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

[Fred's Hens]

These last few pages have been wonderful!

glad to catch up on them!!

Had a lovely surprise - my daughter and her family came to see us this weekend as they had to go to S. IL so they hopped on over to SEMO to see us!

Not showing off my hatchery mutts, just a happy picture of my grandson enjoying the weather, the day, and the chickens.

OH, wonderful!! Maven, I get it. Truly do. Grandkids coming up the day after Christmas. So...... I set these on Dec 5th and 6th. You do the math.

 

[Beekissed]

So THAT'S what an incubator looks like.....

 

[Maven]

Maven, that's a beautiful pic, hatchery stock or no....very pretty birds and boy! I love kids and chicks together...it just seems right.

Thanks, Bee. That's my 3yo grandboy, Brandon. He's a true little country boy. Has a holy hissy-fit when they leave cause he wants to stay on the farm with g'ma & g'pa.

I've decided my short-term goal right now is to keep with the hatchery stock for a while and really learn everything I can about making them look and feel the very best they can while learning all about good chicken farming from the OTs.

I want them shining with good health and as big and happy as hatchery stock can be. I figure after a year or so of really burning the midnight oil at the OTs knee, so to speak, and working with these birds learning about hatching from a broody, culling, optimal feed utilization, and everything else that can go along with chickening, I should be ready to move up to a good, solid, heritage quality dual purpose bird.

 

[Maven]

Quote:

Oh! What Christmas fun they will have!!!

Aren't grandkids just the best? "If I'd known just how fun they are, I'd've had them first!"

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks, Bee. That's my 3yo grandboy, Brandon. He's a true little country boy. Has a holy hissy-fit when they leave cause he wants to stay on the farm with g'ma & g'pa.

I've decided my short-term goal right now is to keep with the hatchery stock for a while and really learn everything I can about making them look and feel the very best they can while learning all about good chicken farming from the OTs.

I want them shining with good health and as big and happy as hatchery stock can be. I figure after a year or so of really burning the midnight oil at the OTs knee, so to speak, and working with these birds learning about hatching from a broody, culling, optimal feed utilization, and everything else that can go along with chickening, I should be ready to move up to a good, solid, heritage quality dual purpose bird.

I think that is about as wise a statement from a newbie as I have heard in awhile.

Over on the Road thread I was just discussing this. Told them to keep some birds alive for a few years on just formulated feeds and water, THEN, if they are successful at that, they can move up to mixing their own feeds, incubating chicks, trying to preserve heritage breeds, etc.

It does no good to get into good birds when you are just starting out and only learning how to keep things from dying. Hatchery stock makes for good practicing and you aren't out much good money if you make a few mistakes along the way or lose something to a predator.

Just my two cents and all.

 

[Fred's Hens]

So THAT'S what an incubator looks like.....

With good broody hens, they aren't always needed, but my schedule and the broody's doesn't always match up. LOL

 

[Fred's Hens]

Maven, I gotta tell you. Even in that photo, just snapped to grab a picture of the boy, I can see some VERY nice utility birds. I'd be very proud to work with those specimens.

 

[Beekissed]

That was the same three that I was eyeballin'...weird, but if you get a liking for a certain look you can spot it in all the flocks you see. First place my eye goes.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I like the black one showin' off her rear end too!

We'd have to see some better individual shots, but I'll just say, there'd be something to start with there, that's for sure. Don't like the way that male holds his tail, but that second pullet, that flat back girl would be able to pull that down, I reckon. We're sick.

 

[MagicChicken]

I think the last 10 pages or so were some of the best on the thread so far, regarding breeding for Utility.

Yes! I'd almost given up on this thread - it moves so fast and got way off topic - but y'all have brought it back with some great, useful info. Thanks! (For future reference, Al's quote above was from page 1165.)

Pop Quiz
​

Ok, here is the promised Pop Quiz. But here are the rules and background info.

There are two birds focused on here. I will try to identify them simply as Bird #1 and Bird #2. They are both ISA Browns, the quintessential layer. Think the CX of the layer birds. These are not dual purpose fowl. They are dedicated purpose fowl. Eggs, eggs and more eggs. They are both 8 months old, all the birds came in a box of 25, hatched on the same day, brooded together and raised together. Always been fed the same feed, in the same environment.

Apologize for my crappy photography and camera quality. It is what it is. While it doesn't come through on the camera well, I can give you this hint. Their feathering quality is vastly different in real life. You'll have to decide which is which and why.

Rules for the Quiz.

1. Only those who've kept backyard birds for less than 3 years are allowed to take the quiz.
2. No one can reply right now. Anyone who replies today, will be DQ'd. No ifs, ands or butts.
3. The window of turning in your Quiz responses will NOT be until this time tomorrow. There will be an open window of 8 hours in which to turn in your Quiz. Anytime tomorrow is just fine, after 1 pm EST. Noon CST, 11 am MST and 10 am PST. Sure, this is a gimmick, but hey. I want to think about this quiz and not give instant, knee jerk responses. OK?
4. Tell me what you see in comparing these two birds.
5. Tell me if you would cull one, both, neither, and why you think so.

OK, there it is. Is everyone ready for the photos to judge?

This is great, Fred! I probably won't be at the computer during the response window tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing what others have to say when I get back.

Sarah