Happy Easter Everyone
I know I am going to ramble a bit here, so please forgive me in advance.
Life-long chicken owner. Grew up sitting on the back lawn plucking Sunday dinner.
Always owned dual purpose birds, but just mutts.
Rarely pluck a chicken…instead just slit the chest and pull the breasts.
Owned a herd of Angus cattle for most of my life. Spent lots of time and money culling mother cows and each year buying either the best bull for my “type” of cow or the best semen for AI.
We also raised and trained cow horses. 2 stallions, about 20 mares and would breed about a dozen outside mares per year.
Same thing as with the cows. Only kept those mares that were considered “weak”… meaning they were already very good mares in most all areas, but they didn’t throw their type…the foals resembled the stallion, which is what I wanted. If I got a “strong” mare, she was gone in a year or two. The mothers are important, but I have always believed the stallion was just a bit more so.
I have read this thread for an hour and I hope you can tell I really relate to those of you improving the breeds.
I can also relate to those that just want chickens for eggs and meat and like the animals being around.
I fall into the latter as far as chickens.
I am an old guy with a very young wife. We finally got the last kid gone and built our new and last home…..a log home waaay back on our property. Love it.
We got rid of the chickens 3 years ago when we moved, but now the boss wants to get back in.
Evidently she spent quite a bit of time looking at birds and decided on Standard Brahmas.
Note: we absolutely need a few roosters. Way too many cats and coyotes and coons and dogs.
All our chickens have…..and will have free range daily. And we take good care of them………. Like all our livestock.
So, with that background, here are a couple of questions:
She ordered 15 chicks from McMurray
5 each of Light, Dark and Buff.
Straight Run.
We are actually hoping for a good percentage of these chicks being roos because she wants to learn how to slaughter as soon as feasible, so culling roosters would be just fine for that.
She also totally understands that we need roosters protecting our flock and wants to keep one of each color Brahma rooster ……along with whatever is left over as hens.
We have never bought chicks before, but let our broody hens keep our chicken population where we wanted it.
So, finally, here are my questions and/or concerns:
In one quite large chicken house with a flock of 12-15 birds, can three roosters get along or ???
I think with three different colored brahmas we will be having very few true-to-type colored birds as the years go by………probably end up with plaid brahmas.
She could careless about color type, etc. Where as I am OCD about bloodline purity and improvement.
So, the rooster question is one question.
And (although it will not be the end of the world) am I correct in assuming next years chicks will be all over the board as to color?
What quality (health, vigor, size, egg laying, etc) can I expect out of McMurry. Certainly not looking for show birds, but healthy stock that will carry the appropriate type and function.
Just trying to set my expectations.
Thanks so much for reading and any responses will be welcome.
Bruce.