Eggs for food vs eggs for chicks...sound off please

[slippednfell]

My mom-in-law is adamantly refusing to eat at my house now and my sis-in-law is repulsed and "better not find out if I feed her a duck egg".

Maybe not such a bad thing... just sayin'

 

[The Angry Hen]

Huh.
"published 2004(by the Cuckoo Stud) - subject to copyright laws of Australia"

I wasn't using the the article as my own work- it was simply a publicly published document I shared the link of... if that was what you are trying to point out(?)

 

[Shadrach]

Work out who is your senior hen and let her, or the next in line sit. Don't let the bottom order sit. The seniors are seniors for a reason, a number of reasons in fact.
Leave your top rooster with the flock.
I would wait until they are at least a year old, preferably two.
The eggs can remain viable for hatching for at least three weeks.
Most hens here will consider sitting after they've laid 8 eggs.
Don't remove the rooster. Pick one and leave him with the flock on a permanent basis.

 

[Mrs. K]

Separating birds causes a lot of problems. I am with the camp, get a rooster with the flock, and don't be flipping them in and out.

When I first read your post of 7 pullets and 3 roosters.... a big red flag, but later I read that you were going to smoke one of them. Smoke two of them... and seriously think on smoking three of them. I highly recommend a hen only flock the first year. But at least you have them pulled out of your pullets. Flock mates often times out grow the pullets and are interested in sex long before the pullets are ready. They often become bullies.

Roosters raised with just flock mates often become bullies. You mentioned children, if they are under 6, I STRONGLY recommend smoking all three of your roosters. Roosters can go from the darling to the nightmare in an instant.

Having an all hen flock, lets you and your family get some experience with chickens, roosters take some experience in my book.

What I think you might be suffering from is chickens math, and nearly all of us have been bitten. However, nothing is worse than too many birds in a set up. Raising them together, and free ranging them will not make up for too small of coop. As AArt says, we are going into winter.... test out your set up in winter and see how well it is really working.

So my best advice is to wait until spring, your pullets will be hens. Look around, attend a poultry club, watch at the feed store, contact the extension office, someone is apt to have a rooster that was just too nice to cull that is close to a year old, and that is the rooster that you want. If you get one that is more carefully bred than a hatchery bird, so much the better.

Good luck,

Mrs K

 

[Peppercorngal]

I bought a herd of chickens because I wanted eggs. I ended up with 3 roosters and ended up keeping one. (Harvey the Great) He grew to be a very good rooster and lives with the hens. One day a hen got broody and I let her have eggs and she hatched them and raised the babies. This year the same occurred. I have all the chickens together, roosters, chicks, hens, everyone. I do have 2 coop and runs and they choose where they want to hang out and sleep, they all share a free range area. I believe in just letting the chickens be chickens. If I get too many roosters, I sell them. If a hen is broody, I use that as an opportunity to hatch some chicks. I leave everyone together, they all get along. Right now I have 3 mature roosters and no problems. They all have their own harem of hens, and can actually stand together and not fight. I don't try to make broody hens unbroody, make roosters not crow, none of that. I let them be exactly who they are. I have an egg business and usually sell out, everyone loves my fertile eggs!

 

[aart]

I wasn't using the the article as my own work- it was simply a publicly published document I shared the link of... if that was what you are trying to point out(?)

Nope didn't think you were claiming it was yours....just pointing out that's old, in Australia and wondering who the heck is the cockoostud?

 

[goldysgirl]

I would strongly suggest you get thru your first winter before adding more birds. Winter is a whole other learning curve, as is hatching/integrating/slaughtering.

Why do you have chickens....eggs, meat, pets?
How much housing space do you have, in feet by feet with pics?
When you say "raise some chicks" are you going to buy chicks, use an incubator, or hope for a broody hen?
Do you want to sell chicks or keep them all?
Do you have separate space to grow out chicks and a plan to integrate them?
Are you prepared to 'get rid of' the ~50% male chicks if you hatch?
Keeping multiple males in separate enclosure is a waste of feed, IMO, pick one and get rid of the others...unless you are a serious breeder making chick/ens to sell or show.
Moving a male in with females should produce fertile eggs within a week.
Just one mating can produce fertile eggs for up to a month, tho hatching eggs are best at less than about 10 days. Best not to hatch pullet eggs, wait at least a few months.

My overall goal was/is eggs to sell enough to pay for feed and most the bedding.
Coop/run building and other equipment and supply costs are the 'hobby' part.
I keep one cockbird and ~dozen hens, hatch replacement layers each early spring and slaughter the cockerels by 14-16 weeks. I also slaughter the older hens then or in the fall because I only have so much housing to get thru winter. Did a too crowded coop one winter, never again. Do not underestimate the need for more than 'adequate' weatherproof housing.

I am going to try this again because something weird happened last time I tried to comment.
I am guilty! I have six roos as pets for their beauty and entertainment value. I can't help myself. I wouldn't make a very good farmer They are all getting along pretty well, but if things start to heat up I can probably find some takers. They are beautiful!

 

[Beccazon]

Ok. Somehow I think I am a bit misunderstood and now more confused.

I am hearing
-don't keep the cockerels
-keep a cockerel
-no point in having cockerels if you aren't breeding to sell or have a huge coop.
-choose the one with best personality and behavior (Pride)
-keep only the top cock (Lil Bit...he is hateful and hormonally psycho
And that's just on the boys so...I am lost. I have several here commenting that I look up to QUITE a lot and the opinions differ. That makes this hard for me

To answer several posts at once:
I have and intend to keep my 7 pullets, 2 of which started laying this week. All are 4 months (boys and gals). I do intend to sell eggs once I am in abundance. We have several places locally that buy and sell locally grown eggs. Getting rid of eggs won't be an issue. I have only production a chickens for now so I will likely not so eggs to hatch. I intend to keep just one male. For later breeding purposes. (That was the reason for my original post. To learn whether the flock should have a male in it right now or not until later and when it is safe or acceptable to allow mating. Currently they are separated from the flock while I learn more.

The chickens I have serve all purposes...pets/visual entertainment, eggs for my family and eventually to sell, and for meat once they quit laying or space is needed for younger or more preferred breeds as I learn what I like.

I would like to hatch our own at some point to replenish as they age and for my interest in backyard farming and successful providing of meat and eggs for my family. I hope to one day increase to several flocks...one for meat and one for eggs. Of which I intend to either cull, rehome or slaughter males hatched here. (I would like opinions on what age is best to slaughter males for meat).

My children are all grown...mostly. 12 to 25 with ages 15 and 17 home and involved. 12yr old part time. The cockerels we have currently are human timid/tolerant. No aggression to people. Yet

From replies I am reading, so far I am feeling that I will slaughter the 2 least pleasant cockerels very soon and keep my most pleasant and most flock protective (before I separated the flock) for my flock roo. He will be reintroduced to the flock in the spring at a year of age. Until then, my 10'x10' coop and 10'x20' run I assume (so I have been told here over the last few months) should suffice...for winter as well...for my 7 females and one male (still sectioned off).

When I reintroduce Pride to the flock in the spring, I will at that time be hoping to increase my coop size (likely divided for 2 flocks) to 10'x20'...also intending to double the run. (They do all get half of the day free-ranging...males then females). I would like to double it to house new chickens I hatch or buy in the spring.

I think those are the choices so far from what I have learned here. And yes, chicken math is FOR THE BIRDS lol

 

[Ebony Rose]

Eggs for both. I only store eggs for hatching for up to 7 days before they go into the incubator. When I have eggs in the incubator and they're not going to be hatching within the week, then I eat the fresh eggs that I'm getting. Once the incubator's eggs are due to hatch within the week, I start saving the freshly laid eggs for the next batch to go into the incubator.

 

[Beccazon]

Eggs for both. I only store eggs for hatching for up to 7 days before they go into the incubator. When I have eggs in the incubator and they're not going to be hatching within the week, then I eat the fresh eggs that I'm getting. Once the incubator's eggs are due to hatch within the week, I start saving the freshly laid eggs for the next batch to go into the incubator.

So you have a constant rotation of eggs in the incubator? Am I understanding that right? In between batches, you are eating them. If I am understanding that correctly, what do you do with all the chicks? Raise them or sell them? If you raise them, do you have a large farm and keep many or how often do you harvest chickens from the flock?