I recently read a thread here on BYC where a person is raising layers, Jersey and two meat hybrids. Weighing each type in week intervals and taking average. This is great. I mean, right there in one area is perspective of three very different types of birds. I asked them to see if they'd join us here.
It got me to thinking about reporting. As my birds are newly hatched have yet to put a lot of thought into it. Though every week is inspiring weigh ins for me that's a bit daunting. Weighing every bird, every week. Yeah, I'm lazy. In being so one aspires for efficiency so there is redemption. My fear is that much work and so early will tire and lead to abandoning right when the data is most useful. I've come up with a lose plan for myself and am throwing it out here as an idea.
Other places other than the Buckeye conservancy have stated that at 6 weeks it's definitive your largest birds of both sexes will stay your fastest maturing birds. Alright then, right there I can not bother weighing until 6 weeks. Perfect. Also in this fact we can pull out that the fastest maturing birds (not largest final year weight birds) will continue to be the largest at good butchering ages. Excellent. I'll only weigh all the birds once at 6 weeks and band X number of them of both sexes. These are the potential breeders of the future, no other bird of the group should be considered.
Weigh all at 6 weeks and band 5-10 of each sex.
Only weigh those banded weekly there after.
On butchering an average dress weight of all birds butchered is nice and also easy to do. Your best birds won't be in that number as they are still breeder candidates.
Weighing from 7 to 10 weeks may or may not be something I'll do. Reason being is I'll already know the fastest to mature. With my birds being used that is nowhere near a time consideration to butcher. People with hybrids would carry on likely but end sooner. Probably start to weigh in again at 10 or 11 weeks. Once all at 6 then maybe all again at 10-11 to confirm the "fact" of fastest maturing stay largest. Each week after this on largest birds will produce a graph. With estimates or actual weights of feed used it will clearly scribe out an optimal butcher time for offspring of those breeders in future years.
Weigh in weekly from 10 or 11 weeks to 16 weeks of age.
Track weekly feed use during this time.
Create a graph to pinpoint optimal butchering age of offspring in future years.
That's about it. Depending on how many roaster one wants dictates how many to butcher at broiler/grilling age. I'll band enough birds so cockerels that don't make the cut for breeding will be roasters. Seems it will give all the info I need with least effort. Did I mention I'm lazy?
