Colorado

[maggiemo]

Great to see so many people here! New and old alike!
CaptainQuigly; I personally wouldn't count out 'barnyard mixes/mutts'. I would LOVE to find a barred easter egger, or barred naked neck. I know lots of people with only 'mutts' and they are great layers. Just my .02
Anyway, I am sure you can find some eggs around here. I only know people with 'mutts', so I can't help but I bet someone will know where you can get eggs.

 

[Euarto Gullible]

So I have a question for the group. How many people here eat their extra dual purpose cockerels, and what kind of setups do you all have for maximizing the quality/quantity of the meat? If you separate the roosters, when do you do it and at what age do you butcher? Does anybody caponize? What size enclosure do you use for dual purpose roosters? I've been eating my extras at anywhere from 18-22 weeks, depending on how much they terrorize the ladies/crow, but I've been leaving them with the main flock mainly because I feel bad for them and kind of want them to enjoy free ranging like the others. Aside from a couple very tasty Marans crosses (which were quite tender), most of the meat has been on the tough side, even after resting in the fridge for 3 days and cooking low in the crock pot, and the breast meat has also been pretty thin. I am pretty sure I need to start caging them up and finishing them or I need to learn to caponize. What's the most humane way to do it while still producing a good eating dual purpose chicken?

 

[Dnetschke]

I'm on the look out for a bantam roster.

 

[Pozees]

What a wonderful group of posts to read this evening!

I can come down on both sides of purebreds and mixes - I appreciate both. I've hatched quite a few of Mayah's mixes, and they have been really pretty chicks. I have one that is a couple of months old and it's a pretty bird, appears to be a male (pea comb with 3 rows of peas) and several 2 weeks old, along with this week's hatch which is Day 21 today, have 14 out out of 22 moved to the hatcher and 3 more pipped. I love the variety and the guessing what might be in there I have also hatched a couple sets of eggs from a keeper out on the Mesa who has mainly production birds, and the chicks are just plain robust.

I also hatch purebreds, and love them - my Silkies are penned only with one another, one male to four females at present although the males could certainly cover twice that number of hens, and would probably like to very much My RIR are housed with a few hens that are not RIR but only the one male so there will be pure RIR along with some crosses. I have purebred and mixed eggs in the incubator, shipped and my own.

I feel the same about this as I do about dogs - a purebred gives you a better idea of what you might expect, but a cross can give you the best of more worlds - it rather depends on what you want from your birds or dogs. It also depends on the cross - the chicks from Mayah I know will tolerate our climate and elevation and be a beautiful collection of colors laying a variety of colored eggs. The chicks from the keeper out east of me should be good layers and the males should have a decent carcass by 16-20 weeks. Any males I have past around 8-10 weeks of age will be moved to a grow out area (that I have not built yet - hey, a girl can dream!).

This time of year the hens are starting to get it in gear, and there's a good chance someone closer to you has some hatching eggs for you. Shyscreations is up your way (I think - someone will catch this if I'm mistaken), she has Silkies and Bantam Cochins, and I know there are others I'm just not thinking of who they are right now.

 

[Pozees]

I'm on the look out for a bantam roster.

I may have a juvenile Silkie male, I'm going to start trying to figure out this weekend if I can tell - there's one I've been suspecting is a male. Is there a certain breed you were hoping for? Seems like someone else had a male Silkie they were trying to rehome, too, a white one I think?

How did your hatch go?

 

[Pozees]

So I have a question for the group. How many people here eat their extra dual purpose cockerels, and what kind of setups do you all have for maximizing the quality/quantity of the meat? If you separate the roosters, when do you do it and at what age do you butcher? Does anybody caponize? What size enclosure do you use for dual purpose roosters? I've been eating my extras at anywhere from 18-22 weeks, depending on how much they terrorize the ladies/crow, but I've been leaving them with the main flock mainly because I feel bad for them and kind of want them to enjoy free ranging like the others. Aside from a couple very tasty Marans crosses (which were quite tender), most of the meat has been on the tough side, even after resting in the fridge for 3 days and cooking low in the crock pot, and the breast meat has also been pretty thin. I am pretty sure I need to start caging them up and finishing them or I need to learn to caponize. What's the most humane way to do it while still producing a good eating dual purpose chicken?

Maybe just a pen with room to move that isn't a cage for the males? If they are out of sight of the females they should stay fairly calm, at least that's what I'm led to believe - hoping to try it this spring.

Caponizing is something I have not tried, I know there's a thread here all about it with a lot of pictures.

 

[samsr]

I have a pip in one egg so far. I must have done something right when i built my incubator. I hope to wake up to at least one chick running around in there. I may have one zone warmer than another. The egg that has the pip was in the back of the bator. I will know more in the morning.
I too have a couple of mixes/ mutts. They are quite healthy hens and prolific egg layers. One is a leghorn rir cross and the other leghorn br cross. They are quite friendly and large. More squaty and stout than the pure breds. I like them very well i thought about hatching some for meat birds if my kids will allow it. Lol

 

[Pozees]

I have a pip in one egg so far. I must have done something right when i built my incubator. I hope to wake up to at least one chick running around in there. I may have one zone warmer than another. The egg that has the pip was in the back of the bator. I will know more in the morning.
I too have a couple of mixes/ mutts. They are quite healthy hens and prolific egg layers. One is a leghorn rir cross and the other leghorn br cross. They are quite friendly and large. More squaty and stout than the pure breds. I like them very well i thought about hatching some for meat birds if my kids will allow it. Lol

Yay! Can't wait to hear what you wake up to!

 

[Dnetschke]

All three expected chicks are out.

 

[Pozees]

All three expected chicks are out.

Very nice! Congrats!