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

[Fred's Hens]

I have two mutt girls that have gone through a light molt and I thought they would be too young for that this year. Checked them out again today for any signs of mites etc., nothing that I could detect. So does it depend on the chicken when nature decides it's time for them to molt? New feather shafts are coming in, one is a bit cranky, but they seem perfectly fine otherwise. Tail feathers and neck feathers seem to be the ones that have dropped thinned out..should I get the microscope out and look harder for crawly things?

If it were me? I'd shake 'em in a sack of ashes no matter what. If I saw mites? I'd dust them with an organic insecticide. (yes, there are organic pesticides) I don't fuss with these creepy, crawly, biting stuff. Prevention is worth way more than a cure.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Well, I've got my new incubator warming up.  May set tonight or in the morning. 

I have to wait. I've got a couple of trips set up for the holidays but come January I plan to join in. I usually wait until March but due to a couple of things I need to get some growing toward butchering size pretty early this year.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

How old are they? Could this be a juvenile molt?

One was hatched ABOUT last feb. I think and the other is about one year old this month as near as I can guess.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

If it were me? I'd shake 'em in a sack of ashes no matter what. If I saw mites? I'd dust them with an organic insecticide. (yes, there are organic pesticides) I don't fuss with these creepy, crawly, biting stuff. Prevention is worth way more than a cure.

Will give them a good shake & bake..(.forget the bake), but just to be on the safer side. I'm sure they won't mind as much as they all dust bathe anyway.

 

[Ridgerunner]

One was hatched ABOUT last feb. I think and the other is about one year old this month as near as I can guess.

Definitely not a juvenile molt.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Definitely not a juvenile molt.

Yup, I didn't think so either. Is there anything else besides creepy crawlies and molting that might do this just to 2 out of 10?

 

[NickyPick]

For those that cull chickens throughout the year, how do you keep your flock size up? Do you add new hens once a year? A new hen every time you cull? Do you start a new flock? Guess you have to have plenty of room for that last one. I'm limited to two coops - one holds up to 16 and the other 9 and no room for anything else.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't usually cull throughout the year. Usually my yearly cull is in Mar. Directly after that~along about April or May~ I usually have a broody who sits and hatches replacements and thus one can have a rolling flock of new layers in the winter who lets the oldsters slow down and one can still have eggs all winter.

I've been culling recently because this flock is not all of my own stock/flock. I had some that came along for the ride that would have been culls in my flocks, so why keep them through the winter? In March I will do the official cull for anyone who is not laying at that time.

 

[NickyPick]

So, a broody can raise a group of chicks in the flock? The littles won't get beaten up?

 

[stonykill]

So, a broody can raise a group of chicks in the flock? The littles won't get beaten up?

yes she can. I have done this with every broody I have ever had. Over the last few years the number of broody's must be between 70 and 100. Always raised with the flock. Never an issue.