The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

I noticed that this is a thread for middle aged people. I may be too old. i just made it under the wire for the beginning of the baby boom. I am 6 monthes older than George W. Bush and 7 months older than Bill Clinton.

You're half way between my brother and I.
Isn't that the new middle age?

 

[chickadoodles]

Thank you Ron that helps me to understand a whole lot on when to process and the differences between the ages of the birds! I appreciate your help so much.

 

[ronott1]

@Ron-- how do you like your Bresse?? I'm looking for a good meat bird, but I have heard different line perform, well . . differently.

Hi @Arielle

An addition to the last post:

White Bresse are supposed to be bigger than the Black Bresse. Both would be good a single breed for meat. A bit more work, because you would have to keep two parent breeds would be to get White Dorkings from @YellowHouseFarm or Red Dorkings form someone and Barred Plymouth Rock from @kathyinmo . This is one of the original Meat crosses before settling on Cornish X Rock. The chicks would grow fast but not as fast the Franken Chickens of today.

I did this cross with hatchery Barred Plymouth Rocks and A Silver Gray Dorking. The Dorking Rooster was also crossed with Australorp and production Reds.

They looked like this at only 10 to 12 weeks:



Check out the Breast! If I had used Breeds that were true to type and up to weight, imagine how they would develop.

 

[tnspursfan09]

I noticed that this is a thread for middle aged people. I may be too old. i just made it under the wire for the beginning of the baby boom. I am 6 monthes older than George W. Bush and 7 months older than Bill Clinton.

Welcome to BYC, Hagar!

 

[Arielle]

When I was a teenager I remember breaking the code to the chicken sizing in the supermarket. A number 14 chicken was 1.4kg.Yes, I know, I am a genius, but the take home is that a 14 bird was pretty big.

Cool!

Quote: THanks ROn-- I eat chicken of any age, but now I can do a better job of preparing it for eating.

I noticed that this is a thread for middle aged people. I may be too old. i just made it under the wire for the beginning of the baby boom. I am 6 monthes older than George W. Bush and 7 months older than Bill Clinton.

Oh you would fit right in-- no such thing as tooooo old. Bring your wisedom!!

Actually the age range is wide!!

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
I have noticed that I worked in a market in the 60s and the fryers weighed 3-3 1/2 pounds. Now they are 5-6 lbs.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
I grew up on a farm raising peanuts, pigs and chickens. I have ended working on the big silver birds for 50 years and have recently gotten back into chickens for the fun of it and because my granddaughter wanted some chickens.

 

[Highcotton]

Quote:
That sounds like middle aged to me. They say 60 is the new 40.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: THis is the real benefit ofcross breeding!!

THe two breed roations is simple. The f1 offspring are bred back to one of the parent breeds, then the f2 to the other parent stock.. Keeping all the breeding stock can become a logistical nightmare.Maybe that is the benefit of the annual hatchathon-- new breedingstock for the following year.


Mr Reese has good NH available , too. In addition to Kathy's and Joseph's stock.

Ron, you are getting me into trouble-- more chickens!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
Welcome Hagar...I am 60 next month, and I'm trying to think...does it feel like my 40's.?

Are you raising chickens for the eggs..or meat..or both?

This talk on when to butcher a chicken is interesting. Makes sense to me, the younger the tastier. Just like when I used to go hunting deer..I wasn't out for the big buck, could have had a couple of nice ones though..anyway, left that to my DH, and I would go for the young ones.