Hello from South Dakota

[SDmommy]

Hello group members! My husband and I raise cattle in central South Dakota and recently added laying hens to our ranch. To be honest, I'm not totally sure what breed they are lol I asked the guy I bought them from, and he said "hybrids," which didn't clarify anything for me, as I'm not sure what kind of hybrid. I've done some searching online, but couldn't come up with a definitive answer. They are white and lay white eggs. Anyone have an answer for me? Myself and my two daughters predominantly care for the chickens, and the girls love collecting eggs. They laid a lot of really nice eggs in the summer/fall, but they've recently ceased laying consistently, as the very cold weather has moved in. On the recommendation of a friend, we added more scratch grains to their diet, and feather fixer, and to accommodate the cold winter, bought a heated waterer and a heat lamp for their coop. Any advice on keeping them healthy in very cold weather is appreciated. Anyway, glad to have a place to talk chickens haha Have a great day!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to byc - great to have you join us. Sorry, I can't offer advice re: breed. You seem to be doing very well in terms of their care during winter. From reading other posts, even the heat may be unnecessary but I'll leave that advice to others as I live in Kenya and don't suffer from cold weather (thank goodness).

Good luck

Ct

 

[blkjak]

Welcome SDmommy. Sounds like your girls are in good hands. I add corn, wheat and black oil sunflower seeds in the winter. I do offer a heat lamp or 2 in the winter for those who want it. I live in Manitoba so I understand cold. I have no clue on what breed you might have as I only have heritage breeds. Hopefully someone will know.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Birdrain92]

Hello group members! My husband and I raise cattle in central South Dakota and recently added laying hens to our ranch. To be honest, I'm not totally sure what breed they are lol I asked the guy I bought them from, and he said "hybrids," which didn't clarify anything for me, as I'm not sure what kind of hybrid. I've done some searching online, but couldn't come up with a definitive answer. They are white and lay white eggs. Anyone have an answer for me? Myself and my two daughters predominantly care for the chickens, and the girls love collecting eggs. They laid a lot of really nice eggs in the summer/fall, but they've recently ceased laying consistently, as the very cold weather has moved in. On the recommendation of a friend, we added more scratch grains to their diet, and feather fixer, and to accommodate the cold winter, bought a heated waterer and a heat lamp for their coop. Any advice on keeping them healthy in very cold weather is appreciated. Anyway, glad to have a place to talk chickens haha Have a great day!

Welcome to BYC! Sounds like they are a cross with maybe a White Leghorn. If you post a picture we can try to help you out even more. I love SD. I'm going to South Dakota State University fall 2016! Make sure you have water heaters, a heat lamp can help. You can give them some cracked corn. If you have enough chickens and a place for them to get out of the weather shouldn't need to worry too much on the cold. When chickens start getting cold they'll huddle together. You sound like you are doing just fine.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. X2 on Birdrain92; if they are laying white eggs they are almost certainly White Leghorn hybrids; perhaps either Austra Whites (Black Australorp roo X WL hen) or California Whites (California Gray roo X WL hen) as these are both hybrids commonly sold by hatcheries. If you will post some pics, we can probably ID them for you. If you haven't done so already, definitely check out our Learning Center at https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center. There is lots of useful information there. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Cheers.

 

[drumstick diva]

If you post photos here, or at "what breed or gender is this." Someone should be able to ID them for you. Welcome to the BYC flock.

 

[trailrider330]

Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us!