BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[DesertChic]

EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got off the phone with Dunlap Hatchery. They confirmed that all of the large fowl NNs they will have on offer this year are from the S&G stock (they are not mixing with other stock or something). I got my order for 25 in for the first hatch date - February 22.

Woohoo!!!!!

(ahem)

Sorry. OK, I'm calm now (well, sort of). I sobered up a bit when I realized I now have more housing to arrange...

- Ant Farm

Dang! None of us had to even twist your arm or anything. Makes the job of being an enabler way too easy.

 

[DesertChic]

Here are some photos of my Buckeye crosses. They are around 25 weeks old.
Buckeye/Cornish cross- won't have to worry about freezing wattles and combs with this hen.


A Buckeye/Cornish cross hen. Exactly what I was hoping for.

They're all gorgeous! That's a spectacular cross. I'm usually wowed more by the cockerels/roosters, but I have to say...this hen is gorgeous!

 

[GabrielBane]

I didn't think much of this until I realized........ hey this isn't a naked neck! Ouch. I found that without meat protein and a high enough protein level in the feed, I had feather picking problems in my flock. The ones that did not stop picking after they got meat protein and a higher protein feed, got culled. Apparently it's a heritable trait.

I thought this could be the issue. They're on a grower/starter feed with a 24% protein ration, so I doubted it up until this point. I'm still *hoping* it was a rogue turkey poult that did the initial damage.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

You really do have to weigh them, some chickens are real lightweights under the fluffy feathers. I've been fooled many times thinking a fluffy chicken was much bigger and heavier than another. Tight feathering can make a bird look small. Although if the birds are completely naked, you probably could do a decent job just comparing them as is

Even Naked, I had to weigh them to really know. Then again, I'm still relatively new at this. I know hellbender used to say he would gauge by just holding/hefting them, but he had so many years of experience to go by. (Maybe I'll be good at that one day...)

Quote: Yeah, ditto. I mainly just started using the bucket it when the GNHs got really big and I had a hard time getting them to keep still enough to keep both feet on the scale when I weighted them - the short bucket helped, their head and chest is out, but it keeps their weight on the scale. Any chance you could post a photo of your weighing set up? I'm trying to visualize it and coming up short. (Then again, maybe my brain is just fried right now...)

Gotta be grateful for working at a feed store and having ready access to things, had to go pick up some pick-no-more (which from what I read is mostly dyes and tree tea oil) for my second silver wheaten pullet, it seems she's really getting hammered in the brooder. I may separate her with the smaller Spitzhauben and see how she bounces back. She was one of my hopeful breeder's so I pray she's not affected in the long run.


Here's some photos of the damage, I applied some more pick-no-more after the photos ;

I'm so sorry. Sending healing vibes.

Quote:
I'm still relatively new at this (maybe a year or year and a half ahead of you, it sounds like) - doing the weighing also really helped me get a feel for the chickens and their growth - it's hard to describe why, but I felt like I had a better feel for what was going on with them.

Here are some photos of my Buckeye crosses. They are around 25 weeks old.
Buckeye/Cornish cross- won't have to worry about freezing wattles and combs with this hen.




Buckeye/Cornish cross cockerels- legs could be a bit better yellow, not as good as straight Buckeye.

Buckeye/Cornish Crosses are nice and broad in the back. Leg length was variable, from quite long to quite short.


A Buckeye/Cornish cross hen. Exactly what I was hoping for.


My #1 choice of the Buckeye/cornish cockerels.


This is Lucky, the Buckeye/Red sex link cockerel. He was not supposed to be part of the breeding program but he's such a nice fellow, I like his conformation and he's good with the hens so.........

Amazingly beautiful. So impressed with your birds.

Quote: You have no idea how many times I tried to figure out if there was any way I could possibly handle raising 100 chicks at once so I could order from S&G (which was CRAZY thinking!). Or drive 13 hours one way to pick up fewer than 100 (CRAZIER thinking). SOOO glad I can get 25! And with my plans, I really need quite a few more NN pullets for several breeding/family groups anyway. So I'll pick the best keeper boys, put the rest in the freezer, and divvy up the ladies when they're old enough to date.

BTW, @Turk Raphael , thank you for posting about toenails. While my chickens scratch around so much in the rocky soil that most of them have "self-filed", I tried to get a look at everyone today, and one of the Cream Legbar hens has really grown some seriously long nails! She must be in a dainty mood lately. I'll be clipping them soon. I have spurs to trim on the oldest cock bird, in that same pen (he's gentle to his two hens, but they are getting too long regardless) - he's a grumpy one, super protective, and his coop is the first one I built, and therefore the only one where I can't easily reach them on the roost (Rookie move) and I haven't renovated it yet. So I'll need to think through how I want to handle that...

I'm going to use the plier/twist method and have styptic handy. And I have a bunch more feet/nails to inspect, too!

- Ant Farm

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

I thought this could be the issue. They're on a grower/starter feed with a 24% protein ration, so I doubted it up until this point. I'm still *hoping* it was a rogue turkey poult that did the initial damage.

Hmmm 24% should be enough, but if the problem doesn't resolve you could try adding meat protein- chopped hardboiled egg or some soaked cat kibble (not too much).

 

[bnjrob]

Even Naked, I had to weigh them to really know. Then again, I'm still relatively new at this. I know hellbender used to say he would gauge by just holding/hefting them, but he had so many years of experience to go by. (Maybe I'll be good at that one day...)

Yeah, ditto. I mainly just started using the bucket it when the GNHs got really big and I had a hard time getting them to keep still enough to keep both feet on the scale when I weighted them - the short bucket helped, their head and chest is out, but it keeps their weight on the scale. Any chance you could post a photo of your weighing set up? I'm trying to visualize it and coming up short. (Then again, maybe my brain is just fried right now...)

I don't have photos of my weighing set up. It's just a scale that you buy in the fishing department that hangs, and you hang the fish on it to weigh them. I hang it up on the cross beam of my slaughtering station or in a pinch my husband holds it up with his long arms, and I have a cage that hangs on the bottom of it and I stuff the birds inside, settle the cage down so it stops moving, and get a weight.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

@Fire Ant Farm congratulations Great news about your Naked necks! 25 is a good number of chickies. I'll bet your are crossing the days off the calendar- ONLY 3 months!! Better get building!

 

[Kev]

I thought this could be the issue. They're on a grower/starter feed with a 24% protein ration, so I doubted it up until this point. I'm still *hoping* it was a rogue turkey poult that did the initial damage.

are you mixing different age birds? while some do this, it is generally a big no no. Mixing different species is possible, especially if of same age but this can give problems- especially if they are also different age groups. The young birds definitely learn who their brood mates are and do notice 'newbies'. Some don't care terribly much but some do get very 'offended'.

Some problems are byproducts of natural behaviors that can create havoc in mixed species groups. chicken chicks are normally don't bite eyes/eyelids but some guinea keets, poults and peachicks can be seriously bad/persistent about it.

Possible there is a "hunter" in the group very attracted to the exposed pin feathers coming up in the crests. They are a little larger, more prominent and extremely exposed on the head area...

I second the *animal* protein suggestion rather than strictly going by %. Seems a lot of feed are going vegan lately.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: OK - I think I understand. Thanks!

@Fire Ant Farm congratulations Great news about your Naked necks! 25 is a good number of chickies. I'll bet your are crossing the days off the calendar- ONLY 3 months!! Better get building!

Thanks!!! I think so, too, especially as I want stock to potentially start a project with (or incorporate into the project). That's enough to hopefully ensure enough of each gender, and also allow for enough culling to ensure a good start. I really, REALLY can't wait!

- Ant Farm

 

[GabrielBane]

are you mixing different age birds? while some do this, it is generally a big no no. Mixing different species is possible, especially if of same age but this can give problems- especially if they are also different age groups. The young birds definitely learn who their brood mates are and do notice 'newbies'. Some don't care terribly much but some do get very 'offended'.

Some problems are byproducts of natural behaviors that can create havoc in mixed species groups. chicken chicks are normally don't bite eyes/eyelids but some guinea keets, poults and peachicks can be seriously bad/persistent about it.

Possible there is a "hunter" in the group very attracted to the exposed pin feathers coming up in the crests. They are a little larger, more prominent and extremely exposed on the head area...

I second the *animal* protein suggestion rather than strictly going by %. Seems a lot of feed are going vegan lately.

I keep my chicks and poults separate, and then I keep everyone separate from the older chickens for the time being. :/ I put the picked-on Sulmtaler with our pair of two-week old Spitzhaubens, that way she's not completely alone. We've started referring to the poor thing as patches. I'm gonna boil an egg shortly for the boys to dis-courage anymore schenanigans.

Edit to add;
Separated the little girl from the Spitz just because they seemed to be distredd being away from the other chicks, our little patches is acting odd (I notice she's doing a LOT of dust bathing behavior ever since I separated her into a new brooder for herself. I'm just paranoid, but I hope she's fine. :X)