Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Usually 10 hens to one rooster is what I've always been told. In my laying flock I have 3 roos for about 35 hens right now. A few of the older ones probably will be culled in the spring.

 

[Prairie Fleur]

Usually 10 hens to one rooster is what I've always been told. In my laying flock I have 3 roos for about 35 hens right now. A few of the older ones probably will be culled in the spring.

Thanks!!! So I'm not Too far off with my 8 hens. I'd have had more if I hadn't lost so many to hawks.

 

[chicken danz]

Hello. I see that you have Nigerian Dwarf goats. What do you think of their milk? I hear that the milk is not goaty tasting. Are they easy to care for? I am wanting to get a few this spring. Thank you for any info or advice.

Ricki

I had Nigerians when I had goats. If you are wanting milkers they have some excellent advantages over other goats. First they are very friendly and personable. Secondly they are super milk producers. Third their smaller size means less feed necessary and easier to handle. I would recommend starting with very young goats though so you can humanize them and train them easier. I also would recommend anyone getting goats to have them polled. It will save you a lot of frustration cause those horns regardless of breed tend to get stuck in everything.
I do have lots of chickens and am not that far from you. I have centered my breed choices on good egg and meat producers combined with fancy and show quality and the most gentle demeaner. It all depends on what you are looking for in a bird. I charge more than the stuff you would get from Orshlen's or someplace but not that much. And if you ever do any of your own breeding and hatching you can make a whole lot more money with good quality chicks vs hatchery quality birds that are often not what they are advertised to be. I'm not that far from you either. Closer to spring when you are nearer ready to get birds I suggest you make a trip down here to look at the breeders. That will give you a better opportunity to choose some options.
Originally Posted by Prairie Fleur
I agree with Trish. About 10 hens per rooster is a good number. Of course you don't have to have that many but a rooster can keep about that many hens fertile if you are wanting to raise chicks and that usually is a sufficient number to keep them all from having bare backs. Of course that is never a guarantee when there are rooster favorites. If you aren't looking for breeding you could add a lot more hens to that number.

 

[Trish44]

My roosters in my laying flock are there mainly to help protect my hens more than anything & some eye candy for the yard. I do have the GPs but my general laying flock free range & often go up the hill into the backyard & down towards the orchard. I know the dogs can't be everywhere so at least if there is a rooster with a group of hens he can cause a ruckus & alert the dogs if something happens to come up during the day. Sometimes sneaky predators will come up during the day too when they think they can get away with it. I did lose a duck in the spring to something in the middle of the day. I have always used that 10 hens to 1 rooster rule & it seems to work out fine. Of course I do have less hens in my breeding pens than that.

When my son was young he had a problem with cow's milk so we tried goat's milk for awhile. I don't know what kind of goats the lady had that we got the milk from but it wasn't bad when it was really fresh & then the older it got the stronger the flavor got. I'm not a milk drinker anyway, but I do like goat cheese.

I feel like I'm finally making some progress with my knee, I'm doing a few exercises & challenging it a bit more to try to strengthen it now. I'm still having my DH do chores at least through this week & then we'll see how I'm doing next week. I just don't want to push it when I know I really did something to it & I don't want it to get worse again.

 

[cherwill]

We got an egg yesterday!!!

don't know who it's from tho. It's a good sized egg and perfectly formed. Darker brown than the brown store bought eggs I have in the fridge and lightly speckled. I'll maybe post a pic tomorrow.

Congratulations! I still get a little kick out of finding eggs in the nesting boxes.

I feel like I'm finally making some progress with my knee, I'm doing a few exercises & challenging it a bit more to try to strengthen it now. I'm still having my DH do chores at least through this week & then we'll see how I'm doing next week. I just don't want to push it when I know I really did something to it & I don't want it to get worse again.

That's good news. I think you're right not to push it, though.

 

[Trish44]

I sure am not looking forward to this weather coming. I know it's supposed to be winter but I could do without the white stuff for sure. I worry even more now about falling since I have another bad knee. I wish I didn't have to deal with this hill here but unfortunately it's the way it is.

 

[chicken danz]

Things are crazy here as usual. I really love/hate the holiday season. I'm just not in the mood for the holidays just yet.
I bought a new dog. I decided to get an intact male so I could breed Brittany in about 6 months or so. I've looked for a male to use for over a year with no luck. With GPs you can't just take a female to a working male and expect them to get along or to not loose your female. It would take the male out of working for a few days.
The dog I got was actually a rescue of sorts and had been starved as a pup with no humane contact. He is very small for his age but I am told he can still produce the larger dog genes. His exact age isn't known but he is somewhere under a year. He needs a full work up and needs all his shots and stuff. Depending on his actual age his growth platelets still could have a little time so he could grow at least another inch or two as well. What I notice is his head is still quite small. I started a thorough worming on him yesterday. At least my hope is to breed Britt and save a female pup with Marshmallow traits. Not that I need another dog right now or even later. I just don't want to loose those wonderful blood lines.
I've got a few people interested in buying some birds right now but every one wants a super bargain. I will probably go ahead and sell some cheap just to help pay vet bills and such. As usual I have way too many birds but hope after the first of the year to have some well started ones to sell at a little better price.

 

[spree56]

Things are crazy here as usual. I really love/hate the holiday season.  I'm just not in the mood for the holidays just yet.
I bought a new dog. I decided to get an intact male so I could breed Brittany in about 6 months or so. I've looked for a male to use for over a year with no luck. With GPs you can't just take a female to a working male and expect them to get along or to not loose your female. It would take the male out of working for a few days.
The dog I got was actually a rescue of sorts and had been starved as a pup with no humane contact. He is very small for his age but I am told he can still produce the larger dog genes. His exact age isn't known but he is somewhere under a year. He needs a full work up and needs all his shots and stuff. Depending on his actual age his growth platelets still could have a little time so he could grow at least another inch or two as well. What I notice is his head is still quite small.  I started a thorough worming on him yesterday. At least my hope is to breed Britt and save a female pup with Marshmallow traits. Not that I need another dog right now or even later. I just don't want to loose those wonderful blood lines.
I've got a few people interested in buying some birds right now but every one wants a super bargain. I will probably go ahead and sell some cheap just to help pay vet bills and such. As usual I have way too many birds but hope after the first of the year to have some well started ones to sell at a little better price.

Can you tell anything about his personality? I hope he works out well for you and you get an offspring that brings back Marshmallow's traits for you. She must have been a very special one.
I'm not looking forward to the weather that we might be getting. Makes shiver just thinking about it. Yesterday was a nasty sample and I'm not interested.

 

[chicken danz]

Yes he is very sweet and a bit timid. Perfect Pyr traits IMO. He was around Nigerians, horses, and chickens so at least he is safe. He had also been around kids and done well.
Marshmallow was special. I wish I had pictures of her when she was young. We just totally bonded as soon as she got used to being around a human. She was a mama's girl 100%. I knew that beyond a doubt if anyone ever made an aggressive move toward me she would protect me. There was more than once I saw her place herself between me and someone else and fluff up and show her teeth and give a warning growl. But if I said, " It's okay. " She would relax but still watch them. Even the last day when I went to visit her before surgery and she was feeling so poorly she still acted excited to see me and got up, although she had been spending all her time laying.
Britt, her daughter was raised by Ivy Woods and was more of a man's dog when I got her back. I've had her for probably a year and half or more and she is just now starting to bond to me well. She has Marshmallow's hard work ethic but more of her Daddy's looks. And of course her Dad, Fluff is the biggest sweetest loveable dog ever.
These guys are still getting used to the new dog. They visit the kennel a few times a day and bark but then walk away. They are getting used to him bit by bit.

 

[Trish44]

danz I'm sure when the other GPs figure out that this dog is staying they will accept him. I just am amazed all the time at how mine know exactly what belongs here as I told someone last night. We have cats that come & go here & they know which ones live here & which don't. If a strange one comes in they chase it off but they love the ones that live here. They snuggle together when it's cold, the cats just love those big furry warm beds in winter. My GPs seem to have this inventory of all the birds & animals that live here & if something new comes in they catalog it.

I spoiled my chickens today with some acorn squash I bought for them. They love picking out the seeds & then they will pick at the squash until it's totally gone. They got some leftovers from the fridge today as well.