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

[smyers32]

Let me try this picture sharing thing...let me know if it works...

This is the young roo I'm so fond of. Of course I know nothing of what a BO roo is supposed to look like, but I think he's rather handsome! He's also very friendly and comical, doesn't want me to touch him, but doesn't mind me being around...the happy medium of tempermant IMO.

 

[smyers32]

While this is my first flock, I agree with Fred's post about what the birds experience. I wanted to "try out" different breeds, so I have one each of BO, BR, RIR, BSL, RSL, SLW, a white leghorn hen that lays an egg a day like clockwork, a Cochin hen, Cochin roo, and yes, even a silkie

roo. I knew I wanted to free range/pasture my chickens, so started taking them outside in a little tractor from about 5 days old, increasing the amount of time I left them out each time. They moved into their big girl coop from the brooder at about 4-5 weeks, and after a few days of lockdown, they've been free ever since. Those birds bolt outside as soon as they're awake, and don't return to the coop until dusk unless it's to lay an egg. They forage all over about 7 acres of land, even the silkie. They're beautiful, healthy birds, and I wouldn't keep them any other way

Again, I'm a total newbie! But I haven't noticed a bit of difference in my birds' foraging ability, even the fluffy butt Cochins & the silkie. Now we'll see how they fare in the cold winter months - I've already warned my husband that Silkie roo is likely to freeze to death.

I think that's where I made my first mistake....I should have just gotten little chicks rather than started pullets/adult birds. I wanted to skip the brooder and the 'delicate' stage, but after reading hundreds of pages of this thread, I realize I could easily just brood chicks on the ground in a horse stall and that they are FAR less 'delicate' than I had first imagined. Oh well, we live and we learn.. I've always been a 'dive-in-head-first-and-figure-it-out-as-you-swim-your-way-to-the-top' type of person. Maybe not the best approach, but I've made it this far in life.

 

[Beekissed]

He's very pretty and I love your green, verdant pasture!

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

I think that's where I made my first mistake....I should have just gotten little chicks rather than started pullets/adult birds.  I wanted to skip the brooder and the 'delicate' stage, but after reading hundreds of pages of this thread, I realize I could easily just brood chicks on the ground in a horse stall and that they are FAR less 'delicate' than I had first imagined.  Oh well, we live and we learn.. I've always been a 'dive-in-head-first-and-figure-it-out-as-you-swim-your-way-to-the-top' type of person. Maybe not the best approach, but I've made it this far in life.

Im that way, too! I was also under the same impression that chicks were delicate little things. I was even told (probably by the salesman) to buy twice as many as I actually wanted to reach POL... I did have one die the first night, but looking back, it was sort of a sickly little thing that I never should have brought home anyways. Others all survived & thrived. It worked out well though - you know how chicken math works! I converted a horse stall into a coop, and it works for us. I have a 14 stall barn and only 2 horses that are hardly ever in a stall since I free range them too lol -- & I'm considering a pig in the spring and may have a pig stall too! Better than building more out buildings when I have lots of unused space already available! The former owners/horse breeders and boarders would flip if they saw their precious horse barn converted into a chicken coop & pig pen The stalls on either ide of my coop are emoty, so I figure I can continue to predator-proof them and add some pop doors for a meatie pen and future breeding pen. Meaties in the spring with FF is the plan!

 

[smyers32]

Oh man! I'm jealous!! I wish I had that many stalls to work with. We have what would be a 6 stall barn, but only 2 stalls are usable and one needs to stay open for my 'free-range' horse for when the weather is nasty. My dad has filled the rest of the barn with junk and scrap lumber. Can't complain though, his barn and his 10 acres that I get to use for free, even if he does limit my space with hoarding.

 

[Seslar]

Do little round bumps on the back of my five-month-old chicks' legs really, really HAVE to mean that they are ALL cockerels? Really? Dang.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Do little round bumps on the back of my five-month-old chicks' legs really, really HAVE to mean that they are ALL cockerels? Really? Dang.

Who told you that?

 

[Beekissed]

The feed store guy.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

The feed store guy.

 

Rofl...
By 5 months, wouldn't most breeds be crowing if they were Roos? Mine were both crowing by then... Not to mention, the combs & gigantic wattles were a dead giveaway by about 2 months, compared to the pullets...

 

[thedragonlady]

The BOs are past their prime and they aren't great layers to begin with...average or mediocre at best. They eat a lot and aren't the best foragers. The EEs or Ameracaunas are average layers as well but should be able to forage decently if not presented with food in the morning and only fed towards evening. They molt yearly after their first year and can even molt a little in the first year, each bird is individual in their molt and it depends on their level of hormones, age, nutritional status, etc., as to how much they molt and for how long they molt. Molt and the recovery time can last all winter or not long at all, depends on the bird/flock.

They usually slow down on laying during this time of year and during molt.

Yes, you got suckered and I wouldn't buy off of a casual breeder anymore. You'll have better luck with hatcheries or with someone who is an honest, dependable breeder(good luck finding one of those). You got culls...unwanted birds.

No worries...you'll learn and as time goes on you won't be so easy to fool.

Whoa Bee,

I have very large SOP buff Orpingtons and imported English Buff Os. The SOP Buffs are laying fools, starting at about 5 months.They are also real good foragers. I have very few bugs, or snakes left on my 1 1/2 acres, and I only keep 20 birds, max,. as I live in town. My husband and I love eggs, but I'm constantly giving them to the neighbors to keep the peace over my cock birds' crowing. The English birds lay every day for about 2 months, and then want to go broody. 2 days in my broody coop, and they go back to laying. They WILL sit until hell freezes over on a clutch of eggs too.

I don't know where you got your Orps from, but please don't tar the breed with a broad brush!