Planning a new flock in Florida

[Hobbits Mommie]

2 years ago I was gifted 25 mutt chickens of which 20 turned out to be roosters so I ended up with 5 hens in the end. About 3 months ago one of them became broody and ever since we've gotten 1 to 2 eggs per day. We made the decision to re-home them with a wonderful family who have roosters, and room for them to roam.

We are going to start a new "planned" flock in the spring and I have questions.

1.) If we opt not to have a rooster, are we likely to end up with non laying hens again?

2.) If we decide to have multiple breeds, and have to have a rooster to make the girls happy, would it be wise to get a very small breed rooster for safety?

3.) Florida is very hot, humid, and insect ridden. These elements can lead to respiratory illnesses. What breeds are suitable for our environment?

4.) Due to the recent food shortages related to Covid, my husband wants meat birds. I honestly don't think that I could cull a bird unless I was truly starving. Are there other advantages to having meat birds? Good layers, etc.

Any advice is welcomed. Love you guys and thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

1) roosters are not needed for hens to lay.
2) raised together, small roosters do well in large fowl flocks.
3) Mediterranean breeds generally handle hot/humid weather well.
4) Meat birds are bred to be rapid growing and short lived.

Dual purpose birds may be what you might consider.

 

[no fly zone]

I have an 8 month old naked neck rooster i am looking to rehome if you are interested. Naked necks are great for FL weather, and are dual purpose birds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

1) Confirming, hens will lay whether there is a rooster present or not. Until they don't. That also has nothing to do with the rooster, but rather age, light levels, breed, and diet. When they start laying is affected by the same factors.

2) Hens squat. It transfers the weight of the roo to the ground, and off their legs. Even a relatively tiny hen can be safely mounted by a large roo. The better question is why you would want a significant size disparity in your birds, unless part of a breeding plan.

3) Agree on the Mediterranean Class of birds; Anconas, Andalusians, Buttercups, Catalana, Leghorns, Marans, Minorca, etc. Mediterarranean's tend to be large birds, somewhat flighty, not very broody. Most (all?) have clean legs and often a pronounced single comb (helps bleed heat off in got climates). Within the class, there is considerable variation in average size and coloration, so you have lots of options.

That said, with some foresight and consideration in your house and run design, even breeds that are not traditionally thought of in hot climates, like my dark Brahma and the CornishX meat hybrid, can do quite well in hot, humid environments.

4) Meat birds are a subject all their own. For efficiency, nothing beats the CornishX hybrid for meat production. They are, eventually, ok layers, but they eat like pigs so those are costly eggs - and the same hybridization that makes them extremely suited to meat production has been prioritized over things like long term health. and of course, ass hybrids, they don't breed true, so that option is gone as well.

Most home-based chicken owners choose some form of dual-purpose bird if they have meat in mind. Essentially, a largish, relatively fast growing bird. But they are nothing like commercial CornishX lines, slower growing, lighter weight, more flavorful meat (which is a plus or a minus, depending on personal preference), and owing to older age to reach weight and generally more active lives, it tends to be somewhat tougher, with less sub-cutaneous fat layer.

As well, most hatcheries, being in the business of selling eggs and chicks, not adult chickens, have not selected for meat production in their DP birds for generations, literally decades, so DP birds tend to be thought of primarily as decent to good egg layers who eventually make great soup, broth, stock, or sausage.

The flip side of that is dedicated egg layers, including varieties of the RSL or Red Sex Link (i.e. Golden Comets and about a hundred other names) who tend towards relatively small size (3.5# to 5# hens), pop out large to extra large eggs most days, and tend to short productive lives (18-36 months) owing to the incredible strain of producing a large (relative to body size) egg almost every day after 16-18 weeks of life on average - they tend to be some of the earliest layers among the breeds and hybrids. Again, when they are done, soup, stock, stew, or grind - but most would rather butcher a bunch of 6# birds than4#, particularly as the breast meat on most breeds is in much lesser proportion to dark meat than what you see in a supermarket bird.

Finally, there isn't a "right way", but hopefully enough info to help you find the right way for you