How to tell a good roo

[Mrs. K]

Yes, I understand about a mixed flock. However, one of the easiest way to improve your flock is with a higher class of a rooster, even if he is over a mixed breed of birds. It is a quick and easy way of adding fresh genetics to the flock. I thought you were going to pick a specific rooster for the breeding. If so, you want a rooster that is as physically correct as you can get him so that there is a better chance of those characteristics showing up in the new hens you get from him.

However, it takes intensive breeding, ruthless culling to truly improve your flock. But most flocks will keep making eggs even if they are not perfect.

Mrs K

 

[ZachyWachy]

In order to improve my flock l need to cull those that don't lay as well, but how can l tell who lays what egg when they all share the same nesting boxes?

 

[Mrs. K]

This can be tricky. If you have different breeds, they tend to lay at least slightly different colors. Depending on how many chickens you have, it will take a couple or more days. On week-ends, I tend to spend a bit more time, sometimes having a cup of coffee with the girls. As I work around them, I listen for the egg song, and keep the nests empty. When a gal is in the nest, I get that egg still warm. I write the name of the hen on the egg with a sharpie I take a picture of the egg, with my hen's name on the egg. Otherwise, three days later I am not sure again who is laying what.

Then on the kitchen counter, or some people put it on the calendar, count who laid what.

Another way, is this, not so high tech, but it will give reasonable results. Keep a bowl of eggs that you are going to hatch on your kitchen counter, every three or four days, sort the eggs. The eggs that are the same, that have the highest number of eggs in the bowl, well those are your better laying chickens, even if you are not sure which hen it is. I am not sure if I am making this clear, so bare with me. If you have a green egg layer, a white egg layer, a brown, and light brown egg layer... Then in say 5 days, you have 2 green eggs, 1 white egg, 5 brown and 3 light brown, well your brown egg layer is your top layer. Really it doesn't matter which hen she is, set those eggs.

Good luck, Mrs K

 

[ZachyWachy]

Thank you, l shall try that out.