🐸How Long Till I Have To Add New Blood?🐸

[Dragon Feet]

You could. Are there any specific traits you're after?

No, I just don't want to have to add new chickens again if possible.

 

[MysteryChicken]

No, I just don't want to have to add new chickens again if possible.

You don't have too. You can select traits from the birds you have right now.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

It seems to me (and fair warn, this is a poultry subject about which I know almost nothing!) that you have tremendous diversity in your hens - the only constriction is the fact of a single rooster.

I started with roughly twice as many hens, but again, one roo who for reasons not of my choosing was replaced by his sons after just one generation. I've selectively culled, since, been going two years at it, and there is no immediate danger of my flock starting to look alike, much to my chagrin...

Depending on how often you hatch, and how many times your single roo gets to reinforce his genetics in subsequent generations, I suspect you have some handful of years before you should bring in fresh genes. All those differing ladies helps.

 

[Shadrach]

No, I just don't want to have to add new chickens again if possible.

If you want a self sustainable group (I assume they are not confined to a cop and run) then you are likely to get a much better result if you let the chickens and nature decide which genes go forward and which don't.
One can limit the size of a clutch any broody hen sits on and eat, rehome the chicks that hatch that you can't keep.
With a well managed group free ranging for example between clutch size management, predation and sickness it is reasonably easy to have new chicks each year and maintain a population size.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Ussery uses clan breeding, right? Separate the hens into three pens, each roo gets a chance at each pen once, then is gone. Daughters are kept in the same pen, best male from each pen becomes the next gen breeders in a spiral pattern.

As I understand it.

Too much management for me, I free range.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

If you want a self sustainable group (I assume they are not confined to a cop and run) then you are likely to get a much better result if you let the chickens and nature decide which genes go forward and which don't.
One can limit the size of a clutch any broody hen sits on and eat, rehome the chicks that hatch that you can't keep.
With a well managed group free ranging for example between clutch size management, predation and sickness it is reasonably easy to have new chicks each year and maintain a population size.

. That.

Keep the ones you want to eat, eat the ones you don't, and use both culling and incubation (or cooperative broodies) to control flock size.