A Big Cycle

[TheChiggens]

Howdy!
So recently I have grown interested In managing the flock by hatching eggs every time a birds dies. replenishing the flock. Basically a giant family/life cycle. Obsiosly trying each time to select the birds expressing traits I like.

Anyone tried this? What was your experience?

 

[Mrs. K]

oh yes, I try and do this. I am great at planning, not so lucky in following through. Good luck.

 

[aart]

Howdy!
So recently I have grown interested In managing the flock by hatching eggs every time a birds dies. replenishing the flock. Basically a giant family/life cycle. Obsiosly trying each time to select the birds expressing traits I like.

Anyone tried this? What was your experience?

Every time a bird dies?
So you'd replace one bird with more than one?
Incubating one egg is not good odds for hatching, and a single chick is troublesome.
Chicken math, and nature, rarely runs that neatly.

Look at a bigger picture.
I hatch replacement layers early each spring,
the earlier the better so they are laying by the time the older birds stop in fall/winter.
But then hatching includes dealing with the roughly 50% of males,
I slaughter mine at about 3-4 months old.
Then you also have to think about winter space capacity,
I usually slaughter a few older hens in the fall to accommodate that.

 

[TheChiggens]

Well after a few birds die.

 

[Alaskan]

I manage my flock similar to @aart

So every spring I hatch out as many as I think I need to keep my flock size and egg production where I want them to be.

I try to hatch out extra so that I can sell the ones that hatch out the wrong color, and I keep only the ones that I like the most.

I however can never hatch them as early as I would like. I prefer my chicks hatched by broodies, and my hens prefer to go broody mid-summer.

Ah well.

 

[aart]

So every spring I hatch out as many as I think I need to keep my flock size and egg production where I want them to be.

I set 4 times as many eggs as I want pullets,
because often only half will hatch and half of those will be males.
Sell any extra females and males go to freezer camp.

 

[Alaskan]

I set 4 times as many eggs as I want pullets,
because often only half will hatch and half of those will be males.
Sell any extra females and males go to freezer camp.

Yep... about that.