Dual-Purpose Flock Owners UNITE!

[j.luetkemeyer]

I am new to this forum; however, I am currently working on developing a bird that meets the specifications you are discussing in this thread. I have the first two breeds that I want to cross already and they will begin to lay in January. I will wait until early summer to cross them. I am going to acquire the other two breeds in March so that I can cross them. I will take the offspring of these two crosses and cross them. One breed I haven't seen mentioned that is one of the four breeds I am using is the Naked Neck Turken. This breed was used in developing one of the Label Rouge breeds in Europe. I'm currently trying to find information on the specific genetics of the four birds I am working with.

 

[Beekissed]

Sappy, be careful when buying from local breeders....I know a lady near me that has "Rhode Island Reds" that are definitely Red Stars or some other RIR cross. The local guy told her they were reds and she didn't know the difference....and still can't seem to come to grips with the fact that most RIR do not have white splashes all over their feathers.

I agree with the post about the White Rocks. Pound for pound they are the fastest growing and biggest birds of my 5 mo. old flock of WR, Doms, NH, Black Stars, BO. They are huge, fluffy, inquisitive and independent....I like everything about them right now....now, if they lay as good as they grow and as good as they look!

 

[Sappy]

The guy I'm thinking of buying from apparently has a really good reputation in Missouri. He's an old man who does things old school, from what I hear.

Thing is, buying from a hatchery isn't a guarantee either. For example, I don't want a "production" RIR, they aren't a pure RIR either. I've read that most of the hatcheries are selling the production strain as RIR... where can you get a REAL RIR now? Dangit.

I will be careful though. I'm doing my homework now precisely so that I'll be as prepared as possible when the time comes to buy next year.

 

[snowydiamonds]

My breeds are listed in my siggie, the BO's eat like a starving horse or goats! Love their sunshine soft feathers though and the roo is absolutely wonderful except their combs and wattles are a bit too long for our cold. I may have to move them into one of my warmest coops and put the EE's into the BO's coop so no one gets frostbit anymore. I really should do that by this weekend.

The Ee's or purchased as Ameraucana's (Black) have nearly nothing to freeze or get frostbit and are very docile birds. I'm just not keen on having only the black version as our winters are long and dark...the green sheen is beautiful and the eggs are nice to get pink and green shelled so that makes up for color.

The GLW's are the youngest and they are quarrelsome w/each other so I put my Andalusian or Blue Copper Maran roo w/them, not sure what he is but he's large and in charge- I have to keep an eye on him as he does me and he's only pecked me three times so I pick him up nearly every other time we are in "our" space.

I've found I can't beat the RIR's for egg production and dark brown XXlg eggs, I've missed my original 8 flock of hens since I put 6 of them into the freezer at 3 years old- I kept two and got another soon to be yearling.

Our feed has to be shipped in via air so is costly at $31-$34.00 per 50# bag and I've got six coops and 60-65 birds.

I'm constantly rethinking on what I'm doing and need smaller combs/wattles, enjoy colored shells, and think bantam is now the direction I should go while keeping one LF flock of Ee's.

I have a great roo I want to cross w/my white tail buff wyandotte bantam who's just coming into her first egg soon, my roo leaves the young ones alone until they've laid about a month then he decides they are old enough for mating- he's a smart one and I'm thankful I didn't get rid of him as his previous owner thought he should go into the freezer or trash. He's a great roo for me and his hens.

I'm going to raise a flock of bantam RIR's and never give up on that flock, seems I'm destined to have at least three flocks and the geese are the way to go if you want fast growth for table and healthy along the way. Mature table size by four months old! Mine are now 7 months old and I'm hoping to have at least one gander to begin raising for the table/freezer. Feeding 6 geese is like feeding the BO flock...eggs are good eating but I was lucky one goose laid most of this fall and only stopped as it finally hit her that deep winter is beginning She (Embden) should start laying this Spring, I know the Toulouse will and I'm not sure if the young Buff American's will lay this young?

I've butchered and eaten mine and will be cutting down the size while getting more into the nearly empty freezer again but its a hard thing to do for me. Its a good feeling to have eggs and meat constantly on hand though. Our feed shipped in takes a bit longer than two weeks to get here so I'm constantly cooking for them as I've got more than I should to not run out of feed before the next shipment/paycheck arrives.

Once I'm on my own and my adult children no longer coming and going, I'll convert over to bantams and a goose flock-

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

I'm glad someone started posting on this thread again

I am starting a dual purpose flock. I've had egg layers, but want to have something that I can eat eggs and meat from (I do not want to do Cornish Cross, and like someone else mentioned, that is what everyone suggests, even when I say I don't want them

).

So far I have a Delaware roo - he is beautiful and big - probably hatchery quality, but he is nice looking, none the less. I have some Buff Orps hatching as we speak, and I have in with him at the moment, a white rock, a RIR and a light brahma. I'd like to get more white rocks and some delaware hens for him in the spring.

My layer flock has a few ladies I could put with this roo - to add to the dual purpose flock. I have a couple of Black Australorps, a NH red and a red sex link and a barred rock hen.

The problem I will have is that my layer flock roo, George is absolutely the best roo I've ever known. I'd hate to get rid of him, and I'm thinking I may just keep him and a few hens so I don't have to rehome him. He takes excellent care of his ladies, and he is great for free-ranging protection (he an old english game).

The problem I would have is keeping the two flocks seperate if they both free range - has anyone had luck with this or experience? Right now only George and his girls go out free, the others are in coop with a run.

If I had enough hens would they stay to their own girls or would they fight over girls? George is smaller than the delaware roo, but the Dellie is a bit of a wuss when it comes to fighting, so George would probably steal all his girls. That would sort of defeat the purpose.

Eventually I'll have enough girls for two roos, but if they all go for George instead of Speckles (he had the name when I got him - a friend of mine's son named him

) then I'd have to lock up the meaty flock. Which also defeats the purpose of being more self sufficient on feed and the like.

George is a small bodied roo - large breed old english (not bantam), but still smaller than what I would want to butcher.

any advice?
Meri

 

[AtRendeAcres]

snowydiamonds

I had RIR bantams
&
It seemed my bantam brahmas layed better than them!

They also have that Pea comb the EEs have (althought it doesn't get as cold here as were you are) the cold & snow doesn't seem to bother these guys!

dual purpose:
large Brahmas with a rock (proubly any early maturing breed) get a size much faster!

 

[crazyhen]

delawares, chanteclars and faveoles are all eatable egg layers. Jean

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
We're actually considering free-ranging two flocks on alternate days. Haven't put it into practice yet, but it's something to consider.

 

[Beekissed]

Are you keeping them separate for breeding reasons? I run all three of my roos in with my laying hens, as I want to raise my own chicks from now on and I don't really care who breeds who. I chose my RIR, Partridge Rock and Blue Orpington roos for their egg-laying genetics, as well as their meat, so I don't mind crossing any of them over all my girls.

If you wanted to keep them separate, you could keep one flock in a chicken tractor and they would still have the benefit of fresh greens and bugs...just not like the other flock. Actually, if one had separate pens and coops, the flocks could take turns in the tractor!

Snowy: Do you harvest down from your geese? If so, could you tell us all about it?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
We're actually considering free-ranging two flocks on alternate days. Haven't put it into practice yet, but it's something to consider.

Hmmm, good idea, I hadn't thought of that.
I'll see how it might work out. I haven't had the hens very long and the roo I've had only about a month (if that) so I am still imprinting their coop onto them. Once I get that accomplished, then I can let them out for a bit.

meri