Arkansas folks speak up.........

[draye]

I am very happy to announce that one of my hens laid her first egg today.

Congratulations!

I'm waiting for my next batch to start laying, they're a tad iver 15 weeks now so I'd say in about 6 to 8 week wait. My flock tends to wait until they're around 24 to 26 weeks old before they start laying.

 

[lcertuche]

I have eleven 17-week old black sex link roosters. They have been trying to crow for a few weeks but I heard a perfectly acceptable crow. It really got my attention. I was so happy but I imagine in a few weeks when all the guys are crowing I may not be as happy then.

 

[MrsBachbach]

Congratulations, Janet. That first egg is a thrill to see, along with the knowledge that your former pullet is an "online" layer now. My birds are on strike due to the upper-90s temps — 99 today! I've started putting a big chunk of ice in their water pan every day around noon, but it's not enough. I tried a wading pool but they wouldn't go in it. Perhaps I'll try it again. How are your birds dealing with the heat? Are you doing anything special for them?

With this humidity a fan sure helps if that is possible. I know it's not for most. One trick you can use for the hen house/pen is freeze some water in milk gallon jugs and either set them out in the pens for the birds to get around or better yet, suspend them from the rafters and the cool air around them will sink down towards the ground. Should work ok with enough of them and if they aren't too high up. They may only work for a few hours during the hottest part of the day before they melt and have to be re-frozen.

 

[Janet Lynn]

They go under my porch during the hottest time of day. My coop is under a huge oak tree. I also take the back off of the coop during the mid day heat so there is more air flow. I refill their water dish every afternoon so that it is cool.

 

[Couchmo]

Neighbor here from SE MO buttin' in & puttin' in my $.02. Hope y'all don't mind

I use 5 gallon buckets with nipple waterers. I put water in half gallon jugs and freeze them (barely room for 2 in my freezer). I put one in each of the 2 waterers around noon. The chicks are in a section of the coop and have 2 soda bottle nipple waterers. I got a couple water bottle ice cube trays that I also keep in the freezer. I fill their bottles with the long, skinny ice cubes from them. The chicks do also have a fan aimed at one section of their pen. I also have large, shallow feed pans in each of the 2 runs that I put fresh, cold water in each day.. I've also refrigerated canned veggies and taken those out to them along with cold watermelon rinds. Wish I could do more.....

 

[lcertuche]

I am thinking about buying some game hens. I love the breed so much. They will survive free-ranging better than any other chicken in my opinion. My son saw an ad for pullets so we went out to see what the man had and WOW, I never saw so many game chickens in one place. The fact that he has so many roosters (all penned up alone) but all the hens and chicks free range makes me suspicious about their function. He has way, WAY more roosters than hens too. My conscious is pricked, should I support this by buying the pullets? I really want them because they lay well and are excellent mothers teaching their little peeps important life skills even though they will never be meat birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Personally I would not get a hen. If they are being kept for cockfighting, aggression against other roosters is being bred into them. You are going to get some of that passed down through the hens genetically. I like my cockerels to grow up with the flock. That just would not work for me.

Not all games are bred for cockfighting. Some are not that aggressive against other roosters. I think I’d look elsewhere. But if you commit to only having one rooster with the flock and keeping all cockerels in separate pens like they are doing, it can work.

 

[MrsBachbach]

I am thinking about buying some game hens. I love the breed so much. They will survive free-ranging better than any other chicken in my opinion. My son saw an ad for pullets so we went out to see what the man had and WOW, I never saw so many game chickens in one place. The fact that he has so many roosters (all penned up alone) but all the hens and chicks free range makes me suspicious about their function. He has way, WAY more roosters than hens too. My conscious is pricked, should I support this by buying the pullets? I really want them because they lay well and are excellent mothers teaching their little peeps important life skills even though they will never be meat birds.

One breed I found to be excellent free rangers is the Andalusian. Beautiful birds, but hard to find. They are very watchful, talky and lay large white eggs. I don't think they are a broody breed though. Look at this girl. She was perched on a rock watching the woods while the other birds foraged. Of course, my dog does the best job of all.

 

[lcertuche]

Gorgeous girl. How big are they?

I still want some game hens since I've had so much luck with them in the past. I'm in a quandary though about the man selling the pullets. I know he is raising the chickens for fighting which I abhor. Can I justify buying the pullets because I know none of their offspring would ever be raised for fighting but can you really justify something like this. Another positive is he is sure about them being pullets. Keeping only a few pullets to hatch out more roosters. He will not sell roosters. Of course I have no proof he fights his birds or sells them to be fighting birds, but he has at least a hundred roosters in their own little individual cages and maybe a dozen hens free ranging. Fighting chickens (or dogs) are against the law here but I've heard that it is legal in the next state over (unless) the laws have change.

 

[Janet Lynn]

This is my Easter Egger Rooster (Roo). I now have two hens laying.