BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Arielle]

Popping in to say hi to everyone. Have really missed everyone---trying to catch up........

Have learned how to jerk meat==specifically duck breast meat.

Have speckled sussex, buckeyes and ameracuana eggs in the incubator. Just got bigincubator turned on. Not sure DH is happy about that. Muscovy hens keep showing up with a SLEW of ducklings.

My 2 boys have cleared a large area that we can plant useful trees like the mullberies from jerry, and fruit trees eventually. I tried grafting pear trees but none took. Fortunately the roostock is still growing so I have another shot at grafting and trying to provide more fresh food to the sheep, birds and us, too of course.

All the buff orpingtons are gone. TOo mellow to survive here but they were lovely to look at and good foragers. Those varieties that survive here are increasing innumbers.......still in the process of elimination. Buckeyes seem hardy---though terrible broodies that have yet to hatch anything. Great as mothers that will adopt any chick though.

Still working on self suffiency.........

......and just got word about Ron...........

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Welcome back Arielle

 

[ejcrist]

I'm in the process of putting together a breeding setup for Barred Rocks. Currently I just have one coop and run housing my 26 birds which includes one nice rooster, 16 BR pullets, and 9 White Leghorn pullets. I'm in the process of designing a breeding coop with attached runs and I'm picturing a building that's about 10' wide x about 24' long that'll be separated into 4 sections for the coop, and it'll have attached runs that are 6' wide x about 10' long. With this setup I can get two more roosters in two of the bays and cycle my current rooster in and out of one bay in addition. I'm thinking to put about 4-5 of my best hens in with each rooster I want to breed. I can use the fourth bay for rearing hatched chicks until they're big enough to go in the main coop. Since I'm totally new at the notion of breeding and what facilities others use, does this sound like a decent setup? I've been reading as much material as I can on the subject but I still have a lot more to read yet. My goals are to produce the best laying Barred Rock I can for quality eggs - not so much for volume but size and consistency, and secondly to produce birds that adhere to the breeds characteristics. I don't know that I'd be interested in showing or not but I think it would be fun to go and show a few of your best birds to see how they stack up. I didn't see much in the coop section for breeding type coops/runs so any input would be welcome.

Gene

 

[DesertChic]

I'm in the process of putting together a breeding setup for Barred Rocks. Currently I just have one coop and run housing my 26 birds which includes one nice rooster, 16 BR pullets, and 9 White Leghorn pullets. I'm in the process of designing a breeding coop with attached runs and I'm picturing a building that's about 10' wide x about 24' long that'll be separated into 4 sections for the coop, and it'll have attached runs that are 6' wide x about 10' long. With this setup I can get two more roosters in two of the bays and cycle my current rooster in and out of one bay in addition. I'm thinking to put about 4-5 of my best hens in with each rooster I want to breed. I can use the fourth bay for rearing hatched chicks until they're big enough to go in the main coop. Since I'm totally new at the notion of breeding and what facilities others use, does this sound like a decent setup? I've been reading as much material as I can on the subject but I still have a lot more to read yet. My goals are to produce the best laying Barred Rock I can for quality eggs - not so much for volume but size and consistency, and secondly to produce birds that adhere to the breeds characteristics. I don't know that I'd be interested in showing or not but I think it would be fun to go and show a few of your best birds to see how they stack up. I didn't see much in the coop section for breeding type coops/runs so any input would be welcome.

Gene

Have you by any chance spoken with @desertmarcy ? She lives in Tucson and breeds some gorgeous BRs, and she's been at it for a long time and could give you some invaluable feedback on your setup and your birds.

To me it all sounds wonderful, but I'm also quite the novice at setting up breeding pens. Good luck!

 

[ejcrist]

Have you by any chance spoken with @desertmarcy ? She lives in Tucson and breeds some gorgeous BRs, and she's been at it for a long time and could give you some invaluable feedback on your setup and your birds.

To me it all sounds wonderful, but I'm also quite the novice at setting up breeding pens. Good luck!

No I haven't but I'd really love to talk to her. I'm having all kinds of visions of what would work best but there's no better thing to do than talk to someone who's been doing it and maybe seeing their setup. I'll PM her to see if she'll lend me her ear.

 

[ejcrist]

Have you by any chance spoken with @desertmarcy ? She lives in Tucson and breeds some gorgeous BRs, and she's been at it for a long time and could give you some invaluable feedback on your setup and your birds.

To me it all sounds wonderful, but I'm also quite the novice at setting up breeding pens. Good luck!

I went on her website and sent her a message there. She sounds like she's doing a lot of neat things on her farm.

 

[Mini Meat]

I'm in the process of putting together a breeding setup for Barred Rocks. Currently I just have one coop and run housing my 26 birds which includes one nice rooster, 16 BR pullets, and 9 White Leghorn pullets. I'm in the process of designing a breeding coop with attached runs and I'm picturing a building that's about 10' wide x about 24' long that'll be separated into 4 sections for the coop, and it'll have attached runs that are 6' wide x about 10' long. With this setup I can get two more roosters in two of the bays and cycle my current rooster in and out of one bay in addition. I'm thinking to put about 4-5 of my best hens in with each rooster I want to breed. I can use the fourth bay for rearing hatched chicks until they're big enough to go in the main coop. Since I'm totally new at the notion of breeding and what facilities others use, does this sound like a decent setup? I've been reading as much material as I can on the subject but I still have a lot more to read yet. My goals are to produce the best laying Barred Rock I can for quality eggs - not so much for volume but size and consistency, and secondly to produce birds that adhere to the breeds characteristics. I don't know that I'd be interested in showing or not but I think it would be fun to go and show a few of your best birds to see how they stack up. I didn't see much in the coop section for breeding type coops/runs so any input would be welcome.

Gene

This is a great model you could easily follow and/or adapt with that set up.

http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id60.html

 

[ejcrist]

This is a great model you could easily follow and/or adapt with that set up.

http://bloslspoutlryfarm.tripod.com/id60.html

Thanks Mini - appreciate it. That is a good article but I think I'm reading it wrong. It says the first year in pen #1 you start with 2 hens (toe punched pen #1) and a cock (toe punched pen #4). And then the second season you put the pullets back in the pen they were hatched so again the 1st pen pullets are in pen #1 and toe punched accordingly. But then it says, "The females in Pen 1 will have a male placed into their pen that was toe punched #4 as his sire was before him." But if you did that you'd be mating brother to sisters which I've read was a no-no. I think what you're supposed to do is rotate the males so the male offspring from pen 1 (cock with toe punch #4) would rotate to pen #2 and on down the line. Am I correct or is it saying to mate brothers and sisters?

Gene

 

[ronott1]

Thanks Mini - appreciate it. That is a good article but I think I'm reading it wrong. It says the first year in pen #1 you start with 2 hens (toe punched pen #1) and a cock (toe punched pen #4). And then the second season you put the pullets back in the pen they were hatched so again the 1st pen pullets are in pen #1 and toe punched accordingly. But then it says, "The females in Pen 1 will have a male placed into their pen that was toe punched #4 as his sire was before him." But if you did that you'd be mating brother to sisters which I've read was a no-no. I think what you're supposed to do is rotate the males so the male offspring from pen 1 (cock with toe punch #4) would rotate to pen #2 and on down the line. Am I correct or is it saying to mate brothers and sisters?

Gene

Yes, it is called inbreeding and is what you need to do to get a show quality breed--or just to get the genes to stick.

It is fine to do this with chickens. after 4 or 5 years you will want to bring in some fresh ones--looking for points that you need to fix in your flock.

 

[stryker]

Yes, it is called inbreeding and is what you need to do to get a show quality breed--or just to get the genes to stick.

It is fine to do this with chickens. after 4 or 5 years you will want to bring in some fresh ones--looking for points that you need to fix in your flock.

And hope what you bring in does not set you back several years!