Dual purpose bird quandry...

[BirdBrain]

Tori,
Where did you get your Dorkings from? I looked on line and besides you it looks like there is only one hatchery near you. Did you have them shipped in or hatch them yourselves? How do hatching eggs fair coming all that way?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
One silver grey was hatched from Black Diamond in Montana (Jeanne) and the others were from MMH. I have one Red Dorking roo from someone in MI, and I will be getting eggs from Jeanne this spring. I had a rough time with shipped eggs last year... seems eggs shipped BY me fared much better than eggs shipped TO me.

But I keep trying. Now I'm hatching silver greys right and left, and might try starting my own line of reds by crossing him to my Silver Greys. I wish I could ship chicks, but the closest PO that will accept live birds is 2.5 hours away...

So I ship eggs.
Vicki2x2 has a set of eggs from me in the 'bator right now, so we'll see how the winter shipping did.

 

[dancingbear]

I butchered two excess cockerels a couple of weeks ago, one was about 6 months or so, the other maybe 4 months. They both dressed out to slightly over 7 lbs, w/o the livers, gizzards, and hearts, I'd already fed those to the dogs before I remembered to weigh them.

They were Brahma crosses, not sure who the moms were, one was probably a light Brahma mix hen, the other may have been Australorp, or 'lorp/Brahma cross.

Both are stewing chickens, they'd be way too tough for any quick-cooking method. That's ok, I use a lot of crock-pot chicken!

I have two more to process when the weather's a little better.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

No, Buff Brahmas don't lay as well as Light Brahmas!
Light Brahmas are also bigger!


a cross will grow quicker!