Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[Beekissed]

And do you have any tips for stimulating a chicken to go broody? I"ve read about putting golf balls, or ping pong balls... Maybe a dark carrier with a blanket over it? And Cochins or game hens being broodiest.... And how many chicks per hen on average? What is a clutch size?

Too many questinos...

Some report leaving golf balls or fake eggs in the nest at a certain time of year can trigger a broody...I've tried leaving eggs in the nest for up to 10 days around the time my broody would normally go but it didn't work. Mostly I find they will go broody when their individual hormones signal for it and not until.

I've heard of Cochin, game hens, bantams and Silkies being extra broody...I've had none of those breeds so cannot testify to that being a consistent behavior of these breeds. Certainly there are breeds that are more likely to yield a broody and the Cochin is well known for it and is also large enough to cover quite a clutch of eggs.

The hen will usually choose a clutch size when on her own in a secret nest and that can vary. Most people will use up to 10-12 eggs for large fowl birds and 6-8 eggs for bantam or small breeds.

If introducing foster chicks to a broody it all depends on the size of the bird how many chicks one can stuff under her. I've placed 20 Cornish Cross meat chicks under a White Rock broody before and she covered and raised them all successfully. I know a lady right now that is using a Silkie for the same purpose and I think she placed 15 meat breed chicks under that hen and she is doing well right now in keeping them warm and safe.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Taking mice Far away with the catch and release method will require going at least 10 km (6 miles). I am a wildlife biologist and I used to work at a wildlife station where we ear tagged all the live-trapped mice we caught. Even after driving them across the river (2 miles away), they would be back in a few days. Only after 6 miles did they not return (that we know of).

Live trapping does make a person feel better, generally, but lots of animals actually die due to being relocated to a new place where they don't know the area for predators, have to compete out already existing individuals that call the place home. They tend to get eaten, injured, or starve. I know it's not what you want to hear, but after seeing the statistics, I have come to grips with the fact that snap traps are best. Quick and no poison. Peanut butter is the best bait.

And Lacy - do you have any expert advice on getting a hen to go broody? (taking notes for when the time comes)

Expert? Not likely... but like Bee said, it is most often due to hormonal changes in the hen. I have also heard of the cochin, usually a bantam I think, going broody often and silkies... if you leave an egg in the nest for 10 minutes, she'll go broody on you! I think that last one was an exaggeration though. I've also heard you can stimulate the desire for broodiness by leaving eggs in the nest. If it doesn't work in the communal nest, maybe trying it in a back corner of the coop that is somewhat dark and hidden away, perhaps it can work... I don't know. I don't try to get my non-setting breed to set, but I don't fight them when they do. I don't want them sitting on an empty nest or nest full of infertile eggs for 3+ weeks. They can survive it, but they lose a lot of weight and condition during that time and I don't want it happening for no good reason. I want her finished in 3 weeks. Also, about mid way through her broody cycle, I'll start taking her off the nest every morning if she doesn't do it on her own. She needs to get up and stretch and get a little sun and exercise, a dust bath and a slurp of water and a few bites of FF and she can get back on. That whole process takes about 10 minutes... won't hurt the eggs a bit.

And do you have any tips for stimulating a chicken to go broody? I"ve read about putting golf balls, or ping pong balls... Maybe a dark carrier with a blanket over it? And Cochins or game hens being broodiest.... And how many chicks per hen on average? What is a clutch size?

Too many questinos...

 

[perchie.girl]

I get calls constantly for roosters people want to rehome but not eat

there's a market there in the city lol
Quote: That song has been totally ruined for me.... I am all for rescuing from bad situations but what is shown on TV is blatant commercialism. I have to stop now Or I Will get on a soap box.

 

[Beekissed]

As asked for...pics of Mr. Legwarmers, Foo Foo bird, Fat Cochin, etc. It was hard to get good pics because he was so intent upon eating some apples I threw into the coop but I got a few pics today....



Left side...his wing was clipped when he arrived so he wouldn't try to escape the meat bird pen but I shouldn't have worried....he is just not the type.



He walks like this all the time....sort of like a saddlebred horse, with his neck arched and high, slow steps like he's doing dressage.



Those two new BA pullets are his special admirers and they will stand around him and groom him...their names are Idgie and Ruth.



Thought I'd throw this in to show the girls taking any opportunity to graze...wherever they find grass!



And...a gratuitous pic of my trusty helper dog, Jake...keeper of the flock.

 

[RachaelS]

~~Spent the last few days gardening w/ the flock, and observing. I made an observation I was wondering if anyone else had noticed. I have 2 young roo's just now getting their big boy hormones started. These 2 I know maternal parentage, and neither were raised by their bio moms. First is Shakespear



Shakespear is the head roo, calm cool collected, every bit the "man in charge"





His mother was Mensa, calm, thinking, high in the pecking order





Then there is Eurkle (formerly cool j, but he couldn't keep that name w/ his personality), he as afraid of his shadow, very flighty, if he sees a leaf blow he literally jumps up, yells and puts his head down and goes at a dead run, I swear if he had arms they would be flailing as he ran. His broody mom is very high in the pecking order, calm, cool and collected.







Bio mom, of Eurkle, a bit of an outsider, flighty, never trusts anyone ever no matter how many treats you come with or how juicy the treat is. She was the only true survivor of my big massacre, she was in the same yard as all the carnage and got and stayed high and survived, all the others who survived were in a separate area.


Anyway it struck me as interesting how close the boys personality is to their bio moms, not like their bio dads, or broody moms.


So is this a fluke or a thing?

I think you are on to something here. I have heard that you should never breed an aggressive Cock because he will pass on those traits. That could be correct, I only have one example, but I had a very aggressive one (hatched and raised by me), however, I hatched his eggs, ended up with 4 cockerels in the group. They were incubator hatched and raised by me, never met their mom (except 1), all 4 acting JUST like their mother, nothing like their father and nothing like any of the other girls in the group. Again, 100% non-scientific, only happened once. However, I think with a lot of chickens it is genes first environment second, for the base of their attitude. Now of course with extreme environment, you can over take the genes (such as super bad conditions to good ones, or animal attacks), but for everyday life, I think genes take over. Just my two cents from my tiny 3 years of having chickens and hatching, so really not even worth 2 cents, but something interesting to think about

 

[perchie.girl]

And do you have any tips for stimulating a chicken to go broody? I"ve read about putting golf balls, or ping pong balls... Maybe a dark carrier with a blanket over it? And Cochins or game hens being broodiest.... And how many chicks per hen on average? What is a clutch size?

Too many questinos...

Never too many questions.... I am sure all the rest have given you great input.

My point of view is I will be using Broodies exclusively for hatching Guinea Eggs. Silkies were mentioned and so were Cochins... Both historically go broody.... But Games in general also have a reputation for Going broody at the drop of a hat. One of the problems with Silkeys is they are dang hard to sex till they either crow or lay an egg...

Having a carrier is a good idea but you will never be able to be certain they will choose that. Often times its the nest box ALL the hens prefer. To the point that they will climb on top of the broody and lay the egg right there .... where it will be migrated down under the broody.... LOL So having nest boxes you can move to abroody area without removing the broody ad all is the best option.

For what its worth I have heard of Broodies stealing eggs from other broodies tucking them up under their wing and taking them to their own nest.... LOL. So the best deal is once they start setting make it so they cant steal and other hens cant add to the clutch.

deb

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Good morning, my FF friends!     If you live in the NE right now you are no doubt getting snow, snow and more snow.  Hope everyone is keeping safe and warm, keeping their FF and water thawed and accessible and no one is falling on the ground....ahem..coughTWcough....not mentioning any  names or anything but try to stay upright out there folks! 

Going into the polar vortex again this week so some might see more frost bitten combs....someone on another thread was suggesting comb caps made from baby socks but I can't imagine any self respecting rooster not clawing that off in about two seconds, but if you have a particularly docile roo that wouldn't, it might be handy in a pinch. 

Hi Bee ! The polar vortex is well on the way here ! We are under a blizzard warning with up to 12" of snow forecast . The current temp is 14 f with a windchill of 1 f... I'm so ready for Spring and so are the chooks. You can see from this pic that the purple in the bottom left corner is the Nor' Easter that's headed our way with all the snow... Right now it's over New England and blasting at those folks. I'm located where the blue dot is, near the upper right corner of the pic.

Well today there is reason to celebrate... I have 13 girls and there was 13 eggs in the nestboxes !! They have finally all started laying, and on one of the coldest days we've had this winter ! :yesss e

Hope ya'll are keeping warm !

 

[RachaelS]

As asked for...pics of Mr. Legwarmers, Foo Foo bird, Fat Cochin, etc. It was hard to get good pics because he was so intent upon eating some apples I threw into the coop but I got a few pics today....



Left side...his wing was clipped when he arrived so he wouldn't try to escape the meat bird pen but I shouldn't have worried....he is just not the type.



He walks like this all the time....sort of like a saddlebred horse, with his neck arched and high, slow steps like he's doing dressage.



Those two new BA pullets are his special admirers and they will stand around him and groom him...their names are Idgie and Ruth.



Thought I'd throw this in to show the girls taking any opportunity to graze...wherever they find grass!



And...a gratuitous pic of my trusty helper dog, Jake...keeper of the flock.

Wow, he sure is a good looking boy! I skipped over how you got him, was over 300 post behind, but he sure does look like he likes his new digs! Jake just has a smart look about him, love that in a dog! He does seem like he is saying, "Mom, what in the world are you doing? Whatever it is, I am game, count me in!"

 

[Beekissed]

Hi Bee ! The polar vortex is well on the way here ! We are under a blizzard warning with up to 12" of snow forecast

. The current temp is 14 f with a windchill of 1 f... I'm so ready for Spring and so are the chooks. You can see from this pic that the purple in the bottom left corner is the Nor' Easter that's headed our way with all the snow... Right now it's over New England and blasting at those folks. I'm located where the blue dot is, near the upper right corner of the pic.



Well today there is reason to celebrate... I have 13 girls and there was 13 eggs in the nestboxes !! They have finally all started laying, and on one of the coldest days we've had this winter ! :yesss

Hope ya'll are keeping warm !

Yay!!! Mine had started laying on the coldest day too....wonder what's up with that? That goes against everything they say about the cold being a factor in birds not laying well.

You are IN for it!

I hope Rodney's comb does alright in this new cold snap...you'll have to bring him in on the couch for popcorn and a movie until this is all over.

Wow, he sure is a good looking boy! I skipped over how you got him, was over 300 post behind, but he sure does look like he likes his new digs! Jake just has a smart look about him, love that in a dog! He does seem like he is saying, "Mom, what in the world are you doing? Whatever it is, I am game, count me in!"

Rachel, this bird was in a group of free dual purpose roosters I got out of the locals for the intention of eating. He was the only one of a different breed...the rest were large single comb, older RIR and BOs or younger leghorn/ RIR mixes...and then this feather legged Cochin~with beautiful feathering and quiet bearing that was such a stark contrast to the ruffians he was in with. How in the world this guy was traveling in such rough company, I'll never know. He has a bum hip and he's so young that he hasn't crowed or gotten spurs yet...just tiny nubbins on his legs. He was too skinny to eat, so I kept him around to fatten him up....but Toby wouldn't leave him alone.

So..I retired Toby, who was too old to mate, and kept Fat Cochin...who turned out to not be fat, just fluffy with feathers. Having a younger rooster that would breed~and he is breeding~seemed to stimulate my pullets into laying and it also seemed to unite my flock. He's very much the gentleman, quiet and sweet...don't know how he will do out on free range but he seems to be learning fast and the hens really like him, so I'll keep him awhile.

Jake is super intelligent...scary how smart he is and very much a character. Never ending source of amusement, that dog.

 

[armorfirelady]

Bee he is sure a handsome boy

And Jake well I know he is not an inside lovey boy but sure would love to scratch his ears on that cute face