Breeding ginger broilers

[Bags]

Hello all, I am wondering if anyone has attempted breeding ginger broilers for sustainable meat? How did it go and can it be done?

 

[FunClucks]

Good question. I'd like to hear what folks have to say myself, as I am about to do this in the next few months and would like tips to ensure success. My GB are 3+ months old. I processed two of the three roosters I had, and they weren't super big, but easy to skin. I kept the one rooster that was less scared of me than the other two (and also one of the largest). One roo was terrified and would bite, one was really scared but not as bitey, and the third was really scared but not as scared as the first two, and handles me cleaning his area better, so him I kept.

My GB roo is pretty big, like the size of 7 wk CX prior to butchering. He gets around well, so I don't see him having trouble mating. I have two hens, one of which is twice the size of the other. I'll breed the large one unless she lays double yokers. The large one is approaching butcher size for a 3 wk CX. They are mean and want to bite me, but I haven't spent as much time with them as I could have.

I've been disappointed in the GB temperament, I heard they were more docile - that's not been my experience. But they handle heat a lot better than CX and have appetites like normal chickens, so less intense management there. No indication that I'll have any difficulty breeding them. I'll give these a go, and see how their progeny do. Next time I order meat birds besides CX, I've got my eye on several options from Freedom Ranger hatchery. They have a slow white broiler that looks promising - I want a CX without the health issues, basically, and that one seems like it might be the answer. If I try to raise meat birds again, I'll order from there.

As a side note, we had pouring rain that caused a flash flood about two weeks ago. Some of the hens were swimming by the time we figured out what was going on and rescued them (we got no warning - national weather service said NOTHING and I'm still ticked about it). We lost a couple chickens, but not the GB. They recovered fine and were pretty tolerant of us stashing them in our bathroom, washing them off as needed in the tub, and drying them out with a towel and hair dryer, even the roosters did okay, although I had to hold a couple of them firmly. The bath towel wrap and carry method of transport was essential for the roos once they were feeling better.

 

[Bags]

Good question. I'd like to hear what folks have to say myself, as I am about to do this in the next few months and would like tips to ensure success. My GB are 3+ months old. I processed two of the three roosters I had, and they weren't super big, but easy to skin. I kept the one rooster that was less scared of me than the other two (and also one of the largest). One roo was terrified and would bite, one was really scared but not as bitey, and the third was really scared but not as scared as the first two, and handles me cleaning his area better, so him I kept.

My GB roo is pretty big, like the size of 7 wk CX prior to butchering. He gets around well, so I don't see him having trouble mating. I have two hens, one of which is twice the size of the other. I'll breed the large one unless she lays double yokers. The large one is approaching butcher size for a 3 wk CX. They are mean and want to bite me, but I haven't spent as much time with them as I could have.

I've been disappointed in the GB temperament, I heard they were more docile - that's not been my experience. But they handle heat a lot better than CX and have appetites like normal chickens, so less intense management there. No indication that I'll have any difficulty breeding them. I'll give these a go, and see how their progeny do. Next time I order meat birds besides CX, I've got my eye on several options from Freedom Ranger hatchery. They have a slow white broiler that looks promising - I want a CX without the health issues, basically, and that one seems like it might be the answer. If I try to raise meat birds again, I'll order from there.

As a side note, we had pouring rain that caused a flash flood about two weeks ago. Some of the hens were swimming by the time we figured out what was going on and rescued them (we got no warning - national weather service said NOTHING and I'm still ticked about it). We lost a couple chickens, but not the GB. They recovered fine and were pretty tolerant of us stashing them in our bathroom, washing them off as needed in the tub, and drying them out with a towel and hair dryer, even the roosters did okay, although I had to hold a couple of them firmly. The bath towel wrap and carry method of transport was essential for the roos once they were feeling better.

It will be interesting to see the results of your hatch. I read on McMurray that they don't advise breeding any of the hybrids. We'll have to find a way to do it. I'm going to do a batch in the fall.

 

[FunClucks]

It will be interesting to see the results of your hatch. I read on McMurray that they don't advise breeding any of the hybrids. We'll have to find a way to do it. I'm going to do a batch in the fall.

The reason they state not to breed them is that they will be variable in size. Well, the original chickens have been more variable in size than I'd like so that won't be anything new. Near as I can tell it's a CX crossed with RIR, NH, or Production Red.

 

[Bags]

The reason they state not to breed them is that they will be variable in size. Well, the original chickens have been more variable in size than I'd like so that won't be anything new. Near as I can tell it's a CX crossed with RIR, NH, or Production Red.

I've got a nice RIR roo that I've breed with layers. I wonder if I could use him on a ginger hen. Either way I might give it a try.

 

[mandelyn]

Breeding hybrids is tricky because by the 3rd season, the results get sloppy and they start to divert to various backgrounds of their breeding history. Most offspring will lose growth rate, or size and the pool of decent replacement stock dwindles. It can be done with selection and much sorting of the offspring, looking for the traits that you want to keep in the flock and breeding those together.

Watch out for a dramatic reduction of size, some of the Red broiler types have a dwarf gene in them as a recessive trait, so that when someone attempts to line breed them into their own flock, size is lost. They're designed to be re-purchased and not bred from.

Tracking growth rate of the offspring will be the key, that means banding the chicks and weighing them at least every 2 weeks during growth, to find those individuals who retain the growth rate. While keeping your eye out for all manner of hidden recessive traits coming out into expressed traits, from wry tail to crossbeak and whatever else you may find.

Nothing will be like the F1 original hybrid for consistency and it'll take at minimum 3-5 generations to sort through what they're capable of to get to where they become "sustainable" from then on. After I figured out that investment, I switched right back into purebred poultry, for the sake of consistency and predictability.

It takes the same resources to breed, from housing to feed. When I was working through various hybrid projects, I came out with fewer birds to move forward with as their traits began to really vary by that 3rd generation. But also, at the end of the day, the results always tasted like chicken.

 

[Bags]

Breeding hybrids is tricky because by the 3rd season, the results get sloppy and they start to divert to various backgrounds of their breeding history. Most offspring will lose growth rate, or size and the pool of decent replacement stock dwindles. It can be done with selection and much sorting of the offspring, looking for the traits that you want to keep in the flock and breeding those together.

Watch out for a dramatic reduction of size, some of the Red broiler types have a dwarf gene in them as a recessive trait, so that when someone attempts to line breed them into their own flock, size is lost. They're designed to be re-purchased and not bred from.

Tracking growth rate of the offspring will be the key, that means banding the chicks and weighing them at least every 2 weeks during growth, to find those individuals who retain the growth rate. While keeping your eye out for all manner of hidden recessive traits coming out into expressed traits, from wry tail to crossbeak and whatever else you may find.

Nothing will be like the F1 original hybrid for consistency and it'll take at minimum 3-5 generations to sort through what they're capable of to get to where they become "sustainable" from then on. After I figured out that investment, I switched right back into purebred poultry, for the sake of consistency and predictability.

It takes the same resources to breed, from housing to feed. When I was working through various hybrid projects, I came out with fewer birds to move forward with as their traits began to really vary by that 3rd generation. But also, at the end of the day, the results always tasted like chicken.

Excellent information, thank you

 

[FunClucks]

Breeding hybrids is tricky because by the 3rd season, the results get sloppy and they start to divert to various backgrounds of their breeding history. Most offspring will lose growth rate, or size and the pool of decent replacement stock dwindles. It can be done with selection and much sorting of the offspring, looking for the traits that you want to keep in the flock and breeding those together.

Watch out for a dramatic reduction of size, some of the Red broiler types have a dwarf gene in them as a recessive trait, so that when someone attempts to line breed them into their own flock, size is lost. They're designed to be re-purchased and not bred from.

Tracking growth rate of the offspring will be the key, that means banding the chicks and weighing them at least every 2 weeks during growth, to find those individuals who retain the growth rate. While keeping your eye out for all manner of hidden recessive traits coming out into expressed traits, from wry tail to crossbeak and whatever else you may find.

Nothing will be like the F1 original hybrid for consistency and it'll take at minimum 3-5 generations to sort through what they're capable of to get to where they become "sustainable" from then on. After I figured out that investment, I switched right back into purebred poultry, for the sake of consistency and predictability.

It takes the same resources to breed, from housing to feed. When I was working through various hybrid projects, I came out with fewer birds to move forward with as their traits began to really vary by that 3rd generation. But also, at the end of the day, the results always tasted like chicken.

The Freedom Ranger New Hampshires are my backup plan, and preferred heritage option. But since I have these GB on hand, I figured when I have space and time, I'll give it a go. Ordering from Freedom Ranger requires a 25 chick order, and I don't have coop space for that yet. Might try to order them, grow them out, and sell half, but that still requires coop space I don't currently have.

Excellent explanation of what I can expect to find if I go forward with the GB. Thank you so much!!!!!