BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[lpatelski]

Question. I read it awhile back but can't remember where and when. How long can the CX hens survive/thrive? I know you guys have been keeping them for breeding.

Well, Betty was hatched 02/06/2015. That makes her 21 months old. She is big and fat and not laying eggs right now. She can fight like a rooster, and she is still alive afterwards. I will take pics and weigh her tomorrow. She lays 75g eggs. 69+ eggs in 2016. She went broody! Then she molted. She doubles on occasion and some are wrinkled. BamBam was having a difficult time settling her eggs, Bob was much better, but I do not like the 3/4 CX. They are just too sloppy for me.

Betty - straight comb playing the "Broody", Lavenia has an egg under her.

 

[DesertChic]

Well, Betty was hatched 02/06/2015. That makes her 21 months old. She is big and fat and not laying eggs right now. She can fight like a rooster, and she is still alive afterwards. I will take pics and weigh her tomorrow. She lays 75g eggs. 69+ eggs in 2016. She went broody! Then she molted. She doubles on occasion and some are wrinkled. BamBam was having a difficult time settling her eggs, Bob was much better, but I do not like the 3/4 CX. They are just too sloppy for me.

Betty - straight comb playing the "Broody", Lavenia has an egg under her.

Holy cow, that's Betty??!! I would've thought that was a rooster! She's huge!

 

[lpatelski]

Holy cow, that's Betty??!! I would've thought that was a rooster! She's huge!

She is even bigger now! I will say she is close to 13-14 pounds. I have had her on a diet lately trying to shrink her back to a manageable weight. I will get a Pic and weight to see where she is at tomorrow.

 

[abbevilleoz]

She is even bigger now! I will say she is close to 13-14 pounds. I have had her on a diet lately trying to shrink her back to a manageable weight. I will get a Pic and weight to see where she is at tomorrow.

Wow! How do you put a hen on a diet without isolating them? I'm afraid one of the three I've kept is getting too big too quick.

 

[lpatelski]

Wow! How do you put a hen on a diet without isolating them? I'm afraid one of the three I've kept is getting too big too quick.

She is in the center "breeders" pen by herself.

 

[abbevilleoz]

That's a neat setup!

 

[lpatelski]

That's a neat setup!

Thank you, it's a trampoline. We call it the chicky-bouncy-house. You can see how tall the roof is. I have bamboo poles inside as structure. The top is made of Tyvek so the light comes through.
The other breeder pen is a converted gazebo. It also has a Tyveck roof.

 

[lpatelski]

Betty...

 

[DesertChic]

Betty...

Whoa! Is that Betty? Over 11 lbs???

 

[abbevilleoz]

Betty...

She's quite pretty, too!