BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[ejcrist]

LOL, well 100 Muscovy would definitely be over the top for me. If I got down to about 2 dozen chickens my husband may be more amenable to a small flock of Muscovy, but that would be an awful lot of work. I have a hard enough time just getting all the daily chores and my work responsibilities done each day, and usually don't. I do love them them though, so I'm betting that I'll own some one day.

Gosh, we're in a similar boat DesertChic. I really want to have a small flock of ducks but my wife has been saying nay now the last couple of times I asked. She used to raise all kinds of livestock when she was younger and she's fine with chickens, but she drew the line at ducks, goats, and pigs. I believe I could convince her on the goats and pigs if we had more property but I don't think it would matter on the ducks, She said they're the messiest animals she ever raised. My argument is that I'll deal with that part, and she knows I'll keep to my word, but so far she hasn't been receptive to the idea. I really want them because I love their eggs, and so does she. We even eat a lot of salted duck eggs, otherwise known as ebon buru in her dialect, but still no dice. Maybe one day we'll get around to it. If I could get her approval I'd get Muscovies and Khaki Campbell's or Indian Runners. You see, it ain't just chicken math but duck math too.

 

[Beer can]

Free range ducks are not messy. It's keeping them contained that makes them pigs, or brooding in the house (nasty stinkin things) . If you have the room to let them naturally free range, have a pond, brood their own, no mess. Those Khaki Campbell's will out lay any chicken. I had them and then crossed with Mallard's and they still laid awesome and made great broodies, hatched out tons of them crossed with a Pekin drake. I was a little disappointed in the Pekins I had, once you got the feathers off they really weren't that big, these were just the regular Pekin not the jumbo.
You all are tempting me, really miss ducks, talked me into naked necks already, now I'm really wanting ducks again, have to figure out my options on a free range dog to keep them safe though.
I think it was Hellbender that mentioned this place awhile back, anyone have experience with them?
http://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/white-muscovy-ducks.asp
And what do you do to prevent Muscovy from flying away? Heard they will do that?

 

[Alaskan]

For the muscovy we trim their wings. Not pinion, just feather trim.

Muscovy are NOT that great for eggs, but they are not messy nasty ducks. I only get a little mud by their water pan.

(They are still horrid in the house though thousamd times worse than chickens in the house)

But in their outside pen, you can have GRASS (ok...well, weeds.)

 

[Turk Raphael]

For the muscovy we trim their wings. Not pinion, just feather trim.

Muscovy are NOT that great for eggs, but they are not messy nasty ducks. I only get a little mud by their water pan.

(They are still horrid in the house though

thousamd times worse than chickens in the house)

But in their outside pen, you can have GRASS (ok...well, weeds.)

MY OPINION...the best duck breed for the table...at least the white ones that have been bred for fast growth and wonderful breast meat. Some folks throw the rest of the bird into the trash but that makes the most exquisite broth, plus the legs and feet are delicious to nibble on. Just my opinion.

I going to check if those folks who wont ship to WV might ship to KY...!!!!!!!

 

[angry rooster]

I should look into this some more- I live near a shallow lake that was famous for walleye but the population has crashed so there's a moratorium. However there are tons of carp and they are huge. I love smoked and  fried fish..... and  I wonder if you can smoke them? 
How do you feed fish to chickens, do you have to cook them first?

I dry the fish and then store it in the fridge but I have fed them raw fish I figure anything that eats mice hole and alive can handle raw fish

 

[lcertuche]

I dry the fish and then store it in the fridge but I have fed them raw fish I figure anything that eats mice hole and alive can handle raw fish

I laughed with I read about eating the mice. It is like 'The Walking Dead' around here when one of them gets a hold of a mouse. You see 2 or 3 each with a leg, tail, head, etc. pulling. They will run by with small snakes, toads, frogs too. I can't stand to see them kill them though. I just have to turn away from the little raptors in action. My free range birds get plenty of protein!

 

[DesertChic]

I laughed with I read about eating the mice. It is like 'The Walking Dead' around here when one of them gets a hold of a mouse. You see 2 or 3 each with a leg, tail, head, etc. pulling. They will run by with small snakes, toads, frogs too. I can't stand to see them kill them though. I just have to turn away from the little raptors in action. My free range birds get plenty of protein!

I'm actually a little jealous at never seeing my chickens eat a mouse. The most fun I get is watching my hens chase around these huge and very dumb beetles that fly around this time of year. I've literally seen three hens jump up and body slam one another trying to catch one of those beetles. The roosters just get out of the way of the girls as quickly as possible because they've come to recognize "beetle insanity".

 

[QuoVadis]

I have want to read more of this thread, but is so long I haven't had a chance to read mots of it yet. But I have a question: How could you incorporate breeding for production into breeding bantam breeds. Obviously it would look different than breeding LF for production, but I'd assume you still could do it. I love D'uccle and Dutch bantams, and have found that at least the hatchery ones are pretty good egg layers. Could you also select for meat characteristics in "mini" package?

 

[Beer can]

I have want to read more of this thread, but is so long I haven't had a chance to read mots of it yet. But I have a question: How could you incorporate breeding for production into breeding bantam breeds. Obviously it would look different than breeding LF for production, but I'd assume you still could do it. I love D'uccle and Dutch bantams, and have found that at least the hatchery ones are pretty good egg layers. Could you also select for meat characteristics in "mini" package?

I wouldn't think it'd be much different, selecting your best layers and meatier birds for breeding. Though maybe selecting not the biggest birds to make sure you don't breed out of the bantam size, more the one's that fill out but are still of bantam size.
Some people prefer a smaller bird. Bantams can be pretty meaty and lay great just both in smaller packages. Someone had mentioned they wanted a smaller package on here and were talking crosses with bantam dark cornish. I saw some really nice big breasted for their size bantam dark cornish at our county fair last week. They looked like chunks.

 

[DesertChic]

I have want to read more of this thread, but is so long I haven't had a chance to read mots of it yet. But I have a question: How could you incorporate breeding for production into breeding bantam breeds. Obviously it would look different than breeding LF for production, but I'd assume you still could do it. I love D'uccle and Dutch bantams, and have found that at least the hatchery ones are pretty good egg layers. Could you also select for meat characteristics in "mini" package?

I wouldn't think it'd be much different, selecting your best layers and meatier birds for breeding. Though maybe selecting not the biggest birds to make sure you don't breed out of the bantam size, more the one's that fill out but are still of bantam size.
Some people prefer a smaller bird. Bantams can be pretty meaty and lay great just both in smaller packages. Someone had mentioned they wanted a smaller package on here and were talking crosses with bantam dark cornish. I saw some really nice big breasted for their size bantam dark cornish at our county fair last week. They looked like chunks.

I agree completely! You can still select your best egg layers to breed with the boys hatched from your best egg layers, just as you can breed for rate of growth, preferred body development, etc. Same principles - smaller package.