Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[fowlman01]

For those visiting the remote idea of the suggestion to breed out the bad traits in hatchery stock birds while breeding in the good.............. well now thank you all for giving me my first big hard belly laugh of the year. I think you would have a better chance finding a diamond in a goats A33, yeah that hard. As I am sure Walt will help attest to the fact that there are way too many factors involved for even a seasoned professional to try such a folly. But once again thanks for the laugh and BTW ya'll can pinch yourself and wake up from your dream now.

You would need a lifetime unless you believe in miracles.

Walt

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Yes...it tells a lot about those who are serious about this thing called poultry.

 

[armorfirelady]

Thank you OTs for your prompt answers. It was for regular eggs to eat not for incubation. My guesses were good.....guess I did soak up some of the knowledge in earlier posts but still unsure.

Still going to watch,measure & take pics of the eggs for learning for me. I like to look back at pics I have taken and see the changes & compare them.

Tho now Bee as me wanting to go out & check for fat pads on my hens. And the quiz has me wondering of my hens are to large for the breed......but I will keep on reading & learning and see how it goes.

I look forward to pics of different abnormalties with chickens. Like pinched tails, fat pads, wrong chest structure etc with a side by side pic of whats good & whats not. (and maybe circle or have arrow to point to the part-I dont always have my chicken pic of all parts on me) I still cant figure out where the crop is or what I am feeling in the bird is the right thing lol

For now I just look at the pics the OTs post and then go out and observe my birds. I think they are healthy & pretty. They are hatchery stock I am guessing but to me as the first chickens I have owned they look good

 

[al6517]

Quote from NYREDS

Let me give one example that was so extreme it stuck in my rapidly failing memory.
A woman exhibited what she entered as a large fowl Bearded Buff Laced Polish Cockerel. It had no lacing & very little in the way of secondary sex characteristics. The bird was maybe 2 months old & was still in it's juvenile plumage.
In the way of additional info the woman had BYC bumper stickers on her show box & had hung a sign on the cage informing me the of the bird's name [critical to the judging process). She came up to me later & was upset because the bird was disquallified because it was a "very sweet bird" & didn't deserve to be disqualified.

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I know there is lots of cross pollination from the Heritage Large Fowl thread and here, but in case you missed this post by NYREDS, I simply had to re-post over here.

Now that's funny, and helpful, I don't care who you are!

I smiled when I read this .......... well Ok a big smile. And this shows just how important it is quell the vast amounts of misinformation commonly found virtualy anywhere nowadays. I do however think And Walt can back me up here...................... that when engaging in a professional poultry endevor that the name of the of the bird proudly placed on the cage tag and the fact that the bird was so very sweet should always be paramount in the higher placement of the said bird.

 

[al6517]

I gather incubating eggs for no longer than 7 days. It is known that stocking up on fertile eggs, storing them in a cool place, 50F, turning them twice a day, can often mean you can keep them in good condition for up to 10 days.

I just don't prefer to push it that far. 5 days is plenty long for me, on average.

There is a reason this time frame is prefered..................... it works.

5 day's is optimal, 7 day's still just fine, 10 day's and fertility drops 30% or better. I think it's important to point out the reason for the frequency of the question is primarily derived from the owners need to hatch more eggs from a smaller flock, among other factors incubation rates, equipment quality, and experience play heavily in the formula.

 

[Beekissed]

I look forward to pics of different abnormalties with chickens. Like pinched tails, fat pads, wrong chest structure etc with a side by side pic of whats good & whats not. (and maybe circle or have arrow to point to the part-I dont always have my chicken pic of all parts on me) I still cant figure out where the crop is or what I am feeling in the bird is the right thing lol

If you know anyone who has a flock in which they cull their old hens or extra roosters or even if you see a rooster for sale in the locals, you could always buy one and do your first butcher on a bird not known to you. It can be your first anatomy lesson on chicken structures and where everything is located and will also make you more comfortable when it comes time to kill your own birds.

I smiled when I read this .......... well Ok a big smile. And this shows just how important it is quell the vast amounts of misinformation commonly found virtualy anywhere nowadays. I do however think And Walt can back me up here...................... that when engaging in a professional poultry endevor that the name of the of the bird proudly placed on the cage tag and the fact that the bird was so very sweet should always be paramount in the higher placement of the said bird.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I learned a long time ago that trying to dispel or debunk all the stuff popularly (wrongly) held is tilting at windmills, pretty much. I just go about my business. You can only help those who wish to learn. Besides, I am so busy trying to learn the stuff I want to learn and I'm grateful for those who are patient with me. Folks do grow, they do expand their horizons, but some never will. So be it.
I'm not gonna make my mission in life to "save all the sinners".

Some get things if you speak softly. Some get things if you serve it up with some gentle humor. With some? It'll never sink in, or at least now right away, so there's not a lot of benefit in just ticking them off. Geeeeesh, that happens even when you're gentle and cautious.

Now, Al, let's talk about those leg bands. In 60 years, I've never been in a place where I needed them. But, that day has arrived. I don't know squat about them, where to buy, what to buy, how to use, blah blah blah. Zip.

I really need to keep Fluffy, Frizzy and Huggy distinguished. Care to help me out here, Bro?

 

[delisha]

Quote:

 

[armorfirelady]

Quote: We have an auction of animals not far from me every Wednesday starting in the spring & my plan was to go and see about aquiring a few more hens after I get the new hoop coop done. And that is a great idea bee. I can get a hen to *practice* on. I have Walts or maybe it was Freds words ringing in my head telling me what to look at/for in hens to tell me what would be a good choice. Plus all the OT pics as well. Plus there is a chicken show coming up in a few months that I plan on attending so I can look at the different birds & maybe meet some owners to get some advice. I wont ever be showing hens but I want to soak up all the knowledge I can so my mutts are at least good quality for the purpose I want them for.

 

[al6517]

I learned a long time ago that trying to dispel or debunk all the stuff popularly (wrongly) held is tilting at windmills, pretty much. I just go about my business. You can only help those who wish to learn. Besides, I am so busy trying to learn the stuff I want to learn and I'm grateful for those who are patient with me. Folks do grow, they do expand their horizons, but some never will. So be it.
I'm not gonna make my mission in life to "save all the sinners".

Some get things if you speak softly. Some get things if you serve it up with some gentle humor. With some? It'll never sink in, or at least now right away, so there's not a lot of benefit in just ticking them off. Geeeeesh, that happens even when you're gentle and cautious.

Now, Al, let's talk about those leg bands. In 60 years, I've never been in a place where I needed them. But, that day has arrived. I don't know squat about them, where to buy, what to buy, how to use, blah blah blah. Zip.

I really need to keep Fluffy, Frizzy and Huggy distinguished. Care to help me out here, Bro?

Absolutely Fredrick ................... give me some backround on your set-up and plan, goals and reason you think you need to do the ID thing. We want to get you going in the right direction without any trail & error. Iam sure willing to help you out and I always keep my promises.