Red Laced Cornish X and project talk (pics p. 8)

[al6517]

Quote:
The 7 dust I mix in with the DE as an extrat preventitive for lice/mites and flies, I just always have done it to keep the coop bitty critter free. it does not go in the feed.

Calf manna is a feed supplement used for anything from poultry to horses and cattle, pig's, goats. it has allot os essencial Vitamins and minerals, enzymes/amino acids and such not found in normaly feed.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

Thank you so much, Al!

I add DE to foods occasionally and to nest boxes and their coops. Guess it's time to start sprinkling the Sevin Dust around and about.

 

[al6517]

I do occasionaly add a sprinkle if their feed but it loses it's effectiveness once wet, It still helps to cleanse the gut a little. As a matter of fact i just treated the pen's just before those last pic's were taken tonight, as you can see by the snowy dusting LOL.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
I fully believe the White Cornish can be bred back to a superior meat breed; one even superior to its ancestors from the 50s and before. The two DCs I was able to locate and purchase had faults that would have prevented them from showing well or being used to breed show birds; but they already had developed very broad breasts and heavy thigh and leg meat at 6 months..................................... no waiting a year to eighteen months to see that. I'm sure diet and soft living conditions had a lot to do with that; but without the genetics, how you feed and house them is irrelevant. I was beginning to fear they were either not built right [I don't think they were any leggier than your Hulk, but the youngest was never going to have as thick of shanks as his] or not fertile enough to be very successful at live breeding, and they were approaching 10 and 11 months before they started getting successful; but for some reason as soon as they were put in a run with grass growing they started getting near 100% fertility on the eggs from hens they had previosly seemed unable to mount properly. [Perhaps it was just a recovery period from the harsh winter they endured in my open front coop that was needed] I doubt that the line they came from is the only one with the same attributes, and see no reason why the Whites can't be both improoved and numbers increased by a cross to Darks like them or better, and still be successful at the shows.

I think that watching and closely evalutating them daily can have early rewards, and sometimes they will show promise earlier than a yr -18mo. I have found that at the age of 1-4yr's old for roosters are their prime breeding years. Time of the year and their enviroment has a huge effect on fertility, they may only come in for a few months turn on and off several times in that period. Yeah Steve they can be brought back to their hey day as the bird to have, and breeding for it will help that. I sometimes may breed a fault knowing it won't show up in the pairing and if it does in small numbers they can be dealt with, it has to be about the numbers on the ground before good choices can be made. It's a tough deal most of the time.

Feeding can be a huge jump in decision making, getting them to show their best attributes early through a good feed regimin can be critical.
here is a few more pic's of some recent progress on some standard WLR's and some white.
Steve : I made a miss statement earlier single laced was what I meant as desirable not dbl, had a brain fart and it was late LOL.


A new quad I put together tonight, I chose each of these hen's on different merits for hatchings to come. They are all from the same March hatch.

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https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1374.jpg

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An example of what is a cull in my pen, WLR coloring is off and it's gangly and way to tall, when he fills out he will be impresive for a flock honcho.
1st rooster
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1370.jpg
2nd Rooster
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1369.jpg

The new white spring hatch, there are more cooking in the bator but these show good promise early.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1386.jpg

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https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1389.jpg

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Nice wide back on this very young pullet.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1384.jpg

One side of the breeder pen, packed with Cornish with more on the way.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1399.jpg

As you can see the feed program can be a hassle LOL with 7 different combinations depending on what needs to be done.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/10364_img_1404.jpg

Will these March hatchlings breed this fall and winter, or will you have to wait for spring? Do Cornish respond well to artificial lighting to extend day time?

 

[pepper48_98]

I put lights on two pens of mine around thanksgiving and got my first egg on Christmas day. They layed untill Feb or March before they quit.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Thank you for the info Charley.

 

[al6517]

Steve : Yes I find that they do just fine when artificial light is used as Charley said. These March hachlings will certainly be ready by early fall if not sooner, the Rooster has been crowing for a month now and the hen's appear to be at POL now but I have yet to get my first one, and expect it to come anytime now. I will wait for 2 wks of eggs before I start to collect for incubation, and then will watch closely for how good the eggs are before trying to cook a few in the bator.

Pepper/Charley has some of the exact birds but a hatched a month earlier, I don't think he has gotten a egg yet. I will put 20 Whites in the hatcher tonight, with another 18 set last thursday, and I will start collecting more again in a few day's, I have one white hen that want's to go broody but I need her to continue to lay so the eggs are being taken away daily.

 

[al6517]

Well here goes, I am going to try to attempt as best I can to photo document the AI process. I will be using the Hulk and a few hen's. I will try to get as good a photo's as I can since they have to be close up's. I hope it works out and at least it may be interesting to some as to how the process works, kind of like a learning experience.

AL

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Oh man Al, your sure opening yourself up for alot of harrassment................................. but I promise not to be one of the people doing it.

 

[SteveH]

I've been doin' alot of thinking, and just don't see how I can get the size, shape, and growth rate I want in my project without those Ameraucana/CX I lost................................. so I ordered 25 female CX today [not going to try to hold males back to breed with because they're more difficult] and hoping by late fall/early winter I'll be able to breed them to both Ameraucana and Cornish males for next year's breeders. Hopefully I can hatch enough eggs from them and process them for big stewing or slow roasting birds before getting too far into winter.