Letting flock reproduce

[dodgewoman]

Just curious if anyone started with certain breeds and then let their flock go broody and hatch chicks. I realized today after 3 years of chickens that I have very few pure breeds left! They are all mixed as my rooster is mixed from a clutch that was hatched last year. Soon I will have no pure breed chickens. All "barnyard specials" as they have no certain breed left in them. Anyone else?

 

[cubalaya]

i let my hens hatch their own chick but have kept mine pure

 

[Mrs. K]

Mostly it depends on your circumstances. There is nothing wrong with a mongrel flock, however, as time goes on, and we are talking say a decade here, some negative hin may show up, a loss of egg production, as in over a year, you get less eggs, a loss of meat production if you are doing dual purpose breeds.

Most backyard people are getting breakfast, and are not going broke if they get 6 eggs a week instead of 8. And if you like the looks of your flock, don't worry about it.

If you want to up the genetics, get a more quality bird, an easy way to do it, is to add a high quality rooster to the flock.... hatch out a couple of clutches, and get a new high quality rooster of the same breed and breed to the new hens. This should up your quality of birds, in say 3 years.

Mrs K

 

[Den in Penn]

I have started down that road mostly because it is cheaper to hatch then buy. Of course it helps to have a very dedicated broody who is an escape artist. She just presented me eleven crosses from a hidden nest. I have no GLW rooster now.

 

[dodgewoman]

Oh good point about degrading the quality! My birds are pretty that have grown and hatched for sure. Our roosters is our 3 in so many years so so far so good with that(our first died, second one to mean). I don't doesn't birds only eggs and I don't care if I get a few less eggs a day

 

[Mrs. K]

so much fun to get unexpected chicks! Praying for a broody hen NOW!