once chicks are adults, should I let them loose with parent flock?

[trunkman]

I have an adult flock of 23 chickens and am hatching eggs from the flock, once the chicks grow to adult size and are ready to become a productive flock can I put them with the parent flock or should I keep them separate? Should I be concerned about inbreeding, I wouldn't want banjo playing chickens, LOL.... Any advice would be helpful...

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes I think that it will be fine. Inbreeding probably will not be a problem the first or second time, if you continue year after year, you may begin to produce chickens that play a banjo.... jk..... the most common side effect of too much imbreeding is loss of egg production, but you could also get a physical deformity, but it highly unlikely. You can get some highly desirable traits, but they happen less often.

If you plan to do it for the long run, and do it correctly, one should keep careful records of traits, such as egg laying regularity, weight of chickens each month, breed conformity, age of laying of each chicken, and then only hatch your top chickens eggs. Most backyard breeders just wing it. But you can improve your flock a great deal by keeping track and careful breeding.

As the years go by, you can add in some different strains by adding different chicks, or different roos.

Mk

 

[trunkman]

Thanks Mrs. K, from what you say I have quite a ways to go, I'm just starting to increase my flock size, the turn out should be interesting as I have about a half dozen different breeds.

 

[Mrs. K]

Right now, I too have a highly mixed flock and am currently praying for a broody hen.

I love raising chicks right in the coop, with a good broody hen. My top broody was killed before my now rooster was big enough. So I ask the girls each morning, have fake eggs piled up, and so far nothing,

But as I have a couple of different breeds, and nothing too special, plus an EE roo..... well, I might be looking for a banjo myself

 

[KingBardRock]

I have a hen that is such a brooder she barely leaves the coop. We have to force her out most days for a few hours and even then she likes to try and peck at the kids as they move her out to the sun. She screams a lot when you take her away from her empty nesting box. What is funny is that she will move boxes when the other hens come in to lay their eggs. Not sure if I should discurage this since I am hoping to raise a few natural born chicks this summer once my Roo is old enough for "the talk" and he figures out what to do with all these Hens.

 

[Mrs. K]

I have had very good luck raising chicks in the flock. (or I should say in letting a broody raise them). If you are unsure of your roo, or would like some different breeds, and have a broody now.... I would go and get some day old chicks, and slip under her at night, when she has been broody about 21 days. The thing is, if you wait for the roo, the broody might give up.

It is magical, the moment she feels them moving under her, her voice will change, she clucked till I thought she would be hoarse.

My hens do free range most days, and at hatching time, I do get down early and let them out, so all have enough space, but within 24 hours, the Broody will have them out of the coop, ususally staying close to the run for several days. But they are healthier, and stronger, because instead of being kept in a box standing in their own sh&* they are out catching bugs, crawling over sticks, up hills.

Please, please God, let me have a broody hen!

MrsK