BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Turk Raphael]

I think I've read a minimum of 2 weeks, but as I understand it it's possible to have an oopsie for up to a month. But that's OK, I'm fond of the Dark Cornish crosses

With all due respect, two weeks is really pushing it. I feel comfortable with 4 weeks if the outcome makes a hoot to me.

TURK

 

[Turk Raphael]

It looks like I'm not the only one having other things to do than play on the pc. So much to do before I can get away in the second week of Nov. The last chore should be caponizing about 10 or 12 of the 18 total Dominique cockerels. By then it should be easy enough to get some idea of the 5 or 6 best prospects to retain for my cross-breeding program. In fact, there are about that many that are standing out now at 8 days of age, based upon the head width and length of back. Of course, a bunch more indications will be obvious by Nov. 1.

In a perfect world, I'd like to grow them all out to about 8 or 10 months but that is far too much aggravation since 12 or 13 Dominique cock-birds would hold little or no value to me....in fact too much trouble to give them away. Of course, if I don't have them, there will be hellacious demand for them. They will do just fine as capons in my freezer.

TURK

 

[KittieChick]

Turk, I wish you were nearby! My goal is to learn to caponize next year. How old are your boys when you do that procedure? Could you wear a GoPro and video it?

 

[Turk Raphael]

Turk, I wish you were nearby! My goal is to learn to caponize next year. How old are your boys when you do that procedure? Could you wear a GoPro and video it?

Actually there's a thread on BYC that can give you all you need, can even provide you with toe correct tools.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/675898/graphic-pics-of-my-day-learning-to-caponize

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Yay, my first F3 just hatched! 7/8 Dark Cornish

By my group of F1 Dark Cornish Cockerels and my F2 3/4 Dark Cornish pullets.
Looks to be blue. These eggs were laid a week after Hurricane Hermine ripped through my coop.

lpatelski, Congratulations!! Who's the daddy and the mom? is your goal to get your birds as pure dark Cornish as possible, with more meaty characteristics added from the Cornishx? Will your next cross be back to Cornish as well?

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

With all due respect, two weeks is really pushing it. I feel comfortable with 4 weeks if the outcome makes a hoot to me.

TURK

I was looking forward to seeing if my dark Cornish rooster was fertile (One rooster, 45 hens, not expecting all but for sure some eggs should be). And then I saw this afternoon, my big red Buckeye Red Sex link cross rooster got out.......... at least the roosters didn't kill each other, the sex link cross is a very mellow fellow and so far it's just the Cornish crowing a lot in protest).

This intentional chicken breeding stuff is trickier than I thought. Maybe it's time to look into flock breeding ?

AArghhhh

I have some other things to do, but clearly I really need to get going on secure rooster housing.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Speaking of dark feathered meat birds, when you are plucking, how do you deal with the dark blob left behind in the follicle when you pull a pin feather??? Or am I the only one with that problem..... What am I doing wrong?

 

[Turk Raphael]

Speaking of dark feathered meat birds, when you are plucking, how do you deal with the dark blob left behind in the follicle when you pull a pin feather??? Or am I the only one with that problem..... What am I doing wrong?

I squeeze out what I can with the back side of a table knife and don't worry about the rest of it. However it does worry some folks so I am, in general, breeding for predominately white feathers. Keep in mind, there is still some debris or whatever that stuff we're talking about, left in the birds with white feathers too...it just can't usually be seen. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

[KittieChick]

WOW, those look delish! What happened to the leg of the one at the top? 
Did you keep them caged the whole time or do they get range time?

He got a bit of a frozen spot from being on the ice. These boys ranged the backyard and had the run of my 700 sq/ft pen. The last couple of days they spent in a 10x15' pen.

 

[bnjrob]

Speaking of dark feathered meat birds, when you are plucking, how do you deal with the dark blob left behind in the follicle when you pull a pin feather??? Or am I the only one with that problem..... What am I doing wrong?

I try to squeeze it out but I don't go crazy if it all doesn't come out. I have one of those kitchen flame torches that I use to singe hairs and such too, so that helps.