Crossing my Red Ranger Hens.

[Morrigan]

Sometimes changing grit (size or type) can turn a soft shell egg into a hard shell egg

As in granite grit?

They have access to a lot of rocks in their soil, but maybe they are low in calcium. I might also switch up the oyster shell brand.

 

[Compost King]

I mix Gamebird feed with Chick started (non medicated) because the Broiler feed at the awesome feed mill I use is only 18% and only comes in pellets. I later found out its pretty much the same as the Chick Starter just that it comes in pellets. Its not medicated. I wanted something a little over 20% for my broiler feed. So I mix 1 Part 28% Game Bird, 2 parts 18% Chick Starter which comes out to 21.333%. This Feed Mill makes 21% Layer feed (as well as 16%) and i use the 21% for my layers because its just a dollar more a bag. My chickens look healthier even the Seramas. They do not get bigger because they are a small bird but since I jacked up their feed to 21% their feathers are so much nicer looking and their form is more beautiful. I do have to trim beaks and nails more often though lol.
As far as mixing up grit, I don't know about the different types of stones they may use but when I had an issue with a serama that laid soft shells I did not get success until I mixed Chick Grit with regular grit... even then it was a struggle to get consistent hard shells and I replaced her in my breeding program. It woudn't hurt to just try a different type of grit. I know when I change sources of grit I end up with a totally different looking type of stone... I think they are all granite I never read the labels lol.

 

[john_wrightson2003]

I mix Gamebird feed with Chick started (non medicated) because the Broiler feed at the awesome feed mill I use is only 18% and only comes in pellets. I later found out its pretty much the same as the Chick Starter just that it comes in pellets. Its not medicated. I wanted something a little over 20% for my broiler feed. So I mix 1 Part 28% Game Bird, 2 parts 18% Chick Starter which comes out to 21.333%. This Feed Mill makes 21% Layer feed (as well as 16%) and i use the 21% for my layers because its just a dollar more a bag. My chickens look healthier even the Seramas. They do not get bigger because they are a small bird but since I jacked up their feed to 21% their feathers are so much nicer looking and their form is more beautiful. I do have to trim beaks and nails more often though lol.
As far as mixing up grit, I don't know about the different types of stones they may use but when I had an issue with a serama that laid soft shells I did not get success until I mixed Chick Grit with regular grit... even then it was a struggle to get consistent hard shells and I replaced her in my breeding program. It woudn't hurt to just try a different type of grit. I know when I change sources of grit I end up with a totally different looking type of stone... I think they are all granite I never read the labels lol.

How many eggs are you getting a day? Ik its been gettin cold, and the light is alot less.

 

[Compost King]

I got 15 yesterday, if this was spring I would be getting 30, Some pullets just started laying recently which is keeping me from going below 10 eggs. However a new breeding flock just went into Molt and someone on my meaty Naked Neck hatching egg list might have to wait a while. The birds in question are heavy winter layers though so they will start laying some time soon I hope. I am still getting one Serama egg every other day, one of my girls doesn't let the lack of sunlight get her down. Mostly I am getting eggs from the Mutts I can't sell or breed. I guess I could breed them but no one would want the offspring.

 

[BlueBaby]

I got 15 yesterday, if this was spring I would be getting 30, Some pullets just started laying recently which is keeping me from going below 10 eggs. However a new breeding flock just went into Molt and someone on my meaty Naked Neck hatching egg list might have to wait a while. The birds in question are heavy winter layers though so they will start laying some time soon I hope. I am still getting one Serama egg every other day, one of my girls doesn't let the lack of sunlight get her down. Mostly I am getting eggs from the Mutts I can't sell or breed. I guess I could breed them but no one would want the offspring.

There are people out there that like mutt chicken's for different colored feathering or egg's. Some even try to breed the mutt's themselves, so your's would be giving them a faster start.

 

[Compost King]

There are people out there that like mutt chicken's for different colored feathering or egg's. Some even try to breed the mutt's themselves, so your's would be giving them a faster start.

They are hardier and tend to lay better than the pure bred hens they came from generations ago. I sell them for about half the price of pure breeds. The people who like them also like bargains. Its cool with me because they are so much easier to produce with a lower mortality rate.

 

[BlueBaby]

They are hardier and tend to lay better than the pure bred hens they came from generations ago. I sell them for about half the price of pure breeds. The people who like them also like bargains. Its cool with me because they are so much easier to produce with a lower mortality rate.

I think that is because there is a lack of new dna in the pure bred one's, and they all get too closely related.

 

[Compost King]

I think that is because there is a lack of new dna in the pure bred one's, and they all get too closely related.

True and I am not getting pure breds from high end (high price) breeders who know what they are doing. Its why my chickens are never sold for top dollar, true breeders earn those high prices with their selective breeding skills and I just take what ever breed I have and breed them. With the exception of my Ayam Cemanis that I received from a a reputable breeder as hatching eggs.

 

[Kris5902]

I try to hatch eggs as soon as a Pullet starts laying if I intend to hatch her eggs and if the rooster I want to put her with is available at POL. Yeah its not the best egg of her laying life to hatch out but I once choose to wait until the eggs were bigger and less likely to be double yolkers before I hatched and a string of dog attacks tore through my neighborhood. The worst part was that the dogs seem to either kill the only rooster of a particular breed or all the females... its also why I started making Meat birds because they were the only eggs I had to hatch a year ago when I started this thread. Although all My Dorking's were unharmed by the dog attacks the Hens didn't start laying until later in the year. Alls I really had were cross breed eggs and so I put my Red Rangers in with my Dorkings. I was going to do it eventually but I was only going to hatch out 3 at a time so I had a chicken a week to eat. So I made sex links (red and black) because I had the birds to make those and my Red Ranger crosses. I had plans to raise all sorts of different breeds that never came to be because of the dogs. I also wanted to stick to bantams because they cost less to feed. Now I pay like $300 a month in feed because I hatch out so many meat birds. I caught Meat bird fever, I enjoy raising meat birds because its easy for me to know if a bird came out right or not because I was eating it. I do not have an eye or attention to detail for SOP Breeding.
OK I got to rambling, my point is that even if its not the ideal egg to hatch, its good to get the next generation started early incase something happens to the birds you have.

I sympathize. I find that often the best time to do something is when I can instead of waiting for the ideal time, which often never comes. I often face this when planting something in the garden. Once you miss your chance, it's gone.

good to see you again @Kris5902!!!

my robust white that is laying is just getting to an okay size of egg, and BOOM she has switched to all doubles. I popped some in the incubator that I had sitting out, never rotated, and I’ve got nothing at 4 day candling. :-/

they’ve got the bullseye and I’m watching a cockerel mate her. I’m going to just keep the incubator running and throw in her eggs as they come singles and see if I can get something going and deal with the staggered hatch when it comes.

I totally would have incubated them, thoughif I had a reliable electricity source and enough (insulated) interior space to maintain the temperature in the incubator. Coming into winter, because my Trailer position was determined by level-ish ground over maximum light exposure (it was just “temporary”) I’m short of electricity from the solar panels... and our insulation situation? Makes @Morrigan ’s chicks look toasty warm with their “tasty” styrofoam! We can get freezing temperatures inside the trailer in November-February, add in the space crunch with 2 people And two cats in 150sq feet of “living” space? Sadly not feasible... probably a good thing though, because otherwise I would be hatching all winter long, and soon be well over my 150 bird “limit”. “Oh, no Mrs insurance agent... I don’t know how all those ‘feral’ chickens got here! Ask the store turkeys, maybe they know? Or the goats?”

 

[Compost King]

I have a dream of going off grid and I am trying to figure out a way to incubate eggs with an alternative method. Guess I need to invest in broody hens or delegate the limited solar power I will have for an incubator because I can't think of a way to regulate temps with alternative heating methods. I came up with a Compost heated brooder idea but I am still working on it. It would be large pipe going through the middle of a Compost pile where the middle would be too hot and the 2 outside ends being too cold and the chicks would move to the ideal spot... I would have the composting Agents saved up in a bag, just mix and add water and it heats up.... I want this for an emergency brooder if the power goes out on a bitter cold day.