Minnesota!

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duluthralphie said:
I was looking at my CX's tonight, with a critical eye.  I am semi disappointed in this group.  I have been noticing a lot of size differentia. as Minnie said hers had.  Very inconsistent.

I have some nice ones but none will dress 13 pounds this year, which is disappointing in and of itself.

I am having trouble telling the cockerels. At this age they should have larger red waddles and combs, I see none.  My Mom was out there tonight and I even asked her do you see any roosters?

She said "No, I was looking the other day, I wonder if you got all hens."


What do you think should I be able to see the difference now, they were 11 weeks old last Tuesday?

The only have 13 days to make themselves known.
Click to expand...

Mine had pronounced wattles by 9 weeks.
When I ordered my CX this year it was only 20 cents more to get all cox which I gladly paid. I imagined at that price most people would do that too and straight run would be girl heavy.

Over all I only ended up with 1 pullet, Betty white, who got the pardon. I suspect she might not be a real CX though. She never got that big
 
1000



Look how big this guy is!!
 
Minniechickmama said:
It kind of depends on your perspective...
Is a rooster that is put to use to provide food for someone a real waste? Or is it a waste to continue housing and feeding a rooster who is not going to give you anything in return but eye candy? Just a thought.

You know Mareks exists all over? If you had a really bad strain that just killed everything, I would be concerned, but what I have been told by many older/more experienced breeders than myself, is that you need to recognize the early symptoms and cull weak birds that will just share it. Also, just a thought.

I had a Silkie on year who molted late, and went broody in the corner of the pen and continued laying through most of her molt too. Who ever said that those are wussy birds?
Click to expand...

I do know mareks is everywhere. It isn't just the weak birds that share it. My understanding is that my healthy appearing hens will shed it in their dander, and sick birds will shed it at a higher concentration. I don't know if it is like mrsa, that antibiotic resistant staph that closes down high school wrestling - apparently most of us carry that on our skin! but our immune systems handle it. Someone else, has a little cut, comes in contact with it, and it gets serious. THat is everywhere too.

Not being a biologist and having no medical background, I've wondered if the mareks virus is like that, although staph is a bacterial thing. However, I would never ever give or sell a chicken or chick from my flock without the person's full knowledge of the mareks exposure. I know too many people on byc who have gotten chicks or pullets from breeders that have died and and been diagnosed via path labs with mareks, and subsequently lost half their flock. They were heart broken, and some took some serious financial hits. Full disclosure is one thing, silence is another. And Iif someone was being honest with me, and I was interested in buy or trading chicks/chickens, I would have reacted like Ralphie does - I would stay far away from that person and decline to take any of their chicks or chickens.


I don't have any problem eating roosters....its just the the creamettes are so little. And...I like little roosters - they are easier on the girls. I had so many broodies this year, I wanted to get a rooster later this winter, but Ralphie's creamettes, well...how can I resist? There is something about a creamette rooster, I never saw such a bright-eyed sweetheart as the one I lost.

Minniechickmama, if you end up wanting bobwhites, I'm sure I could spare a pair. I have no idea where they are from though, or if you were interested in showing or if there is a standard, etc. What floors me is the idea that someone would raise those for meat because bobwhites, apparently at full maturity, weigh a whopping 6 oz - so I am guessing you would be lucky to get 3 oz of meat off of them!

The moon eclipse has started!
 

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