The Moonshiner's Leghorns

Moony. Two questions.
1. What do you do with all the birds you don't need in your projects?
Whatever I can. I used to take them to auction. Didn't get big $$$ that way but the good part was I could take as many as I pleased, drop them off and that was that until a check showed up in the mail a few days later.
No worries about any coming back home and no peopling. The auction place quit doing their poultry sales so that's gone away. I think there's one or two other places about a hour and a half away that I've never been. It's a chore to put together some sort of containment for them all then load up and haul a truckload so the work vs the unknown isn't ideal. I keep threatening to make a trip to one at some point. Just empty handed to see what they're like. How many people show up, what birds bring, the expectations of cages, the whole drop off system etc etc.
Last year and a bit beyond I've sold some hens but gave away many. Gave away tons of males.
Word of mouth and occasional ads to try to find families that could use the meal. Try to find someone that would just take a pile of boys, process them and feed their family.
Trying to pawn off males usually gets someone asking about females for eggs so I'll sell some for a couple or few bucks a piece and the right person I'll just give them a few.
It's honestly a flaw in my system. Just the cost of feeding them makes it a negative. The amount I need to move in the time frame makes regular selling impossible or impossible to not lose money.
Something people probably don't realize if you don't breed numbers. My supply out does the demand here. Keeping and feeding numbers outweighs need for profit. It's not worth sitting on birds for weeks to make a few more $$$ on each. 100 birds to move isn't like having 4 that you want to sell.
The time involved in dealing with people adds up to. I'm sure people here have sold something on CL or marketplace or whatnot. Imagine trying to do that nonstop and ongoing continously.
I seriously need to switch to eating the males and feeding the dogs the extras. That time consuming too. Enough so that's probably always been my excuse. Ya mostly just an excuse. I need to get into the quick processing for just breast meat. Save dog food $$$ and have me eating chicken strips daily 🤣 . That wouldn't horrible right?
One thing I miss about the old BYC. It's mostly all backyard chicken people now or just social media. I'd love for there to be a few real crazy chicken people around that I could get ideas from about the often never thought about aspects of raising large numbers of birds. Enough about that for now though.
2. Can you breed skittishness out of Leghorns?
I'm sure you could with selective breeding. Like Amer said show line leghorns are as bad as hatchery birds. Probably another aspect is how they're raised. Show birds are handled more then backyard chickens. I imagine the ones you put in a cage and they try to break their necks bouncing off the walls aren't the ones they're the most eager to breed.
 
Today is hatch day for me. I'm seeing 2 pips, but no zips yet. Come on little Moony's. The rain drizzled here yesterday off and on, but the electric stayed on.
I have a hatch due tomorrow. Nothing yet that I've seen but hopefully we'll both have something to brag about in the next day or two.
Good luck 🤞
 
Can you breed skittishness out of Leghorns?
My Buff Leghorns from an exhibition bloodline are some of the most calm chickens I own right now. My smallest Buff pullet follows me around directly underfoot and I can pick her up easily and she likes eating from my hand and the bucket. My Brown Leghorns from a hatchery are the most wild chickens I own, very skittish and act like you are going to kill them when you go into the pen. So skittishness is definitely something that can be selectively bred away from, as evidenced by my Buff Leghorns, they would be the perfect show chickens. I didn’t handle them anymore as chicks than any other chicken and they are just naturally calm and not skittish.

This is my favorite Buff cockerel. He is still growing in his big boy tail.

IMG_5043.jpeg
 
My Buff Leghorns from an exhibition bloodline are some of the most calm chickens I own right now. My smallest Buff pullet follows me around directly underfoot and I can pick her up easily and she likes eating from my hand and the bucket. My Brown Leghorns from a hatchery are the most wild chickens I own, very skittish and act like you are going to kill them when you go into the pen. So skittishness is definitely something that can be selectively bred away from, as evidenced by my Buff Leghorns, they would be the perfect show chickens. I didn’t handle them anymore as chicks than any other chicken and they are just naturally calm and not skittish.

This is my favorite Buff cockerel. He is still growing in his big boy tail.

View attachment 4230338
I'll take ten, please! :lau
Man those are pretty!
 
I'll take ten, please! :lau
Man those are pretty!
10 cockerels?
I may have that many extras.
I moved some grow outs together. Quite a few in one pen and I noticed several buffs. Unfortunately as I scanned over them it was..... big comb, big comb, big comb, big comb. Think it's at least 2 to 1 male heavy.
 

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