I have a question for breeders

[joycenjohnb]

I have just ordered some straight run Wynadottes and Silkies, I intend to keep one roo from each and eat the rest of the roos. I also plan to eat some of the eggs and allow some to hatch to replenish the flock as eat the older hens when egg production slows down. There are not enough shows near by to worry about showing and I have Seramas for pets.

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
People that buy at the auction I go to are not just getting them for meat. I've seen some of my "culls" at shows.

One girl who bought a rooster I decided not to breed now calls me regularly to ask if there's anyone I want to rehome! I'm glad that it's an option for me.

 

[backyardmenagerie]

Quote:
I don't know if that's horrible or hilarious.

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
I don't know if that's horrible or hilarious.

I have very high standards?!

Actually, I've become totally overwhelmed with chicks & have pulled what I consider "pet quality" silkie chicks at 6:30 AM to bring to auction. You really don't know how well they're going to grow out sometimes.

I also sold my Reserve English winning split Orp roo at auction after replacing him as a breeder. The other options were to eat him or give him away. The buyer kept his name & is currently breeding & showing him.

 

[Oregon Blues]

One thing to keep in mind is that I think I have an obligation to the people on down the line.

My birds came from a breeder with a very good reputation. If I sell my culls as pets, what is to stop my buyer from representing those birds as top show quality and using the well known breeder's name to sell hatching eggs?

Then the buyer of the eggs spends a great deal of money to buy eggs and ship them and puts all the effort of incubating them, only to get pet quality hatchlings, maybe that have inherited a disqualification from the pet quality parent.

It's a bit different at a poultry auction, because the birds can be sold without their "pedigrees" (the name of their lines or breeder), or even sold without the breed being identified. At that point, they are simply birds, what you see is what you get.

 

[cmtigger]

Quote:
That goes along with the question that anybody raising animals has to face at some point- would you rather have a so-so animal from a great line, or a great animal from a so-so line. Are the genetics from a good line better, or is it better to have the fluke that shows all the right things?

 

[Illia]

If I don't end up selling the eggs - They get consumed by the family or by the family's dogs.

If I don't end up using the chickens - They get either sold (females and usable males) or eaten by the family or family's dogs. (extra males)


There's only one breed we raise whom I don't know if it would make a good dual purpose bird, but I've yet to ever raise cockerels or pullets I didn't need or couldn't sell of that breed. All the rest are very self-sufficient and dual purpose.

 

[tgrlily]

Quote:
So --- we should kill all our culls? Really? Quite a lofty place you're coming from. You must hatch a ton of "perfect" birds if you offer only your best for sale.

Even top breeders sell their culls as pet or breeder quality. My birds all come from excellent lines. Some breeds from just one breeder, some from more than one. I have seen people "mis-use" a breeders name in online auctions. I hate to see it, but eventually people catch on as they educate themselves. Your theoretical PQ buyer's future customers should look at the parent stock or pics of the parent stock & evaluate for themselves. Caveat Emptor. Show quality stock does not ensure that you will have all show quality offspring.

I have calls all the time from people who want "pet quality" silkies because they're cute, cool, different, nice lap chickens, great pet chickens, etc. I ask if they plan on breeding them & steer them toward better birds if they are even considering it. I keep the Show Quality ones for myself.

 

[southernsickles]

We usually hatch around 200 chicks per year.We keep the very best,usually between 30 to 40 or so.We will use these birds for our fall,winter, and spring show line.We will then pick the ones that we will add to our breeding program the next year.We don't sell hatching eggs or chicks.After the breeding season we break up the brood pens and all of the eggs are fed to the dogs that protect our birds.The culls are culled and not sold.The remaining birds that we did show over the winter will be sold to usually the same few people year after year.

 

[Neil Grassbaugh]

Serious exhibition poultry breeders generally cull any bird at any time that does not meet up with their standards. Culling starts when they come out of the incubator. Generally the only birds that are raised to maturaty are worthy of the entry fee at a show or hold prospects as breeders. There is no intenetion of producing "pet quality" birds by the most serious breeders.

There certainly are a number of "hatchers" out there that produce eggs and chicks for less demanding markets but as exhibitors few of them haul home many trophies in stiff competition.

I know of a very, very sucessful flock of exhibitrion SC White Leghorn Bantams that sustains itself by hatching 5 to 6 hundred birds each spring. Seldom will as many as 15 be kept as breeders and/or hen/cock show prospects. Maybe 20 or 25 grown birds are offered for sale in the fall and they start at $50.00 each.

An empty feed bag is needed every weekend when you raise exhibition poultry seriously.