Breeding Meaties?????

byhookorchook · **Joined:** Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:01 pm **Posts:** 571

rocky wrote:

I had success in the past by putting day old meat chicks under an active broody. For the first 2 weeks the hen & chicks were penned and fed ad lib, but the food & water were at opposite ends of the pen,as far apart as possible. After two weeks the chicks were fed in the morning, then put out to free range with the broody for the day, & fed again when penned in the afternoon. To stop them getting too heavy they must have restricted feeding and lots of exercise. From 6 weeks on they also got a scratch feed of millet ,just a small handful,in the middle of the day. After weaning at six weeks they continued to free range, the chick starter being replaced with grower, and the millet with wheat or grain mix. It is a balance of feeding them for sufficient growth but not letting then get overweight.
The cockerels were more successful when bred back to the breed that I was improving in size, however the pullets were less so as they laid very few eggs.

It was this very idea about restrictive feeding that I put forward two years ago that resulted in furore amongst the frequenters of the old Chook shed Messageboard. that ultimately led its quarelling to bring about its demise. They equated it to mean starving, but simply didn't have any intrical understanding of the concept. Interesting that this concept is so readily accepted depending on who is proclaiming it.

Genetics of hunger, satisfaction, growth are all related. Controlling it is just another challenge for a breeder.

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue Oct 28, 2008 1:53 am

byhookorchook wrote:

Genetics of hunger, satisfaction, growth are all related. Controlling it is just another challenge for a breeder.

I think I need Rocky as my keeper. I have little control.

I'm often hungry, my belly keeps growing and I'm never satisfied.

Ok...maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Says he who eats like a pig but looks like a goat.

rocky · **Joined:** Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:36 pm **Posts:** 144

I preach but do not practice! LOL

debbieo4914 · **Posted:** Tue Oct 28, 2008 1:40 pm

byhookorchook wrote:

rocky wrote:

I had success in the past by putting day old meat chicks under an active broody. For the first 2 weeks the hen & chicks were penned and fed ad lib, but the food & water were at opposite ends of the pen,as far apart as possible. After two weeks the chicks were fed in the morning, then put out to free range with the broody for the day, & fed again when penned in the afternoon. To stop them getting too heavy they must have restricted feeding and lots of exercise. From 6 weeks on they also got a scratch feed of millet ,just a small handful,in the middle of the day. After weaning at six weeks they continued to free range, the chick starter being replaced with grower, and the millet with wheat or grain mix. It is a balance of feeding them for sufficient growth but not letting then get overweight.
The cockerels were more successful when bred back to the breed that I was improving in size, however the pullets were less so as they laid very few eggs.

It was this very idea about restrictive feeding that I put forward two years ago that resulted in furore amongst the frequenters of the old Chook shed Messageboard. that ultimately led its quarelling to bring about its demise. They equated it to mean starving, but simply didn't have any intrical understanding of the concept. Interesting that this concept is so readily accepted depending on who is proclaiming it.

Sorry to hear that you killed the messageboard, byhookorchook! :lol:

This is a really interesting thread - I am certainly not for anyone starving chooks, but it is interesting to know that even breeds that have been selected to grow rapidly can be grown into "normal" chooks with diet control. I imagine the lack of eggs laid would be a problem, but it's good to know that it is a possibility.

greenaus · **Posted:** Tue Oct 28, 2008 2:24 pm

Brings us back to the idea of selectively breeding and creating your own, even if they don't grow as fast.

The biggest/best we've had so far have been the RIR/Commercial X cockerels from Ian's eggs and the Orpington/Light Sussex X cockerels from Lou.

The pure RIRs weren't as big as the Xs. Bruce (Brahma/Campine X or Ian Special RIR/Commercial X) looks the part, too, but my wife won't let us eat him.

If someone local has some Indian Game eggs to spare, I'll either buy or swap for some Australorp eggs.

I'm also considering BHOC's suggestion of TNNs.

byhookorchook · **Joined:** Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:01 pm **Posts:** 571

debbieo4914 wrote:

This is a really interesting thread - I am certainly not for anyone starving chooks, but it is interesting to know that even breeds that have been selected to grow rapidly can be grown into "normal" chooks with diet control. I imagine the lack of eggs laid would be a problem, but it's good to know that it is a possibility.

Lol, Debbie, same principal for getting eggs. Meat chickens aren't designed to grow much beyond normal culling, five and six months under normal feed circumstances usually makes them grossly overweight and their legs give up and then their internal organs fail. Keeping them on a restricted diet can really only prolong their life to give you some eggs. The egg laying ability returns in F1's from the breed used to cross with. This is fairly simplistic explanation but I tried to put it so that you get the idea.

Reedyman · **Posted:** Wed Oct 29, 2008 8:15 pm

The TNN's for meat sound like it might bo worth further investigation...

greenaus · **Posted:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:06 am

Except I have decided it is barely worth the risk having any roos here other than my chosen breed. I killed Bruce today because the birthday girl (she turned six) let a couple of my breeding Australorp girls out this morning and without Soup around to push Bruce off he spent the morning with them.

I also disposed of the "shim". The last of the Orpex cockerels. Out of time and in a fowl mood (pun definitely not intended), I chopped off his/her head and threw him/her away. I didn't bother dressing him.

The only breeding age boys here now are Soup and Big Rex...and me, but I don't count.

If I was to do an Australorp/TNN cross with Soup and a few TNN girls, would that produce a suitable meat bird? Or would I have needed it the other way around? (Which ain't going to happen).

County Lodge · **Posted:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:13 pm

Gee after reading this thread I go and give my chooks a cuddles and it makes me feel a bit better :shock:

swallow67 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:46 pm

I am currently breeding a RIRxSussex x Orpington rooster over Indian game hens. :roll:

Got that!!! LOL.I have the first few chickens on the ground now.I have bred them specifically to eat so it will be interesting to see how they go.I'll try and get some pictures of a few of them and keep a bit of a diary of pics as they grow. :-D

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