Surely someone can do the math!

[jeaucamom]

Quote:
I have them on 14 hours of light. I have not seen any signs of egg eating; could I be missing something?

Our little stinkers were literally eating the egg and shell and all! We had 56 chickens and even in middle of summer only 20 eggs or so on a good day. Then we caught them.... there were three or so that would just hang out in the coop and eat em as soon as they were laid, and not a drop left. I never would have known unless I had seen it with my own eyes!!

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
You're right; however, I have a breeding program that I'm doing this winter, and I'm usin 2-3 hens per rooster. Normally I only have one rooster for a maximum on eight hens; that's what I'll have this summer.

Well that a little different isnt it? LOL... I have a pen with 1 roo and 2 hens and 1 hen has been holding out on me until yesterday! 6 weeks with no eggs from her!

Seems to me you'd've been better off planning to eat her this winter after replacing her months ago with a chick that would become a fresh hen for March laying.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
Well that a little different isnt it? LOL... I have a pen with 1 roo and 2 hens and 1 hen has been holding out on me until yesterday! 6 weeks with no eggs from her!

Seems to me you'd've been better off planning to eat her this winter after replacing her months ago with a chick that would become a fresh hen for March laying.

eat her? I hatched her myself! oh the thought of that ewww...her name is Blueberry and she is a LF standard Blue cochin and she is a doll-I blamed the delay in egg production on being put in a breeding pen for the first time-I'll take the blame on that one. The other hens who dont lay and that I dont have a relationship with ( which are alot) get sold for 12-15$ a pop. But I know its because of the cold they do it or don't LOL....

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Quote:

(Kidding!

)

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Seems to me you'd've been better off planning to eat her this winter after replacing her months ago with a chick that would become a fresh hen for March laying.

eat her? I hatched her myself! oh the thought of that ewww...her name is Blueberry and she is a LF standard Blue cochin and she is a doll-I blamed the delay in egg production on being put in a breeding pen for the first time-I'll take the blame on that one. The other hens who dont lay and that I dont have a relationship with ( which are alot) get sold for 12-15$ a pop. But I know its because of the cold they do it or don't LOL....

YEAH, that's the fallacy of my entire hypothesis. We're just a group of softies. HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, PEOPLE, AND COME UP WITH A SCHEDULE OF WHEN TO INCUBATE (IN LATE SUMMER/FALL) AND WHEN TO BUTCHER THE YEAR-OLD HENS.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:

eat her? I hatched her myself! oh the thought of that ewww...her name is Blueberry and she is a LF standard Blue cochin and she is a doll-I blamed the delay in egg production on being put in a breeding pen for the first time-I'll take the blame on that one. The other hens who dont lay and that I dont have a relationship with ( which are alot) get sold for 12-15$ a pop. But I know its because of the cold they do it or don't LOL....

YEAH, that's the fallacy of my entire hypothesis. We're just a group of softies. HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, PEOPLE, AND COME UP WITH A SCHEDULE OF WHEN TO INCUBATE (IN LATE SUMMER/FALL) AND WHEN TO BUTCHER THE YEAR-OLD HENS.

Tell me it isnt so ...whoo pee-peed in your rice crispies this am? I need to

them!! LOL...Im on my 3rd hatch right now and have so much snow Im dying! I have a 4th hatch planned too. I plan on being done by the end of March-that way I have all Spring, Summer, and Fall to decide who to keep and who to sell...Ill probably have another 10-15 hens on top of the ones I have now...

 

[Penturner]

Well with just a quick run down of your original post idea. i hope I got everything straight becasue you sort of lay three idea over the top of each other. A bit confusing.
Start in October with chicks that will be 6 months old and start laying in March, keep hens laying through summer but get fertile eggs from them to hatch in October for the next years batch of layers. Slaughter original hens for meet. and again raise chicks through winter.
One problem I see in your math is that the hens are not 8 months old at time of slaughter they are a year old or close to it.
Another problem with the thinking is that chicks will remain chicks. they are only small birds for what 8 weeks so at the very best you are reducing feed requirements for only 2 months. and maybe not at all. Is it actually easier or cheaper to feed chicks rather than full grown hens? Rearing young birds through the winter with expectations that they will develop with top health and what not to be capable of being top egg producers. I do see this as a good way to be able to select out top producers and breed a one of the better layers as you go.
Finally if you are not managing the easier system you have going now. What gives you hope that you would be able to manage a more complicated system and get better results. For example what happens to all those hens that decide to delay egg laying for 4 months? Will you set a min production limit or it is off to the chopping block? I know places that do it that way but they are not trying to run on a one year cycle. more like new chicks being added to the system every 6 to 8 weeks. so there is a significant difference. I just see a huge chance of your system collapsing due to being so protracted in regard to new additions to the flock. But the idea of a add and subtract type system I think is a winner. It will be introducing risks to have your entire flock at a specific stage of development. for example a break down in a brooder could eliminate your entire flock on one cold winter night.

 

[ghulst]

What breed do you have? Are they bred for egg production?

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I thought that was a fairly traditional way of doing it....?

Produce some springtime chicks for eating in summer and fall, but produce next spring's layers in the later summer or early fall (depending on how late you can do it in your climate and not have to worry about half-feathered chickens in frosty weather), and carry only them and a few selected breeders over the winter? Isn't that sort of what you're talking about?

There are some disadvantages (compensated by some other advantages) but I don't think this is particularly unusual, is it? I mean for people who have practical chickens, not necessarily show chickens (the latter needing to be hatched early for fall shows).

JMHO,

Pat

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Penturner, I think you missed my point. I was not throwing out actual dates, months, or anything else specific. I was asking for ideas of what kind of schedule might work. Your last sentence was interesting though.