BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Kev]

I've posted this a couple times here but I'm sure you didn't hear it. I'll try a condensed version. Green Fire Farms states; "The Barbezieux is notable for two reasons: it is the tallest native chicken breed in Europe, and it is one of the best- tasting meat chickens in the world. As to the former, the Barbezieux will likely tower over any other chicken breed you have on your property, and as to the latter the Barbezieux is revered by some gastronomes as superior to the revered Bresse when the birds are roasted. (Traditionally, Bresse are poached when they are prepared for the table.) The skin roasts to a golden color with the smell of wheat, and the meat has a distinct flavor reminiscent of wild game.
and recently Barbezieux were ranked third in a competition of 20 meat breeds by the French food guide, Gault Millau."
They and the Bresse are super $$$$
I decided to check out that competition by Gault Millau, why buy the third best, whats #1???., took hours upon hours, days, they have websites in every language in every country....found nothing....finally late one night I found it, French version with google translate, figured it'd be some weird name bird we can't get here....nope...it was the naked neck. dang, we have them here! The #1 was the red variety, redbro con nu or something. I've been looking for that article for awhile now again, can't find it...so wish I wrote down the whole list, don't even remember what was #2 Google sucks butt sometimes, especially if your looking up certain political stuff.

I remember- bresse, NN and barbezieux were the top three.

I have barbezieux.. have not tasted them yet so all I can say is they're tall. Not meaty at all though.. very skinny chickens. But tall....

 

[Kev]

Lol! I never wanted them, thought they were super ugly, think they are the coolest ever now. I don't know anyone around here that has had them.
I read it here I think maybe not (ostriches), stole it and used it, can't remember who said it, super funny.
My brother-in-law stopped to have me change over some tires (don't ever let anyone know if you bought a tire changer, mine's a hand operated one from TSC, but works great, they come out of the woodwork to have you change tires for free

.....)

I had moved my chicks from the house, hatched jersey giants and giant silkie crosses and 15 naked necks I bought about same age to a 4x8' brooder box in the garage.
BIL asks, 'what the heck are they?' I told him baby ostriches. Fast forward awhile later he says, 'what are you going to do with them, they get huge' dude they're chickens, he laughs....
While later he asks 'how you going to fence them in?' (there used to be a ostrich farm over the hill so I'm sure he's seen how big they get...) I laughed, they are naked neck chickens Lol!
He says, 'are you F'ng with me' no man they are naked neck chickens.... He just continued to stare at them.
When he left finally, I still don't think he believed me Lol!

Haha! One time teenaged nephew brought a friend of his to my place, they spent the day having fun around the 'farm'. He was very nice and happy.

However.. when he went back home, he told his parents I shaved the necks of my chickens.......

 

[Kev]

I was considering the S&G naked necks as well. If I am going to brave my daughter's complaints about ugly birds I want to make sure I get meaty NN's and not some mixed up project bird of unknown quality and heritage. Not that I have a problem with projects, I just prefer my own...lol.

Like you, I balked at the 100 bird order. A hundred would not be too bad if you can find someone or two to split the order.

Yeah I get what you're saying. I really regret not immediately getting more NN chicks or hatching the eggs from my first NN hen- she really was very big and heavy. Never weighed her, and you know memory can get disorted, she was probably past 10 lbs. I had assumed that was typical of the breed so I just held off, thinking it was simple matter of ordering again in the future and getting ones more or less like her. Big mistake.

I had worked on a LF line for several generations and got them to a good size and laying big eggs. Then I got overwhelmed and decided to reduce the flock by both letting some breeds and project lines go and merging some traits into fewer lines. I crossed this LF line with a mixed 'standard size' line thinking it would throw some big birds... again, big mistake.

So now I am both trying to breed that line to see if I can regain the large size and also a separate line with birds bought as CX from feed store.. however turns out they were of slow growing broiler strain. Not what I wanted, maybe a blessing in disguise though.. want to get them large but still want them to do all the normal chicken things without special care.

Part of me likes the idea of getting SG stock and if they make me happy, I can just be done with most of the other projects, particularly the LF ones that still work on their weights and growth.

 

[DesertChic]

Yeah I get what you're saying. I really regret not immediately getting more NN chicks or hatching the eggs from my first NN hen- she really was very big and heavy. Never weighed her, and you know memory can get disorted, she was probably past 10 lbs. I had assumed that was typical of the breed so I just held off, thinking it was simple matter of ordering again in the future and getting ones more or less like her. Big mistake.

I had worked on a LF line for several generations and got them to a good size and laying big eggs. Then I got overwhelmed and decided to reduce the flock by both letting some breeds and project lines go and merging some traits into fewer lines. I crossed this LF line with a mixed 'standard size' line thinking it would throw some big birds... again, big mistake.

So now I am both trying to breed that line to see if I can regain the large size and also a separate line with birds bought as CX from feed store.. however turns out they were of slow growing broiler strain. Not what I wanted, maybe a blessing in disguise though.. want to get them large but still want them to do all the normal chicken things without special care.

Part of me likes the idea of getting SG stock and if they make me happy, I can just be done with most of the other projects, particularly the LF ones that still work on their weights and growth.

It's so cute how you think you'll ever be satisfied enough to stop with all other projects.

Like chicken math isn't a thing.....

 

[DesertChic]

What's the least stressful/ most humane way to catch a chicken, that does not hurt it (other than off the roost at night)? A fishing net, or one of those leg hook things? Or is there a better way?

I've never used either of those things. When I've absolutely had to catch a chicken during the day I usually first distract them with a treat and then just grab them by the legs. Sometimes I have to carry them upside down, and other times they're right-side up and just resting on my hand while I keep firm hold on their legs.

 

[Kev]

It's so cute how you think you'll ever be satisfied enough to stop with all other projects.

Like chicken math isn't a thing.....

Shhhhh let me have some sense of denial..

I will refuse to acknowledge this later.. but you are most likely right. Now I never said that... haha

 

[bnjrob]

What's the least stressful/ most humane way to catch a chicken, that does not hurt it (other than off the roost at night)? A fishing net, or one of those leg hook things? Or is there a better way?

If they don't want to get caught, both are stressful. But if they are an idiot that gets their body parts caught in the net, the net is more stressful. We have poultry nets and leg hooks and they are all a pain in the butt to use when the chickens are trying to get away from you. With the bold ones that come up to us, we can just snag them with our hands. But once they figure out that when we grab one of their mates, they don't come back - after that they are all on alert and fighting to get away.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

was looking for a NN carcass. happened to come across this thread- says the NN was from s&g, had best taste out of several breeds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/729448/capons

Oh good grief - you're going to get me to get these...

Quote:
I wonder what their disposition is like...

You know, it might actually be worth it to do a road trip to be able to get only 25...

Quote:
I don't have a leg hook, but I do have a large fishing net with a rubberized net part (so the least difficult on them). Universally the net or anything I carry in my hands freaks them out way more than walking up on them and trying to catch by hand. I try to get them to a place where I can get my hands over their back - if they move away quickly, I can usually grab a foot, and then get my hands around them. I've given up on the net and am not buying a hook. I'll just keep catching by hand...

- Ant Farm

 

[Molpet]

What's the least stressful/ most humane way to catch a chicken, that does not hurt it (other than off the roost at night)? A fishing net, or one of those leg hook things? Or is there a better way?

I hung the net up in the run so they got used to it.. I had a yr old roo I had been trying to catch for a month and when he first seen it there was panic, but after he bumped into it for a week it was easy to catch him. But I worried someone would get tangled in it while it was hanging.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Curse you, @Kev ...

I just emailed S and G Poultry about when they would next have Naked Necks available. Now I just need to find either folks to share, or a way to somehow raise 100 chicks. I've already got some ideas.

- Ant Farm