Need a name - pics of Grace and Dinner added :)

[gritsar]

Quote:
These birds are so sweet. A couple of the pullets are growing on me, like the one that mistook my little toe for a worm last night and was determined to have it all for herself. They will get names eventually, even if I have to tag them all with colored leg bands to keep track of who is who. There will be a Mercy and some of the other names suggested. The four cockerels I'm trying hard not to get attached to. They are so large that I'm afraid they won't live long, no matter how much I try to regulate their growth.

I really hope that the big cockerel, Baby, manages to make it for awhile. It's just so cute to hear little baby "peeps" come out of a bird as almost as big as my bantam brahma.

ETA: Yes, there are four definite cockerels now; not three. I'm hoping the cockerels are finished showing themselves. Could I possibly get lucky enough to have 15 pullets and only 4 cockerels out of the meat birds?

 

[gritsar]

Here's Grace, posing for her pic:

And here's Dinner, thinking he's hiding from me:

 

[goatranch]

We had the idea for "meaties" this year. We had 52 lost a few and ended up with 46 to freezer camp. I couldn't name any of them. They are the most dear loving birds. I saved back a roo. I know it is a big no-no to some people to bring cornish into the mix, but we want to give it a go. I did name him Chunk!! He is so sweet, but wants nothing to do with the ladies. It would be hard to part with them if they have names. Grace and Dinner are adorable!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
There's a story behind these meat birds. They were left on my doorstep, culls from the commercial houses because they weren't growing fast enough.
They won't be eaten. We are doing our best to control their growth. DH knows how to do it because culls from the commercial houses is how his mom got her laying flock. We're free-ranging them as much as possible until they move to the coop, at which point they will free range all day. I'm encouraging them to get up and move and not just sit in front of the feeder and eat. Grace is doing pretty good. She's not much bigger than my layer chicks of the approx. the same age. The roos are harder to convince, but they are getting freedom, fresh air and sunshine. Things they never got in the commercial houses.