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

[sourland]

Well, here's a try. Much like MFB, I'm still learning. Been around poultry of many species for 70+ years but still learning how much I don't know.

1) Let them be chickens above all else.

2) Don't name that which may become your food.

3) Don't rehabilitate human aggressive roosters. It's temporary at best and t's a genetic trait that can be selected against.

4) Raise your chicks outside of the house. They will do fine, and it's a heck of a lot more healthy for the humans involved.

5) If properly stored you can hold hatching eggs a heck of a lot longer than 7 - 10 days. I routinely held them 22 days (long enough to hatch a bator full, disinfect, and start over) and always had high percentage hatches. Just think how long it might take a hen to lay an entire clutch.

Sourland George who knows just how much he does NOT KNOW!

 

[Taylor]

Well according to my Grandfather, back in the 20's when your hens would stop laying, they would mix buttermilk and cornmeal up into a thick mixture, like cornbread batter, and add alot of cayenne pepper to it and let them scarf it up! got the hens to laying and the roosters to skaing their heads!

it works because i have fed mine this stuff everytime mine slow down laying, it really works!

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
What Bee said.
Plus, chickens don't need a heated coop, unless you live in the Antarctic. Or they aren't fully feathered yet. As in, tiny chick's.

 

[navasima]

I've been keeping chickens for 4 whole months now! According to much I've read here - I've done everything completely wrong, yet my birds have survived me and seem healthy and happy.

My grandfather was a farmer his whole life. I let myself get away with things that he would have laughed at ( putting my MENSA candidate pullet in the coop instead of letting her be stuck outside in the run and confused) and try to skip what would have probably made him really angry (spending a lot of money on a coop - I built mine instead). On his farm: NEVER did an animal come in the house! There was no animal without a job/purpose..... and all humans and animals were healthy ,happy and truly cared for. He would have been pretty ticked off to see an animal "coddled", dressed in people clothes, brought into the house - but filled with real rage if he thought an animal was mistreated.

Now, I've applied the same philosophy to my chickens that I have to the other animals in my life. Really, they need proper nutrition, shelter from weather and predators, a clean environment and the proper stimulation for their mental needs (ie. a working dog needs a job to do). Everyting else is for us. Does that leave me a lot to learn? Oh! Hell yes!!!!!! The moment you declare yourself done learning, you've established your idiocy! Will I consider the words of someone just because they've been on the planet longer than I have? Uh - yup!! Experience counts!!

That being said - Thank you for a thread that may make some sense! Thank you for allowing me to rant a bit. Please, share some real experience so that some of us can learn.

okay - shutting up and subscribing now....

 

[Tracydr]

Quote:
I've had chickens, guineas, peafowl and the occasional duck, quail, parrot, pigeon cockatiel, conure, since 1986. Had a break of 5 years due to divorce.
I've lived in climates ranging in severe cold ( WY), severe wet (W. WA), severe heat (AZ) and severe storms. (OK)
I recommend no bleach except to scrub very nasty waterers, no chemical dewormers unless you know you have worms and prevention vs antibiotics. In fact, I've actually never given a bird antibiotics, I've wormed exactly once in all these years and used sevin dust once when I had a mite outbreak.
Cull the birds that can't hack your program, climate or system. Feed a varied diet. Raise birds on dirt without cocciodiostats or vaccines except if there is a known outbreak. This will make your flock immunity stronger.

 

[Kadjain]

Fred's Hens :

One of my first flocks, circa 1959

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/69833_flock1960.jpg

What kind of chickens are those? Nice looking flock​

 

[Beekissed]

Cull the birds that can't hack your program, climate or system.

This could be one of the most important pieces of advice one can offer a new chicken owner....right here! Boom!

First, one might want to research breeds and even those who thrive in your area, purchase hardy breeds and THEN cull to get your ultimate flock genetics.

I'll add on just one more extremely important gem that every chicken owner needs to know, get familiar with, and practice~how to cull or kill a chicken. If you can't do that when you need to, please put the chick back into the plastic box at TSC. You don't need to even consider bringing her home....

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
How many chickens do you have?

I don't do anything extra for the girls when they slow down on laying eggs. I allow their bodies to do what it needs to do without treating them like a vending machine. I let nature take it's course. I am not a fan of providing extra light for eggs. Something doesn't sound right about that.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Up With The Chickens - Lighting and Heating

Good morning everyone, I've already been to do morning chores.

I do have the light come on at 5 am because I have to do chores in the barn and I have to see. Yes, it adds a few hours of pre-dawn light, but since our sunset is now 4:45, they aren't even getting 12 hours of light.

I've seen it spouted as if it came down with Moses from Sinai that hens MUST have 14 hours of light. Poppy-cock. Birds nearer the equator never get 14 hours of light.
If you want/need eggs in the winter, always integrate a portion of "spring chickens" into the flock. That expression means something, and I'm no spring chicken. First year pullets are your layers in quantity while second year layers provide quality.

Heating? Never. Until this past century, and Thomas Edison's application of electricity, who ever considered such a thing. The American Breeds, and yes, that is a category of large fowl, were all mostly developed in New England, Ohio, Up-State New York, Wisconsin all without electricity. If these breeds were not cold hardy, we'd not have their DNA today. Wyandottes, Dominickers, Plymouth Rocks, New Hampshires, Rhode Island Reds, Buckeyes, Orpingtons, etc all were bred for the cold, north American winter.

I just about spit my coffee out all over my MacBook whenever I read, "Hi, I'm in Florida and it's going to be almost 40 tonight. Sure I bring my birds in? I'm really worried about them out in the cold".

 

[henney penny]

This is good stuff