Information on working terriers, dogs, natural history, hunting, and the environment, with occasional political commentary as I see fit. This web log is associated with the Terrierman.com web site.
What do you mean by how long before they can't breathe, walk or mate by themselves? The chicken you barbecue lives like that right now. I don't say this second hand but first hand as we used to raise them on a small commercial scale. To get to 2.5-3 kg inside 8 weeks (the fastest growing got there in six and the industry has moved to 5-7 weeks in the years since we stopped), they grow so fast that several are reduced to hock-walking as their feet can't take the weight. They are fragile birds: startle them and a couple will just drop dead.
We never bred any, buying them as day old chicks but breeding is a hassle, with breeding animals needing to be starved so that they're stunted enough not to die prematurely. Many breeders outright artificially inseminate their hens as it's often too much hassle to breed them naturally.
The show chickens may be amusing, but they're a lot smaller, slower-growing and most fanciers prefer to count their chicken life-spans in years, not weeks.
Welcome to the world of the "AKC" chicken. How long before they can't breathe, walk or mate by themselves?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by how long before they can't breathe, walk or mate by themselves? The chicken you barbecue lives like that right now. I don't say this second hand but first hand as we used to raise them on a small commercial scale. To get to 2.5-3 kg inside 8 weeks (the fastest growing got there in six and the industry has moved to 5-7 weeks in the years since we stopped), they grow so fast that several are reduced to hock-walking as their feet can't take the weight. They are fragile birds: startle them and a couple will just drop dead.
ReplyDeleteWe never bred any, buying them as day old chicks but breeding is a hassle, with breeding animals needing to be starved so that they're stunted enough not to die prematurely. Many breeders outright artificially inseminate their hens as it's often too much hassle to breed them naturally.
The show chickens may be amusing, but they're a lot smaller, slower-growing and most fanciers prefer to count their chicken life-spans in years, not weeks.