Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[Mother of Chaos]

I haven’t had a rooster for about a month so no chance of that unfortunately. It figures one of them would go broody as soon as the weather turns and the cockerel is gone But no I am pretty sure she’s just gone though I have no idea the exact mechanism.

My chicken came back. Which makes me think she is sitting on duds out in the woods somewhere and I will never find the clutch. I guess that’s the risk I took letting a game chicken run amok haha

Since hens can store a rooster's sperm for several weeks, she might have laid a few fertile eggs. Chickens are baffling in this.

So glad she came back!

 

[Sally PB]

My chicken came back.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Another funny story:

Because I did not lock my own chickens up last night (I delegated that) I came out to find one of my Leiper-Hatch game hens in with two new ones I have only had for two days and every other chicken locked out of the coop I thought for sure Fatty would be toast but everyone was just fine. They slept near the coop for the most part—several of them were in the lean-to I made to keep their food and water dry. Fatty for reference (ie NOT a survival chicken):

 

[Mrs. K]

I read this post with envy. I would love to let mine out to free range, but the predator load is insane right now. First time in years, the wild plums produced fruit, and I am finding coyote and coon scatt all around.

Mrs K

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I read this post with envy. I would love to let mine out to free range, but the predator load is insane right now. First time in years, the wild plums produced fruit, and I am finding coyote and coon scatt all around.

Mrs K

I trapped and killed two coons this year and since then they have given my coop a wide berth. The coyotes haven’t been obnoxious lately either but I’m not sure why that is…maybe the bears that have started bumbling around

 

[Mrs. K]

Really tough this time a year, as the young are hungry and will pick me off in the day time. A couple of years ago, a coyote family must have come through, and left me with 3.

 

[Molpet]

Really tough this time a year, as the young are hungry and will pick me off in the day time. A couple of years ago, a coyote family must have come through, and left me with 3.

Yesterday a fox? Only 2 teens bodies were moved. 2 Adults had no head. But the 3 adult hens weren't moved.
Came through while I was inside for 40min because it was raining.
Killed 5, two others I had to put down and a chick missing.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Replacement rooster from my friends with “apocalypse chickens” :

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Check this good boy out! Having a good rooster makes the one I got rid of seem that much worse.

 

[LaurenRitz]

One of the little boys was dead this morning. He was the smallest of the Kraienkoppe and he's been struggling to get up into the rafters, even with the help of a ladder. He is now feeding a young mulberry.