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It has been a busy weekend of bird moving, processing and decision making.
I have decided to scrap all plans of keeping a separate 'Table bird' flock. So far the results have been fairly disappointing and unless I go down the quick to fatten hybrid route I feel I don't have the space or can justify the expense.
I had planned to run a flock of Barnevelders, the pullets for layers and the cockerels for fattening. The pullets are wonderful but the cockerels have been a problem. In previous years I have run young Indian Game or Indian Game cross cockerels together without incident, maybe the odd challenge lasting a couple of minutes but nothing more. The Barnevelders on the other hand don't get on well together, there has been no fighting as such, just much intimidating and bullying causing nervousness amongst the flock.
As the 'spare' Welsummer cockerels reach a reasonable weight with a fair meat to bone carcass and are so easy going with both humans and their own kind I think they will be our future.
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interesting.... so far my trials of heavier birds have not produced that heavy a cockerel at 20 weeks - which is the age we want to cull at. best so far has been a marans welsummer cross.. how much is down to genetics, hybrid vigour or change i dunno
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