"Spent" Hen Enterprise

[JayColli]

Hi @paulamc

Are you sure your brown hens are buff orpingtons? The hens used in commercial laying operations are usually white leghorns or hybrids but I suppose some operations might use them. Regardless, 18-20 a week from 3 hens in the winter is VERY impressive, especially if they were already 18 months old when you got them.

 

[PaulaMc]

Hi @paulamc

Are you sure your brown hens are buff orpingtons? The hens used in commercial laying operations are usually white leghorns or hybrids but I suppose some operations might use them. Regardless, 18-20 a week from 3 hens in the winter is VERY impressive, especially if they were already 18 months old when you got them.

Ha ha Jay no I am not sure they are BO. I know they will be hybrids but am sure they have some heritage. Thought they may be related to Marans and then someone mentioned BO. I am finding as a newbie to chicken keeping- 8 months- that actually saying 'what' your chicken type is, is very complicated ha ha. Do you just say 'my hen is a hybrid'? I know Talula is a white leghorn, but her floppy comb doesn't seem typical. Is it because she was caged for nearly a year and bred to lay intensely?

I got the ex-batts when they were 12 months and deemed 'spent' and ready for slaughter. They are now just over 18 months. I think my silkies are about 2 and lay 3-4 a week on average. Except when frequently broody ha ha.

I appreciate any advice please.
Many thanks

Paula

 

[lazy gardener]

Floppy comb is very typical of straight combed leghorns. Straight doesn't always mean straight! What it does mean is it has the typical "saw tooth" points that we all grew up drawing on our chickens!

 

[PaulaMc]

Floppy comb is very typical of straight combed leghorns. Straight doesn't always mean straight! What it does mean is it has the typical "saw tooth" points that we all grew up drawing on our chickens!

Aaaww thanks, so looking at her on my profile pic, does that mean she's 'normal' please? I thought because she was an ex batt she was damaged. Her comb was white when I got her a she was 'oven-ready', hardly any bottom feathers or wing feathers. But now her comb is a healthy pink/red and she is fully feathered.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[JayColli]

Ha ha Jay no I am not sure they are BO. I know they will be hybrids but am sure they have some heritage. Thought they may be related to Marans and then someone mentioned BO. I am finding as a newbie to chicken keeping- 8 months- that actually saying 'what' your chicken type is, is very complicated ha ha. Do you just say 'my hen is a hybrid'? I know Talula is a white leghorn, but her floppy comb doesn't seem typical. Is it because she was caged for nearly a year and bred to lay intensely?

I got the ex-batts when they were 12 months and deemed 'spent' and ready for slaughter. They are now just over 18 months. I think my silkies are about 2 and lay 3-4 a week on average. Except when frequently broody ha ha.

I appreciate any advice please.
Many thanks

Paula

I'm not expert by any means but my understanding is that any chicken that does not conform to a breed standard is said to be a hybrid. I'm not sure if all utility strains of white leghorns have especially large combs like your's but every photo/video I've seen of white leghorn battery hens seem to have them so it could be typical of the utility strains.

I'm surprised they only keep layers up to 12 months of age in the UK as it's common practice here to keep them to 18 months.

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: No. Not necessarily so. Just like with pure bred puppies. There are going to be some strains within the breed that are closer to the SOP more often. There may be some strains that are not as close to the SOP. Within a single litter, there may be some puppies that have longer legs, narrower chest, fur color or length off a bit, or what ever other details are in the SOP for that breed. A good breeder will "cull" those puppies (remove them from the breeding program) and save the best of the rest for future breeding, always moving forward to achieve the SOP, while at the same time culling for temperament and health issues. Same in the world of chickens.

 

[PaulaMc]

I'm not expert by any means but my understanding is that any chicken that does not conform to a breed standard is said to be a hybrid. I'm not sure if all utility strains of white leghorns have especially large combs like your's but every photo/video I've seen of white leghorn battery hens seem to have them so it could be typical of the utility strains.

I'm surprised they only keep layers up to 12 months of age in the UK as it's common practice here to keep them to 18 months.

Yes! In the UK they are deemed spent after 12 months. The hens bred for meat are butchered at 4 months!!!

Thanks for the input.

No. Not necessarily so. Just like with pure bred puppies. There are going to be some strains within the breed that are closer to the SOP more often. There may be some strains that are not as close to the SOP. Within a single litter, there may be some puppies that have longer legs, narrower chest, fur color or length off a bit, or what ever other details are in the SOP for that breed. A good breeder will "cull" those puppies (remove them from the breeding program) and save the best of the rest for future breeding, always moving forward to achieve the SOP, while at the same time culling for temperament and health issues. Same in the world of chickens.

Erm ... what is an SOP please? Doh! ha ha.

 

[donrae]

Yes! In the UK they are deemed spent after 12 months. The hens bred for meat are butchered at 4 months!!!

Thanks for the input.

Erm ... what is an SOP please? Doh! ha ha.

SOP is short for Standard of Perfection. The breed standards for each breed as far as build, coloring, etc. Like a breed standard for dogs, horses, etc.


I believe the standard for Leghorn hens is a floppy comb. In the documentary...what was it called, about showing chicken.....the man who did Leghorns said the first two points are supposed to stand straight up, then it's to flop over to the side. That's the desired appearance. So, your hen is just fine. It's not like the Orca's floppy top fin, from confinement. She looks just how she's supposed to

 

[Howard E]

You guys might be amused to know that in some of the old poultry husbandry books from 100 years ago, they spend almost as much time on genetics and breeding and what to select for as they did on feed, housing and other factors combined.

As for the birds described as BO's (which I am assuming refers to Buff Orpingtons), most likely those are cross bred birds, aka, sex links, aka hybrids or a cross between two different breeds and not a cross between two strains of the same breed. Most likely not BO's but most probably a light colored hybrid sex link like Golden Comets, Cinnamon Queens, or one of several other names they go by. These are most likely the breed of bird they would put into a commercial house for brown eggs.

White egg layers in commercial houses are almost universally some strain of Leghorns. Do they have clipped beaks and combs? Most do to curtail the damage they do to each other when housed in such close confinement.

Both the sex links and leghorns have the highest daily egg laying rates, and as a consequence, they burn through the birds pretty fast.

 

[JayColli]

Just recently put out some feelers within the local ag community to see what's out there and what prices ex batt hens are gonna go for this year.