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

[gardendufus]

I seldom post on this thread anymore as it went all fru fru quite a while back, but when you "old timers" get tired of being ignored and having the newbies argue with the things you say, please remember this;

There might be 49,000 who aren't listening... but there are a few of us that are.

Thank you OTs.

I absolutely couldn't have said this better...I still read this thread for the times those of you who have experience speak. And shudder when I see this turning into just another fru fru thread. Ya just have to learn who amongst the posters you choose to accept advice from

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

i really want to hear from an old timer about roosters and why they are kept. i think this will clear up many issues we have. my opinion and mine only. today most not all people have chickens for eggs and less people for meat. i am not talking about breeders of show birds. i am talking about everyday backyard chicken owners. i am not interested in hearing about how pretty they are ,i wanted a variety , or that is what they sold me and i became attached. i want people to know the true purpose of a rooster. again my opinion most people today have chicken tractors, dog runs, and other good set ups to keep predators out. they provide feed for their chickens. so what is the need for a rooster?
most hatchery stock type birds, i would not waste my time feeding for months, caring and tending ,, and spending a lot of money, only to process later to get a scrawny little bird to eat. now i am not talking about pure strain heritage breeds. i am talking about the mass majority of chicken folks.who buy their chickens from a major hatchery for a couple bucks.
i think we can all see where i am going with this. i want a respected o/t to say it .but hey i am trying to start a honest discussion here. so i am open to debate.

My big rooster that I keep with my laying flock saved my girls from a hawk. It was amazing! The entire laying flock was by our spring chilling out when the hawk swooped down right in the middle of them. The hens kind of hunkered down and tucked their heads in from surprise. Leroy, the rooster, didn't hunker down scared, though! He jumped on top of that hawk and they just started rolling! The hawk was at a major disadvantage on the ground and finally flew off. Leroy lost a few feathers but saved all his girls.

Go Leroy! This is why I keep roosters, they keep my hens safe even if it means they might get tore up or lose their life. It's very important for me because, though I have a nice safe coop and run, I let my birds out to free range every day on our 20 acres.

 

[stonykill]

Since you guys have been talking about misinformation and all, it reminds me. I had a lot of trouble with my last hatch. The eggs got to over 104 degrees, maybe even up to 106 degrees, and then they got down to below 85 degrees when my broody left the nest for more than a day and a half. It made for some really awful hatching conditions. But still, 7 out of 10 eggs hatched into 7 beautiful healthy chicks and I think that's pretty good. A lot of people on some of the threads I've seen start having a panic if they bump an egg in the incubator, let some hot air out by accident, if the temp varies half a degree, ect, ect. Maybe I'm just lucky or a miracle happened, but it does not seem to me that the eggs will die if they don't stay at a perfect 98 degrees with a perfect humidity. What are you guys thoughts on this? What do ya'll think the problem is when a whole batch or most of a batch of eggs don't hatch? I've always wondered about it.

when I 1st started incubating I was crazy about temps. All worried about it. Then I started having broody hens. A lot of them. I watched them closely. I have to say I was really worried about my 1st couple of broody's. They would be off the nest longer than they were "supposed" to be, eggs weren't always under them etc. You know what? When I do use the bator now I just don't worry as much. I keep the temp as stable as possible and watch the humidity, but I don't get crazy about a temp spike or temp crash. My broody's aren't worried about it, so I'm not going to worry about it either.
The broody's also taught me about "saving" a chick. If the mama's aren't going to try to save a week chick, I'm not either. Chickens survived just fine on their own for 10,000 years or so without human intervention. If anything we have weakened them.

This Sumatra hen named Mama hatches her broods everytime in a hot in the summer, cold in the spring tin shed. During part of her sitting this last time we had a stretch of low 90 degree weather, and the shed was easily 100 degree's. She sat on her eggs and this is the result.


I don't sweat the little things.

 

[fowlman01]

The only reasons I can think of off hand for keeping a rooster/cock (not a roo) is for reproduction purposes or to watch the social action of a complete flock comprised of males and females. I enjoy watching the social order of chickens with a male(s) and some people even think I am a breeder.....that's why I have males.

BTW: I had never heard the word "lockdown" until I got on this site....even though I have been around for a while and lived on a poultry farm for as a kid. Maybe it is just me cuz I'm way out here in norcal.

Walt

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

when I 1st started incubating I was crazy about temps. All worried about it. Then I started having broody hens. A lot of them. I watched them closely. I have to say I was really worried about my 1st couple of broody's. They would be off the nest longer than they were "supposed" to be, eggs weren't always under them etc. You know what? When I do use the bator now I just don't worry as much. I keep the temp as stable as possible and watch the humidity, but I don't get crazy about a temp spike or temp crash. My broody's aren't worried about it, so I'm not going to worry about it either.
The broody's also taught me about "saving" a chick. If the mama's aren't going to try to save a week chick, I'm not either. Chickens survived just fine on their own for 10,000 years or so without human intervention. If anything we have weakened them.

This Sumatra hen named Mama hatches her broods everytime in a hot in the summer, cold in the spring tin shed. During part of her sitting this last time we had a stretch of low 90 degree weather, and the shed was easily 100 degree's. She sat on her eggs and this is the result.


I don't sweat the little things.

Very good point. I used to really worry over my eggs as well, it's good to know that I don't have to sweat the little stuff anymore. It makes hatching eggs a lot more enjoyable.

 

[al6517]

More and more of your bin buyers at TSC have bought straight run and therfore get some roosters in the mix, then they get all attatched and couldn't get rid of them if they tried. Then you have those who order from so & so hatchery as ONLY pullets and still get a rooster or two and then become attatched and couldn't get rid of them if they tried. Or they buy from someone on here who is going to send pullets only and get a rooster or two and then well....... you know the rest. The purpose of a rooster is for as Walt so aptly said to either produce fertile eggs for hatching or to have in ones flock to maintain and protect the peace among all those girls at each others throats. Another reason to have roosters is so those who hate having them rough up their girls have a place to VENT about having a mean X husb oh er I mean rooster.

The roosters is as invalubale to a good flock as any good hen is, understanding the boundries of each in human emotion terms is what people here have a hard time grasping. The animals don't have a problem with it.

 

[rosewolf22002]

We have a hunting camera we put out in our pen to find our feather puller. It take pictures or video either full time or motion sensor. That might help you find the guilty one.

 

[Zanna]

Yes Walt that is also very true indeed, we have all heard of what the Old timers did back in the day, when they did what they could with what they had and it wasn't always the best choice one size fit's all formula.

I am also not a fan of getting rid of a rooster for the sake of bringing in a more timid well lady mannered specimen to the flock, especialy if your trying to hatch a few good ones.

Back to bare backed hen's........... have you ever noticed after their fall/winter molt their feathers come back all nice and good looking and stay that way till late spring or early summer ??. Well the rooster hasn't stopped mating them and their plumage stay's nice all winter long. smart people also feed special seed grains during and after a molt as you have read and seen, for feather conditioning. Soooo why stop that regimine during the summer when they also need it even more. He doesn't top his hens one way in the spring/summer and top them yet another way in the fall and winter............ come on folks really...... think about that. so why are your hens bare backed in the summer mostly. Well .....news flash !!!!!! it AIN'T THE ROOSTER !!!!. If you want to protect your hen's better feed them better during their most stressfull and productive times, and I mean good feed or some custom mixed stuff. What I don't mean is all this nonsensical mashes and fermented what not's, and goofy kitchen made whatever recipe you saw on one of these forums. Feed seed grains that are specificly designed and used for plumage growth and sustainability, feathers will not grow well or be maintained well if the skin isn't also properly attended to, and I mean under all that fluff. As a show breeder we have way's to maintain good skin coat and and feather quality, as one missing feather in the wrong place is a deduction. So yeah we know how to keep their feathers and most importantly why they lose them so we can make those corrections, and it is mainly in diet.

90% of you hatchery chicken folks pretty much have to just suck up the fact that your birds regardless of their dietary intake will always look poorly, because their bred poorly and feathers are the least of the hatchery contract breeders main priorities, and you folks are the main population squackin about rough lookin hen's, well of course........... listen I don't make the rules but that it is what it is, no harm no foul. I gotta run and maybe later we can have a real discussion on how to properly feed them so they don't look ragged and you even to get to keep tha rooster who is soooo soooo mean to your little girlies. how bout that for a deal.

Awaiting the discussion about how to properly feed for optimum feathers/health.................

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Awaiting the discussion about how to properly feed for optimum feathers/health.................

Same here

 

[ldutch123]

It never ceases to amaze me all the post regarding bare backed hens with small bald spots on their heads, and all you ladies squackin about how it must be the rough Old/young rooster. There are several reasons for bare backs and bald heads least of which is the roosters inability to be ever so gentle in his technic. I am just not a fan of everybody (it sure seems) coming down on the roosters for what is natural behavior for chickens. we in the real chicken world call it the Oprah syndrome. Poor feather quality 99.9% is often the reason............ severly inbred poor hatchery stock, poor feed rations or the owners feeding all kinds of wierd BYC homemade feed recipes, lack of protien due to the fact they are laying heavy at this time of year and there natural body function is to redirect that to their eggs not the feathers. Lice and mites are also a main factor and many folks inability to identify them, especialy in free range birds. To few hens or too many roosters vying for the rights to breed as is the way it is in nature, animal nature not human nature, I'll bet if a hen could talk she tell you a thing or two and one would be the rooster isn't too rough. Too many backyarders have no idea what rough mating even looks like or if what their seeing is anything at all. they just follow along with everybody else in thinking it's the rooster, because it must be true what with so many newby's saying so...... right.

I know it has to be the rooster right after all there are only 40 bazillion thread topics and 80 bazillion post that echo the same sentiment every single day..... day in and day out so it surely must be true. Well it isn't, we here need to find the reasons for possible problems not make poor observations then come to irrational decisions based on that. it's a recipe for disaster.

Now please keep in mind this is the OT thread so sugar coating issues or righting misconceptions lightly isn't what we do here, plain simple down to the earth get to the point check your emotions at the door kinda place. The past year or so the thread has gone the same direction as the other rainbow and unicorn thread types, with many saying or starting the post with I'm not an OT but this is what I have read or this is what the reseach say's, and that's not the mission here, we seek the the true and dole it out willingly from those who see it and have witnessed this and many other things for years upon years, and then passing that onto Y'all. That is why Bee started this thread topic, to have real well rounded discussions without everybody getting their little feelers in a tiff when proper advice is given.

So................. Let's re-visit the whole my rooster is mean to my hens disscusion and get some folks involved who can tell you exactly what it is your seeing and why when it comes to the flock family dynamics. and in such a way as to not have to dance around all the touchy feely emotions that too often cloud the issue beyond recognition.

Thank you all for your support.

I'm a newbie and appreciate your straightforwardness. My young roo is a hatchery bird so he isn't the smartest but he is learning and he could be worse. BUT he can't be too smart because he mounted a poor hens face Hahahahahahahhahahhaa

Just a little laugh for ya. But the only feather as I have seen is around their necks. When do the hens learn to not fight the young rooster? At 6 months old can he even do the deed?