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

[Fred's Hens]

If you have a smaller pen, or a tractor with a laying box or two, that is where I'd put my breeders.

In other words, I'd have my rooster and those 5 or 6 hens I want to use in the breeding program, in a separate pen or tractor. After 10 days, I'd start placing eggs from that breeding pen into the incubator. You can theoretically get 36-42 fertile eggs per week from 6 hens in the breeding pen.

That is likely enough to fill the incubator. Once you've incubated all the eggs you wish, you can release the birds, or "break up" the breeding pen, as they say.

This is one example of a breeding pen/tractor that we've used.

 

[aussie pete]

thanks Fred ,so basically the rest of the time i can just run them all together ,
these problems a rose IMO because i had been trying to run the 2 flocks separately with an insufficient hen to rooster ratio
cheers Pete

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup. You can run a large, mixed breed flock all year. But... a few weeks before you want breed specific or match specific fertilized eggs, you've got to make your matchups and hold them in a separate pen or tractor. Once you are finished hatching eggs, you can release them. It's how we do it anyway.

 

[galefrances]

Quote: Well, in theory, if the chick had superior nutrition, and therefore superior immune system during gestation, you should see a very hardy chicken. Studies have shown that nutrition in utero directly impacts the health of the offspring in canines and humans so why not chickens.

 

[galanie]

Y'all have me wishing I knew exactly when I started the FF. I let a broody set some eggs and long story but only one chick. But I noticed from day one that it was a sturdy little terd! It was about the time this egg was laid but I just can't be sure.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

I think I read on this thread about feeding chickens cat food, I have searched and searched and can't find the OT's advise on this. Does anyone note that page or recall the advice given? Thanks in advance for help on this!

 

[galanie]

I think the thing about cat food is that it's great for protien but is so high in oil content that it shouldn't be fed very much. Someone correct me on the reason if that's not right but I do remember not to feed it to them long term for some reason.

 

[Beekissed]

I've never fed cat food so I can't rightly give any 411 on that....just never found that necessary.

 

[ncastell311]

I'm hoping to get some good advice about treating a sour crop. I'm a backyard chickener (just 4 chickens). One of my chickens is quite lethargic compared to the others. She will walk slowly about, but only when the flock has moved (and she wants to follow). She is exhibiting symptoms of sour crop (a large, squishy crop that doesn't empty over night). There are a lot of recommended treatments on BYC, but only from seeming newbies. Is sour crop something you flock masters even treat? And if so, what do you do?

 

[Kansas Prairie]

I have never feed chickens cat food so I didn't really absorb what was said.
I know a guy that rips open large bags of cat food on the barn floor, his cats, dogs and chickens can have all they want. We've had people die in our area of hantavirus and his thinking is to fill his barns with cats and they will get all of the mice (hantavirus carriers). Some of his chickens look ok, others not so good. I'm sure he is also feeding skunks, raccoons and his cats were so fat I don't think they would chase mice.

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