Author Topic: Sasso Chickens, as easy as falling off a log? (Read 10196 times)

Ploverha · « **on:** July 21, 2011, 06:52:38 pm »

We've kept a couple of POL's for a year or so now and they've been a pleasure and a joy. On the back of this unprecedented success we are thinking of expanding our dearth of chicken keeping knowledge with a small flock of Sasso's. After all it's not going to be that different is it?

I've read that their weight can be a problem with breeding? I've never 'dispatched' a chicken before and I'm not sure if they need any special heating / ventilation / feed requirements / fencing / or TLC but other than that I'm fully up to speed

If you happen to be the proud keeper of these wonderful creatures could you let me know what I'm letting us in for please?

If its really complicated, a simple DON'T DO IT! will suffice.

Thank you

Rosemary · « **Reply #1 on:** July 21, 2011, 09:47:02 pm »

POL means point of lay, so if you've had them for a year, they ain't POL any more.

Sassos are hybrids, I think - that's a cross between two pure breeds - so if you cross a Sasso male and a Sasso female, you won't get a Sasso chick. You'll get some sort of mongrel - doesn't mean it won't make good eating, but hybrids don't breed true.

However, if you can get Sasso eggs to hatch or Sasso day-olds, rearing them for the table is relatively simple. Keep them under a lamp for a few weeks until they get feathers, keep them clean, give them water, feed them chick crumbs to about six weeks then change to grower / finisher pellets until they are 12 weeks old and then kill, pluck and dress them, stick them in the freezer. Job done.

We have Hubbards, bought as day-olds, now three weeks. Just off heat and going into a pen in the veggie garden tomorrow. The run has a roof as they would still be easy meals for cats, gulls, crows but they can exercise, peck grass, sunbathe and dust bathe (they already are but the grass is trashed now where they are).

Warning - once you have done this you will be spoiled for supermarket chicken forever. If we don't have our own, we don't eat chicken. End of story.

Blinkers · « **Reply #2 on:** July 21, 2011, 10:01:56 pm »

Quote from: Rosemary on July 21, 2011, 09:47:02 pm

Warning - once you have done this you will be spoiled for supermarket chicken forever. If we don't have our own, we don't eat chicken. End of story.

DITTO

We rear Sassos too. Gorgeous meaty birds with a layer of fat that keeps them beautifully moist whilst cooking. Easy to look after, and we finish them at around 14 - 16 weeks as we keep ours free range once off heat. Good strong birds that don't go off their legs. We've got some that are just coming up for 4 weeks old now and about 3/4 feathered so not ready to go outside yet. They're like mini vultures at the moment

and eat like 'em too

egglady · « **Reply #3 on:** July 21, 2011, 10:05:08 pm »

even more ditto...in fact yesterday's carcass is just making itself into chicken soup as i type.....yumyum

Hatty · « **Reply #4 on:** July 22, 2011, 12:02:56 am »

Quote from: Rosemary on July 21, 2011, 09:47:02 pm

Sassos are hybrids, I think - that's a cross between two pure breeds - so if you cross a Sasso male and a Sasso female, you won't get a Sasso chick. You'll get some sort of mongrel - doesn't mean it won't make good eating, but hybrids don't breed true.

Any idea which breeds???

x

Rosemary · « **Reply #5 on:** July 22, 2011, 08:31:35 am »

Quote from: Hatty on July 22, 2011, 12:02:56 am

Any idea which breeds??? x

They won't be breeds like RIR - they will be something like Sasso 1571 crossed with a Sasso XYZ3.

There are folk on here who successfully rear "proper" breeds and crosses for meat. I'm sure they will turn up.

We also free range ours - well, big pen, not completely free - on grass. I think the more exercise they get a) the better they taste and b) the healthier they are. We've never had any go off their legs and our boys kill out at 4kg + at 12 / 13 weeks.

Ploverha · « **Reply #6 on:** July 22, 2011, 10:31:13 am »

Wow you lot really know your stuff, thank you. We thought we would properly explore chickens when we move because there are no predatory mammals on the island at all. The occasional sea eagle or similar will be a problem but I'm guessing that's going to be far less hassle than Mr Fox.

The supplier I have found so far sells 2 strains of Sasso. Will that give me a breed back scenario to Sasso or is there a devilish gentic secret that I need to discover?

Thanks for the correction on the POL thing they are a Goldline and a Rhode Rock (?) which is a cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock and Rhode cockerel.

Maggie · « **Reply #7 on:** July 22, 2011, 01:24:40 pm »

Glad I read this thread. Never heard of Sassos before but I'm about to enlarge my chook area, and want some for the pot. Trying (not much success so far!) to raise Buff Orpingtons, Croad Langshans, and Light Sussex. So far I've got one Buff, mothered by the Croad. Off to google again ...

Simon O · « **Reply #8 on:** July 25, 2011, 09:33:31 am »

You will not be able to rebreed the same Sassos which are the result of years of sophisticated breeding and selecting over many years by a big multinational company, and the ones you get are the bottom of a chain of parent/grandparent/greatgrandparent pairings. Same with Hubbards etc. The point of this for them is that you need to keep going back to the company and its distributors for eggs or dayolds, so they continue to make a return on their investment. I would think if you want to breed your own meat chickens you are better to go to a traditional meat breed or dualpurpose breed and grow these or experiment with crossings of these. Probably the most important thing is how they are reared.