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This has been my plan all along once I convert over to a DP flock. They taste the same, but I don't want to be incubating any meat type x layer type breeding. I only want to hatch meat type x meat type. I figure they do it for sex link chicks why not identify which eggs go to the bator and which ones go to the fridge. Id rather feed a brown leghorn hen or even an EE than have to feed another meat type hen to get more eggs.
Mind you this set up with feed the family in mind. With the total number of birds I plan on keeping I can run them all together to help keep the hens from getting overbred by a roo, and keep from having to build a 2nd coop/run.
Unfortunately I think both of the types that I have will lay brown eggs so it will be hard to tell them apart. My son picked out our first layers and we brought them home and so now I have a coop that has gold comets, cochin crosses, and Light Brahmas (my addition). My second coop will have Dellys in it exclusively. I am planning on running them all together during the summer and fall months when the weather gets warm and I won't be incubating eggs. But keeping them separate during the spring months while I am collecting eggs to add to the incubator. When I am just eating the eggs I don't really care who is with who but when I am incubating for that years meat birds I will want to keep them separate so that they only breed with the roos I select. The rest of the year they will have 2 acres to free range on which they seem to love. When the Comets and Cochins stop laying I will be phasing them out and then the second coop will have Light Brahmas in it. That way it won't matter what coop the eggs come from they will all be meat birds. I would keep them all in the same coop but I have so much space (we have a large barn used mainly for hay storage.) why not use some of it for chickens as well.
I am toying with the idea of bringing DP breeds to our area for others as well. There are not many other than RIR and Cochins here and they really aren't what I would call a meat bird. The Cochins are large but I think a lot of that is bone rather than meat. The RIR I have seen here are very slim like my Comets. We could eat them if we needed to but they wouldn't be as good as a larger breasted, dual purpose meat bird. Since I really only want to eat the roosters that I hatch out I can sell the pullets that I don't keep to others in the area. So it would be helping the breeds which are both endangered and helping those who live here since they are great for eggs and meat.
This has been my plan all along once I convert over to a DP flock. They taste the same, but I don't want to be incubating any meat type x layer type breeding. I only want to hatch meat type x meat type. I figure they do it for sex link chicks why not identify which eggs go to the bator and which ones go to the fridge. Id rather feed a brown leghorn hen or even an EE than have to feed another meat type hen to get more eggs.
Mind you this set up with feed the family in mind. With the total number of birds I plan on keeping I can run them all together to help keep the hens from getting overbred by a roo, and keep from having to build a 2nd coop/run.
Unfortunately I think both of the types that I have will lay brown eggs so it will be hard to tell them apart. My son picked out our first layers and we brought them home and so now I have a coop that has gold comets, cochin crosses, and Light Brahmas (my addition). My second coop will have Dellys in it exclusively. I am planning on running them all together during the summer and fall months when the weather gets warm and I won't be incubating eggs. But keeping them separate during the spring months while I am collecting eggs to add to the incubator. When I am just eating the eggs I don't really care who is with who but when I am incubating for that years meat birds I will want to keep them separate so that they only breed with the roos I select. The rest of the year they will have 2 acres to free range on which they seem to love. When the Comets and Cochins stop laying I will be phasing them out and then the second coop will have Light Brahmas in it. That way it won't matter what coop the eggs come from they will all be meat birds. I would keep them all in the same coop but I have so much space (we have a large barn used mainly for hay storage.) why not use some of it for chickens as well.
I am toying with the idea of bringing DP breeds to our area for others as well. There are not many other than RIR and Cochins here and they really aren't what I would call a meat bird. The Cochins are large but I think a lot of that is bone rather than meat. The RIR I have seen here are very slim like my Comets. We could eat them if we needed to but they wouldn't be as good as a larger breasted, dual purpose meat bird. Since I really only want to eat the roosters that I hatch out I can sell the pullets that I don't keep to others in the area. So it would be helping the breeds which are both endangered and helping those who live here since they are great for eggs and meat.