NY chicken lover!!!!

[tao chick]

Other breeds are good too. I hear good wyondottes make good meaties. Barred rock, if the come from a good line (eight acres farm has them) Delaware's came from 'sports' of the barred rock. New Hampshire's were Rhode Island Reds that were bred for meat qualities, fast feathering and quicker growth for many generations and ended up taking on a different shape and color. NHs about died out after cornishX took over, people quit working with them for meat, hatchery NH are not what they once were. After WWII the US sent Germany our good NHs cause they ate every single chicken they had. The Germans continued to work with them, and someone imported some of their stock back to the US. The German lines are more representative of what our NH was before cornishX took over.
Australorps CAN make good meaties and layers, if they come from a good line. I hear 'RattlesnakeRidgeWV' on BYC has some real good ones in black, blue and splash (I didn't even know they came in blue and splash!).
Keep in mind good lines might be $$ but you only have to buy once, even if you only start with a good breeding trio, your set.

I have a good start with my group and completely agree that you get what you pay for (although a couple breeders I encountered were deceptive). Thank you so much for the information. I'm happy I didn't get JGs expecting them to be meaty at 6 months.

 

[tao chick]

@tao chick PhoredaBurds has caponed. It's my plan with these white giant's, keeping mostly cockerels for capons. I haven't tried it yet though. Capons grow bigger, better, faster, cheaper, tastier, and cause no problems, don't even crow.

it seems like I should go this route. If I just send my cockerels to the pasture they'll be less productive. I'll have to get my barn set up with the system.

 

[Beer can]

Some have good luck just keeping the roosters separate.

 

[horsekeeper]

@tao chick PhoredaBurds has caponed. It's my plan with these white giant's, keeping mostly cockerels for capons. I haven't tried it yet though. Capons grow bigger, better, faster, cheaper, tastier, and cause no problems, don't even crow.

I started raising turkeys

, problem solved. They look scrawny when you process them but sure are packed with tasty dense meat. The flock last fall with the spring hatch mingling with the adults. Ready to process at 8 or 9 months.

 

[tao chick]

Some have good luck just keeping the roosters separate.

That's what I've done in the meantime. I'm selling a rooster today and want a better plan before the next group of roosters hatch. I have 30 eggs in the incubator from my mixed flock. I know you're thinking of building a mini fridge incubator and I recommend it. I'm staggering hatches using my other incubator as a hatcher and I like the flexibility.

 

[tao chick]

I started raising turkeys , problem solved. They look scrawny when you process them but sure are packed with tasty dense meat. The flock last fall with the spring hatch mingling with the adults. Ready to process at 8 or 9 months.

I want to raise a few turkeys every year too.

 

[horsekeeper]

Some have good luck just keeping the roosters separate.

That's what I started doing. They grow faster and healthier without all the chasing, fighting, and breeding attempts. Pullets are much happier. Got that advice from an experienced Jersey Giant breeder who said they don't develop to their full potential if you leave them together. The hormones kick in too quickly and stunts the growth.

 

[Metella]

In 6 months my Marana and my Color line have roost that give decent eating .... I do process the extra roos ... and do find them to taste very good.

 

[Beer can]

@horsekeeper I would love to get some turkeys, space is limited though. We have three acres but the majority is front lawn and a pond. We plan on moving in around five yrs for more acreage. Turkey's are in the plans, would like to get white Holland turkeys.
And have ducks and guineas again.
Possibly some of those 'cotton patch geese'.
Didn't really want to get too involved in breeding more than one breed of chicken right now either. Must have got bit by that morehen's bug, cause plans changed Lol!

 

[rancher hicks]

1. there are a lot of very nice breeds, though research them. Some are flighty/hypers like the leghorns. Though I do like the brown leghorns over whites.

2. Dels are a calm breed and my experience is they're equal opportunity breeds. Right now I have a lone Marans and I expect she'll go in there and be fine.

3. I may be able to keep some chickens IF I keep just the one coop and only go away for three weeks at a time. Of course it will be the Del coop since they're easy and good layers. I'm not into eating them so it may work. Plus Frenchy and Buckwheat have good genes.

4. Folks it's best to hatch your own and work toward a hardy line. Keep adding birds from other flocks and it's hard. Too practice good bio security. Anyone who doesn't understand why they can't run around your chicken yard isn't worth bothering with. Point being eventually you'll weed out the weak ones.

5. A red rooster over a white hen will yield sex link chicks. The NH is a large breed. Seems to me if you put a rooster over a large Columbian rock hen you'll get some nice birds. Hens for laying and roosters for eating. This would be my choice if I were to keep a larger flock and eat my birds.

6. Tab, kitchen looks nice. Hope you make some good meals there.

7. As for eggs and eating, Tab has a nice casserole recipe that kids should like. I call it's Tab's Breakfast casserole though it can be eaten anytime. Seems to me it would make a nice make ahead meal for kids lunches too. If they can microwave at school. Our kids can do that.

Tab’s Breakfast Casserole

Tater tot breakfast casserole:
1lb browned breakfast sausage
12 eggs
1c milk
1 can cream soup of choice
32oz bag tater tots
1c shredded cheese of choice
Layer sausage in greased 9x13 pan. (If I have any left over veggies from the previous night's dinner I spread them over the sausage) In a bowl mix together eggs, milk, and soup then pour over sausage. Then arrange tater tots on top of everything. I hand place them instead of pouring them on. Bake at 350* for 1 hour. Put shredded cheese on top the last 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the oven.
The recipe is so simple and easily adjusted to use different ingredients or added ones and it still turns out great. This morning I used duck eggs and leftover home made soup instead of milk and condensed soup. It was a hit!

Rancher, trying to stay loose, Hicks.

Here's a song to lighten the day. Green, Green - The New Christy Minstrels. Check it out on Youtube.