Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

can you try again please? (that's the same link you pasted about the Amrocks)

http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/
+ choose books in the menu on the left

 

[fluffycrow]

another for impactful events (predator attacks, introductions of new birds, deaths, presence of a bully rooster or hen, change of feed, etc.) to account for the effects of stress on laying.

That was quite interesting and a little sad to observe last September.

The fox attack that happened (and apologies if it’s getting annoyingly repetitive) claimed Lady Gaga and Erica. The former was the head rooster of the bantam (then) tribe, while the latter was a mid to low-ranking hen of the Tsouloufati group, who wandered quite a bit.

Egg production in the bantam tribe stopped completely for quite some time. What was even more sad was Cruella’s reaction to the loss of her beloved rooster. Those two had a very special bond, and the otherwise broody-prone Cruella refused to sit for months and months.
On the other hand, egg production in the Tsouloufati group went through a two week period of minimal production, and then bounced back

 

[Shadrach]

I have a hen that's a wonderful setter. She's a steady and reliable mama-to-be ... until those nasty little yellow things start breaking her eggs! Nowadays, if I can't "break" her she becomes an organic incubator. I let her set for the first two weeks, then finish off the clutch in my NurtureRight 360.

I've had a couple of hens that couldn't be trusted with the chicks they hatched. Most notable was a hen called Myth who was great at the sitting part; got off the eggs like clockwork to eat, bathe etc, kept a very tidy nest, and hatched most of what she sat on. Unfortunately she tried to kill ever chick she hatched.

 

[Shadrach]

I know you’re concerned about her leg…

What do hens in the wild do when they go broody but for whatever reason don’t have fertile eggs, or any eggs, I guess? Does the broodiness finally wear off, or do predators get them on the nest, or ??

I have looked for information on this topic and haven't found a study yet.

 

[Shadrach]

Pullets here will start laying at five and a half to seven months old no matter the time of year. I don’t recall having any pullets wait until spring to lay their first egg. However, pullets that started laying in the summer or very early autumn might take a break during winter.

Please take into account that my winter temperatures hardly count as such for some of you, though light seems to be the main factor for egg laying, IME

As a rule, this is what I could count on in Catalonia. It didn't matter what the breed was. It's been different at the field where the pullets have waited until the next year to lay.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have looked for information on this topic and haven't found a study yet.

I can share my observation of a wild duck that chose to make a nest right where I could observe it closely. And unfortunately so could the raccoons.
Incidentally, I say I could observe it closely but the camouflage of a wild mallard on a nest in unbelievable. Even knowing exactly where she was I practically had to trip over her before I could find her!
Anyway, one night a raccoon came. Mother duck escaped by the tips of her tail feathers. Raccoon ate two eggs and broke a third but left 3 sitting un damaged in the nest.
I thought the mother would come back and finish hatching the remaining eggs.
But no, she created another better nest a few yards away and hatched 6 little ducklings.
Eventually when it was clear she wouldn’t return I took the 3 eggs.
I know this isn’t exactly what you were asking @Mother of Chaos, but it’s all I’ve got that is broadly relevant.

 

[Shadrach]

So you might, one day, get something wrong.

I think that climate seems to impact their biological clock, For example, it doesn't really start to get autumnal here until almost December so ours tend to moult late November to December.

The first group were a winter hatch, and started laying around 8-9 months old. the late spring and summer hatch groups started laying around 7 months, but were also almost double the physical size, at the same ages after the Winters.

Buffs are pretty prolific layers, so I was worried about their reproductive health, but I am pretty happy that most of the ladies don't tend to lay everyday. I will gladly take fewer eggs over them suffering or losing my lovelies early.

I also think it may be climate rather than breed.

 

[Shadrach]

Yeah there are definitely way better alternatives then getting CX. But I want to say with everything I have read on this site so far and my own limited experience of owning a few for a month, that it's all about management with them. You can let them live longer but you need be on top of feed management. This will be harder as I don't believe there are many sources on letting them live longer and still eating them later on. Most would probably get Freedom Rangers, Buckeyes or New Hampshires etc at that point. The next problem comes if they are on some sort of diet, they will be chronically hungry. They have been bred to be always hungry, so for welfare they need to be able to get some sort of food all the time. This is where keeping them outsides comes into play, they will be able to eat grass or bugs all the time even when not having excess to pellets etc. This exercise will also keep their leg muscles healthy and strong. But this will have the effect that their meat will be less tender cause they are using their muscles more than store bought chickens. Also there are different strains of CX. If you want a healthier version go for Hubbard or Sasso instead of Cobb or Ross, but I imagine this would be harder to find out. Although non white meat chickens will be most likely a healthier version.

As for getting attached to them, well that's indeed very easy. Although it won't just be you that gets attached to them. I have never met chickens as sweet as them. Pullets from other breeds I have bought around the same age have remained scared of me while at least one CX literally tries to jump the fence to get to me. It might be that they have just connected me with food, are simply curious or maybe they have established a deeper connection with me. Their behaviour is a bit complicated to put into words and I simply don't know how they view me.
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There are lots of so called dual purpose breeds that can be raised for meat; it's just hat they don't provide enough meat to be commercially viable, or viable for the backyard keeper who keeps them primarily for meat. It boils down to cost and profit.

 

[Shadrach]

Just to be clear, said it was traditional wisdom, which means old poultry handbooks, which are not so easy to find and cite in online versions (and are not normally followed anyway it seems) and that my experience was consistent. Generalizations based on one individual's experience - myself included - are usually not worth much imo.

Yes but...
The Old Poultry books are mostly based on a, or a collection of, keepers experiences.

 

[Perris]

Yes but...
The Old Poultry books are mostly based on a, or a collection of, keepers experiences.

Quite so. And the more one reads, the more keepers' experiences one accumulates