Toad Raising.

[evermont]

This thread is for those that plan to raise toads.

As I have said is several threads I am about ready to start selling toad eggs. I will be selling them on the Buy/sell ad on BYC. I will lay the terms down there.

I want people to try and make this a self sustaining meat bird.

I do not think you will need to limit feed on the toads like those of you that have tried to raise CX's have done. I do not limit feed, however, I do occasional let mine go hungry for a day to use extra fat up.


You can raise them however you want. My dream for this site is for us to discuss how they are growing problems and so forth.

To me the Toad is the perfect meat bird. For some of you this is a re-hash for others it will be new, so all my BYC friends that have seen these pictures just hang n there.

I really want to have more people try to make these sustainable. I would prefer you not process all the Toads you get this year but try to over winter them to get more toads. I have only eaten a couple roosters so far.

I am interested in how they do in different climates. I would like to see them go to some NPIP places so I could get some back if I need to.

Here are some pictures:






The ruling Bert, the Grand dad of this generation of Toads.



Above is a turkey and Toad of the same age, Toad is on the right! 15.5 Pounds.

How can i get some of these eggs? I really need this particular variety for my homestead.

 

[Kusanar]

How can i get some of these eggs? I really need this particular variety for my homestead.

Welcome to BYC, you should head over to the new members section ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/new-member-introductions.44/ ) and introduce yourself!

Toads aren't exactly a variety and I'm not sure if anyone is still working with them or not. You could (fairly) easily follow the breeding formula in this thread and make your own if you wish.

It would also help to know where in the world you are when asking these kinds of questions, you can add that to your profile and it will show on the side when you comment. No need to put specifics, but a state and maybe a general area of the state is helpful. This site is worldwide, so for all we know you're half the way around the world from the closest Toad

 

[duluthralphie]

Welcome to BYC, you should head over to the new members section ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/new-member-introductions.44/ ) and introduce yourself!

Toads aren't exactly a variety and I'm not sure if anyone is still working with them or not. You could (fairly) easily follow the breeding formula in this thread and make your own if you wish.

It would also help to know where in the world you are when asking these kinds of questions, you can add that to your profile and it will show on the side when you comment. No need to put specifics, but a state and maybe a general area of the state is helpful. This site is worldwide, so for all we know you're half the way around the world from the closest Toad

thanks, I have two retired toads left.

I have no idea who else might still have them.

Follow what I did, you can make them, read the last few pages to see what I did wrong.

I wish I had started them when I was 25 instead of 55

 

[evermont]

Welcome to BYC, you should head over to the new members section ( https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/new-member-introductions.44/ ) and introduce yourself!

Toads aren't exactly a variety and I'm not sure if anyone is still working with them or not. You could (fairly) easily follow the breeding formula in this thread and make your own if you wish.

It would also help to know where in the world you are when asking these kinds of questions, you can add that to your profile and it will show on the side when you comment. No need to put specifics, but a state and maybe a general area of the state is helpful. This site is worldwide, so for all we know you're half the way around the world from the closest Toad

I agree but this site is difficult to navigate. Can't even find where my profile is to edit it. I am in Florida.

 

[Kusanar]

I agree but this site is difficult to navigate. Can't even find where my profile is to edit it. I am in Florida.

Ahh, the toads are quite a bit further north.

This is for Desktop version, it may be a little different on Mobile
Click on where your name is on the right side of the screen (near the search button) it will open a little box, chose "Account Details" and that will take you to the screen where you can put your location in.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/account/account-details This link should take you there as well.

 

[SGWgal]

thanks, I have two retired toads left.

I have no idea who else might still have them.

Follow what I did, you can make them, read the last few pages to see what I did wrong.

I wish I had started them when I was 25 instead of 55

I have to ask. What is a CX vs a Cx? Is it a jumbo and a broiler?

 

[duluthralphie]

I have to ask. What is a CX vs a Cx? Is it a jumbo and a broiler?

CX ... Cx .. CX all the same

 

[trescloudy]

I just started reading this thread but am mostly intrigued by the topic. This is probably the coolest thread I've read here in BYC.

Im totally interested in creating my own meat birds and tired of paying ridiculous prices for CX chicks.

I love the art and science of breeding plants and creatures. Thanks duluthralphie for posting this awesomely informative thread!

Im getting back into chickens after about 7 years away from it. I really enjoy raising chickens and eating them too lol.

I'm going to once again attempt inbreeding the CX cross and crossing other meaty breeds to CX hens. Probably will be all kinds of other breeding techniques involved in this project including back crossing (bx1, bx2, bx3) and probably inbreeding the back crossed birds into solid lines to make my own polyhybrid and or hybrid crosses.

Has me seriously stoked for next spring and the future of my new chicken adventure.

Thanks again!

 

[trescloudy]

Here are the adult Toads out "free Ranging" this afternoon.

For size those are 2x4's the bird is roosting on. Pretty active for a big bird. One of my layer hens got close to one of the toad roosters today.

He chased her around and around. I thought he would have a heart attack trying to catch her. She did out run him, and screamed a lot. I a guessing she is a prima Dona and wants nothing to do with the fat boys. She is so shallow.

A

This is my bird. She was tractor raised as a chick until 20 weeks with a group of CX I raised for meat. I picked the healthiest, most medium-sized hen I could out of the lot and then moved her into my flock after. She's a CX from Meyer hatchery. She lived 2 years and 2 months and layed about 1-2 eggs a week for about a year. She slept on the floor of the coop on a bar on the ground rather than up on roosts with the other birds, she ran with my whole flock with great gusto. and she was my favorite. I was really sad to have lost her. She died in her sleep in the chicken coop overnight one night with no warning.

It aint much over 2 years. But hey, there it is. I know Aoxa has a lot of experience with raising cornish crosses to lay and beyond by using free-range methods.

I know a lady who currently has 2 CX hens over 2 years old and still gets eggs from them.

I ordered 6 CX hens with a dozen CX roos this Spring just to start a sustainable meat bird project also. Plan on ordering 6 more for outcrossing to American Bress. New Hampshires and Barred Rocks.

I have personally raised several CX hens slightly beyond 2 years but never 3 yet. Have also successfully out crossed other breed roosters like White Dorking to CX hens.

 

[trescloudy]

@JRNash The comb is a tattle tail to what is going on in the birds heart. If you recall a week or so ago I said one of the toads had a purple comb after spending the day chasing the hens. I think that is the toad that died.

I had a hen a few months ago that had a purple comb, I took her inside and put her in one of my ICU rooms. She died about a week later.

I do not expect to get longevity from this group of toads. I expect it will take us years to get toads that live 3-5 years. By breeding the older birds we should be able to extend their lifespan. Nothing with the toads will be easy. They are a lot of work, they can be disappointing. I have some toads for next year. I actually am hoping some of the toads I hatched this year will start laying and I can have 2 generations in one year. In Minnesota that is a huge feat.

One of the reasons I have avoided AI is because of my desire to have the birds be self reproducing. AI kind of steps on that. I would be using Bert (or the current Bert) for breeding had he not suffered an old war injury to his vent. I doubt he could successfully breed. So for now Bert is a pole barn pet that amazes my friends and guests.


I use to raise Belgian (draft horses) They were the same way, great horses, I loved them. I used them for pulling and even had some saddle broken. It was great fun to lumber through the woods on my "dewey". The ride was not comfortable and I sometimes suffered damage to my vent, but I loved that horse. He died at 22. A horse should live to be around 30. Large animals just die young, Toads are the Belgians of the chicken world.

I have been feeding the Toads the same game bird breeder feed I give all my birds. I am thinking of getting them a different feed. The problem being I have to trade protein for Carbs or fat. Maybe I need a filler for them.

Ideas?

Fodder might make a nice filler. I used to grow it and the chickens loved it including the CX.

I plan on getting into fodder again along with black soldier fly and duckweed.

I used to ferment grains and germinated grains for my chickens also. Was totally trying to get into self sustainability all the way around. Now recently I have discovered black soldier fly and duckweed. They have about 42% protein so I was thinking about making my own fermented feed and diluting it to 15%, 22% and 25% protein levels.

I really dig the idea of self sustainment but will probably never totally achieve that and am.very far from it exactly right now.

So I also really like this thread and you sharing this information. It gives me confidence that my ideas are on the right track.

Soon others including myself will be employing these techniques with the CX and be able to become self sustaining meat bird farmers.

Others like yourself who figure this out will be able to provide these kinds of chicks locally especially in rural areas.

I see a whole new trend in chicken breeding coming on.

All different colored and flavored super meaty affordable broiler chicks spread across American back yards.