The Heritage Rhode Island Red Site

[Fentress]

I agree.

Sally, this would be my plan. Actually? It is my plan, LOL, as I am starting with so few as well.

Put your #1 cockerel over your #1 pullet. #2 over #2. Then, after a few weeks, swap. Keep careful records in the chance that one of these 4 possible matings combinations produces noticeably better birds. I'm a firm believer that tracking the hen is every bit as important as tracking the cock bird used.

Personally, it will be very important for you (and me) to get 40-50 chicks out of these matings. We've simply got to get more birds to sort through for 2015. Got to look forward. Don't expect to keep them all, but by this time next year? I'd love to say WOW, I've got these three wonderful pullets to put back under their sires. All I'd need is one stunning new cockerel to keep to put back over the dams of this year. One doesn't have to get out of control, numbers wise, and pen wise. But, without putting significant numbers of chicks on the ground to pick through, we just aren't making the needed progress.

Again, hatching out 40-50 chicks is my goal, but next year at this time? There would only be 10-12 total birds that are kept. That's all. The partner can come in next year. They can take 1/2 of those breeders, cutting my winter over numbers down to just 5 or 6. Then, in 2015, the cycle repeats again. But each of us can hatch out 40-50 chicks, doubling our efforts. Plus, no predator could wipe out both of our flocks or some other unforeseen Armageddon. Hope that helps.

Good post. Thanks. So you mark the chicks and then do you still keep them separate or do you separate them later in the year for evaluation?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Use whatever "tag" system you're comfortable with. We have "code" for penciling on the eggs. 00,X0,0X,XX something like that. Then, put a little bracelet of some kind or toe punch the chicks. Some folks hatch them in separation containers so all the 00 chicks hatch within a compartment different than the XX chicks. Whatever works for you. That's WHOLE big 'nother discussion. LOL

But, yes, we raise them by hatch. From incubator, to brooder, to juvie pen. Everybody has their own way. We do a serious evaluation at 8 weeks and yes, we'll sell off some chicks at that point. No mention of them being anything other than chickens. Don't want people to think they're getting "breeder" stock, as they're getting my early culls.

Then the pullets are culled 18 weeks. Cockerels are harder me to judge early, unless there just is a complete dud, or a split wing, or what have you. Hatch in February-April and I'm all done with all selecting by Thanksgiving. All finalists are on the property. All the rest are sold, composting or in the freezer.

Thus, with Thanksgiving next week, I'm so ready now to start dreaming about February.

 

[Fentress]

I have finally gotten my head around how I am going to do it. Whether it will work or not only time will tell. I keep my chickens as one flock, that I move to fresh grass every 6-8 weeks. With chicken tractors I can pull out the breeders and isloate the broodies. After hatch, the chicks will go directly back into the flock. Some people disagree with this, but it worked last year very well and I love having the chicks grow up as part of the flock and learing about hawks and other free range habits from the adults. One thing I learned this year, it is hard to evaluate stock when it is running around with the larger flock. I may not have grow out pens, but i will have to separate the family's to make some decisions. I think my biggest problem will be coordinating the breeding pens with the hens going broody. I'll just play that by ear and see what happens. Toe puching chicks in front of a mother hen may be an adventure as well.

Mark

 

[immyjay54]

I have finally gotten my head around how I am going to do it. Whether it will work or not only time will tell. I keep my chickens as one flock, that I move to fresh grass every 6-8 weeks. With chicken tractors I can pull out the breeders and isloate the broodies. After hatch, the chicks will go directly back into the flock. Some people disagree with this, but it worked last year very well and I love having the chicks grow up as part of the flock and learing about hawks and other free range habits from the adults. One thing I learned this year, it is hard to evaluate stock when it is running around with the larger flock. I may not have grow out pens, but i will have to separate the family's to make some decisions. I think my biggest problem will be coordinating the breeding pens with the hens going broody. I'll just play that by ear and see what happens. Toe puching chicks in front of a mother hen may be an adventure as well.

Mark

Whatever works for you Mark is the way to go. As for the toe punching, be glad that the mothers don't have the long spurs. If that little one yells, she won't like it. lol We had an old sow come over a 4 ft pen when we were castrating her babies. Man did we get out of there for a while. lol

 

[Fentress]

That is funny! And I am not looking forward to toe punching, but I know it has to be done.

 

[Rhinoman]

Cockerels are harder me to judge early, unless there just is a complete dud, or a split wing, or what have you.

New to this but I would have thought the complete opposite. I understand that early on you can cull out your bad type pullets and cockerels. I would think though that to decide which hens to breed one has to know how they're laying, in order to do that they have to be, well, laying.

 

[BGMatt]

New to this but I would have thought the complete opposite. I understand that early on you can cull out your bad type pullets and cockerels. I would think though that to decide which hens to breed one has to know how they're laying, in order to do that they have to be, well, laying.

Pre-lay pullets you can judge for future production based on capacity, get hands on, do they carry the width from shoulders all the way through pubic bones? How much space is there between the pubic bones? Between them and the keel (breast bone)? Year old hens, are they unthrifty and carrying a lot of abdominal fat? pubic bones soft and pliable? pointed rather than rounded due to fat covering? Those things tell you if they're putting their food into egg laying or not.

 

[har]

New to this but I would have thought the complete opposite. I understand that early on you can cull out your bad type pullets and cockerels. I would think though that to decide which hens to breed one has to know how they're laying, in order to do that they have to be, well, laying.

BGMatt has some good points there. You could also read The Call Of The Hen. A great old book.

Scott

 

[Fred's Hens]

New to this but I would have thought the complete opposite. I understand that early on you can cull out your bad type pullets and cockerels. I would think though that to decide which hens to breed one has to know how they're laying, in order to do that they have to be, well, laying.

On the breeds we have? The cockerels are soooooo slow to develop. You can kinda/sorta choose a half dozen finalists, but you Alpha and Beta? Your best two? I have to wait, wait, wait. Has a lot to do with tails. They are almost a year old before we know for absolute certain we've happy with our choice(s)

 

[RedRidge]

Fred... if you cull your Feb, March and April cockerels by Thanksgiving, do you narrow it down to your breeders at that time when they are only 7-9 months old or do you only use mature roos for breeders? If you use cockerels, does that mean you are more inclined to use a Feb cockerel than an April?

Jimmy... I know you did some early hatches this year... how about you? When did you choose your breeders for those hatches? And would you choose the same ones again now that they are older?

I have narrowed it down to six cockerels. Pretty sure who #1 is, he has stood out for a while. Number 2? No idea. I have my pullets down to 7. It seemed pretty easy to get to this point. .. it's narrowing it down further than I'm struggling with. I finally decided to not try again until the last minute. I think if I wait another month until Jan 1st maybe the breeders will jump out at me. But I want them pinned down by then so I can do some Feb hatches this year. Initially I was trying for a trio to show at the Knoxville show, but. .. Just not there yet maturity wise. Its all about the timing, and these May hatches are just too late I am realizing. At this point I'll just be happy if I don't have late hatches.