Red Sex Link

If your hens are still laying well you should consider keeping them a bit longer. Currently I'm not getting any more hens, but if I did need some I would definitely get more red stars. However, next time I think I would look into getting some ex-factory layers. There is a farm about 60 miles from our house that has 800,000 production redstar hens. When they are a year old they sell them dirt cheap. After some time off and a little TLC I think you could get another two years of good laying from them.

I have 3 of these gals and they are sweet and the eggs are huge. I have one having issues allready with laying sporatic. I give them yogurt and it does the trick. I am gonna start giving it to them daily as well as other sources of calcium.

I have all kinds of chickens and love them all, leaning heavily toward Orpingtons, but I have to tell you I love my Red Sex Links. They lay the biggest eggs like clock work and yes they are very very smart!

We have 3 RSL's in our mixed flock. Originally I wanted them for their egg laying ability but now I'll always want some for their super personalities. You're right about them being smart and sometimes ornery but they are a lot of fun to have around and always liven things up. Glad you're as happy with yours as we are with ours!

I'm guessing red sex links include ISA browns so.

Pros. Amazing layers, very tough, eat everything you give them Sexing is very easy

Cons: Some can get a bit sneaky, stealing food etc. Also mine refse to lay anywhere besides behind the pot plants.

I love this friendly breed for the personality and also the egg laying. My red sex link layed huge eggs every day of her life. The problem is I have had several and they all seem to die at around 3. I give them the best of care so now I have switched to cochins because they live longer even though they don't lay eggs as well at all.

Nutcase...you are partially correct. the type and quality of protein can be very important. Many birds begin to feather pick when they get too hot or crowded. We should all learn by our mistakes and change our ways as we go forward.

I have 2 Red Sex Link chickens and 1 Buff Orpington, Both breeds are great birds. My Buff started laying at about 22 weeks, she laid 1 large egg every 2 days, but lately it is every third day now that it is hot here. She is very sweet and friendly, and loves to be held. My RSL chickens started laying at about 23 weeks and both have laid a large coppertone egg every single day without fail, even in the heat. They aren't quite as friendly as the Orpington but are still great birds. Keep the Orpington for a pet and keep the RSL for eggs. Give yours time and I am sure you will be happy with them.

Tazbeaux ....yes, I read that they were good egg layers, and I am keeping them for the eggs, even though they are not particularly charming. ) I've read that they can start laying as early as 16 weeks, but I have no idea how close mine are to starting. I've been putting out oyster shell for them, and they gobble it up, but I have no idea if that means anything or not.

This is just a hobby for me, and I don't need dozens of eggs every week, so I think I will bring in other Orpingtons when I expand my flock. The place I got my Buff has a Jubilee Orpington, and I would love to have one of those. I read that they are sometimes bullied by other breeds, but my Buff seems to hold her own just fine with the RSLs.

But I need to build a bigger run and get a second coop before I do that, as the one I have is just big enough for four chickens.

As others have mentioned 16 weeks is too early to expect laying. 18 weeks is even early to lay as most birds, even the RSL's, tend to lay closer to 20 weeks. It depends a lot on the season and weather as to when that first lay happens, so those are estimates not hard dates for first lay. And that can vary from one batch of RSL to another. Feed can help. It is important to give them a good chick start for growing and wait for layer feed until they actually lay. You actually don't want them to start laying too early as that stresses their system in the long run and can create situations that promote vent prolapse and egg binding. You need their body to mature enough to handle egg production (sort of like teen pregnancy). Oyster shell is an excellent idea as they will eat that on as need basis, which sounds like they are loading up in anticipation of laying. When you move them, offering treats to them to slowly come up to you, then feeding treats regularly and letting them learn to follow the feed bucket can really help with keeping any bird calm in transition. My girls only need to hear the shake of the treat bucket to come running from all parts of the yard and will follow me where ever I want them to go. Some birds become tame very quickly, others take much longer, even within the same breed. I've had sweet Buff Orps and nasty Buff Orps. I've had very calm and sweet RSL's and a few flighty ones. Overall, the RSL's are calm, non-flighty extremely good egg layers, but not uber friendly birds, although I had one that was close to it. Buff Orps have the reputation for often being very friendly, although I have not happened on to those yet, but I've only done a few of that breed to date, too few to make any great claims. I personally prefer the RSL's as they are much better layers than the Orpingtons.

Yes, I have a makeshift chicken tractor (a large dog crate with no tray, so the chickens can dig and eat the grass and still be protected) that I move to a new spot on the lawn every day. I always sprinkle a little scratch feed in it before I move the chickens. They watch me and they KNOW what I am doing....they get excited and start pacing at the door to their coop when they see me.

Then I open the coop door and the little Buff pops out. ) The other three hang back, but I can usually scoop up one of them and move the two to the crate. Then the other two play keepaway with me, even though they clearly know that there are goodies waiting for them inside the crate.

I've been giving them mashed boiled egg as well, and they recognize the egg plate and get excited when I walk out with it. I really think they're not afraid of me, they are just contrary.

When they started gobbling up the oyster shell I thought they might need more calcium in their feed. So I have been offering 16% grower feed in one feeder and 18% layer feed in another, letting them choose whichever one they prefer. They overwhelmingly are choosing the layer feed, rather than the grower feed.

Do you think that is a mistake?

I personally would just offer the grower feed with the choice of oyster until they lay since you are only manipulating one food source. Offering layer feed too early can cause overload of calcium which hurts the kidneys...but at 16 weeks, they are getting close to lay, and if that is what you have, use it. I personally have put everyone on layer at times when I need to integrate non-laying pullets that are close to age but not laying yet with my laying hens and tire of juggling a feeds or short of one type but close enough to use the other. You can also put them all on flock raiser with oyster shell on the side.

As to handling...I think the issue is you've gotten into the habit of grabbing them as they are not going where you want them to go. Chickens do not like to be grabbed and you are inadvertently conditioning them to not want to come to you because you repeatedly grab them. They show interest in the chick scratch...use that...just show treats and scratch to let them come to you, sit still and eventually someone will begin to hand feed if it is especially yummy. This can take days/weeks to settle depending upon the bird and if it has been overhandled before.

Until then, you might consider letting stay in one spot for a few days/couple of weeks to see if you can't build some trust so that they run to the treat bucket. Then wherever the treat bucket goes, so do they. Or, see if you can't rig up a system where you don't have to pick them up to get them moving towards the other spot, such as using treat trails and temporary fencing if need be.

Always avoid over handling and chasing a bird if you want them to be comfortable to run up to you. In the long run, it saves a lot of wear and tear on the bird (making better layers) and a lot of wear and tear on you...nothing can mess with your lower back like bending, twisting and trying to catch a chicken (yes, gleaned from personal experience). Much easier to train with treats and let them get there on their two feet.

LofMc

My experiences.
LofMc

Okay...I'll try a different approach. I am probably in the habit of picking them up because they started out in a crate inside the house, so they couldn't walk to the outside crate. Then they moved to a raised crate outside (to keep them well out of the dog's reach), and they could not really walk from there, either.

There was probably a little paranoia, too, since I lost two young pullets to a dog (the birds actually squeezed through the fence I put up to protect them from the dog) and one to some unknown predator. It seemed safer to simply pick them up and move them from one heavily armored crate to another.

But now they are in a ground level coop and they are much bigger, so maybe it's time to back off a little and let them walk on their own. I probably will retrim their wing feathers, though, so I don't have to worry about them flying over the fence.

I only have about a week's worth of grower feed left, so if you don't think it will cause them a problem I will just move them to the layer feed once it's gone.

Amen to the last two posts. Lady of Mc...so well put. chicknewbee...very well received. My hat is off to you both!!!

Hellbender

Regarding when to start layer feed. Last year a couple of my Ameracaunas started laying at 16 wks. It seemed to me that they needed the calcium. I researched and all but one of the studies I could find started the pullets on layer feed at 7 weeks! They developed gout, etc, of course. Finally found one study that tested starting them at 14 weeks. That study found no skeletal, renal, or reproductive problems. I posted that in this thread, because it happened to come up: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/915035/what-is-killing-my-chickens/10 but this is the quote I posted:
Nutrient Requirements of Poultry: Ninth Revised Edition, 1994
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/2114.html
p. 22
The committee's review of research on the changes in metabolism of medullary bone immediately prior to maturity has
led to reevaluation of the pullets' requirement for calcium at this time. Since modern egg-strain pullets exhibit a rapid increase
in egg production and prolonged first multiegg clutch, it is obvious that a change in the requirements related to calcification
must be accommodated before or at time of first egg. Keshavarz (1987) indicated that feeding a diet containing 3.5 percent
calcium from as early as 14 weeks of age had no adverse effect on skeletal integrity, apparent renal function, or subsequent
reproductive performance. Leeson et al. (1986, 1987a) also observed normal pullet development, skeletal integrity, and
kidney histology when immature 19-week-old pullets were fed diets containing 3.5 percent calcium. These same workers
indicated that calcium levels of 0.9 to 1.5 percent at this age were detrimental to early shell quality. In studies in which
pullets were allowed to self-select nutrients, Classen and Scott (1982) showed that the birds consumed calcium in relation to
needs for deposition of medullary bone and (or) onset of shell calcification.

Thanks for the info. I was surprised when my girls scarfed up all the oyster shell I gave them....when I got it I was just kind of getting the setup put together for later on when they started laying. I didn't expect them to actually use it, but I took that as an indication that they needed the calcium.

I moved my pullets from chick starter to grower feed at 8 weeks, because I read that the protein level needed to be reduced, and that the extra calcium in layer feed would harm their kidneys.

I figured that if I offered both now they could pick what they needed. Also, I don't feed a crumble, I feed a fish meal based organic feed that is mostly whole grains. You can actually see pieces of oyster shell in the feed, so they could probably eat the rest and leave the oyster shell if they didn't want it.

They clearly can pick and choose, because they tend to eat the peas in the grower feed while throwing the wheat on the floor. )

But they have been eating everything in the layer feed, so I think they probably need it.

Your study makes me feel better about the whole thing.

If you are using organic feed with whole grains, oyster shell, and fish meal in free feed, if the protein is in the 16% to 18% range, it shouldn't matter a whole lot as they will pick out what they need for their bodies. Start is usually at 18% to help sustain body growth in preparation for laying. Read carefully on the grower as that may be meat grower, which can be as high as 22% to 24% protein, which is too high for layer type birds. They shouldn't have that much protein as they are not building meat. It can actually force too fast of growth and joint issues.

Since you are dealing with RSL's, who are bred to mature more rapidly, having calcium available at 16 weeks shouldn't be a problem if it is free feed

Thanks.

My grower feed is 16% protein, and my layer is 18%.