Don't get RIR's, at least not the production variety.
I was just in the hen house with my girls, and it re-affirmed what I've been thinking for the last few weeks. I want to re-home my 16wk production RIR's from McMurray. They are mean! As I sat out there and watched, two of them were running around picking feathers from the other chickens' backsides. They're always the perpetrators of chaos. It wasn't peaceful or pleasant while they were in there. So I caught the 5 of them and put them out of the hen house to free range for the day. Peace was immediately restored in the coop.
If I didn't have so few brown egg layers in there, I'd have them a new home by bedtime tonight. But with 32 pullets, only 10 (including the 5 RIR's) are going to give me brown eggs. I like to sell variety dozens, with brown, white and green in each carton, and I can't afford to give up these who are supposed to be prolific layers.
I'll say again, LOVE my white leghorns. Good foragers, prolific layers, and friendly birds.
I was just in the hen house with my girls, and it re-affirmed what I've been thinking for the last few weeks. I want to re-home my 16wk production RIR's from McMurray. They are mean! As I sat out there and watched, two of them were running around picking feathers from the other chickens' backsides. They're always the perpetrators of chaos. It wasn't peaceful or pleasant while they were in there. So I caught the 5 of them and put them out of the hen house to free range for the day. Peace was immediately restored in the coop.
If I didn't have so few brown egg layers in there, I'd have them a new home by bedtime tonight. But with 32 pullets, only 10 (including the 5 RIR's) are going to give me brown eggs. I like to sell variety dozens, with brown, white and green in each carton, and I can't afford to give up these who are supposed to be prolific layers.
I'll say again, LOVE my white leghorns. Good foragers, prolific layers, and friendly birds.
