BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beer can]

@lpatelski
Perhaps you'd like the Dong Tao, dragon feet chicken?

Seriously though, yes feet/legs on my giants is very important, right color of course, and you can see they have a good strong bone structure pretty easy just on how the feet/legs look.

 

[CanadianBuckeye]

Is anyone else out there a foot fairy? I can say that I strive to breed for good feet. The CX have terrible feet! Trying to breed for size and great feet. I have eaten a lot of giants because i did not like their feet. Note in the first picture below. This bird's rear toe is hanging through the wire, just as it's inside toe. Long, thinish, and weak...yuck

In this pic, note Igor the black's feet. Thick, strong, and shorter toes.






Mathew has great feet too!



Hugo's feet are a mess! Long thinish toes with looser joints. You can't go big if you have no base. It's all about the base, bout the base,base,base!

I agree, a chicken must have great feet. No foot, no horse, no chicken! I think they are especially important on a heavy meat bird. Your #1 chicken looks like he has a fault called a Duck foot- watch that, it's a heritable condition. It's often only on one side but can be found in both feet. The back toe bends forward and the chicken has no support especially when roosting.

 

[abbevilleoz]

Is anyone else out there a foot fairy? I can say that I strive to breed for good feet. The CX have terrible feet! Trying to breed for size and great feet. I have eaten a lot of giants because i did not like their feet. Note in the first picture below. This bird's rear toe is hanging through the wire, just as it's inside toe. Long, thinish, and weak...yuck [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] In this pic, note Igor the black's feet. Thick, strong, and shorter toes. Mathew has great feet too! Hugo's feet are a mess! Long thinish toes with looser joints. You can't go big if you have no base. It's all about the base, bout the base,base,base!

Matthew looks like he's putting on the weight really well!

 

[abbevilleoz]

Question. I read it awhile back but can't remember where and when. How long can the CX hens survive/thrive? I know you guys have been keeping them for breeding.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Is anyone else out there a foot fairy? I can say that I strive to breed for good feet. The CX have terrible feet! Trying to breed for size and great feet. I have eaten a lot of giants because i did not like their feet.

(snip)


Hugo's feet are a mess! Long thinish toes with looser joints. You can't go big if you have no base. It's all about the base, bout the base,base,base!

Thank you for posting this - I don't think I would have thought of that (absent observing problems), but excellent point!!!!!

Oh, and they all loved the kitten food - thanks for the advise and tips. Some ate it dry, others preferred it soaked. They went bananas for it. How often is too often to give it to them? (They are molting - Sweetie and Puppy, two of my Naked Neck pullets, are practically, well, NAKED!!!!) I also have some extra eggs, so I'll be alternating with that...

OK, I need to get started on my day...

- Ant Farm

 

[Kassaundra]

Question. I read it awhile back but can't remember where and when. How long can the CX hens survive/thrive? I know you guys have been keeping them for breeding.

No expert here, I only have the two cross girls, they hatched May 1st and are really big girls. I raised them w/ other "normal" chickens eating and running around like normal, they are active and healthy now, but not laying yet.

 

[DesertChic]

I agree, a chicken must have great feet. No foot, no horse, no chicken! I think they are especially important on a heavy meat bird. Your #1 chicken looks like he has a fault called a Duck foot- watch that, it's a heritable condition. It's often only on one side but can be found in both feet. The back toe bends forward and the chicken has no support especially when roosting.

"Duck Foot"? Wow! I never knew there was a name for it. I hatched out smooth and frizzled EEs from another breeder and several of the birds have this condition. I don't breed them specifically for that reason, but I never knew there was an actual name for the condition. Thanks for educating me!

 

[DesertChic]

Question. I read it awhile back but can't remember where and when. How long can the CX hens survive/thrive? I know you guys have been keeping them for breeding.

@lpatelski - This one has your name written all over it.

 

[DesertChic]

Thank you for posting this - I don't think I would have thought of that (absent observing problems), but excellent point!!!!!

Oh, and they all loved the kitten food - thanks for the advise and tips. Some ate it dry, others preferred it soaked. They went bananas for it. How often is too often to give it to them? (They are molting - Sweetie and Puppy, two of my Naked Neck pullets, are practically, well, NAKED!!!!) I also have some extra eggs, so I'll be alternating with that...

OK, I need to get started on my day...

- Ant Farm

Yep, here's my "worst" NN molter right now.


This is Rizzo, and despite looking so haggard, this girl is still giving me 6 X-LG eggs per week! She's been looking like this for nearly 2 months now. I have a feeling she'll just start feathering out all over her body at one time like her mother did, and completely stop laying during that process. THAT'S when I start feeding the extra protein, at least once daily, along with extra greens and black oil sunflower seeds. They seem to feather out much more quickly that way and resume laying sooner.

 

[abbevilleoz]

Yep, here's my "worst" NN molter right now. This is Rizzo, and despite looking so haggard, this girl is still giving me 6 X-LG eggs per week! She's been looking like this for nearly 2 months now. I have a feeling she'll just start feathering out all over her body at one time like her mother did, and completely stop laying during that process. THAT'S when I start feeding the extra protein, at least once daily, along with extra greens and black oil sunflower seeds. They seem to feather out much more quickly that way and resume laying sooner.

Wow! . Now that's a hard molt!