posts, they go back many years, and it seems like things go quickly- but in real life three or four posts can represent two year's hard work.
Congratulations, that chicken for dinner IMO is about as perfect as perfect can be.

What she said.

Thank you for your kind words. It just feeds my obsession... It is funny you posted this while I was planning my next breedings. I am expressing my ratings in a chart. Desirable traits for my program. I am starting with the girls and will do the same for the boys(I only have two at this point). If I really like a trait and want to bring it forward, or I do not like a trait and want to attempt to suppress it. I have listed Betty my Murray McMurray White Cornish Roaster hen. She lays 3 to 5 - 70 plus gram eggs per week. I like the extra large egg size. The chicks have a good weight when hatched. Lavenia started out laying smaller eggs in the 48 to 50 gram range. Her chicks hatched and thrived. I like that she laid her first egg at 19 weeks of age. She was well matured at 8 pounds. She has also laid 11 straight eggs before taking a break. So great egg frequency, early maturity, great meat type...how do I express those traits in her offspring? How do I increase the egg size? I have a full brother Bob, who was bred to Betty. I need to find a cockerel from Bob and Betty who can keep all the good traits for my "female" line and maybe increase the egg size. Can you see the cogs turning; can you smell the wood burning? This is my obsession.

TRAITS FOR:

MEAT TYPE BIRD

BETTY
WCR
2/6/2015

LAVENIA
50%DC/50%WCR
8/26/2015

FIRST EGG LAID 19-22 WKS

25 WKS

19 WKS
EGG SIZE - LARGE 56.7g

70+g

50g-55g
GOOD FEET

YES

YES
MEAT QUALITY - WEIGHT

10+

9+
PEACOMB

straight

Peacomb
FREQUENCY EGGS PER WEEK

3 to 5 eggs

5 to 7 eggs
CHICK HATCH RATE

58% hatch

81% hatch
COLOR

WHITE

LAV/SPLASH
TEMPERAMENT

GOOD

VERY GOOD
WENT BROODY

NEVER

7.5 MONTHS​

 

[bluejean55girl]

Thank you for your kind words. It just feeds my obsession... It is funny you posted this while I was planning my next breedings. I am expressing my ratings in a chart. Desirable traits for my program. I am starting with the girls and will do the same for the boys(I only have two at this point). If I really like a trait and want to bring it forward, or I do not like a trait and want to attempt to suppress it. I have listed Betty my Murray McMurray White Cornish Roaster hen. She lays 3 to 5 - 70 plus gram eggs per week. I like the extra large egg size. The chicks have a good weight when hatched. Lavenia started out laying smaller eggs in the 48 to 50 gram range. Her chicks hatched and thrived. I like that she laid her first egg at 19 weeks of age. She was well matured at 8 pounds. She has also laid 11 straight eggs before taking a break. So great egg frequency, early maturity, great meat type...how do I express those traits in her offspring? How do I increase the egg size? I have a full brother Bob, who was bred to Betty. I need to find a cockerel from Bob and Betty who can keep all the good traits for my "female" line and maybe increase the egg size. Can you see the cogs turning; can you smell the wood burning? This is my obsession.
[TR] TRAITS FOR: MEAT TYPE BIRD BETTY WCR 2/6/2015 LAVENIA 50%DC/50%WCR 8/26/2015 [/TR] [TR]

FIRST EGG LAID 19-22 WKS​

25 WKS​

19 WKS​

[/TR] [TR]

EGG SIZE - LARGE 56.7g​

70+g​

50g-55g​

[/TR] [TR]

GOOD FEET​

YES​

YES​

[/TR] [TR]

MEAT QUALITY - WEIGHT​

10+ ​

9+​

[/TR] [TR]

PEACOMB​

straight​

Peacomb​

[/TR] [TR]

FREQUENCY EGGS PER WEEK​

3 to 5 eggs​

5 to 7 eggs​

[/TR] [TR]

RATE 1-5​

CHICK HATCHABILITY​

2 TO 3​

3 TO 4​

[/TR] [TR]

COLOR​

WHITE​

LAV/SPLASH​

[/TR] [TR]

TEMPERAMENT​

GOOD​

VERY GOOD​

[/TR] [TR]

WENT BROODY​

NEVER​

7.5 MONTHS​

[/TR]

I like your chart

 

[DesertChic]

Why does the cage have to be suspended in the air? Does leaving the cage on the coop floor or outdoors not work sometimes? I have a Cornish in a wire bottom cage, but the wire bottom is about a half inch off the bedding. I'm on day 3, she's still puffy and clucky and heads back to the nest when I let her out for a break (a few times a day). Then I pick her up and back into the cage she goes. During the day she's out doors in the cage in a shady spot with food and water, at night she's in the cage on the coop floor. It's a pretty small cage for such a large hen, she's pretty cramped in there.
If I let her hatch some eggs (I am NOT planning on letting her do that) will it take longer for her to be broody again? So far she's gone broody every 4-5 weeks, the cage has worked in a few days before but this time she seems more determined to stay broody. I really like this hen, she's a poor example of her breed but she's huge and very docile. She's never pecked at me when I pick her up. She'll hopefully make a good broody someday, but I don't want her hatching chicks right now.

Suspending the cage allows the air to circulate under the belly and improves cooling, which is really what you need to do to break a broody. And in my case, since I'll probably be putting them in the broody cage overnight, it decreases the likelihood of any predator, vermin or insect issues. I'm actually thinking of doing this AND giving baby aspirin.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

@lpatelski looks like your breeding program is well underway. It's wonderful that you are willing to share such detailed information. I'm curious, are you still breeding with Bam Bam? would you breed back to him?
I'm wondering if growth rate would be useful on your chart as well.

 

[lpatelski]

@lpatelski looks like your breeding program is well underway. It's wonderful that you are willing to share such detailed information. I'm curious, are you still breeding with Bam Bam? would you breed back to him?
I'm wondering if growth rate would be useful on your chart as well.

Bam Bam is very much in the "mix". Every chick has his genetics. He was my only Cockbird in the beginning. I am breeding my 50/50's back to him to produce 3/4 Dark Cornish. He throws bone, but also some color. I don't mind the color because I skin instead of pluck. I do want to make a plucker though. That means I would lean more towards white or light coloration. When I breed back a Dark Cornish with my lavender/splash or White/Red the colors are mostly light so far, some blacks, blue cuckoos, white lace and jubilee reds. I'm just making up colors at this point - 3/4 Bob chick Lavender jubilee red cockerel

3/4 Dark Cornish Bob chick - Blue cuckoo cockerel

3/4 Dark Cornish BamBam chicks born yesterday 4/29/16

3/4 Bob chicks born yesterday 4/29/16 red ruff & blue ruff

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Very nice chicks. Bam Bam has certainly proven himself as a great breeder. Great width on those skulls! The3/4 Bob middle day old chick on the top picture, and the one on the left at the bottom - is that the same chick? It look huge already. I wonder if you have 2 pullets and a cockerel there? ( I love guessing).

 

[lpatelski]

Very nice chicks. Bam Bam has certainly proven himself as a great breeder. Great width on those skulls! The3/4 Bob middle day old chick on the top picture, and the one on the left at the bottom - is that the same chick? It look huge already. I wonder if you have 2 pullets and a cockerel there? ( I love guessing).

Yes the middle chick in the top pic has the blue ruff and light stripe running down the middle of the back. It is the same chick in the second pic on the left. This bird's color will be interesting. Maybe a weekly photo shoot. Daily would be fun for a week or two...

 

[bramblefir]

Oh boy! Okay. It looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me. I have one broody pen that I can actually suspend well above the ground inside of one of the secure, enclosed runs. I'm thinking of putting my toughest broody in that one for the night in the hope that she cools enough to break the cycle. Two others seem to be finally getting over their broodiness after three days of keeping them locked away from their desired nesting spots. That leaves me with one or two others....and the White Rock sitting on eggs.

Did I mention I'm already up to 85 chickens? I think these girls are plotting against me. It's definitely a chicken conspiracy.

I've been in the "85 chicken" situation until I got insulted by the receipt from the feed store one too many times.

 

[DesertChic]

I've been in the "85 chicken" situation until I got insulted by the receipt from the feed store one too many times.

See, I buy my feed in bulk every 2 months, so I only have to see that feed bill for a short time before "chicken chores" make it a distant memory.

Truthfully, as long as my egg, meat and chick sales + what we consume ourselves covers the cost of the feed, I feel pretty good. My grocery bill used to reach $800 per month for 3 people. Now it's 1/4 of that. Not too shabby.