Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[Compost King]

We just butchered our last red broiler rooster this past weekend. They were hatched March 1st, I didnt take pics and forgot we have a scale but the thing I wanted to comment on was the similarity between him and one of my home crosses. Once the feathers were off I couldnt tell them apart! I was very excited to see such good results from my line of birds. I have several more that I hope do as well. Nice breast meat and good sized legs.... I have to work on pics and weights.

Its so great when your own line does as a well as the broilers that the pros provide.

 

[aliciaplus3]

Its so great when your own line does as a well as the broilers that the pros provide.

I am very excited about them! I love reading about what you are doing because it's close to what I want to do... and it's nice that you take the time to explyour crosses and how they are doing as far as mest purposes and temperament. Thank you

 

[igorsMistress]

as I read further I had a scale malfunction, he was 8.4 pounds at 19 weeks so the 8 week reading was off. My scale goes haywire if not on a level surface and likely I had something partially under one corner of it. The more I read the more I realize my early scale readings were way off. this is going back to February. I do not believe I figured out how to work my scale correctly until March or April. I do believe by the time I got to the Naked Neck x Red Rangers I had it all figured out.

That's pretty good size! Heavier than the boy we processed at 20 weeks here. Dressed weight was 4.25 lbs.

We just butchered our last red broiler rooster this past weekend. They were hatched March 1st, I didnt take pics and forgot we have a scale but the thing I wanted to comment on was the similarity between him and one of my home crosses. Once the feathers were off I couldnt tell them apart! I was very excited to see such good results from my line of birds. I have several more that I hope do as well. Nice breast meat and good sized legs.... I have to work on pics and weights.

Alicia what are your home crosses made of? Turken and what else?

 

[aliciaplus3]

That's pretty good size! Heavier than the boy we processed at 20 weeks here. Dressed weight was 4.25 lbs.



Alicia what are your home crosses made of? Turken and what else?

I started with a Big white rooster I was given, i never did quite figure out his breed.... for all i know he may have been a slow growing meat bird? Crossed him with my Necked necks and delawares, keeping in mind those were my best crosses and the ones I kept track of the next generation. The Delaware cross cockrel I hatched last sep, Big boy,

hit 5 pounds at 12 weeks! He has been one of my main breeding roosters this past year. His half brother blue foot

has been another. He was used last jan to try and make black Nn.... we did get a few but decided white is more dominant. Still he is as tall as Big boy just not as heavy. He is the father to most of the red broiler crosses that are hatching this next weekend
One day soon I will remember to weigh these 2 boys

 

[igorsMistress]

I started with a Big white rooster I was given, i never did quite figure out his breed.... for all i know he may have been a slow growing meat bird? Crossed him with my Necked necks and delawares, keeping in mind those were my best crosses and the ones I kept track of the next generation. The Delaware cross cockrel I hatched last sep, Big boy, View attachment 1916748 hit 5 pounds at 12 weeks! He has been one of my main breeding roosters this past year. His half brother blue footView attachment 1916749 has been another. He was used last jan to try and make black Nn.... we did get a few but decided white is more dominant. Still he is as tall as Big boy just not as heavy. He is the father to most of the red broiler crosses that are hatching this next weekend
One day soon I will remember to weigh these 2 boys

Beautiful boys for sure! But your birds are anyway, I very much enjoy seeing pics of your flock.

That's a big girl there with Big Boy too!

I'm so excited to start on my DP project. I've been thinking about record keeping lately and wishing I lived on a bigger piece of property so I could keep more chickens!

 

[aliciaplus3]

Beautiful boys for sure! But your birds are anyway, I very much enjoy seeing pics of your flock.

That's a big girl there with Big Boy too!

I'm so excited to start on my DP project. I've been thinking about record keeping lately and wishing I lived on a bigger piece of property so I could keep more chickens!

The hen with Big boy is one of my original Delawares from privet hatchery, they are weighty. Again need to get the scale out but you know when you pick them up that they are more than feathers!
I got those girls as an oops but discovered they were the ones laying the Big pink eggs and better winter layers....they hatched in 2016 and I still get a decent number of eggs from them

 

[Morrigan]

That big Delaware rooster is gorgeous? If the Dorkings don't work out next year, Delawares are another of the breeds on my list to try out.

 

[Parront]

The hen with Big boy is one of my original Delawares from privet hatchery, they are weighty. Again need to get the scale out but you know when you pick them up that they are more than feathers!
I got those girls as an oops but discovered they were the ones laying the Big pink eggs and better winter layers....they hatched in 2016 and I still get a decent number of eggs from them

This made me look up Privett. They are close to me, and looks like that hen is pretty nice! I would like to raise some st. run so that I do not have to have 2 breeds one for meat and one for eggs. Unfortunately, nothing lays as well as Leghorns!

 

[aliciaplus3]

This made me look up Privett. They are close to me, and looks like that hen is pretty nice! I would like to raise some st. run so that I do not have to have 2 breeds one for meat and one for eggs. Unfortunately, nothing lays as well as Leghorns!

Yup that's why I have a few leghorn crosses still

 

[Compost King]

This made me look up Privett. They are close to me, and looks like that hen is pretty nice! I would like to raise some st. run so that I do not have to have 2 breeds one for meat and one for eggs. Unfortunately, nothing lays as well as Leghorns!

I am finding out that some of the non production lines of Leghorns can be really crappy layers. I have a leghorn project going on, and attempt to make Columbian Leghorns. When I get my Finished product I am going to breed them to the White Leghorns and then back to the Columbian Leghorns and see if I can get those great egg laying genetics in the my Columbian leghorns.

I am very excited about them! I love reading about what you are doing because it's close to what I want to do... and it's nice that you take the time to explyour crosses and how they are doing as far as mest purposes and temperament. Thank you

I am hoping to get others to explain how they make their own meat lines. What crosses work well for what. Negatives and positives. so I love seeing your posts here so we can figure out what others do to improve the meat side of their dual purpose birds.