Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[U_Stormcrow]

So, three of the four eggs hatched overnight - technically, a few hours "early", but when did chickens ever keep to human schedules?? Noisy, happy, energetic, and seemingly in good health.

He have "Dot" (Yellow-ish with a tiny black head spot), "Stripe" (White with a broken black line down the crest of the head, plus a smudged collar and dirty wings), and "Splot" so far (the traditional black with yellow-ish butt and some lighter markings at the wing tips). Egg four has externally pipped, and by color, was from one of the Comets - very hopeful this is Pretty Boy over the Comet, rather than one of RUG's offspring, or worse, S White's. No "Brahma Mama" birds this time, and Egg 4 has externally pipped.

Pictures once all are hatched.

S White is being culled today, been jumping hens all week, I've just had other priorities. Taking another almost all white (and chonky) male from P1-03 at the same time.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

S. White was just dispatched for the chill chest. 6 lb, 1 oz (live weight) at 19 1/2 weeks - expect 4# +/- an ounce after processing. (Update: Skinless, 4 lb, 1 oz, inclusive of heart liver neck gizzard) As the last bird of this hatching had a bit of chew at 18 weeks, S. White is being disrobed and planned for stew.

One of the P1-03 batch is a male with the dominant white gene. He's next. Will edit then with weight, he's 11 weeks exactly, so I'll feather him and plan on roasting. 3.3# live weight, removed the feathers w/o scalding, ripped the skin in a few places. A couple lines of subcutaneous fat, and a thin blanket around the internal organs - still living pictures here, I tried telling myself it was a pullet after the weight disappointed, though I was near certain it was a cockerel. He was indeed a cockerel. About 2 1/4# after processing. This bird is what happens when the offspring of a CornishX gets the dom. white gene, but not the size genes.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So, the four new birds, P1-04.

SPOT

STRIPE

SPLOTCH

(Not seen in this picture, fluffy yellow-white butt) and yes, it has the tiniest yellow mark on the side of its beak. Feet are black, too.)

SPRAWL

/edit It occurs to me that these birds are starting to look a lot like hatchery quality chicks from the TSC bins. For good or ill. Stripe has the "chipmunk" pattern down his/her back, albeit not well pronounced, and I'm hopeful to see a lot more red in these birds, though parentage remains unknown (on both sides, sadly).

 

[NatJ]

I like the way you name your chicks Those are nicely descriptive and all start with S.

Is there a reason the one is named Sprawl, or just that all baby chicks do at first?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I like the way you name your chicks Those are nicely descriptive and all start with S.

Is there a reason the one is named Sprawl, or just that all baby chicks do at first?

Sprawl was last to hatch, and was found sprawled out across fresh eggs I had added to start a new incubation after (s)he pipped externally (I've been manually rotating those). Moved it to the brooder box with the heat plate, woke up this AM, and the bird is (once again) sprawled out. This time on top of its siblings. So, while I'm not thrilled by the name, it fits.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Culling another of the P01-03 batch today, the first was HERE, a 3.3# male at 11 weeks with the wrong coloration (and, of course, an excess male). Culling another of that batch today (will update with sex, and additional details). Its 13 weeks, 4 days today, one of the "Brahma Mama" chicks. It ALSO weighs in at 3.3#, though whether that's because its female, the slow growth of the Brahma heritage, or both, I'm not yet confident opining on.

The bird lurches around with a hump on its back, whether the result of genetic deformity or a healed injury I am currently uncertain. There's enough twist in the hind end that I'm concerned about its ability to lay an egg if it should prove to be female. Has done a marvelous job of hiding its issues thus far, which i was aware of, but the severity has became pronounced this past week - ten days. So, its good life ends, swiftly, today.

Will try and grab a few picks before the culling. Will be poking and prodding around as I cull to figure out what's going on, but regardless of gender, its not one I want as a breeder. Given the Brahma heritage, I would expect to wait another 3 to 4 months before maturity. I have others that can offer insight into when the half Brahma birds would be expected to lay and shell color, the best use for this one is now my table.

/also culling three adolescent male ducks for the table - don't need extra drakes, they are all at 18 weeks+/-.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

{{WARNING - GRAPHIC}] If I can get pictures to load.

Short form, while you are busy scrolling down, is that the whole hip structure was rotated and lifted. Appears to have been a back injury at a young age, completely healed, pronounced twist in the spine, once I got inside the bird. 2.42# processed weight.

Pictures below (I did NOT scald the bird before plucking. Should have. Ripped the skin in the usual places, still need to do some tweezer work. Mostly the feathers pulled free and easy.) Muscadine grapes in the background.

Oh, and this was a lady bird, in spite of the thick-ish legs.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Happier photos - the 10-11 day updates on the most recent hatching, Spot, Stripe, Splotch and Sprawl, P1-04. The small digital scale is again broken, so no weights.

Its WAY too early to tell, but I'm already thinking Sprawl (last photo) is a Roo - beastly legs compared to the others. Oh, and the camera washed out a bit of the yellow - these birds aren't white the way some in P1-01 and P1-02 were. The picture of Stripe (second photo) is pretty close.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

And a top down on Stripe - hoping its a girl, this is the first hatchling I've had with this pattern, and its surprisingly clear compared to the muddy leakage I've seen in most of the babies. Not crisp, but I admit curiosity about adult plumage already.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Brief Update on part of P01-03, specifically, the remaining "Brahma Mama" chicks. Almost exactly 14 weeks old.

!Nom Novem (Nameless #9) is a pullet, clearly barred (had a head spot, so far, that's a good indicator) and is weighing in at 61.6 oz (3.85#). Putting on plenty of bone, but not yet fleshing out, she feels narrow in the breast.

!Nom Decimus (Nameless #10) is a likely cockerel, no visible barring. I'll try and get a good picture, but as a summary, pretty dark grey. A few spots of red leakage the size of a pencil eraser or so. No head spot at birth. Thick legs are the primary indicator of gender, there's some pointing going on in the feathers, but its not real pronounced as yet. Same body condition. Weighing in at 65.1 oz (4.07#).

These are visibly the largest birds, but like the pure dark Brahma parent, its all feathers at this age. Sort of disappointed, though can't claim surprise.

Going to keep an eye on !Nom Decimus, mostly as an indicator of sexual maturity, since it may be hard to determine when !Nom Novem starts laying (expecting egg color and size similar to my existing Brahma and SLWs) directly. Expect to cull him once he shows interest in the hens, HOPING its closer to 5 months than seven, but want another fast growth cross over his sister before considering using Brahma-root offspring males for breeding. Id' have to grow the flock too much if I needed 6 months each generation, instead of four....