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

[Ridgerunner]

The feather loss thing is interesting to me because I have one with lots of feather damage from mating. BUT. She does seem to be the roo's favorite. And she has loose brittle feathering. I've watched and often he just surprises her, she lets out a tiny squawk and squats, then he sometimes does the fake mating thing but sometimes follows through. I need to watch them all more than I do I think. I still think she's his favorite because of her behavior. She's "easy" for him to mount and since he's been around, she follows him and stays with him more than the others. It's almost like she has gained status because of him. But maybe he doesn't really even try to mount her that much. I'll have to watch.

As Fred said, there are a lot of variables. The study I quoted was broiler breeders in a pen situation with certain aged hens and several roosters, not dual purpose chickens roaming in the backyard setting with maybe one or two roosters. You have to be careful how you interpret the results. That's why I carefully said the hen has responsibilities, not that it is always totally her fault.

I have had a few hens that showed a lot more feather damage than others. When I removed those hens from the flock, I had no more hens with that damage. I've had more of that damage with good hen to rooster ratios than bad ratios, but that was before I started removing the hens with damage and preventing them from breeding. I think age of the roosters probably has something to do with it, but maybe not with mature hens. They generally don't tolerate the young brats. I do think there are a lot of variables.

An example. Kathy's Swedish study reminded me of one I read a few years back. I think it was Dutch but may have been Irish. That study looked at chickens in a backyard-type situation where they could truly free-range. The flock had several hens and roosters, I don't remember ages, breeds, or a lot of other details. But they counted how many times a rooster mated a hen, tracking by dominant and non-dominant roosters. Their conclusion was that the non-dominant roosters mated the hens about as often as the dominant, just not in his presence. So they thought the non-dominant rooster had a fairly even chance of passing on his genes compared to the dominant rooster.

The Swedish study went a lot further and looked at the efficiency of the mating. The results are different.

 

[galanie]

As Fred said, there are a lot of variables. The study I quoted was broiler breeders in a pen situation with certain aged hens and several roosters, not dual purpose chickens roaming in the backyard setting with maybe one or two roosters. You have to be careful how you interpret the results. That's why I carefully said the hen has responsibilities, not that it is always totally her fault.
I have had a few hens that showed a lot more feather damage than others. When I removed those hens from the flock, I had no more hens with that damage. I've had more of that damage with good hen to rooster ratios than bad ratios, but that was before I started removing the hens with damage and preventing them from breeding. I think age of the roosters probably has something to do with it, but maybe not with mature hens. They generally don't tolerate the young brats. I do think there are a lot of variables.
An example. Kathy's Swedish study reminded me of one I read a few years back. I think it was Dutch but may have been Irish. That study looked at chickens in a backyard-type situation where they could truly free-range. The flock had several hens and roosters, I don't remember ages, breeds, or a lot of other details. But they counted how many times a rooster mated a hen, tracking by dominant and non-dominant roosters. Their conclusion was that the non-dominant roosters mated the hens about as often as the dominant, just not in his presence. So they thought the non-dominant rooster had a fairly even chance of passing on his genes compared to the dominant rooster.
The Swedish study went a lot further and looked at the efficiency of the mating. The results are different.

You're correct, those studies were done in a controlled environment that is different from a flock of 12 on over half of a 1/2 acre lot. But it does provide food for though, regardless. Sure the hen in question does have the feathering that would most likely be damaged, but with other roosters it was not. Even though she received as much or more attention than any others. She is not going to be used for breeding anyway but still there's something there which I was unaware of before.

LOL and no the boy isn't going in to the stew pot! But then she won't either yet. I don't have a reason to have fewer hens right now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Exciting news today! Mr. Nixon(my roo) is finally crowing!!
I know, no one cares, but I'm excited and proud and wanted to share with my BYC friends!
And I was beginning to wonder if he would ever crow!

It's what's important ot you that counts. We all take our victories where we can.

I've been trying for a certain color and pattern. I though I had a shot last year but no, did not work. This year I have two pullets that fit the description I want. They're not laying yet so I have to evaluate that but I feel a lot better. In theory I knew it should work, but it is really nice to actually see it.

 

[caj1985]

It's what's important ot you that counts. We all take our victories where we can.
I've been trying for a certain color and pattern. I though I had a shot last year but no, did not work. This year I have two pullets that fit the description I want. They're not laying yet so I have to evaluate that but I feel a lot better. In theory I knew it should work, but it is really nice to actually see it.

RR,

What are you working on if you don't mind telling? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Melabella]

How many hens to roo ratio do you experienced people think is good? Just wondering as i am a total newbie here.

These articles are so interesting, and for a complete neophyte as myself, learning a lot here...

Thanks for the education!

MB

 

[JeffOeuf]

If I could impose on the OT's for a moment, I have a question about droppings.

I bought a couple hens back in late September that I was told were about a year old, and nothing I have seen would change my mind about that...they aren't pullets, but they're not old hens, either. I had four pullets that I raised from chicks, purchased in March. Something got three of them in September, quite possibly a two-legged predator, since there wasn't so much as a single feather left behind.

To the point, the girls that I raised from chicks free-ranged from sun-up to sundown almost every day since they were big enough to scare the cats, and were tended by me in the yard even before that. Their droppings were, and those of the sole survivor continue to be, quite large...somewhere between the diameter of a nickel and a quarter. Those of the girls I bought in September were less than the diameter of a pencil when I brought them home, but have now morphed into something similar.

I'm guessing that the difference is the amount of greens they eat. I don't really see any other reason. They're all foraging fools...pecking, scratching and nibbling all day long, except when they're dust-bathing under the fig bushes. They eat very little chicken feed, even though it is always available. The new-to-me girls have put on weight and their feathers look shinier and seem to have filled out a little. I guess the question is, are the tiny droppings a sign of being fed chicken-feed only, or is something else at play? The new-to-me girls' eggs definitely have stronger shells than they did when I brought them home, and they seem a bit larger, too, but they've always been good.

What brought the question up was that I bought a couple more pullets, and I'm seeing the same thing.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, foraging for their diet causes more fiber intake and consequently a lot more bulk in the stool. It's a good thing! I'm glad you posted about the differences because I got to see the same thing happen with this flock I just recovered. Their stool was watery and the actual feces were pencil thin and dark green to black in color, very little urates noticed. A few days on free range put them back to a healthier stool, more light green in color with healthy bulk and perfect white urate caps.

 

[JeffOeuf]

... more light green in color with healthy bulk and perfect white urate caps.

That's what I have. Oodles and buckets of it.

The new pullets, though, have something different. The urate cap has a yellow tinge to it...or did when I brought them home a week ago. Don't notice it as much anymore. Any ideas?

 

[smyers32]

Awww, shucks guys. Thanks for sharing in my joy! And now that he's crowing, I think he's having an identity crisis. I kept hearing this long low growling noise coming from the horse stall and I found him in the corner making a nest in the leftover hay and later found him all hunkered down there just cooing away....weird roo.

You'd think after 50 years, all this would be old hat. Don't believe it.

And here I was feelin' a little silly for getting so excited, thinking it was just the greenhorn in me.

In other news, look who I found in the nest box...

 

[Beekissed]

Jeff, probably just a result of their diet and maybe a little too much protein...excess protein can cause problems with renal function. Some of the info out there about yellow urates states it's an overgrowth of e.coli in the bowel but since yours resolved quickly I'd say yours wasn't or the free range diet balanced out those intestinal flora to the degree that the e.coli is more in check.