***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Lonelyfries]

Hello everyone! My hubs and I are wanting to get chickens this year and we are looking for recommendations on good egg layer breeds that will be hardy to Oklahoma weather, we live about an hour east from OKC. Thank you in advance for the help!

 

[GaryDean26]

Hello everyone! My hubs and I are wanting to get chickens this year and we are looking for recommendations on good egg layer breeds that will be hardy to Oklahoma weather, we live about an hour east from OKC. Thank you in advance for the help!

Hardiness or something that is bred in over time. You might have one line of Rhode Island Reds that have hardiness and another line that doesn't have it. They way to breed for hardiness is to cull (remove from your breeding flock) anything that has ever been sick even if they get better and look great after their illness. You don't vaccinate or medicate. You cull for any type of physical defects. You only breed birds that are 2+ years old. You only breed the top 10% of the flock in terms of vigor. Vigor is determined by the growth rates of the bird, mature weights, strength of wings (i.e. do the males hold their wings tucked up tight or hanging low, when you pull the wing out do they snap it back quickly when you let it go or does in retract slowly), activities levels (i.e. do they go into roost and hour before sun set or are they out after sun set up until it is dark, do they forage in the middle of the day when it is hot or loaf by the feed bucket, do the males strut when they walk or walk flat footed, etc.). Also remove anything that has any type of defect, anything that doesn't grow well. Etc. Breeders that breed for hard birds have very few losses after their flock is established (this may take 3-4 generations to do). Oh...and there are different parasites and micro organisms in West Oklahoma than there are in California, Florida, and New York. So...birds need to acclimatize to your property. It is not uncommon for me to loose birds the first year I am working with a few flock. After I get through the first generation and weed out all the weak birds and breed from the strongest birds in the flock it is very rare for me to lose any birds.

So...when it comes to hardiness breed is a lot less important that how long a line has been bred and how it has been breed. Buy from a local breeder if hardiness is high on your list of requirements. Make sure they have been working with their line for a minimum of 3 years (the longer the better) and ask question to see if they are culling weak birds and doing the work required to identify the strongest birds.

Laying ability is similar to hardiness. It comes with the breeding. Their are about 5-6 "primary producers" that supply 90% of the commercial layers. They track every egg that every hen they own lay from its first pullet egg to its last egg. They may go through 100 hens and only breed the top hens on that group. If you want high production then go with a commercial hen. They can be ordered from a hatchery. The White Leghorns are typically going to lay 300+ eggs in their first year of laying. The commercial Rhode Islands Red that I had did not do as well as the White Leghorns but was still laying in the 275 egg range. As far as backyard flocks go the Plymouth Rock is the post popular breed. The hybirds and sexlinks are production birds. The crosses typically lay more eggs in the first year than the pure breeds. This is due to what we call Hybird Vigor.

The average age of a chicken in the USA is 9 months old (if I remember that stat correctly). This is because the commercial layers/broilers are very short lived. Our commercial White Leghorns laid a storm of eggs in their first year but they are breed for one year of production. That means that the primary producers are not waiting 2 years to select breeding stock. They are selecting breeders based on their first year production and breeding them. They do not develop longevity. Any weakness or defect that shows up in their 2nd year they pass o to offspring (they are not fully developed until about two years old despite starting to lay at 5 months old). Many of our commercial hens started to develop problems in their 2-3 year and we never had any survive past their 3rd year. They would get leg problems, internal problems, etc. So out experience was that we could get hard birds if we managed our flock like a heritage farm. The Heritage type flocks topped out at about 200 eggs in their first year of laying but would lay twice as long as commercial hens and live three times as long. Commercial hens would lay twice as many eggs as the heritage type birds but the high production wares the hens out and her laying life is much shorter and in the 2-3 year many of them developed physical defects.

 

[Lonelyfries]

Hardiness or something that is bred in over time. You might have one line of Rhode Island Reds that have hardiness and another line that doesn't have it. They way to breed for hardiness is to cull (remove from your breeding flock) anything that has ever been sick even if they get better and look great after their illness. You don't vaccinate or medicate. You cull for any type of physical defects. You only breed birds that are 2+ years old. You only breed the top 10% of the flock in terms of vigor. Vigor is determined by the growth rates of the bird, mature weights, strength of wings (i.e. do the males hold their wings tucked up tight or hanging low, when you pull the wing out do they snap it back quickly when you let it go or does in retract slowly), activities levels (i.e. do they go into roost and hour before sun set or are they out after sun set up until it is dark, do they forage in the middle of the day when it is hot or loaf by the feed bucket, do the males strut when they walk or walk flat footed, etc.). Also remove anything that has any type of defect, anything that doesn't grow well. Etc. Breeders that breed for hard birds have very few losses after their flock is established (this may take 3-4 generations to do). Oh...and there are different parasites and micro organisms in West Oklahoma than there are in California, Florida, and New York. So...birds need to acclimatize to your property. It is not uncommon for me to loose birds the first year I am working with a few flock. After I get through the first generation and weed out all the weak birds and breed from the strongest birds in the flock it is very rare for me to lose any birds.

So...when it comes to hardiness breed is a lot less important that how long a line has been bred and how it has been breed. Buy from a local breeder if hardiness is high on your list of requirements. Make sure they have been working with their line for a minimum of 3 years (the longer the better) and ask question to see if they are culling weak birds and doing the work required to identify the strongest birds.

Laying ability is similar to hardiness. It comes with the breeding. Their are about 5-6 "primary producers" that supply 90% of the commercial layers. They track every egg that every hen they own lay from its first pullet egg to its last egg. They may go through 100 hens and only breed the top hens on that group. If you want high production then go with a commercial hen. They can be ordered from a hatchery. The White Leghorns are typically going to lay 300+ eggs in their first year of laying. The commercial Rhode Islands Red that I had did not do as well as the White Leghorns but was still laying in the 275 egg range. As far as backyard flocks go the Plymouth Rock is the post popular breed. The hybirds and sexlinks are production birds. The crosses typically lay more eggs in the first year than the pure breeds. This is due to what we call Hybird Vigor.

The average age of a chicken in the USA is 9 months old (if I remember that stat correctly). This is because the commercial layers/broilers are very short lived. Our commercial White Leghorns laid a storm of eggs in their first year but they are breed for one year of production. That means that the primary producers are not waiting 2 years to select breeding stock. They are selecting breeders based on their first year production and breeding them. They do not develop longevity. Any weakness or defect that shows up in their 2nd year they pass o to offspring (they are not fully developed until about two years old despite starting to lay at 5 months old). Many of our commercial hens started to develop problems in their 2-3 year and we never had any survive past their 3rd year. They would get leg problems, internal problems, etc. So out experience was that we could get hard birds if we managed our flock like a heritage farm. The Heritage type flocks topped out at about 200 eggs in their first year of laying but would lay twice as long as commercial hens and live three times as long. Commercial hens would lay twice as many eggs as the heritage type birds but the high production wares the hens out and her laying life is much shorter and in the 2-3 year many of them developed physical defects.

Great Information! Thank you soo much!

 

[artsyrobin]

I don't get over here alot, but my hardiest breeds to heat and cold have been my brahmas. They seem oblivious to the heat and cold- my EE's also seem to tolerate heat, i have lost astralorps to heat, so as much as i adore the breed, I don't plan on more, same with orpingtons.

I have lost alot of birds last year, and have elderly birds, so in the fall ordered 3 faverolles and 3 orloffs, i love both breeds, hopefully they will handle the heat ok. I have a mixed bunch as always here. And a beardless faverolle bad hatchery breeding? LOL

 

[NanaKat]

I have found great success in Central Oklahoma with Wyandotte. I have several color varieties. They are a dual purpose heritage breed...egg layers and meat producers.
The hens lay 3 to 5 eggs a week each even in winter. The meat is plump and succulent with great feed conversion.

Selection of breeders is very important like @GaryDean26 reported.
I also select for good mothering...I like to see that Mom out with her clutch teaching her bitties how to hunt and select food while free-ranging. I also want hens that accept newly incubated chicks added to their clutch.

In my layer flock I also have a few Cochin, Marans, Orpington, and Bantams. They each serve a purpose.
My oldest hen is a Black Minorca and at 8 years of age, I get one giant white egg once in a while. She earns her keep by regularly adopting stray chicks and nurturing them.

 

[i-love-my-honey]

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to teach a herding dog to herd chickens? We have a Great Pyranese pup that I would like to use for this. I know shes way to young now, but my dream is to someday have her stay with the flock so I dont have to worry about predators so much.

 

[CLSranch]

They will naturally protect your entire property around/near the house or barn or where ever you keep them. Right now I'd just introduce to her to the chickens while on a leash so she can't try to "play" with them.

 

[Fallenone05]

I have found great success in Central Oklahoma with Wyandotte. I have several color varieties. They are a dual purpose heritage breed...egg layers and meat producers.
The hens lay 3 to 5 eggs a week each even in winter. The meat is plump and succulent with great feed conversion.

Selection of breeders is very important like @GaryDean26 reported.
I also select for good mothering...I like to see that Mom out with her clutch teaching her bitties how to hunt and select food while free-ranging. I also want hens that accept newly incubated chicks added to their clutch.

In my layer flock I also have a few Cochin, Marans, Orpington, and Bantams. They each serve a purpose.
My oldest hen is a Black Minorca and at 8 years of age, I get one giant white egg once in a while. She earns her keep by regularly adopting stray chicks and nurturing them.

Hi NanaKat! I was wondering if you're breeding any of your Wyandottes for sale? I sold all my birds and would like to start a new flock of Wyandottes or Orpingtons!

 

[Fallenone05]

Hi everyone!! It's been nearly two years since I've posted to BYC it feels like! A year ago I moved to FL and now I'll be moving back a year and a half later. This place is rough! Hardly any animals allowed and I'm dying. I hope all of y'all have been well!

 

[NanaKat]

I have not put my breed pens together yet. I'm reworking my pens since the bobcat attacks. Fortunately I had my breeder birds in the barn.
The test hatches in the incubators were good so once I begin collecting eggs from the pens I should see good results from my pairings.
I'm not NPIP.