Processing non-meat breed cockerels

[Tstraub]

That's what I'm aiming for, quick growth and a large size in 16 or 18 weeks. I have five New Hampshire pullets and one grew fast is is nearly twice as big as the others. She's been laying 5 or 6 x-large eggs per week. She bred with a good sized NH cockerel and I hatched 10 of her eggs.

I'll keep the fastest growing and largest of the ten for breeding the second generation. I have no experience either, but just using my judgement as to which ones to keep as breeding stock, and hopefully end up with a line of good dual purpose meat/egg birds.

That sounds like a solid plan to me. I’m sure the original people that developed the breed followed a similar plan. If you have a hen that lays a lot of eggs an is the size you want hatch her eggs eat the eggs of the ones that don’t preform as well.

I’m definitely putting table qualities first but still planning to keep an eye on SOP. I have zero plans to ever enter my birds in a show but one day I might sell hatching eggs or chicks and I want my line to look correct to breed standard.

 

[JenniMcChick]

There are a few mixes we won't hatch going forward due to the consistently aggravating boys they create. Some breeds develop quicker

THANK YOU so much for all the info you shared!
This will be the first time we let whatever broody wants to sit & hatch actually sit & hatch as we plan on processing any resulting cockerels.

So I was wondering if you'd mind sharing a little more about your experience.
What breed/mixes are the ones you will absolutely not be hatching moving forward, & which have you had the most success with?

 

[2ndTink]

THANK YOU so much for all the info you shared!
This will be the first time we let whatever broody wants to sit & hatch actually sit & hatch as we plan on processing any resulting cockerels.

So I was wondering if you'd mind sharing a little more about your experience.
What breed/mixes are the ones you will absolutely not be hatching moving forward, & which have you had the most success with?

Ooh congratulations on the upcoming chick hatching and decision to process your own cockerels.

I did state that there is a mix I will not hatch anymore (but... as chicken plans go, I might hatch just a couple this year to keep the genetics in the flock) it was due to the human aggressive nature of the rooster, now a few generations back but all his sons, grand sons, great grandsons, are always the more aggressive and aggravating boys in the flock. Trying to raise a group of all boys for 5 or 6 months has enough drama and spats without adding in a handful of aggressive boys in the mix.

I also won't be setting ANY of the bantam mix eggs this year, the boys are so stinking adorable and sweet I absolutely can't process them.

Right now my best growth breed is BCM and I would be interested to try heritage Barred Rocks. The BCM's did pretty well growing up together, I would want to get them processed about 22 weeks old though, I had some go longer last year and then they got a bit aggravating.

For mixes, Brahma crosses turn into nice big framed birds that fill in well, but they do take longer as they are slow to develop.

If you have lighter framed hens, I would focus on getting a nice dual purpose style rooster. Then your pullets will still be nice layers and your boys will have better growth.

Cochins have done well too. Leghorns and a lot of the EE's are too small and light.

 

[FunClucks]

Ooh congratulations on the upcoming chick hatching and decision to process your own cockerels.

I did state that there is a mix I will not hatch anymore (but... as chicken plans go, I might hatch just a couple this year to keep the genetics in the flock) it was due to the human aggressive nature of the rooster, now a few generations back but all his sons, grand sons, great grandsons, are always the more aggressive and aggravating boys in the flock. Trying to raise a group of all boys for 5 or 6 months has enough drama and spats without adding in a handful of aggressive boys in the mix.

I also won't be setting ANY of the bantam mix eggs this year, the boys are so stinking adorable and sweet I absolutely can't process them.

Right now my best growth breed is BCM and I would be interested to try heritage Barred Rocks. The BCM's did pretty well growing up together, I would want to get them processed about 22 weeks old though, I had some go longer last year and then they got a bit aggravating.

For mixes, Brahma crosses turn into nice big framed birds that fill in well, but they do take longer as they are slow to develop.

If you have lighter framed hens, I would focus on getting a nice dual purpose style rooster. Then your pullets will still be nice layers and your boys will have better growth.

Cochins have done well too. Leghorns and a lot of the EE's are too small and light.

Agreed. Regardless of the other benefits, if a rooster is aggressive, he does not get to contribute to the gene pool in my flock. I've found temperament to be highly influenced by the parent roo, and have no patience for that.

 

[2ndTink]

Agreed. Regardless of the other benefits, if a rooster is aggressive, he does not get to contribute to the gene pool in my flock. I've found temperament to be highly influenced by the parent roo, and have no patience for that.

All my current boys are wonderful thankfully and I'll never again put up with a mean one!

His DNA is only in my BYM chickens so it's more for sentimental reasons that anything else that his DNA gets to remain around