Toad Raising.

[BantyChooks]

This is when Fate likes to toy with me though and slam the door on my toes.

That's how it always goes.

 

[JRNash]

Maybe THAT'S why my big toe on both feet ALWAYS hurts!

 

[JRNash]

Ralph the key is persistence. The chicken books are full of breeds that almost ceased to exist. The hard work of a few people brought them back.
What your doing makes me think of Dr.Whiting in Colorado. A poultry geneticist known for his fly tying and picking up where the University of Arkansas (I think) left off development of a blue egg laying line. Your concern is type. His was egg color. The way I see it,once you have a goal in mind you persue it doggedly. It probably helps to be ate up with OCD.LOL

 

[FaerieChicken]

@duluthralphie Well when your toads hop over to the west coast, Cali more like it, I will definitely look into trying them out!! You wouldn't be into chick shipping, would ya?...

 

[ChcknNurse]

@duluthralphie

Very entertaining story! I have had more needle sticks while injecting chickens (not to mention head butts) than in all my years of nursing. I have not had the occasion to try to draw blood, however!

 

[ChcknNurse]

My 9 eggs turned into 5 chicks.  I might have misplaced 3 meaning they jumped their tray and fell into another tray.

I have 6 trays  in my hatcher and once in a while a silly bird changes trays.  I am not selling anything that might be a toad.

The 5 I have firmly identified are going to MnCHickMom  and her kids.  Her Daughter might enter them in the fair against the CX's!  

This is a great way to get the word out. I sent a link to my daughter's FFA/Agriculture teacher in HIgh School. Last year one of the on-going projects was raising Cornish and butchering. They decided it was time when his legs gave out.

 

[ChcknNurse]

I wish you weren't so far away. I would love to try hatching eggs, but because of my first and only time incubating shipped eggs was a total disaster, I don't think I could give a second chance, especially when I paid soooo much for the eggs only to have 0 survivors of any that hatched!! But I am interested in sustainable meat though. I currently raising cx because of my heartach on the specialty eggs Ipurchased that didn't work out. But I must say, I really can't stand to raise CX anymore, they poop way tooooo much, no matter how pastured they are. So by you utilizing the CX as a starter bird to breed out to one another, frogs, did you ever cross the frogs back to the CX or frog to frog? I have a Red Broiler, supposed to be slow grower at 12 to 16 wks butcher, and we kept a rooster out of them last year. He is so handsome, and huge, great forager and breeds well, a little clumsy but he gets the job done. I tried crossing him out to few hens, a Partridge Rock, Jersey Giant, Australorp, Cuckoo Marans and a Naked Neck, but there were only 2 suitable chicks for butcher. I have a hen that came from the PR and thinking of crossing her back to daddy. I guess I was trying to make my own toads... LOL but it not working out as well as I had thought. Also, I am going to give it another go, with a few of the same but going to add a couple different ladies: Gold Laced Wyandotte, Silver Penciled Rock and one or 2 other select hens to replace the Cuckoo Marans and Naked Neck since I don't have the CMs anymore and the NN didn't work out well last time. I am hoping to get some better results with the Partridge, Jersey and Austra..... Also crossing fingers for the GLW and SPR! Feedback?...! EDITED TO ADD: I don't know how the genetics work for meat breeding. Like who caries the gene, hen or roo, or combo of both? Like how do they get the cornish cross to all be just first gen all the time, White Rock roo over White cornish hen or otherway around> Ya dig?

I have not yet raised CX, though my daughter is ready for them and we are just waiting for small farmhouse where we can. Anyway, we do use fermented feed. I did read someone comment that fermented feed made a huge difference on the poop of his CX. It may be worth reading and decide for yourself.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Just a heads up, while FF works great for CX chickens it won't reduce the amount that they poop. What goes in must come out. But it will reduce the amount they eat overall and it will be more digested and smell better. So that's something. Not a big fan of how much mess CX make myself.

 

[JRNash]

I don't smell it. That's just me though.

 

[duluthralphie]

@duluthralphie Well when your toads hop over to the west coast, Cali more like it, I will definitely look into trying them out!! You wouldn't be into chick shipping, would ya?...

I am actually going to do shipping chicks instead of eggs, It appears they have a better survival rate than an egg does. most the time.