Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Fred's Hens]

Anyways, prior to reading about the OT experience with the WR, I was determined to never own another. May change my mind. I love my barred rock though. Also, mine were hatchery birds purchased at TSC at the end of Feb. If there's a Next time, I'll try for better quality

The problem with making general statements. Who could possibly know how many strains of any particular variety are out there? Impossible.
My theory remains this. Out of a typical box of 50 birds, 3 or 4 will make the grade. That's it. Yes, that is truly how I feel.

Now, if you get birds from known good line from someone who have bred them for consistency, over time? Now that's a different thing altogether.

 

[Beekissed]

Unrelated question...
On my way to work, a chicken breeding facility seems to have popped up within the last few weeks. What caught my eye was that in the dozen or so cages scattered around the person's backyard amidst the dozen or so cages of purebred dogs I'm sure he's puppy milling, there are 2 hens and one rooster in each, all game birds. I've been watching closely for new developments, and today it was there: blue 55 gallon drum with a hole cut in it, and a game rooster tethered to it's side. Seriously, not ten yards from the road. Think there is some illicit activity going on here, (and the guy has some serious guts to advertise right alongside the road) or am I overreacting to a simple breeding facility? Any good reasons to tether a rooster?
As I contemplate the phone calls I'll be making tomorrow regarding this setup, I'd love to hear your opinions. I've not been part of the chicken world for very long, and never intend to be a part of the underground (or not-so, in this case) aspect of it.
Thanks
Nikki

I'd not make any phone calls. Folks who raise game cocks will and tend to keep them on tethers when they have more than one, it seems. This does not mean the man is intending to sell fighting games or have fights at his place.

 

[Mountain Momma]

Unrelated question...
On my way to work, a chicken breeding facility seems to have popped up within the last few weeks. What caught my eye was that in the dozen or so cages scattered around the person's backyard amidst the dozen or so cages of purebred dogs I'm sure he's puppy milling, there are 2 hens and one rooster in each, all game birds. I've been watching closely for new developments, and today it was there: blue 55 gallon drum with a hole cut in it, and a game rooster tethered to it's side. Seriously, not ten yards from the road. Think there is some illicit activity going on here, (and the guy has some serious guts to advertise right alongside the road) or am I overreacting to a simple breeding facility? Any good reasons to tether a rooster?
As I contemplate the phone calls I'll be making tomorrow regarding this setup, I'd love to hear your opinions. I've not been part of the chicken world for very long, and never intend to be a part of the underground (or not-so, in this case) aspect of it.
Thanks
Nikki

maybe to keep him off the road?
Down in New Mexico there is a lot of rooster fighting. You think the normal breeders and chickeners are trying to improve their chickens you should see, or hear, how it is in NM with the fightin birds. Close family secrets, money, bloodlines detailed back over a hundred years. Training. The little boys taught to train a bird to fight from the time they can hold one. I will tell you that at the fair in Pueblo I felt that the roosters that were champions at the fair looked more lean and narrow and smaller than I was expecting. It might be the blood lines down there are so interrealated to these fighten birds. But you would never see any of these birds unless you were deep in the inner circle. Anyone tying it , a fighting bird, to a barrel near a road is either innocent or stupid, I think.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

It's definitely worth mentioning...thank you! There are many ways of keeping water from freezing that don't involve a light shining on the flock all night, so I urge folks to explore the options out there. Sometimes the simplest solution is just a black rubber feed pan...easy to dump the ice out of and easy to keep warm on a heating pad or plant mat. Sometimes a heated dog bowl is best..some folks just sit an ice cream bucket down inside these for the ease of cleaning and filling.

just asking, curiousity, does keeping a light on them stress them, keep them form resting or what.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I can't blame you. As time goes on and I see these birds in action over the years, I've grown to appreciate them over most of the breeds I've ever owned. I just really like their shape, stature, demeanor, vigor, laying performance, feed thrift, personalities, muscling and their hardiness. I really can't find anything about them to dislike. The three six year old WRs I currently own have shown me just how strong these birds really are. They have bounced back from the worst care and health conditions a bird could have and came out on the other side beautiful. If they get back to laying after all that's been done to them I'll personally kiss each and every one of them!

Here are some befores and afters on these impressive birds:



One week after getting her back in my care. She was horribly thin, had lice, mites, scale mites and impactions in the glands of both feet.



Six weeks after the first pic..a little dirty from the rain but back to feeling good, looking good.



Here's another...thin, lice and mite infested at one week back in my care.



Same hen, 6 wks after the first pic.



And my best WR, Bertha, at one week back in my care...the most impressive of all because she maintained good wt~though still underweight from her usual wt.~ even though she was lice and mite infested and had a severe gleet infection.



That's Bertha on the right a couple of weeks ago....5 wks after getting back home. All three of these WRs are 6 years old and have totally kicked the butts on the younger chickens during this recovery.

I'm completely in love with these WRs and hope and pray they lay just one last season just for the victory of it.

wow BEE I can't believe how good they look.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

As always, thanks to Fred & Bee. Fred, I keep evaluating my flock based upon your posts (and a few others, Bee included) and I'm excited for spring so I can count eggs and cull the non-layers or slow layers. I've already Re-homed one rooster based on all of the excellent rooster advice a couple weeks ago. I've been evaluating the "tents" on the pullets and monitoring the remaining rooster's behavior. Regarding him, he spurred me yesterday for the first time ever. Generally a very docile bird in human presence, a friend stopped by who just had to pet a chicken. So, I bent down and caught - with much squawking and wing flapping in disapproval - my barred rock hen. As I started to lift her, that cockerel came sliding in sideways aimed directly at my hands. Honestly, I didn't even scold him for this. My reaction was to think "hmmm... Protecting his flock. I think like that behavior". He did not persist at his efforts of warding me off, just moved a few feet away and kept a watchful eye. I wondered though, whether this is actually acceptable behavior. Maybe if my friend had caught the bird, she would have been rightfully flogged, but not me? I'm sure I'm over thinking this...

 

[Beekissed]

just asking, curiousity, does keeping a light on them stress them, keep them form resting or what.

How would you like to have a light on all night when you are trying to sleep?

It does prevent the uptake of melatonin, which is an important chemical known to influence reproductive and immune system health.

wow BEE I can't believe how good they look.

You should stroll on over to the Road Less Traveled thread and see the rest of them....they all have improved in a remarkable way since their return from no man's land.

 

[Beekissed]

As always, thanks to Fred & Bee. Fred, I keep evaluating my flock based upon your posts (and a few others, Bee included) and I'm excited for spring so I can count eggs and cull the non-layers or slow layers. I've already Re-homed one rooster based on all of the excellent rooster advice a couple weeks ago. I've been evaluating the "tents" on the pullets and monitoring the remaining rooster's behavior. Regarding him, he spurred me yesterday for the first time ever. Generally a very docile bird in human presence, a friend stopped by who just had to pet a chicken. So, I bent down and caught - with much squawking and wing flapping in disapproval - my barred rock hen. As I started to lift her, that cockerel came sliding in sideways aimed directly at my hands. Honestly, I didn't even scold him for this. My reaction was to think "hmmm... Protecting his flock. I think like that behavior". He did not persist at his efforts of warding me off, just moved a few feet away and kept a watchful eye. I wondered though, whether this is actually acceptable behavior. Maybe if my friend had caught the bird, she would have been rightfully flogged, but not me? I'm sure I'm over thinking this...

It's good protective instinct...but I still don't tolerate it. I don't cull for it..it's a good feature in a rooster. I usually just give them a good cuffing along side the head for it and it doesn't happen again.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I know they are graphic and many would prefer not to see chicken guts when they come to a thread to learn but here is a place where you can learn about chickens from the inside out. It's all pleasant to talk about feeds, housing, bedding and breeds...but the real nitty gritty of flock management comes down to culling to prevent problems in your flock. True management is just that...managing the flock instead of passively waiting for problems to arise and then trying to deal with them and correct them.

The best flock keepers are those that anticipate the problems before they arise and take steps to correct and prevent these problems.

I loved the pics and info. I have lost several birds this year, hopefully now undercontrol thanks to new coop set ups and acv.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

maybe to keep him off the road? 
Down in New Mexico there is a lot of rooster fighting.  You think the normal breeders and chickeners are trying to improve their chickens you should see, or hear,  how it is in NM with the fightin birds.  Close family secrets, money, bloodlines detailed back over a hundred years.  Training.  The little boys taught to train a bird to fight from the time they can hold one.   I will tell you that at the fair in Pueblo I felt that the roosters that were champions at the fair looked more lean and narrow and smaller than I was expecting.  It might be the blood lines down there are so interrealated to these fighten birds.  But you would never see any of these birds unless you were deep in the inner circle.  Anyone tying it , a fighting bird, to a barrel near a road is either innocent or stupid, I think.

LOL, Mountain Mama, innocent or stupid probably sums it up. There are some pretty serious bird breeders here in the mountain state for fighting as well. My dear farrier who travels the countryside and back shoeing horses for people tells about a man who keeps tabs on exactly how much water each bird drinks/day, has notebooks full of bloodline information, and culls the whole darn family when a fight is lost. Incredible stuff. And I thought Fred and Al were particular about their birds!