BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bnjrob]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kusanar

I just had an idea, might be a dumb one, but, I used to work at a greenhouse, all of our seedlings and cuttings were kept on a bottom heated table to stimulate root growth. The system was PVC pipe running in serpentine patterns across the bottom of the table (well, top, but it had a lip around the edge), and this was hooked up with a small water heater so that the water came out of the heater, through the pipes, and back in the heater. We had perlite on ours, but couldn't you do the same thing with sand or sweet PDZ for an area of brooder pen, maybe build a small dog house type structure above it? Seems like it would be safer than heat lamps and even a heating pad because there is no wiring other than the water heater and that could be in another room. Also, it worked off of a thermostat, it wasn't constantly running, so you could easily turn their temp down a few degrees a week until they aren't sleeping in there or it's off.

That sounds like a neat idea.

 

[NanaKat]

[COLOR=FF8C00]My last pineapple of the season. Fall is here.[/COLOR]

Do you save the top to start a new plan To? I have two in the kitchen and have started seedlings from seed. Used to have bananas..dug them up each fall, wrapped in plastic and stored them under the house. Lemon tree is in a pot and comes inside each winter...along with the bird of paradise and other tropical storm.

 

[DesertChic]

As of yesterday morning the hatch is over and, in my humble opinion, quite successful. Only one chick failed to hatch and from the looks of it the poor thing outgrew its shell before absorbing all of the yolk and suffocated. All told I got 8 lovely, healthy, and vibrant little pure Silver Grey Dorking chicks (two of which I'm pretty sure are cockerels with the rest being pullets), and three unique and somewhat unexpected mixes from my own flock.

A few of the best Dorking shots:









And now my own:
This one is the biggest surprise, coming from my Bielefelder/Australorp hen. It turns out that my rather flamboyant Ameraucana/Dorking-mixed with ??? rooster is a daddy! The chick is all black with fluffy cheeks, and I'm thinking that, based on my conversation with @Kev , that it's a pullet since there's no white dot on its head. ???


I was hoping for a NN from this one, but it turned out my Dorking-mix hen was instead mated by my big Monty, Ameraucana/White Rock mix. I absolutely LOVE this little chick and was shocked to see how soon after hatch it was both eating and drinking. Usually the hatchlings seem to take up to a full day to start making their way to the water supply, but this guy was so sturdy and assertive within three hours after hatching that it was eating, drinking and running to my hand to be held. It's got A LOT of its daddy in it, and I can't wait to see how it will feather out.




And finally, my lone NN chick. I'm REALLY excited about this one because both Mom and Dad are NN/White Rock crosses and some of my biggest NNs. This was my largest chick even though it didn't come from the largest egg and I'm anxious to compare its growth rate to both its parents and some of my other fast growers. I'm using this little one as an indicator of whether my breeding plans are on track.

 

[GabrielBane]

Congrats on a successful hatch! I'm gonna be watching your little NN grow quite closely

On my end of things, we had to put down that pullet whom was getting picked on, she's been in isolation for a long time and she just wasn't growing, and her NEED seemed to be getting swollen from beneath the skin to the point where just knew she couldn't be comfortable. I forgot how hard culling can be. A shame. She was our only other silver Wheaten pullet.

 

[Beer can]

Awesome pineapple! @Ipatelski
One thing I didn't know about them is how long they take to grow and how funny miniature they are when they start out.

 

[Beer can]

Good everyone's having a good laugh but seriously
Any advice on brooding during the winter I'm trying a chantsler australorp mix but I'm worried that they will be in the small brooder that I have to long because of the cold how big do you let them out side to grow out and not have to worry about temperature drops as low as 10° Celsius that is about as cold as it gets by us

Like everyone said, a Ohio brooder or a modified Ohio like this one, I do similar with cardboard throw away boxes inside. Might go with something like this for a more permanent one in our garage and keep the stink out of our house.

 

[Beer can]

Anyone notice those 'Sagitta' chickens on Dunap's website?

"The Sagitta is a dual purpose bird that is a cross between a Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red and Cornish Cross. They are a heavy, docile breed that will provide large eggs as well as a nice size bird on the table."

Sounds interesting. I'm not interested but thought I'd mention them.
Kinda wonder if they are a actual breed that will breed true or more like those sexlinks that do not?
Anyone heard of them? Not much info out there.

 

[Beer can]

Just found this on a 'Just fowling around' site selling them also, looks like they in fact breed true.

"RED SAGITTA: The Sagitta is a new hybrid. Resembling a New Hampshire Red, but grows rapidly and the cockerel's weigh 5.5 pounds by 12 weeks, making them an ideal table bird. The pullets begin laying large to X-large eggs by 17 weeks, as much as a month before many other breeds.

Our Sagitta breed true. We have hatched hundreds of them and they consistently breed true, unlike some other well known hybrids. These are not to be confused with sex-links, they are not sex-links and you cannot tell at hatch which is boy or girl."

 

[stryker]

I give the birds all the food they want. It is there all the time and these couple of days the birds are running up to me acting like they are starving.. They also have about 1/4 acre of fenced in land with grass galore and they still act this way. Any thoughts? Shall I spoil them with corn, mixed grain, or something like that? Their food is clean and dry.

 

[lpatelski]

Do you save the top to start a new plan To? I have two in the kitchen and have started seedlings from seed.
Used to have bananas..dug them up each fall, wrapped in plastic and stored them under the house.
Lemon tree is in a pot and comes inside each winter...along with the bird of paradise and other tropical storm.

Yep, I top the pineapples to start another. Also when they throw out a pineapple fruit, they like bananas, through off pups. Meyer lemons can stay outside after they get about four years old.