Egg and meat production in poultry

[Chic Rustler]

This may sound counter productive, but I've never had a home raised chicken taste half as good as an 8 week old rabbit.

We are having rabbit tonight and making rabbit stock.

 

[Mini Horses]

Rabbits, for production speed and growth, are great! Of course, feed & care controls them, as with all livestock. BUT for me the cute factor weigts on my butchering abilities. Wiggle a nose & I'm just over it & have a hard time. Stranded in the woods for days and hungry, yeah, I could overcome -- I'm not yet in survival mode.

For my preference, a good tenderloin steak beats out both chicken and rabbit!

 

[Chic Rustler]

Rabbits, for production speed and growth, are great! Of course, feed & care controls them, as with all livestock. BUT for me the cute factor weigts on my butchering abilities. Wiggle a nose & I'm just over it & have a hard time. Stranded in the woods for days and hungry, yeah, I could overcome -- I'm not yet in survival mode.

They just taste better. Seriously!

 

[Mini Horses]

Oh, I've eaten rabbit. It is good. When I was a kid, I held the rabbits granddad had brought in from hunting (by the hind legs) while he skinned & gutted. My reward was the fluffy tail. LOL. I just have a time doing the deed.

Squirrel -- tongue & brain were tasty delicacies.

These small animals were canned, venison, too -- no frig or electric at their house back then -- most chicken was left live until ready to cook that day..

 

[Beekissed]

Did the winter check on the flock to check for external parasites, to apply castor oil to legs/feet, combs/wattles and to trim and dull nails of the rooster to lessen feather damage during breeding, also trimmed overlong nails of older hens.

Also checked to see who was laying at this time of year and marked any that were not already wearing a zip tie. I like to keep an eye on laying trends by individual hens~start of POL, lack of start of POL by 6 mo., laying while the majority are not laying, NOT laying when the majority are laying, etc.

Another thing measured was pelvic width and abdominal capacity of the pullets and the cockerel...those with appropriate finger widths on these areas will help me decide what birds to keep and reproduce.

The chicken hammock was such a huge help in checking the flock, enabling me to be hands free in all things while also keeping the chickens calm throughout. Checked 18 birds in record time, with very little fussing among the flock.

Right now I have 5 steady daily layers, one occasional layer...but she's 6 yrs old, so occasional at this time of year is still impressive. Among the steady layers, 3 are older hens~ one is 3 yrs, 2 are 2 yrs, the others are new pullets. I marked the new pullets that were laying...essentially that also marks the pullets that are not laying by absence of a leg band. They will be observed this winter and will likely make the cull list by fall, if not sooner, if they don't distinguish themselves in other ways.

The cockerel that is now the flock master has had impressive growth since maturing and will continue to grow, but is extremely large and heavy already. He is now 7 mo. old. I had little hopes for him early on but he's filling out appropriately for his breed and is gaining a beautiful conformation, for his breed but also as a dual purpose bird. This is the first time I've ever handled him and he did fairly well, though not quite as placid and docile as his father was. He should grow more so as he settles into his role and gains more confidence.

 

[sumi]

Right now I'm getting the occasional egg from my Sussex hen and that's it. I got her at near POL in August, 2 years ago, so she's not that young though and it is winter. She was a great layer always. My young OEG hen should pull her weight more. She didn't lay many eggs yet and they are said to be good layers. My barnyard special hen I suspect is quite old as she barely lays any more.

Meat chicken wise I'm reading the threads here and making notes. I'm interested in seeing which breeds and crosses do well for the table as I will not touch commercial meat birds. I'd rather wait and raise a "normal" bird for the table.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I feel like a chicken slacker lol. That's a lot of chicken handling Bee!

Nobody is laying! But I have a 4 year old hen, a 1 year old hen and the rest are this year's pullets.

DH and I focus more on meat I guess, eggs are a good bonus!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I'm a slacker too....what can I say. It's on the list...

 

[Beekissed]

That's one reason I love the truly dual purpose breed of WR, as one can feed a chicken and get both excellent laying AND a large, meaty carcass from them instead of one or the other. It's why the dual purpose breeds were first developed and were a lovely addition to the homesteader's life of trying to garner enough food from their livestock and land to subsist.

What most people don't know is that the true layer breeds like leghorns or production sex links and the meat production birds both eat more feed than a dual purpose breed does...the layers because they have a high metabolism geared towards egg making, the meat birds have a higher metabolism geared towards fast growth and muscle mass.

The slower metabolism of the true dual purpose breed makes it a nice middle of the road feeder that grows slower and strings its laying life out for a longer period, usually taking a break each year for winter or to brood young. They also tolerate cold better due to their slower metabolism, so they often eat less feed in order to stay warm than do the layer breeds that have a more Mediterranean body style~thin feathering, less likely to store fat under the skin and in the abdomen, lighter bone structure.

The dual purpose breeds were designed for small farmers and homesteaders for maximum food production all year round and for sustainability of the flock. They were found to be more economical to raise and more sustainable in nature due to their ability to reproduce themselves to replenish the flock.

 

[Mini Horses]

The dual purpose breeds were designed for small farmers and homesteaders for maximum food production all year round and for sustainability of the flock. They were found to be more economical to raise and more sustainable in nature due to their ability to reproduce themselves to replenish the flock.

Which is why I love them! I can use a moderate size, good forager, slower grower, better than the fast meat birds. My few "bred for layers" eat all the time!! Way more than my buffs.