Culling Towards the Best Flock

[Mrs. K]

I completely understand. I have had had numerous plans, seldom do they go through. I am incredibly impressed when people lay out a 5 year plan, and stick to it.

Life just always gets in my way.

Mrs K

 

[DemeterAD9]

Making more decisions.

This guy will be going. I’ll let him grow until he creates problems or I want some fresh meat.

Chunky Jr. will be staying for a long time unless he becomes jerk or I get a better meat bird cockerel from him.

This guy gets to run with the laying flock and likely father a few chicks in the spring. He’s grown on me with how well mannered he is. Too bad he won’t take food from my hand like my rooster.

I’m getting a good feel for my new layers. Some are way outperforming others in egg production. But there are a handful of young girls who oddly went through a light fall molt and stoped laying early. I’m not sure if that could be a genetic thing or what but if it is I’m not particularly fond of that trait. 2/3 of the brahma mix pullets molted as did a couple other mutts including an EE mix and a OE. Waiting on 5 more young pullets to start laying but may have to wait till spring.

One particular mutt pullet I was leaning towards selling is probably the best new layer. She’s only skipped 6 days since September 18 and her eggs are green speckled. She’s gonna be a mom at some point.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Oh! What pretty eggs!

 

[Vicker]

Update to my earlier reply about getting Delaware chicks and hoping at least one was a male. Turns out my "95%-chance pullets" are half males. Phooey. I thought I'd figured out which one or two I'd keep, but when the hormones kicked in, they changed my mind. They're all naughtier than I want in a rooster. I know this will change again in time, but I'm not feeding this gang of hooligans much longer before they go in the freezer.

 

[Mrs. K]

I had Delawares once, and I thought they were meatier than a 'average' dual purpose.

I currently have a group of mutts... thinking of adding chicks...now - what to get?

 

[DemeterAD9]

Down to 43 (plus 2 bantams). I'm making headway in selling my extra layers! All it took was a listing on Craigslist and one on Facebook in a chicken group for my area. I was able to sell 4 pullets (leghorn, 2 bantam daughters, black brahma X) to a fella and I'm working on getting 8 more sold to another lady, just have to set up a day and time that works both ways.

I'm getting antsy while waiting for spring to roll around. The two youngest boys, Jr and his unrelated brother, are putting the moves on the girls. I'm fine with Jr giving it a go as I have breeding plans for him. His brother on the other hand may find himself getting snatched up off the roost one morning. He's gotten quite beautiful though, maturing nicely and getting nice and meaty. I'll have to make more solid plans for who I want to keep around for breeding so I can remove the boys I don't want chicks from well before I start incubating eggs. Probably the next decent above freezing day I'll see about processing a cockerel or two and any hens I was unable to sell.

 

[DemeterAD9]

Down to 34 (one being a bantam hen). Took longer than expected but I’ve finally sold the last 8 spares and culled the orange cockerel. Apparently Craigslist is the way to go as I got far more responses to that listing than on the FB group (where the one woman ended up backing out). 9 hens and even the bantam roo went to a new home and I got some money for feed in return. I was averaging 25 eggs a day so with 9 less maybe they won’t pile up as fast.

That being said I still have several hens I don’t plan to hatch eggs from, which means ideally I’d be getting rid of them too but I’ll make those harder decisions in the summer/fall…

Numbers will start going the other way now, my first few impulse eggs are due to hatch Thursday night. There’s only 3 but that’s plenty for a sample group from that hen. Then I’ll be hatching a bunch in April and getting an order from Meyer hatchery. Plus once someone goes broody they’ll be getting some colored eggs to hatch. Rinse and repeat.