Crossbreeding dual purpose breeds for sustainable flock

[Ascholten]

Again, thank you, Ill have to digest all this and figure out what he has, and what we can do with them. Perhaps I may get some that are known, according to your guidelines, and go from there so we have a known starting point already.

Well darnit, now I need a bigger pen..... why does this ALWAYS happen every time I get a new hobby / project ??? But when the egg layers come running up and hop on your lap to pet them (and FEED Snacks of COURSE!! ) it makes it all worth while

Aaron

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Future chick buying considerations...

Freedom ranger hatchery-
Noll line New Hampshires, straight run

Mcmurray hatchery-
Dark Cornish, males
Turken, males

I need to take my scale out and weigh some birds today. I'm wondering where they're at. I want to butcher some of the FR cockerels, they are getting quite testy and bossy all around. I'm going to see if I could set up a pen to contain a few to feed heavier and fatten.
And the FR hens to see how they are compared to the healthy weight the hatchery told me if they're going to lay eggs. It would be nice if they are healthy and made it to be used with the F1 sons for the back cross. Not *have* to buy more FRs for it.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

I managed to catch some and get weights. I had to use a snap on lid for the bucket because they'd jump out.

FR, m- 4.74, 4.84
FR, f- 3.84, 4.14, 3.96
Big reds- 4.54, 4.9, 3.74(f?), 4.74(pretty one)
Sussex- 1.64, 1.6, 1.5
Buff- 1.76, 2, 1.85
Delaware- 2
Brahma- 1.17, 1
Barred rock- 2.12, 1.66

 

[NatJ]

I managed to catch some and get weights. I had to use a snap on lid for the bucket because they'd jump out.

FR, m- 4.74, 4.84
FR, f- 3.84, 4.14, 3.96
Big reds- 4.54, 4.9, 3.74(f?), 4.74(pretty one)
Sussex- 1.64, 1.6, 1.5
Buff- 1.76, 2, 1.85
Delaware- 2
Brahma- 1.17, 1
Barred rock- 2.12, 1.66

Are they the same age? I'm noticing that the "Big reds" are about as heavy as the Freedom Rangers.

And I see the Brahmas are living up to their reputation for slow growth!

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Are they the same age? I'm noticing that the "Big reds" are about as heavy as the Freedom Rangers.

And I see the Brahmas are living up to their reputation for slow growth!

There should be at most a 3 day spread. The brahmas I got from TSC two or three days after the others arrived as replacement for the losses.. So they shouldn't be much different in age.

Yes there is several of the "big reds" and only one looks like it might be a pullet. They are the ones I'm going to use as breeders. I'll need to narrow it down but I figure they should be fine once the FR cockerels are butchered. Buy some time to decide before butchering any of them.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Cross your fingers. The plan is to butcher tomorrow. We had rain today and there is forecast some more for tomorrow but forecast keeps changing. It's been darn hot and very little outside work has got done. Forecast says a few days of mid to upper 70s and I'd like to get as much done as possible.

One cockerel is for sure crowing as of this morning. I wasn't in sight line to see which one though. There are 12 FR cockerels to butcher. That's the minimum to do. The "big reds" are identical pretty much to the FR so I'll probably decide which to keep and butcher the others.
They are 13wks now. If we can I'm hoping to round up the assortment cockerels and decide keepers, then butcher the rest. That will help immensely with the feed bill!
If we can do that then I'll probably keep several cockerels back, the most promising ones. Then by the end of July I'll decide who to cull further. I'd rather keep several and be able to cull more than keep just enough and have something go wrong. Two is one and one is none, as Jack Spirko would say.

I'd really like to have notes and take down dead weight, carcass weight, and breed. It's just me and Dad so we'll see how hectic it is, if that happens or not. The plan is to put them in cages to carry to the driveway. Work in the driveway and have the pot in the kitchen to dunk them. Which thankfully is close to the door and driveway. We may have several pots heating inside and carry them out to the giant dunk pot in the driveway as it cools. I'll be adjusting as we start finding what works or not, for sure.

With this many it's hard to do a count so I'm tentatively going to say that I think...
-only one of the buffs is male
-only one of the barred rock is female
-only one of the "big reds" is female
-the brahma were marked pullets and seem to all be so
-there should be 13 FR female

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

Current flock:
Sussex 4
Wh 1 (giant, orp, Wyandotte?)
Blk/wh 3 (Delaware/col Wyandotte?)
Buff 6 (pale legs, orpington?)
Bar rock 4
Partridge rock 1
Big red 1
Brahma 8
FR 10
-38 pullets
Pretty boy (possibly an oops beilefelder?)
Big red
-2 cockerels

Butcher-
Bar rock 1
Big red 3
FR 13
Total 17

Weights for dead is no head and bled out. Clean weights is with neck, no organs. I didn't get all the FR dead weight because I was getting the hang of dipping and plucking, but all clean weights there. We ran out of time so I have 5 FR to do alone.
Bar rock- dead 2.48/ clean 1#13oz
Big reds- dead 5.27, 5.62, 5.5/ clean 4#3oz, 4#5oz, 4#4oz
FR- dead 5.5, 5.87, 5.35, 5.14, 5.8/ clean 4#5, 4#7, 4#7, 4#2, 4#1, 4#8, 3#15.5, 4#9

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

I was putting down feed a bit at a time to entice the chickens in front of me, to catch the cockerels. And the one barred rock was the only one that really looked like a boy. The others all looked the same. So I may have a second round of culling to do if they start "turning into roosters" but I didn't want to butcher pullets.

There is the 5 FR left to do. I was going to do them today but plans got changed. I have to do them tomorrow because it's going to be getting hotter again and I know it will be put off til September if I don't. And I don't need the FR cockerels so they gotta be done!

The reduced feed bill will be great!

Note to those doing this small scale, plucking isn't so bad by hand. I got it narrowed down to holding them under, count to 20, lift and pull test a wing feather. Repeat til the feathers release easier. Usually two or three dunks. And after that I was worried about starting to cook the skin on the less feathered areas.
** And start by plucking the wings! ** if you want them plucked nicely then dip and hang em quick and pluck the wings first. It makes all the difference!

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

The Sussex are looking more like cockerals by the day. Long tail feathers. I probably won't worry about replacing pullets because it'll just give me space for the FR offspring.

I may have lost one but I couldn't get a solid count. There was some feathers pulled just outside the netting. Buff feathers so a buff or brahma. I'm annoyed because the netting and chickens have been in the same place too long.

I bought a farm innovators incubator. Prices are going up on everything and they had them without a turner. I'm estimating maybe 50ish eggs hand turning. We'll see. The FR will be first so it'll be however many eggs I collect in 10 days or to fill it, whichever comes first.
I also got one item for my incubator build. That's not as high priority now until other stuff is sorted.

 

[HomesteadNowhere]

The Sussex (5) all look to have long tails. And the barred rock (4). They'll be butchered with the remaining FR cockerals (5).
I was trying to get a recount today but they scoot around so that didn't work well It looks like for the FR the cockerals are more dark and more red, while the hens are a mottled lighter red and more buff looking. We'll see how they end up when they're older, they kind of look like they are between teen and adult feathers.

Keeper flock list-
10 FR
8 buff brahma
6 buff orp
2 Columbian Wyandotte
1 new Hampshire
1 Delaware (white with black barring?)
1 white (giant, orp, Wyandotte?)
1 Partridge rock
((30 pullets))
Cockerals-
Pretty boy (Bielefelder)
Big red (new Hampshire)

After searching back through threads again it seems about 20wks is what people have had FR pullets start laying, of those who have tried it. That puts me at mid August. So if mine follow that I could potentially collect and set my first batch in September. Hatch early October and be laying mid February. I could have another generation in the spring. The thought is exciting, even if it doesn't happen that way!