New Breeders

[15littlem]

I am a teen who has had hens for about 5 years now. I have decided that I want to start breeding (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Leghorns, etc.). Do you have any styles you use for breeding? My parents are a little iffy on breeding, on account of having the rooster. Could you give me some ideas on how to persuade them to let me do this project. Anything would help.
Thanks

 

[NYREDS]

Not sure what you mean by "styles you use for breeding".

 

[15littlem]

Different hen to rooster ratios, how you breed them (pen, flock, pasture, etc.).

 

[Gresh]

Firstly, I would find a breed that goes broody a lot and is known for its good parenting. I'm not an expert but I assume having several broody-prone hens will keep you from having to purchase a very expensive incubator.

Secondly, it depends on what your parents are concerned about with the rooster. If you live in the city and if they are concerned about crowing because of neighbors, you can always check your city laws about roosters. If the laws allow roosters, then your neighbors couldn't force you to get rid of the rooster if they wanted to. However, if your parents are concerned about the temperament of the rooster, there are a few things they may need to know.

One, roosters are not often the aggressive, loud-mouth bullies that a lot of modern people seem to think they are. This false idea may be a result of the drifting away from our heritage roots, or it may be the influence of anti-cockfighting groups like the PETA or the SPCA who exaggerate the temperaments of cocks to keep people from having too many in their flocks. Either way, roosters are often mild-mannered and sweet towards people, depending on human interaction and breed. Breeds like the Chantecler, Silkie, and Cornish are good examples of breeds with mild-mannered cocks. Surprisingly, contrary to public opinion, gamecocks (especially Oriental ones) are very good with people and hens and are noted for their calmness around humans.

Secondly, good cocks are always good to their hens, especially if they are the only cock in the flock or if there aren't many other cocks. This feeling of superiority seems to make them chivalrous with the girls. However, in my experience, low-ranking roosters who are constantly being dogged by a dominant cock will tend to be mean and hormonal with hens. But this is just my experience. Also, cockerels who are going through "chicken adolescence" will tend to be hormonal and overbearing with females. By the time they are about a year old, though, they grow out of this stage.

I hope you can get started as soon as possible with your plans. Raising chicks is always a great experience. Having a few roosters (or even just one) is a joy as well.

God bless,
~Gresh~

 

[Debbi]

I am a teen who has had hens for about 5 years now. I have decided that I want to start breeding (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, Leghorns, etc.). Do you have any styles you use for breeding? My parents are a little iffy on breeding, on account of having the rooster. Could you give me some ideas on how to persuade them to let me do this project. Anything would help.
Thanks

Assuming you want to keep your breeds pure, you will need a roo for each breed, and keep them all seperated by breed. If you are just looking to possibly have some babies hatching, and don't care if they are mixed breeds, (ie RIR roo X Leghorn hen for example), then you can run them together. You didn't say how many hens you have, but around here 1 roo will cover quite a few hens, like 7 or 8, maybe more. I keep several roosters, and 3 of them run with the hens, and one roo has to be kept seperate as he sees himself as the "Alpha" and won't get along with the other roos. The 3 older roos are very considerate of the ladies and me, and will call the girls over to get treats while they go without. They also check out the nest boxes for the hens, and vocally tell them which one to use! Then when the hen lays her egg, my boys even start singing the "Egg Song" for them! Can't get any better than that! I personally love my roos more so than my girls as far as personality goes!

 

[BlueCamas]

I'm a teen and I breed Bantam BBS Rocks and Bantam Barnies (as soon as my pullets start laying). I live just outside the city limits so sometimes it challenging to have a rooster. Luckily, bantam roosters are a lot quieter than LF so my neighbors actually can barely here them! If you are breeding for purebreds you want to have your breeding group separate from other breeds or birds you don't want offspring from. If you don't care what mixes you get, just throw your whole flock together! If you are wanting to sell or show your chickens, breeding purebreds would be the better choice. If you want to breed and hatch a good number of chicks, I would buy or make an incubator. If you choose a rather broody breed, you might not have enough hens producing eggs to get very many chicks out of them. It's nice to have a broody hen once in a while, but when you have a lot of broody hens and no eggs, it gets annoying

I love breeding chickens. It can be challenging at times, but all the time, money, and work that you put in is totally worth it (especially if you are doing well at shows

)