poultry

[MOhillbilly]

Chiefs.suck. bores the **** outta me. Birds are more interesting.
Ducks,geese,pea fowl, chickens, what do you prefer? Taste,eggs,ornamental?

Have some sexlink red pullets that threw eggs like champs all winter. couple ducks, and turkeys.

Thinking about getting some naked necks and Delawares.

Spill it.

[Okie_Apparition]

Between the hoot owls, chicken hawks, fox & skunk
I'd have to & would like to try turkeys
But bald eagles are becoming almost common

[MOhillbilly]

Good dogs are everything when you free range birds.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by Extra Point

Good luck with your project. With my limited experience, hand plucking is for the birds.

I am wondering how beat up that meat would be, anyone have any ideas? If it doesn't really bruise up the meat I would definitely buy or make one of those. My dad and I killed, dipped, plucked, cut and packaged 100 meat birds on one weekend. I never want to do that again, we plucked by hand and it took forever.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by Groves

A rooster that doesnt crow is a Total long shot, I know it. Accidents happen. Defects. Luck. Gotta cast the net wide, maybe you find one. Surgery is an option, but MOs vet skills demand a premium.

Man you are bringing some good ones today man!! REP.

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by Okie_Apparition

Between the hoot owls, chicken hawks, fox & skunk
I'd have to & would like to try turkeys
But bald eagles are becoming almost common

Chicken Hawks are the worst, you have to have a closed run to completely keep them out. Bald eagles though? Where do you live?

[MOhillbilly]

No strawshakers? I have a mixed yard. Maybe 130-140 hens. Mostly red sexlinks, some delawares, and wyndottes. I do not have a cock on the yard. For production purposes what would you put on yard? Keep in mind I want to have a cross where the pullets still lay in the dead of winter.

[Psyko Tek]

my ex has 3 hens in the middle of mesa az
they eat wtf ever you give them
the eggs are amazing

[El Jefe]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

No strawshakers? I have a mixed yard. Maybe 130-140 hens. Mostly red sexlinks, some delawares, and wyndottes. I do not have a cock on the yard. For production purposes what would you put on yard? Keep in mind I want to have a cross where the pullets still lay in the dead of winter.

Rhode Island Red, by far. We used to have a couple hundred birds back in the day, and they are the best roosters, our hens produced year round.

[MOhillbilly]

Ok, second part of this is how could you darken the egg shell pigment and keep the production? I thought about a separate yard of morans and breeding next years pullets back to the red rooster. Thoughts?

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

Ok, second part of this is how could you darken the egg shell pigment and keep the production? I thought about a separate yard of morans and breeding next years pullets back to the red rooster. Thoughts?

I think that'd work, bud.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by Okie_Apparition

Between the hoot owls, chicken hawks, fox & skunk
I'd have to & would like to try turkeys
But bald eagles are becoming almost common

set an old telephone pole in your yard and attach a muskrat trap on top of it.
sec

[Groves]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

Ok, second part of this is how could you darken the egg shell pigment and keep the production? I thought about a separate yard of morans and breeding next years pullets back to the red rooster. Thoughts?

The dark color in the Maran eggs comes from the lining in the oviduct. This is why a Maran hen that lays a lot will typically lay lighter eggs, and one that lays less frequently will tend toward darker eggs.

This mechanism is different than other breeds. A RIR will produce light brown eggs no matter how frequently they lay, for instance.

It's all true, but don't be fooled. I'm green, and you know it.

[Groves]

There are a few chicken genetic calculators out there, too.

Once you know the codes, you can plug in some birds and it takes things into account and spits out a best guess.

http://www.edelras.nl/Henk69/kruising.html

http://kippenjungle.nl/Overzicht.htm#kipcalculator

http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetic...culators2.html

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by Groves

The dark color in the Maran eggs comes from the lining in the oviduct. This is why a Maran hen that lays a lot will typically lay lighter eggs, and one that lays less frequently will tend toward darker eggs.

This mechanism is different than other breeds. A RIR will produce light brown eggs no matter how frequently they lay, for instance.

It's all true, but don't be fooled. I'm green, and you know it.

Me and the lil woman argued about this. Source?

Sec, my pitbull lovin neighbours might snitch on me. Sides my hounds are trained.

[MOhillbilly]

Didn't refresh before I posted.