BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[dan26552]

A few of the month old ducklings.

Same ducking.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

It was a Tyson place so pretty confident they are meaties. I've never seen such young cx before they don't look big and hulky now is that normal? (2 days old)

Oh and they are spunky and happy today

Son: "Mom? What are all the eggs in this basket for?"

Me: "Those are the ones I'm planning to hatch."

Son: *pause* "I thought you said you were going to hatch six eggs?"

Me: "Yeah."

Son: "But there's twelve eggs."

Me: "Yeah."

Son: Looks at me accusingly.

Me: "I'm hatching six eggs...and six more eggs."

Son: Rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and stomps out of the room mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like, "My mother's gone insane".

Quote:

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Please pardon the cross post for those of you on the NN thread, but I have some weights to share, for the S&G strain NN chicks (the ones with such a horrible shipping experience), as well as the home grown NN x GNH cross that has been doing so well.

First, I weighed and banded the S&Gs yesterday. HIGHLY variable weights (I'm thinking maybe because of the rocky start they had, long time in shipping with cold temps). They were mostly between 4-5.5 oz, but a couple that were frighteningly small (they look well, if little), and one boy who is exactly as big as the biggest of the TankxGNH group was at the same age. He's also been the friendly one and likes to run up to me in the brooder. His name is 57 (for now).

Here is the table of weights (with Tank as comparison). I was worried that the weight was a mistake (since it was so much more than the others), so I weighed him again today (since he kept coming up to me), and today he's 7.48oz, so it wasn't a mistake. (Also goes to show the importance of weighing on the right day if you're going to make decisions based on small differences between hatch groups...)



Here's the big friendly boy:






It appeals to me to think about keeping a big boy that's NOT related to Tank. (More variety in the genetics of the bigguns.)

Next, I weighed the TankxGNH group today - in their coop for the first time. I got this hanging scale and I LOVE it. It tares, it locks the weight, wasn't expensive. I need a better container though - the bucket had them squirming a lot. I think someone on this thread (Breeding for Production) had a cage they hung them in - would appreciate any ideas...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014R09SU6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here's the data (no photos, but they sorta look the same as before, only a little bigger).

I have started including Snape (my other main NN cockerel, larger than Tank as an adult) on these charts, because we are approaching the age where Snape overtook Tank, and I like to keep both comparisons in mind. (It also reminds me that different breeds or mixes may have a different shaped growth curve.) Tank is blue, Snape is green.





They continue to be super sweet - was not hard to get them to weigh. They all wanted to be picked up (though the bucket was another matter).

- Ant Farm

 

[Gorman Farm]

I am just sick, I lost my Buff Orpington Roo...just yesterday he was happily breeding his hens, and acting quite normal.
I locked up the coop for the evening and he was roosted with the girls in his normal spot. I opened the coop this morning and he was laying on the floor of the coop dead. He was just under one year old and a lovely big bouncy boy.
I have no sick chickens, and I checked for lice, bad crops etc, nothing...I have no idea why he died.
So neurotic me put all the chickens out in the run, and totally stripped the coop, cleaned everything with vinegar, and put down all new diatomaceous earth, then clean shavings. Added raw apple cider vinegar to the scrubbed and disinfected waterers.
I just received my orpington eggs that I ordered from Bobbi Porto, but until they hatch and grow I have no orpington rooster.
The only thing I did different was to allow a hen to go broody and raise some chicks, because of that I changed the food to all flock, with a little layer feed mixed in, and some scratch. They always get oyster shell thrown in the run. they got the same grass clippings, or kale, and some oats for treats.
Typically I incubate the chicks, and raise separate til they are old enough to eat layer fee.
SO sad.....:-(

 

[DesertChic]

I am just sick, I lost my Buff Orpington Roo...just yesterday he was happily breeding his hens, and acting quite normal.
I locked up the coop for the evening and he was roosted with the girls in his normal spot. I opened the coop this morning and he was laying on the floor of the coop dead. He was just under one year old and a lovely big bouncy boy.
I have no sick chickens, and I checked for lice, bad crops etc, nothing...I have no idea why he died.
So neurotic me put all the chickens out in the run, and totally stripped the coop, cleaned everything with vinegar, and put down all new diatomaceous earth, then clean shavings. Added raw apple cider vinegar to the scrubbed and disinfected waterers.
I just received my orpington eggs that I ordered from Bobbi Porto, but until they hatch and grow I have no orpington rooster.
The only thing I did different was to allow a hen to go broody and raise some chicks, because of that I changed the food to all flock, with a little layer feed mixed in, and some scratch. They always get oyster shell thrown in the run. they got the same grass clippings, or kale, and some oats for treats.
Typically I incubate the chicks, and raise separate til they are old enough to eat layer fee.
SO sad.....:-(

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

Sadly, you can do everything right and things like this could still happen. He may have been bitten by a poisonous spider or stung by an insect, etc. When my beloved Heisenberg was stung by a scorpion I was sure he would die as I've heard that's typically the case out here, but I was lucky because it happened right in front of me and I was able to treat him and keep him alive. I constantly worry over all of the deadly creatures living out here.

I am truly sorry for you loss. I know how horrible it is to suddenly find one of your most beloved birds dead.

 

[Gorman Farm]

Oh no! I'm so sorry!

Sadly, you can do everything right and things like this could still happen. He may have been bitten by a poisonous spider or stung by an insect, etc. When my beloved Heisenberg was stung by a scorpion I was sure he would die as I've heard that's typically the case out here, but I was lucky because it happened right in front of me and I was able to treat him and keep him alive. I constantly worry over all of the deadly creatures living out here.

I am truly sorry for you loss. I know how horrible it is to suddenly find one of your most beloved birds dead.

Thank you, I am still stunned, I will never know exactly what it was, but we do have poisonous spiders and stuff here in FL, along with some nasty snakes.
I am glad you were able to keep yours. My vet laughs at me and says I am over the top about everything with my animals, but I guess things can still happen.

 

[Kassaundra]

I am just sick, I lost my Buff Orpington Roo...just yesterday he was happily breeding his hens, and acting quite normal.
I locked up the coop for the evening and he was roosted with the girls in his normal spot. I opened the coop this morning and he was laying on the floor of the coop dead. He was just under one year old and a lovely big bouncy boy.
I have no sick chickens, and I checked for lice, bad crops etc, nothing...I have no idea why he died.
So neurotic me put all the chickens out in the run, and totally stripped the coop, cleaned everything with vinegar, and put down all new diatomaceous earth, then clean shavings. Added raw apple cider vinegar to the scrubbed and disinfected waterers.
I just received my orpington eggs that I ordered from Bobbi Porto, but until they hatch and grow I have no orpington rooster.
The only thing I did different was to allow a hen to go broody and raise some chicks, because of that I changed the food to all flock, with a little layer feed mixed in, and some scratch. They always get oyster shell thrown in the run. they got the same grass clippings, or kale, and some oats for treats.
Typically I incubate the chicks, and raise separate til they are old enough to eat layer fee.
SO sad.....:-(

so sorry for your loss. If he was healthy and active I doubt it was parasites.

 

[holm25]

Gordanfarm I am sorry to hear you lost your Orp. I wouldn't be worried. Sometimes they just die.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
I'm so sorry.

 

[Gorman Farm]

Desert Chick can I ask how Stripy Butt got completely naked? Is he a NN gone wild?
He is so freakin cute, I love him.