I never thought of it that way! I just assumed it was so people didn't get upset in your thread when you culledThat's why I have a "culling" project, not a "breeding" project.
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I never thought of it that way! I just assumed it was so people didn't get upset in your thread when you culledThat's why I have a "culling" project, not a "breeding" project.
Nope. Closest I get to "breeding" is choosing not to incubate my smallest, and darkest shell eggs, when I have the choice - and really, that's just culling early, since they end up as either breakfast (as eggs), lunch (as sandwich bread), or dinner (as pasta).I never thought of it that way! I just assumed it was so people didn't get upset in your thread when you culled
Cornish X might be best for you then, since they won't be lasting most than 2-3 months.
You could also just keep larger birds in the layer flock and separate birds as growouts for the meat pen. Then you know they're eating all they want for the best growth. That's kinda what I do sometimes
This sounds like a good plan. Cornish X are not a Spring until Fall project, just a couple of months unless you raise different batches. Rangers maybe 3 months. Dual purpose ae a spring until fall project. I'm all in favor of trying them and seeing what works for you. We are each different. You being off the grid might add some twists to it. For instance, somebody mentioned freezer space. When it's time to butcher Cornish X it's time. You can wait on the others some. Will you have freezer space available? Or maybe pressure can the meat? Details like that can get you.As for our meat birds, we’d generally like to just raise and butcher them in a single season and not breed. Buy chicks in Spring, raise, butcher in summer-Fall ....... That still gives us a 6 month window for raising meat. We’ll likely start the meat pen with waves of the “usual” breeds… CX first, Rangers next, etc. It will be fun to try out lots and just see what we like and what works best for us!
This sounds like a good plan. Cornish X are not a Spring until Fall project, just a couple of months unless you raise different batches. Rangers maybe 3 months. Dual purpose ae a spring until fall project. I'm all in favor of trying them and seeing what works for you. We are each different. You being off the grid might add some twists to it. For instance, somebody mentioned freezer space. When it's time to butcher Cornish X it's time. You can wait on the others some. Will you have freezer space available? Or maybe pressure can the meat? Details like that can get you.
I'm looking forward to reading about your journey. See what works for you and what doesn't. It sounds like you have a good attitude about it.
Also these weights were before they atebreakfast, so they're about as accurate as I could getWeighed 3 birds, scale started acting up so I could weigh my Pride and joy, Big Boy, but I got the NN cockerel, a (probably the smallest of the 3 males I had left) mosaic cockerel and my Bresse cockerel Glenn
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/2021-chick-order.1448090/
The bresse lay nice eggs for candling, and supposedly there are other feather colors too, not just white
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It does feel good to know where your meat came from!My favorite meat bird is the one I hatched, raised, butchered, aged, and prepared for table.
They could be better, thus, I have a culling project. Started with hatchery quality birds - whatever I could get from the farm store at the start of the Pandemic last year. Selectively butchering my way towards an improved mutt, eventually to be christened a "clay ranger".