Seven dead hens within 4 hours, not attacked. UPDATE: Teflon Poisoning!

[TwoCrows]

Go with the 10 hens, better with having the rooster . Or you will need some hen saddles You can always plan adding baby chicks in the future?

X2 They say a good ratio of roo to hen is 1 to 8-10. This helps prevent overbreeding of a couple of hens, which can kill a hen in many ways. So I would get at least 7-8 hens.

 

[aart]

They say a good ratio of roo to hen is 1 to 8-10

Weeelllll.....
The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.
Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Weeelllll.....
The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.
Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

Plus, the rooster is already lonely. Why torture him more by having him wait another 6+ months looking at eye candy of chicks to mature before he can start doing his thing? Let him jump right in where he left off, and he'll be a happy camper.

Chicks require an additional setup, heating, special grower feed, monitoring, just downright more work and expense. If you're that ambitious, then I applaud you for going the whole nine yards with adult birds and chicks.

 

[lazy gardener]

What Aart said.

 

[bruceha2000]

... Chicks require an additional setup, heating, special grower feed, monitoring, just downright more work and expense. ...

Maybe
If the coop is big enough to have a separated brooding area (mine is a removable 2'x4' wire affair (2 sides, goes in the corner of the coop) with a wood and 2x4 wire fencing top. As it happens the original chicken door is on that wall (replaced on the other side of the people door with an auto door). The hen raises the chicks, and will bring the chicks out and make sure they get back to bed. All you need to do is make sure they have food and water in the brooder area. Yes SOME more work but not the same as raising them yourself for 4 weeks.



BTW, these are the 2015 chicks. They started eating the layer feed in the hanging feeder when they were about 2 weeks old. They still had their grower crumbles in the brooder area. I ended up dumping the remaining half bag into the 10 gallon can of layer feed.

 

[BY Bob]

Having his breakfast this morning.

So glad to see him up and about. He's beautiful.

 

[BY Bob]

My well water is very very high in sodium. I used it on my flocks for 5 years unknowingly giving them high blood pressure and heart disease. Many in my flock died from heart failure. I was devastated because I didn't know.

Holy cow. I would have never considered that a possibility. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I wouldn't have thought of that either. Tricky business these chickens are.

 

[Cryss]

Holy cow. I would have never considered that a possibility. I'm so sorry that happened to you.

A water softener will do the same thing. I buy spring water in the winter. In non-freezing seasons I get wster from the outdoor tap which is a dedicated line from the well bypassing the water softener.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

So was today New Hens For Henry day? Maybe I remembered wrong?