Hello, everyone ,
I want to put some layers in an old coop i have in the backyard but because of high demand , hatcheries have none available for many months to a year. (I live in rural Jamaica.) I found out i can get some old (approx 18 months but still laying some) Bovan Brown hens from a neighbour, and then selectively breed the hens with common local roosters, then keep the male offspring and breed them with other old girls, and so on. Could this work? Would the tired old girls lay eggs that would be fertile/viable?
I want to put some layers in an old coop i have in the backyard but because of high demand , hatcheries have none available for many months to a year. (I live in rural Jamaica.) I found out i can get some old (approx 18 months but still laying some) Bovan Brown hens from a neighbour, and then selectively breed the hens with common local roosters, then keep the male offspring and breed them with other old girls, and so on. Could this work? Would the tired old girls lay eggs that would be fertile/viable?
and Welcome To BYC! The hens should still be fertile at that age if you want to breed them for mixed layers. If the hens are actually only 18 month old, they are probably going in their first full molt, but when they are finished and return to laying, you maybe pleasantly surprised at how well they still lay, they do tend to have more reproductive problems because of their breeding, but many 2 year old red sex links will out lay most of the other birds out there.
