3.4kg!

[Nicos]

3.4 kilo - that is an excellent weight Nicos. Well done!

Thank you!

I took a photo of the dressed bird on the scales - both in Kg and lbs- cos I thought that was a darned good weight!

I'll certainly get some more next year ( problem was that 2/5 of them had leg problems and spent most of their life sitting down)
I'll mention that to the supplier in case they are unaware.
(I certainly wouldn't want to encourage the sales of possibly interbred birds)

[bearded bloke]

Never heard of the breed- I'll certainly ask (when I'm next at market) what the breed cross is
thanks for that!

No prob's Nicos currently reading loads of chook books & all other related material,only ordered a small house for starters (comfortable 3 bird size)




Wifey has pre-named them in a seasonal manner ............. Holly,Ivy & Noel

[Suechooks]

Speckledy is a laying hybrid. I had one and she lived till she was 5 and layed all the way though. Lovely calm bird always to of the pecking order without any aggro!

[Suechooks]

Anyone know what is the percentage difference between live weight and dressed weight please? Or fraction will do? I'm guessing about a third is lost in dressing?

[RichmondHens]

Yes - sounds about right. I've never bothered weighing them pre-dressing tbh.

[Nicos]

Darn- it's too late for me to tell you now.
I'll try and remember next year.
My guess would also be about 1/3 is 'wasted'

[planthead]

WOW! thats some weight! I have 6 chicks just coming off the light (4 Ixworths and 2 RIR) was going to fatten the spare cockerels any tips for getting a good weight?

[donnakebab]

My Swedish neighbour said if you have goose they should weigh at least 5kg or there won't be enough meat. The bones are bigger!

[Suechooks]

Yes - sounds about right. I've never bothered weighing them pre-dressing tbh.

I have some Hubbards at home who are growing at an alarming rate! One is much older than the rest so will definitely be going in 3 weeks but I'm hoping to be able to send 2 or 3 of the others at the same time. If I know how much they will lose I can gauge which will be ready to go with Roastie to give us a decent sized bird.

[Nicos]

planthead-
... mine just free ranged and I chucked them cooked spud peelings/corn /mix three times a day- until they looked like they were full and left them to pick the field the rest of the day.
They often squatted and slept/rested for quite a while after they'd 'self-gorged' .
(A lot of peeps restrict their exercise to conserve energy and therefore encourage weight gain.)

donna-
...my geese just manage the 5kg weight. I have 4 gals and 1 male. Obviously if I had all males then they'd weigh more. I chose that combination cos I thought there'd be less chance of squabbling as they matured.

[RichmondHens]

WOW! thats some weight! I have 6 chicks just coming off the light (4 Ixworths and 2 RIR) was going to fatten the spare cockerels any tips for getting a good weight?

I do similar to Nicos. My meaties free range within a large enclosure, although some years they do go totally free, depends on how placid they are, some are better than others and I like to avoid them trying to fight other cocks through the wire if possible. Mine just get grower pellets right through from four weeks old to slaughter fed ad lib from a hopper with wheat pre bedtime and the occasional veg scraps. I also separate them into a males only enclosure, so they don't get stimulated by the presence of females and therefore run off weight chasing them around. Separated early enough, about 10 - 12 weeks, they get along ok as a band of "brothers" although you will find there will still be one dominant cock amongst them who will invariably grow larger than the rest. I usually leave my dominant one till last for slaughter as if he is taken away early the pecking order breaks down and I find they squabble more.

[bearded bloke]

Reason: tried to edit quote so bubble failed

Donna,quotes bubbles normally fail because peeps accidentally delete an [ or ] just ensure the start & finish look like ......

that makes no sense,but if you use the "reply with quote" button on this post you will see what I mean

[Nicos]

Donna,quotes bubbles normally fail because peeps accidentally delete an [ or ] just ensure the start & finish look like ......

I've just checked Donna- you missed the first bracket out completely

[nellie-m]

thought cuckoo were actually a recognized breed

You probably think of the "Coucou de Rennes":
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/C...KCoucouDe.html

Usually, "cuckoo" is used as a name for a colour pattern. A lot of breeds come in barred = cuckoo.

For the long winter evenings: here is much more than you ever wanted to know about chicken colours in general, and the barred / cuckoo pattern in particular:
Poultry Genetics -Mutations

It is a pattern, not really a colour (think of the Bielefelder, e.g.), you will find the genotype for "Autosomal Barring" in the table about secondary pattern genes.