Egg Layers, Meat Chickens, and Making New Chicks

[drink88]

My ultimate goal is to have egg layers in a coop, meat chickens in another coop, and a third coop for making new chicks so that we never have to buy anymore, we're replenishing them the natural way.

If I bought a bunch of White Leghorns, with a Rooster (for the egg laying coop for order) and a Rooster for making new chicks, do you think it would be possible?

Occasionally I could take out a Hen from the egg laying coop, move her over to the third coop with a Rooster, and have them make chicks so that I could increase (or stay the same) the number of chickens in both the egg laying coop and meat chicken coop?

Would love to know your thoughts.

 

[aart]

Sounds like a decent plan.

we're replenishing them the natural way

Incubator or broody?
I suppose you'll eat all the males that will hatch...as well as the older layers once they slow down or you run out of space??

 

[MyParadiseFalls]

I believe it could work

 

[drink88]

Sounds like a decent plan.


Incubator or broody?
I suppose you'll eat all the males that will hatch...as well as the older layers once they slow down or you run out of space??

I read that White Leghorns aren't good mothers, so I will probably have to incubate. Either that, or get another breed that are good mothers, and have them take that responsibility if possible. Otherwise, incubate.

I guess the plan would be to use the males as meat chickens, but can you really have a bunch of males running around in the same coop?

Also, my plan is to let them roam, but there are big birds and stray cats around, so will have a coop and run, but really want them to free range and forage for themselves. Thinking about grown sprouts for them as well...anything to keep them off factory grains that isn't natural for them...in my opinion. Plus I've seen some things online of certain grain food from big retailers that caused chickens to stop laying...pretty much anyone we know that were feeding their chickens grains, stopped laying eggs. And who knows what they are putting into those things. So idea is to not use grains, and find ways to feed them natural food.

 

[aart]

but can you really have a bunch of males running around in the same coop?

I certainly wouldn't.

So idea is to not use grains, and find ways to feed them natural food.

You could probably do this, but it will likely reduce their production and overall health.
They will survive, but not thrive.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[sammi_lynn12]

I guess the plan would be to use the males as meat chickens, but can you really have a bunch of males running around in the same coop?

A friend of mine actually had 9 roosters in their own run and coop and never had a problem with them like that. They were meat birds, that is why they were separated from the rest.

 

[drink88]

So let me ask a specific question about this topic...

If I have one coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster, another coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster (they say for White Leghorns, up to 15 hens per rooster), would I use the same 2 roosters to make more chicks? Meaning, would I take one of the rooster out and put him in the spare coop and throw in a couple hens and make some babies? Or should I have a rooster(s) that are specifically for making babies set aside in another coop...maybe one of the meat chickens? Just trying to think through the process.

 

[aart]

So let me ask a specific question about this topic...

If I have one coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster, another coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster (they say for White Leghorns, up to 15 hens per rooster), would I use the same 2 roosters to make more chicks? Meaning, would I take one of the rooster out and put him in the spare coop and throw in a couple hens and make some babies? Or should I have a rooster(s) that are specifically for making babies set aside in another coop...maybe one of the meat chickens? Just trying to think through the process.

What breed will you use for the meat birds?

 

[nuthatched]

us I've seen some things online of certain grain food from big retailers that caused chickens to stop laying..

There are several threads on this topic if you want to read through. There's actually scientific analysis of the feeds in question that members here paid to have done...nothing unnatural or off was found. unlike everyone on social media who prefer hysteria over sound analysis, we take thus seriously.
If you want to make your own feed this is a good place to research since most online feed recipes aren't healthy.
Further reading.
First & third posts in this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/feed-tests-more-results.1565804/
This thread, posts 6, 10, 12, 14, 18, 22
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...en-feed-craze-posted-testing-results.1564737/
Post 581 of this thread (I think this link will go straight to it; same feed as the one just above)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-to-be-analyzed.1561749/page-59#post-26554912
This is the thread comparing feed labels (spoiler: not much changed.) The labels are sprinkled throughout many pages, so this one isn't a quick read.

 

[NatJ]

I read that White Leghorns aren't good mothers, so I will probably have to incubate. Either that, or get another breed that are good mothers, and have them take that responsibility if possible. Otherwise, incubate.

You could consider getting some bantams to do the incubating.
I've had some Old English Game bantams that were good mothers.
They can live with any of the other flocks except when they are sitting & raising chicks.

A hen doesn't care who laid the eggs she is sitting on. So as long as you can tell which eggs were laid by the hens you want chicks from, you can just put the right eggs under the broodies.

I guess the plan would be to use the males as meat chickens, but can you really have a bunch of males running around in the same coop?

How long do you think you are going to be raising these males before you butcher them?
If you want the meat nice and tender, you have to butcher them fairly young (maybe 2-3 months).

For almost any of the common breeds of chicken, males live together just fine up to any reasonable butchering age, and usually well past that point.

Ones that were specifically bred for cockfighting might have issues, but you are not talking about having any of those.

If I have one coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster, another coop with 15 hens and 1 rooster (they say for White Leghorns, up to 15 hens per rooster), would I use the same 2 roosters to make more chicks? Meaning, would I take one of the rooster out and put him in the spare coop and throw in a couple hens and make some babies? Or should I have a rooster(s) that are specifically for making babies set aside in another coop...maybe one of the meat chickens? Just trying to think through the process.

If the rooster is in the pen with the hens, he will mate with them.
After he mates with a hen, every egg she lays for the next week or so will be fertile. She might keep laying fertile eggs for two or three weeks (some do, some don't).
If the rooster had 100 hens, he probably would not mate often enough with each one, so some would lay infertile eggs-- that's where the advice about how many hens per rooster comes from. With 15 hens per rooster, he will probably do just fine with all of them.

When you want to hatch eggs, you do not need to move any chickens to other pens. Just collect the right number of eggs, and put them in an incubator or under a broody hen.

When you do not want to hatch eggs, collect eggs every day and store & use them like normal eggs. Fertile eggs will not develop chicks in the refrigerator, and they will not develop chicks if you store them at room temperature (unless your room temperaure is as warm as an incubator.)

If you do not want to hatch chicks, you do not need a rooster at all. Hens will lay eggs just as well if there is no rooster present. Having a rooster is not a problem, but it is also not needed.

For hatching the eggs, a broody hen is content to be a single parent. She does not need the rooster around to help as she sits on the eggs and raises the chicks.