Should I buy a rooster for my free-range hens?

[Mom of six hens]

Boy you're going to get the ire of silkie owners... but as a silkie owner, I fully agree. They simply can't see well enough to adequately defend the flock. A frizzle can, they're just a roo with crazy feathers.

Here's my flock protector. He does an excellent job.

View attachment 1931025

And here is my other one... this one a bit bigger... but very effective!

View attachment 1931026

And finally, a Silkie that can take care of itself...

View attachment 1931027

Go Silkie!!

 

[Peggysaurus]

At that age I have to ask what was the diet? What type feed and what supplements?

All of the pullets were being fed Dumor Poultry Starter feed (they are almost done with the bag). We are planning on going to Tractor Supply Co. this weekend to get a new feed for them called Dumor Poultry Grower/Finisher feed. Both the hens and the pullets have a powder vitamin mix in their waters.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would not be unduly upset. It has happened to me. I have had chicks fail to thrive, and die in a day or so, but not often, but not rarely, I have lost a bird at about 3 months that seems to be fine with healthy flock mates, to be found dead. All the rest of the birds seem fine and go on to live normal chicken lives.

I would not do a necropsy unless, you lose some more, or if others get sick acting. I think it is a genetic issue and as they get bigger, they outgrow the internal physical defect.

Mrs K

 

[Peggysaurus]

I would not be unduly upset. It has happened to me. I have had chicks fail to thrive, and die in a day or so, but not often, but not rarely, I have lost a bird at about 3 months that seems to be fine with healthy flock mates, to be found dead. All the rest of the birds seem fine and go on to live normal chicken lives.

I would not do a necropsy unless, you lose some more, or if others get sick acting. I think it is a genetic issue and as they get bigger, they outgrow the internal physical defect.

Mrs K

Thanks for the info . We already buried the dead chicken and it has been in there for more than a day now, so I don't think we are going to do a necropsy on it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks for the info . We already buried the dead chicken and it has been in there for more than a day now, so I don't think we are going to do a necropsy on it.

I would not get a necropsy either for just one. You can talk to your county extension agent to find out what is involved in getting one in case you see a need in the future. Each state is different. In some states the cost is really low, others not so much. You can find out where to take them. Very important would be learning how to preserve one, typically refrigerated and not frozen. They want it refrigerated quickly so it does not decompose.

I've had chickens anywhere from newly hatched chicks to mature hens die for no apparent reason and without acting sick. It could be birth defects, a heart attack, or a stroke. I had one that I think broke her neck when she panicked and flew into something. When you deal with living animals you sometimes have to deal with dead ones. If it is only one, well things happen. If you start to see a pattern then getting a necropsy is a good idea.

 

[Ridgerunner]

X2
While one needs a temp just under 100F to make chicks, cell division will begin above 80.6F. From there to 95F is called the zone of disproportional development. Embryos will grow but some organs will outpace other systems eventually leading to the death of the embryo.

Interesting. Do you have a link, I'd like to read it in context. I've never heard of that concept before.

Where I was coming from with that was that at some temperature the embryo will develop enough to show up when you crack an egg. It's below incubation temperature but they still develop and die. The cooler the egg the slower that development. It would be a combination of temperature and time.

I don't know what the minimum temperature would be for the embryo to develop enough that it could be seen when you crack an egg, but it is below incubation temperature. I've read before that this temperature was in the lower 80's but I'm skeptical about that. It just doesn't seem the chick would develop fast enough at that low temperature to be seen before it died.

It would be pretty upsetting to crack an egg and see a partially developed chick. I've stored fertile eggs on the kitchen counter for a month with the AC set on 78 F and never saw any development when I opened those eggs so the minimum has to be somewhere above that. This has nothing to do with hatching, but it does developing.

The easy way to avoid all this is to store them at a reasonably cool temperature, usually room temperature or in the fridge.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Most of the information comes from one of the Brinsea learning articles. It is a great read and obviously is based on research but they don't do any citations.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx
I pick up a lot of data and advice from the Pas Reform knowledge library.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Most of the information comes from one of the Brinsea learning articles. It is a great read and obviously is based on research but they don't do any citations.
http://www.brinsea.com/Articles/Advice/PowerOff.aspx
I pick up a lot of data and advice from the Pas Reform knowledge library.

Thanks. it is an interesting read. I'll probably learn more the second time I read it.

 

[Henry&Friends]

It would be pretty upsetting to crack an egg and see a partially developed chick.

My mom once boiled eggs in her instant pot. I’m not sure why she didn’t use a regular pot, but she didn’t. So we throw the eggs in, wait for them to cook, and open up the pot. And the kitchen filled with the smell of rotten egg. After a quick evacuation, we started checking out the eggs that cooked in the pot, and found that my mom had accidentally taken a broody hens egg! Two years later, I’m still absolutely distraught for the poor thing Now she’s not allowed to collect eggs anymore.

 

[Billynobles]

Hey, BYC! I let my hens free-range every few days and I was wanting to free-range them more often. I heard that roosters warn their hens when there is danger and do a whole lot of other stuff for them. However, I also heard that they are mean and aggressive toward people. Then there is the whole "egg fertilization" thing and I'm not sure if I want to hatch baby chicks yet. I've never had a rooster before, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, BYC!

I've heard horror stories from some others about aggressive roosters, and over the past few decades, I've had a few that chased the kids or grandkids and had to be eaten, but no big difficulties. (Almost always because the kids did something to piss the rooster off, like picking on or chasing the chickens).
For me, roosters are a necessary element to raising chickens. They provide flock stability, establish the pecking order among the flock, and definitely provide protection. No, a rooster isn't going to fight off a fox or coyote (although I've seen them fight off hawks at times), but they do provide a warning or a distraction that allows the hens to often escape and avoid injury.
They will fertilize eggs, and some people just don't like that idea at all. Fertilization does make the color of the yolk deeper, but doesn't affect the taste in the least, and as long as you're collecting eggs every day or two and not keeping your eggs at 100 degrees, you won't have any developing chicken embryos ending up in your frying pan! Besides, roosters are beautiful, full of character, and are a joy to watch!