How Should I Grow My Flock?

[Welshies]

Wow, my apologies! I did not mean to be offensive. Reading back I can see how it MIGHT have come across that way.


Ok so (again, reading back) it was your boy who has a pea comb that got frost and your girls with straight combs did not. See something new all the time.

Suggest and usually, means I didn't accuse you of anything but mentioned it as a possibility. Usually means I didn't say that IS your problem.

Switch does not have to mean get rid of your current birds. I thought you were talking about adding more.


Easter Eggers are anything BUT pure, that is why your boy doesn't have a beard/muffs. There is no standard set for them. Either way, that is my take and I'm sorry that I misunderstood you. I thought you were open to suggestions and discussion.

A GOOD rooster doesn't just have good manners to the ladies but towards the whole flock and people.

Sorry for your losses. You are much braver than me to set a broken leg. Curious about pain management and recover but please don't reply ...

I can see when my input and opportunity to learn something new aren't welcome. I will butt out and unsubscribe. But no hard feelings here, sorry I stepped on your toes!

Best wishes!

No it's perfectly okay! Did I say something?
I know Easter Eggers aren't pure, that was a bit of a miswording on my part. I didn't mean to be rude at all!
The chick is doing well without the splint now. It was a clean break and within a couple days he was walking on it. I had him seperated and he did alright. Now he is just wearing a bandage to cover the scab that's still there

 

[EggSighted4Life]

No it's perfectly okay! Did I say something?
I know Easter Eggers aren't pure, that was a bit of a miswording on my part. I didn't mean to be rude at all!
The chick is doing well without the splint now. It was a clean break and within a couple days he was walking on it. I had him seperated and he did alright. Now he is just wearing a bandage to cover the scab that's still there

Maybe my misunderstanding again!

I am glad we are clear!

Really cool that you were able to help your baby recover! I still can't repair splay leg that I'm pretty sure was caused by my paper towel being too slippery in the hatcher and one was an injury. I'm on the verge of culling upon seeing it in the future. And I don't do this as a business either. It's simply a hobby that helps to maintain physical and mental health (sometimes challenging). But I still do try to keep the flock strong by being very selective.

Glad your boy recovered from his frost bite too!

 

[Welshies]

Maybe my misunderstanding again!

I am glad we are clear!

Really cool that you were able to help your baby recover! I still can't repair splay leg that I'm pretty sure was caused by my paper towel being too slippery in the hatcher and one was an injury. I'm on the verge of culling upon seeing it in the future. And I don't do this as a business either. It's simply a hobby that helps to maintain physical and mental health (sometimes challenging). But I still do try to keep the flock strong by being very selective.

Glad your boy recovered from his frost bite too!

Yes, even though my baby was a boy I didn't want to see him suffer... I did my best!
Sorry to hear about your chick! But that's good-I can see why people do it for a business, and I'll admit I try to get profit from my birds (doesn't mean I always succeed), I just could never see them as only a source of profit. I get super attached.

 

[Chickassan]

I wouldn't sell them, but that's me. I know you've had a rough time of it and that absolutely stinks but the pullets you're considering selling are not going to fit in at the age they're at but they will absolutely fit in once they're laying and adding to your flock. They'll find their niche with the hens and be of extreme intrest to your roo. You've only got a little bit of time to hang in there with those girls. The decision is totally yours though, just know it isn't hopeless.

 

[Welshies]

I wouldn't sell them, but that's me. I know you've had a rough time of it and that absolutely stinks but the pullets you're considering selling are not going to fit in at the age they're at but they will absolutely fit in once they're laying and adding to your flock. They'll find their niche with the hens and be of extreme intrest to your roo. You've only got a little bit of time to hang in there with those girls. The decision is totally yours though, just know it isn't hopeless.

I've got -40°C temps till May... Also, these gals are mixed breeds and I want to find my market niche of OEs or EEs. There's literally only 2 pullets. I just lost another cockerel to the cold... i love them, but I honestly hate to see them die more than anything.

 

[Chickassan]

Then you do what you think is the best thing. Horrible bright side, you know now how awful winters are and what you're going to have to do to manage it. I'm having to learn some of those lessons too.

I've got -40°C temps till May... Also, these gals are mixed breeds and I want to find my market niche of OEs or EEs. There's literally only 2 pullets. I just lost another cockerel to the cold... i love them, but I honestly hate to see them die more than anything.

 

[Welshies]

Then you do what you think is the best thing. Horrible bright side, you know now how awful winters are and what you're going to have to do to manage it. I'm having to learn some of those lessons too.

I've lived here my whole life... but never fully appreciated the brutality of winter till I raised a small animal in it!

 

[lomine]

Sorry the cold is giving you so much trouble.

I wouldn't get rid of the pullets just yet either. Flock rankings normally go rooster - hens - cockerels - pullets (of course there is lot of variation with individuals). So the pullets are at the very bottom and might not be completely excepted until they start laying. The cockerels are just braver, that's why they are roosting with the older ones. If your rooster isn't causing any damage I would let them work things out and let everyone go at their own pace.

If you want to butcher the cockerels, I suggest you consider butchering around 12-14 weeks or setting up an additional coop if you want to grow them out longer. You might run into problems with them fighting and/or harassing the girls if you leave them in the flock after their hormones kick in. I had one extra 22 week-old cockerel that left a huge gash in one of my hens. He didn't have much more meat than his 14 week-old brothers either.

If I were you, I would wait to see what color eggs your pullets lay. Two isn't a big sample but if either lay blue or green you know your rooster carries a blue egg gene. If they lay brown, he might not. This will have a big impact on how you should proceed. If you plan to sell EE or OE eggs/chicks you need to have a rooster with a blue gene.

 

[Welshies]

Sorry the cold is giving you so much trouble.

I wouldn't get rid of the pullets just yet either. Flock rankings normally go rooster - hens - cockerels - pullets (of course there is lot of variation with individuals). So the pullets are at the very bottom and might not be completely excepted until they start laying. The cockerels are just braver, that's why they are roosting with the older ones. If your rooster isn't causing any damage I would let them work things out and let everyone go at their own pace.

If you want to butcher the cockerels, I suggest you consider butchering around 12-14 weeks or setting up an additional coop if you want to grow them out longer. You might run into problems with them fighting and/or harassing the girls if you leave them in the flock after their hormones kick in. I had one extra 22 week-old cockerel that left a huge gash in one of my hens. He didn't have much more meat than his 14 week-old brothers either.

If I were you, I would wait to see what color eggs your pullets lay. Two isn't a big sample but if either lay blue or green you know your rooster carries a blue egg gene. If they lay brown, he might not. This will have a big impact on how you should proceed. If you plan to sell EE or OE eggs/chicks you need to have a rooster with a blue gene.

Hmmm... these chicks are not much larger than a quail... at 10 weeks old. Not much meat on them.
I was considering buying Ameraucanas or EEs this spring to produce that colorful egg gene.

 

[Chickassan]

You and me both friend, I'm in a normally warmer climate but I'm nursing frostbite something I've never seen or thought i had to worry about. I was wrong, got so cold even a rose comb got bit. No deaths but i accredited that to most of them being cold resistant breeds. I was worried about them overheating in the summer lol! I'm over that.

I've lived here my whole life... but never fully appreciated the brutality of winter till I raised a small animal in it!