Egg selection - So, I totally get what you are saying about not keeping the eggs of the broodies or I'd end up with nothing but broodies. Totally makes sense. But how do I tell the eggs apart?
Certain bantams go broody a lot and lay really small eggs. The problem with bantams is that they can’t cover that many eggs to hatch at a time.
I don’t keep a separate flock just to be broodies. My problem is that I don’t have enough broodies to hatch enough chicks for me to eat so I have to use an incubator. Any hen that goes broody for me gets to stay around a while longer and I try to hatch her eggs and keep her offspring so I will have some broodies.
Color/Genetics - I knew that certain colors were dominant in animals, but wasn't sure if it was the exact same with chickens or not. I was thinking of getting a mixed bag of Sussex, Dominique, Brahmas, Delaware and a couple more BAs. When I used a breed selector, these were some of the top recommended breeds. So, if it turns out that the BA roo is the "best", I would likely end up with an almost completely black flock? And it sounds like the barred and white also do the same... So, really, I should probably aim to have a brown roo, you think? Wow. I should probaly do some more research on that whole subject... Who knew a hobby would be so all-consuming?!
If you want to really spend time on chickens, get into the genetics. Chickens are more complicated than many other animals. It’s not just that some genes are dominant and some are recessive, but some are partially dominant and others have incomplete dominance. The way they combine is really a mess. But it gives you a variety of colors once you get the genetics mixed up a bit.
If you know what breed and color your rooster is and what breed and color the hen is, we can pretty much tell you what the offspring will look like the first generation. But if you breed the offspring to each other, you will get a vast variety of colors and patterns.
It’s probably best to keep a red rooster for your first one if you want a variety of colors. Red is the least dominant major color. Black will dominate the first generation and be real prevalent the next generation. White gets tricky. There are different genes that can cause a chicken to be white or at least partially white. Depending on which white gene you have, it could disappear then show back up. Or it may take over. It depends a lot on what other genes are present. Like I said, it can be a mess. But as long as your original rooster and hens re different colors and patterns, in a couple of generations you will have many different colors and patterns to choose from. Then just start selecting the colors and patterns you want.
Roos - I like your idea of a back-up roo, too. Will that work, having two in one smallish flock? I don't want to um, over-burden the hens. Lol. And I do appreciate the tips on picking one out. I figure a straight run should give me plenty of guys to choose from. Lol, though now, somewhat decreased, as I'll be selecting for color, too.
You will read a lot on this forum about roosters. Most of it is well overblown. It is possible to get a bad rooster and it is possible to get a bad hen. But chickens have been running in flocks for thousands of years with all kinds of hen to rooster ratios. They have worked out flock dynamics that allow the flock to survive and thrive. Adolescent chickens, boys and girls, have hormones running wild and can cause some disruptions to the peace of the flock, but if you have patience and give then room, they generally work it out themselves.
Chick Accomodations - My DH is in the process of building me a 10x12 coop, so I figure about 20-25 hens would be my max. (Based on #s, I could have up to 30, but that just seems too crowded) I have a section (about 3x5) that I had designated as the broody hen area, that I can fence off in there so they can be "with" the rest of the flock, but not WITH the flock. I figured a small pen for outside time would be good, possibly attached, with a separate pop door. What issues did you find cropped up with the hens and chicks in the coop? I want to keep them close, as I've heard that helps when it comes time to integrate them.
As Spangled said, we all do it differently. With practically everything to do with chickens, there is not a right way or a wrong way to do things. Almost everything works. In certain circumstances some things may work better than others, but there are still a lot of things that work.
I let my hens hatch with the flock. Occasionally there is some drama, but usually not. I do separate the hen and chicks from the flock for about two days. That just gives the chicks time to learn to eat and drink without the hens bothering them. Then I just turn them loose so Mama can raise them with the flock. I do think how much space Mama has to work makes a difference. The more the better. But as long as Mama can protect her chicks, there isn’t any drama. If a hen starts to bother her chicks, Mama beats the crap out of her. A broody hen has a real bad attitude if you mess with her chicks. The others quickly learn to leave the chicks alone.
I don’t worry about integration with a broody. Mama takes care of that. When she weans them, anywhere from 3 to 9 weeks old, they are part of the flock. The other chickens do not go out of their way to try to kill them. Those young chicks are at the very bottom of the pecking order and are treated like dirt by the other hens. They quickly learn to stay out of the way of the more mature hens abs seem to form their own separate flock until they mature enough to find their way in the pecking order. But hens have been raising chicks with the flock and weaning them at those ages for thousands of years. Again I think having space is very important. The young ones need to be able to stay out of the mature chickens’ way. But usually with chickens they work things out if you let them.
Meat aspect - I hadn't heard of the black specks on the flesh. Will need to look into that. I knew that the silkies had really dark skin and meat. I hadn't thought about the plucking/dressing aspect. That will likely be my DH's job if I cant find a processor in our area willing to do poultry...
When you pluck a chicken the pin feathers are left behind. If those are white or buff colored, you can’t see them. If they are black or dark red, they are easy to see. That’s why white birds are used for the commercial broilers. They make a prettier carcass.
If you skin your birds instead of pluck them, it’s not an issue. When I butcher a chicken I cut it into serving pieces, not leaving the whole carcass. I pretty much take the skin off anyway when I do that. For me it’s not a big deal.
Hopefully I’ve responded to most of your questions. We’ve all got different ways of dealing with things. We’ve all got different goals, conditions, and set-ups. If you can give your chickens space, they’ll pretty much work out any behavioral issues themselves. They’ve been doing that for thousands of years. And try to not get too hung up on the colors. As long as you start with a mix of colors, that will work itself out in a couple of generations. Just choose the colors and patterns you like and breed those.
Certain bantams go broody a lot and lay really small eggs. The problem with bantams is that they can’t cover that many eggs to hatch at a time.
I don’t keep a separate flock just to be broodies. My problem is that I don’t have enough broodies to hatch enough chicks for me to eat so I have to use an incubator. Any hen that goes broody for me gets to stay around a while longer and I try to hatch her eggs and keep her offspring so I will have some broodies.
Color/Genetics - I knew that certain colors were dominant in animals, but wasn't sure if it was the exact same with chickens or not. I was thinking of getting a mixed bag of Sussex, Dominique, Brahmas, Delaware and a couple more BAs. When I used a breed selector, these were some of the top recommended breeds. So, if it turns out that the BA roo is the "best", I would likely end up with an almost completely black flock? And it sounds like the barred and white also do the same... So, really, I should probably aim to have a brown roo, you think? Wow. I should probaly do some more research on that whole subject... Who knew a hobby would be so all-consuming?!
If you want to really spend time on chickens, get into the genetics. Chickens are more complicated than many other animals. It’s not just that some genes are dominant and some are recessive, but some are partially dominant and others have incomplete dominance. The way they combine is really a mess. But it gives you a variety of colors once you get the genetics mixed up a bit.
If you know what breed and color your rooster is and what breed and color the hen is, we can pretty much tell you what the offspring will look like the first generation. But if you breed the offspring to each other, you will get a vast variety of colors and patterns.
It’s probably best to keep a red rooster for your first one if you want a variety of colors. Red is the least dominant major color. Black will dominate the first generation and be real prevalent the next generation. White gets tricky. There are different genes that can cause a chicken to be white or at least partially white. Depending on which white gene you have, it could disappear then show back up. Or it may take over. It depends a lot on what other genes are present. Like I said, it can be a mess. But as long as your original rooster and hens re different colors and patterns, in a couple of generations you will have many different colors and patterns to choose from. Then just start selecting the colors and patterns you want.
Roos - I like your idea of a back-up roo, too. Will that work, having two in one smallish flock? I don't want to um, over-burden the hens. Lol. And I do appreciate the tips on picking one out. I figure a straight run should give me plenty of guys to choose from. Lol, though now, somewhat decreased, as I'll be selecting for color, too.
You will read a lot on this forum about roosters. Most of it is well overblown. It is possible to get a bad rooster and it is possible to get a bad hen. But chickens have been running in flocks for thousands of years with all kinds of hen to rooster ratios. They have worked out flock dynamics that allow the flock to survive and thrive. Adolescent chickens, boys and girls, have hormones running wild and can cause some disruptions to the peace of the flock, but if you have patience and give then room, they generally work it out themselves.
Chick Accomodations - My DH is in the process of building me a 10x12 coop, so I figure about 20-25 hens would be my max. (Based on #s, I could have up to 30, but that just seems too crowded) I have a section (about 3x5) that I had designated as the broody hen area, that I can fence off in there so they can be "with" the rest of the flock, but not WITH the flock. I figured a small pen for outside time would be good, possibly attached, with a separate pop door. What issues did you find cropped up with the hens and chicks in the coop? I want to keep them close, as I've heard that helps when it comes time to integrate them.
As Spangled said, we all do it differently. With practically everything to do with chickens, there is not a right way or a wrong way to do things. Almost everything works. In certain circumstances some things may work better than others, but there are still a lot of things that work.
I let my hens hatch with the flock. Occasionally there is some drama, but usually not. I do separate the hen and chicks from the flock for about two days. That just gives the chicks time to learn to eat and drink without the hens bothering them. Then I just turn them loose so Mama can raise them with the flock. I do think how much space Mama has to work makes a difference. The more the better. But as long as Mama can protect her chicks, there isn’t any drama. If a hen starts to bother her chicks, Mama beats the crap out of her. A broody hen has a real bad attitude if you mess with her chicks. The others quickly learn to leave the chicks alone.
I don’t worry about integration with a broody. Mama takes care of that. When she weans them, anywhere from 3 to 9 weeks old, they are part of the flock. The other chickens do not go out of their way to try to kill them. Those young chicks are at the very bottom of the pecking order and are treated like dirt by the other hens. They quickly learn to stay out of the way of the more mature hens abs seem to form their own separate flock until they mature enough to find their way in the pecking order. But hens have been raising chicks with the flock and weaning them at those ages for thousands of years. Again I think having space is very important. The young ones need to be able to stay out of the mature chickens’ way. But usually with chickens they work things out if you let them.
Meat aspect - I hadn't heard of the black specks on the flesh. Will need to look into that. I knew that the silkies had really dark skin and meat. I hadn't thought about the plucking/dressing aspect. That will likely be my DH's job if I cant find a processor in our area willing to do poultry...
When you pluck a chicken the pin feathers are left behind. If those are white or buff colored, you can’t see them. If they are black or dark red, they are easy to see. That’s why white birds are used for the commercial broilers. They make a prettier carcass.
If you skin your birds instead of pluck them, it’s not an issue. When I butcher a chicken I cut it into serving pieces, not leaving the whole carcass. I pretty much take the skin off anyway when I do that. For me it’s not a big deal.
Hopefully I’ve responded to most of your questions. We’ve all got different ways of dealing with things. We’ve all got different goals, conditions, and set-ups. If you can give your chickens space, they’ll pretty much work out any behavioral issues themselves. They’ve been doing that for thousands of years. And try to not get too hung up on the colors. As long as you start with a mix of colors, that will work itself out in a couple of generations. Just choose the colors and patterns you like and breed those.
