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

[Maven]

Once you get a strain you like, be it from hatchery stock or a slightly better-than-average backyard breeder, I'd stay with those few birds that are the best of bunch. I'd breed and cull until I had a bunch of birds I like. There's not much to be gained by constantly buying more and more hatchery stock, really, from my point of view. We've selectively bred our birds for 4 generations now and we honestly like what we have. They are far, far from type, quite honestly. You couldn't breed a true-to-standard or show type out of them if you took a decade or more of trying. The DNA just isn't there. But..... Healthy, thrifty, good laying birds? One cannot do any better than that, if what one wants is thrifty, healthy, good laying birds and we do.

Heritage lines simply aren't for everyone. Heritage birds are often larger, very slow to mature, often eat a lot and usually lay far fewer eggs. That's just the way it is. They can be impossible to find, as there simple aren't enough of them to go around. Breeders of the very best don't want to sell to hobbyists or backyard folks, particularly. They want to share their passion with other like-minded people who will breed and usually show them, which might be 1% of the population. Some of the top breeders only produce a few dozen birds a year, so it isn't as if you can just place an order for them. They must also be bred carefully or the flock will also go into decline in the out years as well.

Fred, those are some very grounded, sage, wise words of wisdom right there, and they are exactly what I needed to hear this afternoon. You just don't know how timely this was for me; I've been starting to get a bit of 'top quality heritage bird fever' as of late and 1) I can't really afford it and 2) I don't have any intention of showing birds so I don't really need it. THANK YOU!

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred, those are some very grounded, sage, wise words of wisdom right there, and they are exactly what I needed to hear this afternoon. You just don't know how timely this was for me; I've been starting to get a bit of 'top quality heritage bird fever' as of late and 1) I can't really afford it and 2) I don't have any intention of showing birds so I don't really need it. THANK YOU!

You are most welcome, if it helped? Great. Now, to be sure, we have some heirloom, heritage fowl and what a wonder they are! Night and day, really. But, for plain old utility, it is hard to beat breeding your own best hatchery stock and enjoying them. They aren't heirlooms, they aren't heritage, they aren't bred to the SOP, they'd never be show stock, but for the vast majority of people, they're just fine. When and if the time comes for you to consider some heirloom type birds, it will be an exciting adventure as well.

 

[Nomibear]

Posts like this make me Jealous and relieved at the same time. Jealous because with birds from Ideal (A hatchery) I expected to have chicks that would lay between 16-18 weeks. If early laying is a sign that they will quit on me early as well, then I'm delighted to see that I have better stock!

I think i have to throw out what i said before.

I found 2 eggs in the next boxes this afternoon!!

they would be the smaller ones on each side of the Extra Lg store bought egg.

 

[NanaKat]

Definitely pullet eggs. It takes a while for their eggs to reach full size.

 

[armorfirelady]

I was laughing to myself when I saw the posts about chickens and the rain (Not that your chicken died)

Yesterday we had rain all day & I occasionally went out to make sure the hens were ok. Those silly hens were out in the run in the torrential downpour scratching away looking for some tasty bugs like it was not raining at all. Stretcing their wings and wagging their newly grown tail feathers.

Since they have a new shelter out in the big run & their small run has a new roof on it I figured if they got sick of being in the rain they would get cover. I didnt see them much under cover until dinner time of course. They even ignored their veggies in favor of running out the pop door to get bugs.

And when I checked on them before bed they were warm as toast in the coop even with the wind blowing.

Tho I think they are not going to be impressed when I move their favorite roost that sits in front of the cross vent spots for the winter. I am trying to hold off as long as I can........def need to be outside while they roost that night cuz there is def going to be some squaking going on

 

[gardendufus]

Breeders of the very best don't want to sell to hobbyists or backyard folks, particularly. They want to share their passion with other like-minded people who will breed and usually show them, which might be 1% of the population. Some of the top breeders only produce a few dozen birds a year, so it isn't as if you can just place an order for them. They must also be bred carefully or the flock will also go into decline in the out years as well.

When I was deciding which breed(s) I wanted, I was at first determined to get heritage stock from a breeder, and even found one willing to sell to me. After more thought tho, I reasoned that it would be a waste of good stock and the death of at least a part of a bloodline (maybe not right terminology) to bring good stock into a backyard flock with no intentions of carrying the breed further. Even with a rooster, I would not have had the desire or dedication to selectively breed or improve the line. I had to conceded that others were deserving and qualified than I. I made the decision to just try to get the best hatchery stock I could. It's nice to know, at least, that my thinking process was correct.

 

[Lazarus718]

I was laughing to myself when I saw the posts about chickens and the rain (Not that your chicken died)

Yesterday we had rain all day & I occasionally went out to make sure the hens were ok. Those silly hens were out in the run in the torrential downpour scratching away looking for some tasty bugs like it was not raining at all. Stretcing their wings and wagging their newly grown tail feathers.

Since they have a new shelter out in the big run & their small run has a new roof on it I figured if they got sick of being in the rain they would get cover. I didnt see them much under cover until dinner time of course. They even ignored their veggies in favor of running out the pop door to get bugs.

And when I checked on them before bed they were warm as toast in the coop even with the wind blowing.

Tho I think they are not going to be impressed when I move their favorite roost that sits in front of the cross vent spots for the winter. I am trying to hold off as long as I can........def need to be outside while they roost that night cuz there is def going to be some squaking going on

I'm guessing your temps stay fairly steady up there when it rains and you didn't have a 12 week old cochin out there. When we get these storms as the seasons are changing we see temp swings like we did that day from around 105 F to upper 50's in the matter of 20-30 minutes. We are at an altitude of around 5300 ft. here, and those kind of swings on a young, wet bird that isn't as well equipped as some of the breeds out there definitely do make a difference. Thought it would be a wise thing to let others know the lesson we learned that day so they don't make similar mistakes. Unfortunately they did not have the option of getting under some shelter because they were in a cage and my wife did not expect a storm front to move in so quickly (none was forecasted). I think your Schwarzenegger birds would have been smacked around by that temp gradient as well.

 

[Fred's Hens]

When I was deciding which breed(s) I wanted, I was at first determined to get heritage stock from a breeder, and even found one willing to sell to me. After more thought tho, I reasoned that it would be a waste of good stock and the death of at least a part of a bloodline (maybe not right terminology) to bring good stock into a backyard flock with no intentions of carrying the breed further. Even with a rooster, I would not have had the desire or dedication to selectively breed or improve the line. I had to conceded that others were deserving and qualified than I. I made the decision to just try to get the best hatchery stock I could. It's nice to know, at least, that my thinking process was correct.

Your thinking is indeed clear and intelligent. Why would a breeder of these rare, limited in number birds want to necessarily sell birds just to be looked at and then die? This would indeed be the end of that part of the bloodline. This is the reality of the heritage, heirloom birds that many folks do not always consider. I'm glad you came to that conclusion. Yes, most breeders are passionate about their birds and are desperately trying to preserve them. What they seek are those few folks who will embrace their passion and assist with the preservation process of these heirlooms. There are those who believe that the true Delaware, the Delaware of the golden age, is now extinct. The strains with their DNA lost. This is just one example. The RIRs, while recovering a bit, are reported to be down to two or three pure strains. The New Hampshire is in no better shape. The list goes on and on. These old lines are in desperate shape. The Dominique? Some say it too went extinct, but some "very close" strains remain, barely.

None of this matters to those who don't know, care or are in no position to assist in heirloom preservation. But, to those handful of passionate people, this stuff really matters.

 

[Nomibear]

Some hens never lay at all.  The longest I've waited for a hen was 9 mo. but I knew when all the other hens of her breed were well into lay by 5 mo. and she didn't that I might have a non-layer on my hands...but hope springs eternal...and I usually only cull once a year, so I fed the barren hen all winter.  I'd give her another month but it doesn't sound good....

 

Maybe this is one of the stupid questions, But...
How do you know who is laying and who isn't? I have 19 chickens and some of you have many more then that. How can you pick out the one that is barren?
Answers from all are welcome

 

[armorfirelady]

I'm guessing your temps stay fairly steady up there when it rains and you didn't have a 12 week old cochin out there. When we get these storms as the seasons are changing we see temp swings like we did that day from around 105 F to upper 50's in the matter of 20-30 minutes. We are at an altitude of around 5300 ft. here, and those kind of swings on a young, wet bird that isn't as well equipped as some of the breeds out there definitely do make a difference. Thought it would be a wise thing to let others know the lesson we learned that day so they don't make similar mistakes. Unfortunately they did not have the option of getting under some shelter because they were in a cage and my wife did not expect a storm front to move in so quickly (none was forecasted). I think your Schwarzenegger birds would have been smacked around by that temp gradient as well.

I am sorry I was not criticizing you. The temp varied by 15 degrees here today so no where near your variation.
And yes I agree letting others now is important