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

[stonykill]

I am NOT very happy with this thread.....I read all 4,084 posts, took notes, watched the incubation video got to know you folks just by reading your posts. Loved it because I like being around OT's, always have. But then I went to another thread and what did I see but a bunch of whiny chicken huggers talking about putting stuffed animals in their brooders and keeping their chickens in the living room. I kept thinking, 'what would Al say about this?' or 'Man, Fred would hate this'. My point is....you've all ruined me from reading other threads! I suppose I'll just have to pull up a chair and keep hanging out with you OTs and the other newbies that have discovered where the REAL information can be gathered! Thanks for all of your help and for sharing your coops with me. I'm brooding my first flock now and I've had all of my many, many questions answered here.

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[galanie]

I'm an OT in years but not in chicken keeping years but I do read quite a bit and believe in common sense. You'd never eat rotting meat yourself for fear of disease. There was a fellow who advocated rotting meat so the chickens could eat the maggots that wrote an article, I think for Mother Earth News. Though it could have been for another chicken site.

Well, he lost a large part of his flock to botulism and had to withdraw this advice. So do as you wish but be aware of the possible consequences. Like other things, the birds might not get sick this time but the next time, who knows?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

At least we still have the hair on the back of our heads, huh?

Right!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Cook your rotted meat first.

 

[deek]

A.T. Hagin writes on another thread:

... At the end of their second year the older birds would be culled unless the farmer was doing his own breeding. Then the best of the older birds would be retained for that purpose...


Edited by A.T. Hagan -

When some hens and cocks are kept for breeding, when is their peak year? Another words, when in their lifespan would they not be quite mature enough or too old?

 

[Ridgerunner]

A.T. Hagin writes on another thread:


... At the end of their second year the older birds would be culled unless the farmer was doing his own breeding. Then the best of the older birds would be retained for that purpose...

When some hens and cocks are kept for breeding, when is their peak year? Another words, when in their lifespan would they not be quite mature enough or too old?

There are different ways to answer this, but the farmer in this case was not looking for peak reproductive years. He was choosing his best stock to reproduce so he could maintain or maybe improve his flock.

The "peak" productive years are usually pretty young. Those young roosters can a pain but they will keep a lot of hen's fertile once they are old enough for the hens to accept them. First year pullets and hens will lay a lot of eggs compared to later years, so you could consider those "peak" productive years. But you don't get to see their productivity to decide which ones you actually want to breed.

 

[chickencowranch]

Has anyone here have a rooster die from old age?

 

[canesisters]

How have I missed this all this time!

subscribing.....

 

[fowlman01]

Has anyone here have a rooster die from old age?

It is hard to tell, but if they die after 12-15 years I just think of it as dieing of old age.

Walt

 

[al6517]

Quote:

True.............. My Avatar "The Hulk" passed this spring and he was up there in the 12-15 yr range, he was healthy one day, and feet up the next. Old age was my thought and I think it would have been a diservice to him to think anything otherwise, as he was the strongest chicken health wise I have ever raised or heard of. RIP HULK.