Red Broilers - how many eggs?

[ReLearning2Live]

Wondering if anyone has experience with allowing red broilers to go to adulthood and lay. We have a flock of red broilers now and we are considering letting some of them go to adult in order to replenish the meat flock so we can wean off relying on the hatchery.
So, what we need to know is about how often do they lay in peak? 1/day, 4/week? etc...

Thanks!

 

[kizanne]

I too would love to know the answer. I have 2 nice looking girls. But mine our not yet laying they are close to I'll let you know .

 

[kizanne]

Mine have started laying at approximately 23 weeks old.

There are two of them and other chickens but I believe I'm getting one a day and sometimes two. For pullets that seems about normal and surprising for meaties. It is still early so I'll try to keep you up-to-date as they get alittle older.

 

[ReLearning2Live]

Thanks so much! Look forward to it

 

[kizanne]

Well now I think a second chicken in that pen is laying but not sure who. It is going to be harder to track as I knew just one red broiler was laying but then I got a second egg that looks a little different so not sure if it is a broiler laying or one of the two dominiques (though I think one of the doms is a boy). It is a pinkish egg with a few white spots on it. since broilers are hybrids of who know what may or may not be a broiler. There are australorps, doms, black broilers in there. Every once in a while my speckled sussex decides she wants in there.

I going to say the boiler was great the first couple days then took a few off. She is a pullet so not sure if she'll become more consistent.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have read that you could put a drop of food coloring on the vent of the red broiler and see if the eggs you are finding are from them or not.

I think someone on BYC says they use lipstick to mark their birds to see if they are laying or not.

 

[kizanne]

This is an excellent suggestions as I got another egg today that looks different than the others. I'll have to research a little and try that this weekend when I have more time. I wonder if the color on the outside would do any harm during incubation. I am try to incubate some of the eggs coming out of there as in the pen are some of the crosses I wanted to try.

The only roo is a 7.5 pound black broiler who has a very tall stance with wide legs. He grew fairly quick. With all my rooster they are in danger everyday as I live in a neighborhood and if they get to loud I have to put them in the freezer. SO trying to grab some eggs while he is still in business.

In that pen old enough to lay are

dominiques
australorpes
black broiler hens
red broiler hens

Coming of age in maybe another 4 weeks
delaware hens
RIR hen
Blue Laced Red Wyndotte hens / roos

The broiler may also be replaced by a wyndotte roo as I would like to breed a few BLRW for the spring to sell around here.

 

[Zootopia]

Just remember since they are a Hybrid they will not breed true. The chicks will not be copies of the parents. That's why the hatcheries use a Hybrid, so you have to keep buying from them to get those results.

 

[kizanne]

yep, I just curious what results I do get. Also Pretty sure I won't hatch a leghorn from these hybrids. I figure you'll see more variation in the fast/slow growth and some variation in the weights. But I don't figure I'll get any small chickens. I will let you know though. I am sticking in the incubator and under a broody as we speak.

I have a thread called my next great experiment that I'm keeping track of these things in. But hey it'll be close to 6 months before this part of the experiment is done.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Have you cracked any of the eggs and checked for the bullseye to see if they are fertile?
One comment that I have read is that the meat type birds have problems with actually fertilizing eggs because of their shape.
It would be a shame to waste alot of eggs trying to incubate if they have not been fertilized.