Making Lemonade [Selective Culling Project - very long term]

[U_Stormcrow]

I should add that his gonads were not well developed, and neither of the birds is crowing currently - that's the Brahma genetics I'd guess. Very narrow meat wise in the breast as well - keel was prominent. Not unhealthy, he just hadn't started to really bulk out. I'm hoping that means the meat will be more tender than I would otherwise expect at this age.

...I'm also considering increasing the feed ration, even though the pasture is still very productive (and the mulberry bushes/American Beautyberry are finally ripening). I suspect the goats are eating enough that its slowing weight gain on the birds. That, or the new 18% feed I'm using for the whole flock (desired by my main egg buyer) isn't supporting them as well as the cheaper mix I was previously using (same protein %). So, I blame the goats.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

10 days left in the incubator. Candling revealed one early quit, two infertile. Too many hens for Pretty Boy to cover, none of the other males have yet stepped up to their responsibilities. One (the largest) has clear Brahma ancestry, I expected him to be late. Phoenix Blue, however, is disappointing. Given his lighter weight and lack of foot feathers, I'd expected him to get an earlier start. Both birds are at 26 weeks, 5 days since hatch...

 

[Demonwolf37]

Out of curiosity, how many are in Pretty Boy's flock?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Out of curiosity, how many are in Pretty Boy's flock?

I think the total number is 30? But I'm not certain or if they included growouts that aren't breeding yet

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think the total number is 30? But I'm not certain or if they included growouts that aren't breeding yet

Pretty Boy can service every hen that will let him - the flocks (apart from the very young in the grow out pen, that is the batch born two weeks ago, and the batch born five weeks ago) aren't separated. Best guess is that there are about two dozen adult laying hens right now, though you wouldn't know it from the insignificant number of eggs I'm getting daily.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Insignificant, btw, is 8 eggs today. 5 eggs yesterday. 4 the day before. 9 the day before that - 6 to 8 seems to be average right now. All the "named" birds in my sig are between 12 and 16 months old, so that's adult 17 hens right there. Sleepy, from P1-02 (same hatching as Pretty Boy) is starting her ninth month. That makes 18. P1-03 is Phoenix Blue's hatching, and was male heavy, but that was 2/23 - so we are now six months, one week from that hatch. Two females, Phoenix, and the other Barred Male I saved.

P1-04 was Spot, Stripe, Sprawl, and Splotch. Born May 17, so they are 13 weeks now. Still young. I should photo those again. The next eight were born June 7.

I guess I feel better about the lack of eggs now - it was the April hatching of ducks keeps throwing me, it seems like I should have more adult hens than I do - of the 30 remaining mutts I've bred, six are adults, and half those are males.

Next time, I get another incubator for the ducks, instead of interrupting replacement chicken production. Of course, that will require the ducks actually laying eggs again.

 

[black_cat]

Could they be laying outside of the coop because they free range?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Could they be laying outside of the coop because they free range?

Could they??? Yes. That's always a possibility.

Are they? It sure doesn't look that way. I've walked the pasture many, many, many, MANY times. I'm currently pulling weeds I allowed to get away from me during the heat and humid, and found the shells to two eggs in as many acres, but that's it.

So unless they are laying AND abandoning nests (they are ducks, they do that) AND something is eating them overnight... no, probably not.

There are feathers everywhere, all the older adults, chickens and ducks, seem to be in molt (except maybe a few SLW) - while half the ducks are from the April hatching, and aren't yet of laying age.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Lost one of the babies from the most recent hatching - found it dead in the run for the grow out pen. That I found it at all suggests it wasn't a predator kill, the thing weighed less than a pound at almost two weeks of age - could have easily been carried off. SUspect either injury or the rest of the flock in the grow out (ages 2 weeks, and 5 weeks) forced it outside for some reason into the horrific weather we had yesterday in spite of plenty of square footage, food, and fresh water inside.

SIG updated with new flock count to so reflect.

In better news, the larger barred Brahma mama cockerel I saved from culling due to weight (6.3#) as a potential breeder was observed "doing the deed" today, and was the poor SLW underneath him pissed! As vigorously as she shook herself off afterwards, I can only imagine she was most unimpressed. That puts his maturity/onset at 27 weeks - not as late as I was beginning to fear. Hopefully, any SLW crosses will favor the hen in onset, though the desired red/gold gene will still be absent that pairing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

We are in lockdown on the next hatch - best I could tell, all nine of the remaining eggs are doing fine - no obvious late quits, though once again, there are some low movement eggs. Due to the lack of prodction by my flock (I'm still only seeing 5-9 eggs daily), it took three days to get 12 eggs, so this hatching may well be staggered. Is what it is.

I've changed feed back to my original supplier, mixing at 20% protein, 2.5% calcium, and increased quantity to see if that helps compensate for the goats eating up some of the flock's feed. STILL no sign of duck eggs. Grrrrr.

Will be braving the hardware store and building some kind of frame to let the chickens eat while keeping the goats out - will do so as soon as I've figured out an efficient way to engineer it. Have also used a combination of chicken wire and light weight metal posts to build a 4' diameter "tower" about 4' tall, filled with layers of dirt, droppings, and weeds from the run, and some seeds around the outside, which are beginning to sprout. There's a "Chicken Tower" thread started by one of our friends across the pond which was inspiration for this (that, and the need to move some dirt for drainage control). I plan to keep layering it with clean outs from the hen houses seasonally as the deep litter composts. No pictures yet, still waiting for it to green up... Seeds are a mix - fenugreek, pasley, basil, oregano, broccoli, chard, watermelon, and passion fruit. What lives, lives.

/edit and I'll take another young-ish barred male for the table in the next day or so, so expect some updates to the flock count in the Sig over the coming days.