Good feed for the last four weeks

SFH= Swedish Flower Hen, a fairly new breed to the US.

Ah, they are beautiful, I like a colorful flock! My flock is very mixed and colorful at this time. I'm glad I decided right off to try several different breeds to give me an idea of what works best for us. All of the different breeds out there can be dizzying though, I want one of everything! I do like my Jersey Giants, I know they are slow growing but that size with that glossy plumage is everything you could want in a bird. They are more docile than the hatchery RIR's but still not as friendly as my family needs! I am looking for a good breeder nearby.
 
I know there are mixed feelings about this, but have any of you considered caponizing your cockerels?  That is what I have done this summer, and am growing them out till December, when they will be 7 months old.

I happen to be a veterinarian, so I would likely be highly successful at caponizing with a little practice, but I haven't really had time to study it. Plus, the SFH tend to change colors and appearance quite a lot until several months old, so I would hate to caponize a roo I later regret not keeping intact. I might try it with some mixed breed birds if I ever hatch any more of those. I'm not planning to butcher any more birds until next year, when I raise more meat birds, though, so I won't even have any to examine post mortem do a dry run with any time soon.

I also need to work out pain control. I know everyone says the chickens don't feel pain, but I do know that many animals feel pain but do not show it. I can't help but feel birds fall in that category. I do not do ear crops or tail docking because of lack of pain control and being a cosmetic procedure. This is not a cosmetic procedure, but I can't imagine that it isn't painful.
 

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