Layer Test!!! Ho ho ho.

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

All the layer tests big companies have done to their layers are:
a) per cage system
b) with artificial lighting
c) with expensive high density layer feed
d) with a specific temperature
e) without the stressed and unpredictable conditions of a free range system
f) with a water 100% clean of bacteria and of thorium.


With all these applied, even a budgie parrot will lay 300 eggs...


A heritage can be compared to a hybrid layer ONLY if all these conditions are applied and we can know who the winner is ONLY with a test in the same luxurious conditions.

 

[CCUK]

If you referring to battery farming I think you are wrong. The type of chicken is a hybrid that is designed to be more productive than heritage breeds. The balance is a shorter life expectancy and health problems after 18-24 months. The conditions are hardly luxurious when there can be upto 50 colony hens in one cage each with the space of a A4 sheet of paper or if they are in an enhanced cage they get 20% more space equivalent to a post card. Where is chicken math applied here? Also free range doesn't always mean they have access to outside. All they have is more space in the cage, two nest plastic nest boxes between 20 hens and a small area of plastic artificial grass to scratch on. Stress, feather pecking and bullying is common amongst colony hens. True, that you can encourage a heritage breed to lay more but not to the extent that commercially mass bred hybrid hens do.

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

Hahaha, in harsh conditions and low density feed a good heritage strain overlays by far the poor debeaked red sex links.
And in Greece, every battery hen has its own cage and its own nest.
If someone uses a different type of cages goes to jail.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Hahaha, in harsh conditions and low density feed a good heritage strain overlays by far the poor debeaked red sex links.
And in Greece, every battery hen has its own cage and its own nest.
If someone uses a different type of cages goes to jail.

How do you define 'harsh conditions?'

 

[snow5164]

Hahaha, in harsh conditions and low density feed a good heritage strain overlays by far the poor debeaked red sex links.
And in Greece, every battery hen has its own cage and its own nest.
If someone uses a different type of cages goes to jail.

Heritage breed put lays sex link? Where do you get your information? That is 100% untrue

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

Heritage breed put lays sex link? Where do you get your information? That is 100% untrue

When the feed is low density, darling.
Hybrids are designed to lay well O N L Y when they eat a high-density feed.

 

[CCUK]

Please read.
http://www.politics.co.uk/reference/battery-hens-and-broiler-chickens

 

[Mitsos Lamprogiorgos]

How do you define 'harsh conditions?'

Harsh conditions: rain, mud, predators, soil, bacteria, noise, heat, cold, snow, cruel roosters, etc.
And the most important a lower density and cheaper feed.
In all these conditions a heritage layer can adapt better and lay better.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Harsh conditions: rain, mud, predators, soil, bacteria, noise, heat, cold, snow, cruel roosters, etc.
And the most important a lower density and cheaper feed.
In all these conditions a heritage layer can adapt better and lay better.

Under those conditions, my parents' Leghorns and Production Reds still lay better than their Australorps and Barred Rocks.

The ISAs I had a few years ago, and the Production Reds I have now also lay better than my own heritage Australorps and Barred Rocks (I have a lot of chickens, but most of them are mutts, so these are the ones I have to compare.) The production birds actually needed less protein in their diet than my other birds, as I found when I switched to 16% layer, and the big brown eggs kept coming, and the pale, cream, pinkish Australorp and BR eggs slowed.

The only time I have found what you are saying to be true is in the second winter. While the production birds tend to lay right through the first winter, they stop dead during winter #2, and the heritage birds still lay occasionally.

I think there's a reason egg-sellers use what they use.

 

[CCUK]

I have had 12 Warren (ISA Brown) hens. 6 I bought as pullets at about 16 weeks. The other 6 are ex battery hens. I got them at about 18 months which is when they are classed as spent. Comparing them they all layed really well upto about 18 months. Then the production sharply declined. I started to lose the pullets from about 12 months due to various health issues the oldest lived till nearly 4 but had stopped laying about 2 years previous. The ex battery hens are now about 2 1/2 yrs and only 2 are laying. I didn't get them for eggs though! I also have 4 whitestar hens that are hybrids a cross from the white leghorn. They have been by far my best layers. They are all nearly 4 yrs and I get at least two eggs a day from them sometimes 3. The weather doesn't seem to effect there laying apart from when it's real hot they seem to cut back. The problem with high production egg layers is the amount of calcium they need. Because they produce so much and takes so much from them they can suffer from brittle bones. Feather pecking is caused by boredom and bullying but can also be an extra source of protein for them.
I also have Araucanas, brahmas, light Sussex and cuckoo marans, they seem to lay quite alot then stop then start again. If I was to compare the brahmas and whitestars, I would need to wait for about 3 yrs to get the same amount of eggs the whitestars produce in 1 year! I only feed Allen and page freeholder range layers pellets with extra grit and shell. They also get probiotics in the water once a month. And a bit of scratch as a treat once in a while!