I'm very surprised to hear people saying the Buff Rock were large. I've never had any but from reports of a few years ago on a Plymouth Rock thread they were under sized- let alone the long list of non standard attributes needing work. Not that your breeding for standard but this is the first I've read positive things on the Buff Plymouth Rock. Will be interesting to see it grow.
Naked Necks are said to have a good carcass. They are not a large bird so criteria by weight wont apply to them. When your evaluating for meat purpose the carcass proportions are what matters. A long lanky full of large tendons and bone 5 lbs carcass is still a carcass filled with large tendons and bones. Compare that to a 3 lbs much better proportioned Naked Neck or Dorking and you'll quickly see which looks and eats better from the table. Weights of birds are important for selecting breeders but it's not the end weight that you want to be looking for. I say this based on an interest in sustainable dual purpose birds. We continue flocks and get a lot of cockerels. There is value in having cockerels that make for good table birds albeit small.
Here is a good article highlighting the areas to hands on evaluate your birds for meat qualities:
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/ALBCchicken_assessment-1.pdf
Using this method I think you'll soon find that Jersey Giants are your least desired bird for breeding forward.
As you know, cooking methods change by birds age. Tenderness of bird changes. The feed cost of getting birds to roaster age is extreme. I highly recommend culling most of them at grilling age. Selection for meat qualities and early wight gain would be to advantage for future breeders. Your going for a mixed flock so o breed consideration is applicable. All selection is purely based on the meat quality of the bird and then of course temperment at roasting age. Unfortunately this means your eating the smallest and least desirable carcass birds first. Once your grilling these 12-14 weeks old birds covered in marinade or sauce you'll soon get over that fact. The plus is your not feeding unwanted cockerels a ton of feed at the time they are eating the most. Dual purpose birds start to really pack the feed away around 10 weeks. Meat mass is packing on with fair conversion there to 14 ish weeks. After that the birds just getting tougher and still eating 1/4 pound of feed per day with little gain.
Weighing birds of same breed or in your future with crosses of same line at intervals from say 10 to 14 weeks will clearly show which are the faster to mature. Fast maturity is what you'd want to move forward in the line. Checking weights at this age will also help in determining a optimal time to cull. Once a line is established your cull date will be predetermined. Say I've one breed or have worked a mixed flock for few generations then I'd know that particular line is wasting feed after 13 weeks. There will be a point of diminished returns. The predetermined weekend you'd simply weight all the cockerels and cull the number of smallest birds you don't want to feed any longer. Being the slowest to mature or any other fault warrants eating before they eat you out of income.
Just some thoughts from a fella with 15? cockerels running around as we speak. All one breed, two lines and 12, 10 & 8 weeks old. I've been flying through the feed for bit over a week now.
Naked Necks are said to have a good carcass. They are not a large bird so criteria by weight wont apply to them. When your evaluating for meat purpose the carcass proportions are what matters. A long lanky full of large tendons and bone 5 lbs carcass is still a carcass filled with large tendons and bones. Compare that to a 3 lbs much better proportioned Naked Neck or Dorking and you'll quickly see which looks and eats better from the table. Weights of birds are important for selecting breeders but it's not the end weight that you want to be looking for. I say this based on an interest in sustainable dual purpose birds. We continue flocks and get a lot of cockerels. There is value in having cockerels that make for good table birds albeit small.
Here is a good article highlighting the areas to hands on evaluate your birds for meat qualities:
http://www.livestockconservancy.org/images/uploads/docs/ALBCchicken_assessment-1.pdf
Using this method I think you'll soon find that Jersey Giants are your least desired bird for breeding forward.
As you know, cooking methods change by birds age. Tenderness of bird changes. The feed cost of getting birds to roaster age is extreme. I highly recommend culling most of them at grilling age. Selection for meat qualities and early wight gain would be to advantage for future breeders. Your going for a mixed flock so o breed consideration is applicable. All selection is purely based on the meat quality of the bird and then of course temperment at roasting age. Unfortunately this means your eating the smallest and least desirable carcass birds first. Once your grilling these 12-14 weeks old birds covered in marinade or sauce you'll soon get over that fact. The plus is your not feeding unwanted cockerels a ton of feed at the time they are eating the most. Dual purpose birds start to really pack the feed away around 10 weeks. Meat mass is packing on with fair conversion there to 14 ish weeks. After that the birds just getting tougher and still eating 1/4 pound of feed per day with little gain.
Weighing birds of same breed or in your future with crosses of same line at intervals from say 10 to 14 weeks will clearly show which are the faster to mature. Fast maturity is what you'd want to move forward in the line. Checking weights at this age will also help in determining a optimal time to cull. Once a line is established your cull date will be predetermined. Say I've one breed or have worked a mixed flock for few generations then I'd know that particular line is wasting feed after 13 weeks. There will be a point of diminished returns. The predetermined weekend you'd simply weight all the cockerels and cull the number of smallest birds you don't want to feed any longer. Being the slowest to mature or any other fault warrants eating before they eat you out of income.
Just some thoughts from a fella with 15? cockerels running around as we speak. All one breed, two lines and 12, 10 & 8 weeks old. I've been flying through the feed for bit over a week now.
