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

[canesisters]

Corn oil in a spray bottle lets you really top dress feed so everybody gets some. I also feed Calf Manna as a supplement to growing birds, or birds that I am conditioning for show. It helps put a sheen on them too. Whole grains fed to youngsters as soon as they are able to eat them, will put bigger bodies on them too, not to mention healthier organs. I learned this from Herb Holtz years ago. He ran an experiment with two sets of SLW LF. One group got cracked grains (scratch), and the other group got whole grains: Whole oats, wheat, and corn. The difference in body size, and particularly organ size at slaughter, was enough to convince Herb.He bred and showed tremendous birds.

I'd love to hear more about this. Being new to this, I've learned to ask lots of 'dumb questions' and not to assume that I know what people are talking about. When you say feeding whole grains, do you mean exclusively? My girls are 12 weeks old and are pet/layers so I'm not looking for max slaughter size but only interested in healthy, happy birds (which is often related, isn't it). Would it make any difference to start them on this diet now? What sort of mix? Fed how?
Thanks

 

[Ridgerunner]

When do the hens learn to not fight the young rooster? At 6 months old can he even do the deed?

I did not see this one answered.

At 6 months a cockerel can do the deed if the hen will let him. With chickens, the mating ritual is as much about dominance as mating.

Throughout the animal kingdom, it is pretty normal for males to have to impress the females before they are allowed to mate. This might be fighting, displaying horns or feathers, protecting a territory, building nests or dens, dancing, many different things depending on the species. I've had cockerels under 6 months that can do it, and younger pullets are often more easily impressed then mature hens. But it is hard for an immature cockerel to impress the mature hens enough that they will readily allow mating. A lot of times the young pullets are not that impressed either.

When will the hens learn to not fight the rooster? When he matures enough to deserve it. Some do it pretty young. Some never do.

 

[thedragonlady]

I'd love to hear more about this. Being new to this, I've learned to ask lots of 'dumb questions' and not to assume that I know what people are talking about. When you say feeding whole grains, do you mean exclusively? My girls are 12 weeks old and are pet/layers so I'm not looking for max slaughter size but only interested in healthy, happy birds (which is often related, isn't it). Would it make any difference to start them on this diet now? What sort of mix? Fed how?
Thanks

I keep my LF growing birds on a medicated starter-grower with Calf Manna until they are 6- 8 mos old free choice. That is the basic ration. Any additional grains fed as "scratch" are whole grains : Black oil sunflower seeds, whole oats, corn,wheat, milo. Less corn is fed in hot weather. I hatch very early during cold weather as the young birds will eat more to stay warm , resulting in greater size. The extra fiber from the whole grains is what helps keep a chicken warm digesting it, and the added fat gives them the calories to grow and stay warm too.

When I raise bantams I hatch them during hot weather, or keep them in heated coops. This will help control size due to the fact that they will eat less. All my bantams are fed Purina Gamebird Starter-Grower with BOSS as a treat. By and large, the best bantams are raised in warm climates, and the best LF in cold climates. If you want to compete nationally, you have to create the right conditions.

 

[galanie]

I have learned more about feeding chickens in the last 30 minutes reading here than I think I've learned in the previous 3 years. Thank you all!!!

PS - I have some lard in the pantry that has been there for over a year. The commercial stuff is pure enough that it does not go bad. My folks were born between 1913 and 1919 and I know all about rancid fats. I've heard hair curling stories about selling rancid butter in the country stores and the whole 9 yards. But no, today's lard you get in the store doesn't go bad.

 

[al6517]

Thanks Al for the feed discussion! Most Vegetable oils on the shelf in the stores in my neck of the woods is soy oil which I have been adding to my breeders feed. You have to really search to find corn oil. What is the general thought on soy oil?

Haven't ever had to use it or in my neck of the woods you rarely even see it, Oregon vs Oklahoma they might as well be two different planets LOL, . I think as long as you can get a hold of something with allot of saturated fat that should be fine.

 

[al6517]

Quote:


Your the only other person on this entire forum that I have heard besides myself who uses Calf manna as a feed suppliment. I have recommended it many times but never actually heard if they have used it. I use it often especialy during breeding & hatching season, I absolutely swear by that stuff it is the best supplement you could give quality bred bird for so many different things. I however just do a slight top dress of it because they only call for a small handfull per bird per day.

 

[fowlman01]

Your the only other person on this entire forum that I have heard besides myself who uses Calf manna as a feed suppliment. I have recommended it many times but never actually heard if they have used it. I use it often especialy during breeding & hatching season, I absolutely swear by that stuff it is the best supplement you could give quality bred bird for so many different things. I however just do a slight top dress of it because they only call for a small handfull per bird per day.

That is an old show feed trick, but for some reason you don't hear about it now. Maybe it is too easy and uncomplicated.

Walt

 

[Ridgerunner]

Al, Jim, and others I’m going to disagree with you. Not everyone needs show quality chickens. Not everybody needs a dog that can take a prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Not everyone needs a chicken that can take a Grand Championship at Ohio Nationals.

I think top quality show chickens are a waste for most people. For their goals, hatchery chickens are fine. I’m not arguing with you on the difference in quality and I admire your passion for your breeds. And I am not arguing about what people say, do, or know about chickens. But if you don’t have that passion, you don’t need them. Besides, without that passion to learn what to do and spend the time and money to do it right, if you start with show quality chickens without carefully and knowledgeably selecting the breeders, you’re back to hatchery quality chickens in a very few generations. Just from playing with genetics in my little flock, I think I can appreciate how hard it has to be to keep a flock of chickens show-quality.

I consider my parents and their parents about as old-timer as you can get. They raised chickens for meat and eggs to feed their families. They did not care about eye color, how pretty the feathers were, or any of that. They did not feed their chickens anything unless there was snow on the ground, then they would shell some corn and toss it to them. When I was a kid that was my job. Every four or five years in late spring, Dad would pick up a dozen hatchery chicks at the co-op, raise them for maybe three weeks in a cardboard box on the back porch with a bare incandescent bulb for heat and feeding them corn meal, then just turn them loose down at the coop. They lived (at least most of them did), they learned to forage for their food, and his next rooster came from those chicks. I was not aware of any show-quality chickens on any neighbor’s farm, but they all had a flock of chickens.

For some people it is important. Some people will spend thousands of dollars for a purebred dog that they never intend to show. Some people may show them or train them to work at specific tasks. I get my mutts at the pound. They chased an armadillo away from the house last night. Woke me up doing it to, but when I saw what it was I went back to bed. Some people want show-quality chickens for their own reasons. That is their business. But just because you have a passion for show chickens does not mean that everyone does.

 

[al6517]

Perhaps your right Walt or like I said some folks won't spend the small amount of extra cash to feed their birds to prevent issues, they would much rather post here in a state of panic over a few bald backed hen's, where someone will make them feel better by saying they have a too randy of a rooster. I hope perhaps we have put that Ole wifes tale to rest once and for all.

Yeah Walt that Calf manna is good stuff there I tell ya................. some folks might think it's pricey but at such small dose amounts I think it's very economical, and well worth every cent. When I seperate birds 3 months prior to show season for conditioning it is a mainstay of their diet and helps me get them in tip top shape in half the time.

 

[al6517]

Al, Jim, and others I’m going to disagree with you. Not everyone needs show quality chickens. Not everybody needs a dog that can take a prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Not everyone needs a chicken that can take a Grand Championship at Ohio Nationals.

I think top quality show chickens are a waste for most people. For their goals, hatchery chickens are fine. I’m not arguing with you on the difference in quality and I admire your passion for your breeds. And I am not arguing about what people say, do, or know about chickens. But if you don’t have that passion, you don’t need them. Besides, without that passion to learn what to do and spend the time and money to do it right, if you start with show quality chickens without carefully and knowledgeably selecting the breeders, you’re back to hatchery quality chickens in a very few generations. Just from playing with genetics in my little flock, I think I can appreciate how hard it has to be to keep a flock of chickens show-quality.

I consider my parents and their parents about as old-timer as you can get. They raised chickens for meat and eggs to feed their families. They did not care about eye color, how pretty the feathers were, or any of that. They did not feed their chickens anything unless there was snow on the ground, then they would shell some corn and toss it to them. When I was a kid that was my job. Every four or five years in late spring, Dad would pick up a dozen hatchery chicks at the co-op, raise them for maybe three weeks in a cardboard box on the back porch with a bare incandescent bulb for heat and feeding them corn meal, then just turn them loose down at the coop. They lived (at least most of them did), they learned to forage for their food, and his next rooster came from those chicks. I was not aware of any show-quality chickens on any neighbor’s farm, but they all had a flock of chickens.

For some people it is important. Some people will spend thousands of dollars for a purebred dog that they never intend to show. Some people may show them or train them to work at specific tasks. I get my mutts at the pound. They chased an armadillo away from the house last night. Woke me up doing it to, but when I saw what it was I went back to bed. Some people want show-quality chickens for their own reasons. That is their business. But just because you have a passion for show chickens does not mean that everyone does.

I couldn't agree more, and you are absolutely correct here......................... I guess what I was aiming at was maybe get a hold of just some good decent stock from any place other than the chicken mills. We both know that these birds won't be all that expensive to obtain, I just think that if more folks had real chickens they would have a whole different appreciation for their chosen breeds. There are at least 80% of the folks on most of these internet forums that should never have decent birds, I think you know what I mean here. Pet type house chicken folks I wouldn't trust with quality birds, becuase that would be a waste and they are much happier with the mutts anyway. Hatcheries have their place for sure, and with the help of the BYC in their pocket plugging them, they are now in the 1%er bracket LOL.

I think allot of us with show birds and such even if we didn't show we would still have decent stock in our flock, just because we like and can see quality, that all. But sure back in the day you speak of that was very common practice, but the birds were still of much better quality than they are now. So yes I whole heartedly agree with you there, it's kind of like there are some folks you would let drive your car, and some you won't even let touch it, that sort of thing.