Just butchered some of the roosters in the grow out pens who didnt make the second cut and boy were some of those boys fat!
We skin our chickens instead of plucking them and I couldnt believe the internal fat that was in them! Our hands were greasy when we wer done. Im sure they will taste fine and tender but now i am a little worried about how much fat I have put on the roosters I am keeping for breeders...and maybe the pullets are the same?
Tricky to produce standards that have been fed enough to reach their full growth potential but yet not end up with fat unproductive birds, I imagine the roos will lose lots over the winter and during breeding season but I do worry about producing excessively fat pullets who will not lay as well and may be prone to prolapse.
I was feeding about half grower pellet and half whole spring wheat.
Is it the wheat I have to go easy on or the grower pellet?
OR maybe less of each?
I was feeding all the greens from the garden as well.
Maybe I should make sure the pullets get lots of free range opportunities when I can, they get lots of exercise running after those bugs, but then I bet those grasshoppers etc are chock full of calories!
What do you thinK?
We skin our chickens instead of plucking them and I couldnt believe the internal fat that was in them! Our hands were greasy when we wer done. Im sure they will taste fine and tender but now i am a little worried about how much fat I have put on the roosters I am keeping for breeders...and maybe the pullets are the same?
Tricky to produce standards that have been fed enough to reach their full growth potential but yet not end up with fat unproductive birds, I imagine the roos will lose lots over the winter and during breeding season but I do worry about producing excessively fat pullets who will not lay as well and may be prone to prolapse.
I was feeding about half grower pellet and half whole spring wheat.
Is it the wheat I have to go easy on or the grower pellet?
OR maybe less of each?
I was feeding all the greens from the garden as well.
Maybe I should make sure the pullets get lots of free range opportunities when I can, they get lots of exercise running after those bugs, but then I bet those grasshoppers etc are chock full of calories!
What do you thinK?