How do these guys look?

[BarefootMom]

Quote:
I don't know what you fed yours, but our meaties were fed 12 hours on 12 off and were processed at 7 weeks. They avereaged around 5.5 lbs each--processed.

OP- weigh them and see if they are about on track. you can use just a simple kitchen scale.

 

[peteyfoozer]

How much do they yield? I mean...I know a steer you only get about 60% of live weight...No idea how much to discount for innards and feathers!

 

[BarefootMom]

We butcher when they are averaging around 7lbs live weight.

 

[GoldenPuppy]

Well, I'm totally diverted from the meaties by the dogs and their stories. Now I want to beat my Berny with a dead chicken. He chased my roo once and I wanted to ring his (the dog's) stupid neck.

 

[peteyfoozer]

LOL!! I'm not sure how it will work with other breeds, but it worked fine with my Maremma. The other Maremma is softer, so just humiliating him by letting the chicks walk all over him was enough. He KNEW I was NOT happy!

 

[Oregon Blues]

[[[[.........The little papillon occasionally decides to chase the Banties. I'm going to get a mini electric collar for her because that needs to stop,......]]]]]

Sorry, but unless your Papillon is much larger than breed standard, she is below the weight where an electric collar is safe to use.

You might try keeping her on a leash around the birds and giving her a correction if she even looks at them. All I had to do with my Papillons was say, just once, "Uh--uh! Don't frighten the ducks", and now they will even turn their backs and not even look at the ducklings. But of course, you have to catch them the very first time and never let them get started.

A normal Papillon is very keen to please and easy to train, so firmly letting the dog know that it isn't going to happen should stop it.

 

[peteyfoozer]

My Maremma's are 100 lb range, but I don't use a shock collar. I use a 'citronella' collar. It sprays citronella at their nose and has a remote. It doesn't hurt, but they HATE it! I have had incredible results with it, and it is perfectly safe and humane. You might try that on the papillon

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
We've averaged about 65% of live weight.

 

[rainplace]

Since people are showing off dogs....

We got these 5 year old great pyrenees for free. They use to guard goats, but it appears that they were getting into some unspecified trouble that had to do with... well we don't know, but they have issues. One of them has a problem with the squeaky toy phase of birds, but we haven't figured out which one. I would say it's the female, but I'm uncertain. We just don't give them squeaky toys to guard anymore unless said squeaks are tractored... the dogs will guard a tractor and do not try to get what's inside.

Here's Rex.

Here's Rosie.

They allow us to keep our broilers and soon to be laying flock out in the pastures without fear of predation. They are worth their weight in gold definitely and worth the issues we've had to deal with.

 

[peteyfoozer]

They are beautiful! I don't know what I would do without my Maremma pups. Before we got them, we killed 5 bobcats, a cougar and a badger, not to mention scads of coyotes IN MY YARD! Since them...I haven't seen a predator that didn't come from the air and they are not allowing THOSE to land! Although, I admit...they are a BIT nosey...