Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[BCMaraniac]

He's gorgeous, but he has no comb to speak of. My Copper Maran has a huge comb. So he got the Black Maran coat and the Orpington's comb? I have an EE lavendar rooster. I wonder if the chicks from him will be all dark or will some actually have lavendar feathers. It's hard to believe that 8 pounds dresses down to only 3 1/2 pounds. I'm ignorant, I know, but what is a capon? Do you really castrate a rooster to make him a capon? Bee was talking about the size of Bud's testis. I wouldn't know where to find them. I took comparative anatomy about 50 years ago so I don't remember any more. I saved a chicken that died to take apart and ck out the guts, but it's still in the freezer. I've always cut up whole birds, but those had been cleaned out already. I did my own turkeys in Mexico but that also was a long time ago. : )

The reason he has no comb is because he is a capon and has no testosterone coursing through his veins since the testicles were removed. He has a small, very pale comb and he doesn't crow. I think he would dress out more than that myself. I am not going to butcher to find out. I always thought that dressed weight is 65 to 70 percent of live weight. I am gonna let him keep growing at least another 3-4 months. Since he has been castrated, his flesh will remain moist and tender as he grows, like a steer would be compared to a bull. I am anxious to see how dressed weight compares to live weight. Some breeds of capons.....a Jersey Giant, I think.....have weighed in upwards of 20 pounds live.

Finding the testicle is actually easy, making an incision between the lower two ribs. You just have to be careful because there are major blood vessels nearby. They are located near the backbone below the kidneys.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I wish you were close to me. I can't see where you are from the "reply" mode. I might just keep her to see if she will turn broody. It would be nice not to have to incubate. As I said she has been laying one a day since she started a month ago but smallish. She matured real fast and weighs twice what my others weigh. When I offer treats she eats so fast with such force she almost takes my fingers off and leaves none for any body else. I had a friend incubate 9 of my eggs. 6 were viable and of those only my Maran's little eggs hatched into little but hardy black chicks. I bought 3 more to keep them company and the Maran's tried to peck their eyes out, (black eyes against yellow feathers). I had to watch them for a few hours until they accepted them. Two days old yet! : )

I am in northeast TN. Yes, every Marans or Marans cross I have had has been black with a yellow underbelly. They will grow fast. What kind of rooster do you have?

 

[JesNflock]

How do those feeders work with ff mash? Have you tried it? I just use big dog food bowls for my ff. They don't climb in and try to scratch with ff. Another plus! : )

Uggh...I wish mine didn't...well only one of mine does(Clay, my Roo) He steps into the bowl, then proceeds to scratch...One BIG scratch that sends FF all over the ground.

Luckily for me, Coal, my BSL pullet, eats what he flings out. (I guess they make a good team lol)

 

[Triple Willow]

BUD'S BODY...that's a pretty large pan, so you can see he made quite a good carcass in the end and was every bit as big as my big ol' hens in size, though lacking the depth of breast they had it was still good for a rooster and he did still put on a respectable amount of meat since he arrived. Not bad for a $1 rooster!

Since we are showing pics of naked men, (lol) here is a pic of one of my big ol' long legged Australorp roos. He was about 22 weeks. They turned out a little skinny to me.

 

[Beekissed]

The reason he has no comb is because he is a capon and has no testosterone coursing through his veins since the testicles were removed. He has a small, very pale comb and he doesn't crow. I think he would dress out more than that myself. I am not going to butcher to find out. I always thought that dressed weight is 65 to 70 percent of live weight. I am gonna let him keep growing at least another 3-4 months. Since he has been castrated, his flesh will remain moist and tender as he grows, like a steer would be compared to a bull. I am anxious to see how dressed weight compares to live weight. Some breeds of capons.....a Jersey Giant, I think.....have weighed in upwards of 20 pounds live.

Finding the testicle is actually easy, making an incision between the lower two ribs. You just have to be careful because there are major blood vessels nearby. They are located near the backbone below the kidneys.

Not usually...when I do CX, a 10 lb live weight is usually a 5-6 lb dressed, an 8 lb DP rooster usually 3.5-4 lbs dressed out.

 

[Beekissed]

Since we are showing pics of naked men, (lol) here is a pic of one of my big ol' long legged Australorp roos. He was about 22 weeks. They turned out a little skinny to me.

He's blue!!!

Don't know that I've ever seen a chicken shaped like that before, little at the top and huge drumsticks. Camera angle, maybe?

 

[jajeanpierre]

Marans can be a good sized meat bird. Some are, some aren't. With some breeders, their goal in breeding is for the very dark chocolate eggs, and in doing so,they have bred the meat off of them. The strange thing about the coloring is that it really is just a paint job, as the coloring does not occur through the full thickness of the shell. It scratches off, so it is really cosmetic.

My goal is to breed a good meat bird that lays enough eggs to satisfy my DH.....LOL.

The capon in my photo is a cross, but I am pleased with his size. I will breed pure bred Marans next year with meat quality in mind, but won't hesitate to cross with something else is that gives me a better carcass for the table......

All brown eggs have the pigment deposited on the outside. Marans were bred for the color of their eggs--it is the #1 defining trait of the bird. Egg color is more important than conformation, whether you agree with those priorities or not, that is what defines Marans.

 

[Triple Willow]

Might be my camera again. lol But they are dark meat birds. The top really wasn't that little at all but those legs are looong.

 

[Kassaundra]

All brown eggs have the pigment deposited on the outside. Marans were bred for the color of their eggs--it is the #1 defining trait of the bird. Egg color is more important than conformation, whether you agree with those priorities or not, that is what defines Marans.

How can the chicken judge know what color that marans hen lays, or what egg color a male would have to contribute genetically to his offspring? Aren't they judged by their feather color and body shape?

 

[BCMaraniac]

All brown eggs have the pigment deposited on the outside. Marans were bred for the color of their eggs--it is the #1 defining trait of the bird. Egg color is more important than conformation, whether you agree with those priorities or not, that is what defines Marans.

I am not disputing the shell color priority, the SOP, defining trait, etc. I was merely pointing out that from a practical standpoint the outside of the egg doesn't affect what is inside it if you are eating it, nor does it matter if you want a bird for the table.