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- #41
Tre3hugger
Let Your Freak Flag Fly
My birds are 9 weeks old and looking really good. I got some pictures this morning of the two groups. Hoping to dig out the scale and get some weights this week.
Group 1 I have been limiting feed and keeping in a mobile tractor situation with yard access most the time. They are mostly NH cockerels and Delaware hens. Without getting weights, the holdbacks from this group of boys is not obvious yet. Though some are definitely closer to standard than others in color, there size is rather uniform. Great! The Delawares are awesome and also growing fast, but not nearly as quick as the NH. I think they will shine in overall size/shape and their temperaments are a great mix of predator wary but not nut cases. None have escaped the 4 foot electric fence.
Group 2 I have been free feeding and keeping confined. I think the NHs will be ready for processing way sooner than the 16 weeks I was anticipating. 12 weeks is seeming way more likely, but again until I dig out the scale that is speculation. It will be nice to stagger the processing and do the birds as they are ready, NHs first and then delawares later. Easier on the freezer, and easier on me. Very different than the time bomb of cornish x.
Hopefully weights to come. At the very least I will weigh the finished products on the kitchen scale.
The next step within a month will be choosing my first round of culls. After that I would like to reintegrate them and move the electric fenced yard and tractor to within my other chicken yard, beginning integration. They can live like that until snow restricts it. I am going to house all the remaining heritage birds (around 10 by winter) with my other 20 layers in the big barn for winter, and proceed with separating breeding groups in spring. Here is a picture of some of that other group just for fun. I am a bit worried about how Rupaul (pictured rooster) is going to adapt to some new cockerels in his life, but the big barn and huge yard should prove helpful.
Any specific questions feel free! Thanks for looking.
Group 1 I have been limiting feed and keeping in a mobile tractor situation with yard access most the time. They are mostly NH cockerels and Delaware hens. Without getting weights, the holdbacks from this group of boys is not obvious yet. Though some are definitely closer to standard than others in color, there size is rather uniform. Great! The Delawares are awesome and also growing fast, but not nearly as quick as the NH. I think they will shine in overall size/shape and their temperaments are a great mix of predator wary but not nut cases. None have escaped the 4 foot electric fence.
Group 2 I have been free feeding and keeping confined. I think the NHs will be ready for processing way sooner than the 16 weeks I was anticipating. 12 weeks is seeming way more likely, but again until I dig out the scale that is speculation. It will be nice to stagger the processing and do the birds as they are ready, NHs first and then delawares later. Easier on the freezer, and easier on me. Very different than the time bomb of cornish x.
Hopefully weights to come. At the very least I will weigh the finished products on the kitchen scale.
The next step within a month will be choosing my first round of culls. After that I would like to reintegrate them and move the electric fenced yard and tractor to within my other chicken yard, beginning integration. They can live like that until snow restricts it. I am going to house all the remaining heritage birds (around 10 by winter) with my other 20 layers in the big barn for winter, and proceed with separating breeding groups in spring. Here is a picture of some of that other group just for fun. I am a bit worried about how Rupaul (pictured rooster) is going to adapt to some new cockerels in his life, but the big barn and huge yard should prove helpful.
Any specific questions feel free! Thanks for looking.
I am going to process 5 or 6 NH roosters next week.
