Can egg layer birds produce meat birds???

[TimG]

Quote:
If I understand this broody thing correctly (I've never had a hen go broody) she stops laying eggs for about a month. That's probably a couple dozen eggs lost. That would be about $4.00 for me.

Does anyone who keeps breeders keep careful track of costs associated with keeping them along with how many chicks are produced? I tend to think this is another one of those things that large scale producers can do more efficiently and thus beat the individual farmer even with the markup.

None of this is meant to discourage anyone from keeping breeders -- there are plenty of reasons to do it besides financial reasons.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
If I understand this broody thing correctly (I've never had a hen go broody) she stops laying eggs for about a month. That's probably a couple dozen eggs lost. That would be about $4.00 for me.

Does anyone who keeps breeders keep careful track of costs associated with keeping them along with how many chicks are produced? I tend to think this is another one of those things that large scale producers can do more efficiently and thus beat the individual farmer even with the markup.

None of this is meant to discourage anyone from keeping breeders -- there are plenty of reasons to do it besides financial reasons.

I past years, I've had a pretty good market for my eggs, $2 doz if they buy them at the farm, $3 if I bring them to where ever, usually when I'm going into town anyway. This year, however, I haven't sold nearly as many eggs as my hens have laid. I have a fridge full now, I've joked that I have so many eggs I'm about to start throwing them at passing cars, for entertainment. I've been hard-boiling them by the bucket-full to feed back to the chickens. So any that I hatch, are not costing me anything, and right now I have 9 hens that are broody, not laying, and I haven't given them any eggs to hatch, because I have too many chickens right now. They're broody anyway, whether I give them eggs or not. So even if I were selling every extra egg they laid, these hens would not be laying right now anyway. If I wanted to hatch chicks right now, it would not change at all how many eggs I'm selling. It's been a weird year, though, it's not always like this.

But as far as broodies go, when they are determined to brood, they aren't going to be laying anyway, so they may as well be incubating eggs. They don't resume laying until they've decided they're finished with the chicks, quit hanging around with them and re-join the rest of the flock. You can do things to break broodiness, but most of mine, unless they get to raise some chicks, usually resume brooding 2 or 3 days after I letting them out of chicken jail.

 

[Beekissed]

After raising 20 meaty birds this spring, along with my layer flock, I've concluded that the amount of food they eat does not justify the raising of this type of bird~and I only fed once per day. They still obtained the accepted size and weight by the same time frame on my non-broiler rations, free range and being fed once per day....but they did waste a lot of feed via their high metabolism causing excessive and runny stools, still developed too quickly to avoid weak legs, and turned my coop into a fly-infested muck pit.

At least, not on a place that values frugality and self-sustainability, as the OP has described. I too value this. On a commercial scale, I'm sure the CX is ideal. Fortunately, we homesteaders are not bound by time, contracts nor greed.

One could, if desired, purchase White Rock roos for $.49 each, as opposed to the $2.00 per chick I paid for the CX. They can feed, free range, and grow right along with the layer flock without causing the mess, the frenzy at feeding stations, the incredible stench and the crippling quick weight gain.

They are a large and meaty bird, and though they would not be quite as meaty, they would definitely be cheaper, cleaner and have less health concerns than the CX. No, you would not get as much meat per bird...but then, you would have a healthy, normal chicken to butcher after 3 months.

I have a Partridge Rock roo that I breed over other meaty dual purpose girls to produce a good-sized offspring. IMO, breeding your own heavy laying flock is the only self-sustainable and frugal way to provide meat birds to the table.

 

[TimG]

Quote:
I've had 12-24 hens for most of the last 7 years and have yet to encounter a broody. I'm not wishing for nine, but I am jealous of your riches.

 

[dancingbear]

Farm Chic, I just looked over some photos of Old English Game on Feathersite. It's hard to tell just from photos, of course, but they look like they may have a fairly muscular build, compared to a lot of other breeds. The ones I looked at, appeared to have a wide stance, and a nicely rounded breast, like it would be fairly meaty. If that's so, you might want to use your OEG for the sire, even though he's a bantam, to get the body shape/meatiness. Because really, with the choice of roos that you have, none of them are very big, so good body conformation could help make up for that.

In combination with your heavy breed hens, you could get some decent results. You might get some maybe 2 1/2 to 3 lb (dressed weight) birds, by 16-25 weeks.

What do you think? Is your OEG heavier than he looks? Does his breast feel less bony than the other two?

 

[Paganrose]

I think working with what you curently have would work fine, the birds won't have alot of meat on them, but considering a serving of meat/poultry is only 3oz, a 2 or 3lbs chicken should feed your family fine. Our family of five is fine with a 4lb chicken, and then we have left overs for soup. We are also not heavy meat eaters, I am semi vegitrian, and wont eat or feed my son any meat from the grocery store, although the rest (husband, mom, and brother) have no qualms about it.

Needless to say, when I serve chicken it is not the main focus of the meal.

I am raising cornish X's, and have butchard just over half of them. I will not be raising them again. I did free range them after 3 weeks, only feed them at dusk with my other chickens, a home mixed feed, and they have grown slower (at 10 weeks they dressed out at 4 to 4.5lbs) My cost of feeding and housing them will be more than my dual purpose birds which will be butchard at 4 to 5 months, due to the fact they are less willing/able to forage for them selves, and the amount of clean bedding they require,

and the amount of clean drinking water they go through.

Although I do suggest getting a meat type roo after your current ones pass. Have you thought of getting a couple of meat type hens to breed with your current roos? Thier offspring might be a bit heavier than the dual breeds with your current roos.

rooboss see Rule #4. No Trolling (posting to provoke others, luring them to flame or rant). Trolling is sometimes done involuntarily, so please be considerate when posting.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

I have cleaned this thread of all the off topic arguments. Please stay on topic. Reread the OP's posts and questions and play nice in the sandbox.