The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[WallyG74]

at least one of the pullets has finally laid!

I “plan” to hatch a batch at the end of every March to pick my keepers from. That way I have layers when my year old hens start to molt. I know you and Moony are different from me in that every chick is a keeper. Even if that plan works out to laying at 6 months it’s great. Imagine my surprise when my first pullet this year was laying at just over 4 months!

 

[WallyG74]

Curious...
Where's this tarp located? Roof, side, or?
How quality was the tarp? One of those really cheap ones, or?
How long did it last?
Anyone else that's used them on pens can jump in.
I don't have any tarps included in my chickening but I've considered it. I have 2 8 x 12 pens side by side so 16 x 12 the top is chainlink. One has a shelter attached and the other I don't use because it doesn't yet.
Plan on building one for it next year and they'll be able to get out of the weather but when it rains that pen is a muddy mess for days. Thought about stretching a tarp over it. Raised a bit where they connect so it'll have a little slope.
I just didn't know how well or long it'd last or if I'd HAVE TO get a heavy duty one.
Another pen is open on both ends and front. Fronts not so bad because roof overhangs a bit but blowing rain will come in the sides. Thought about doing something tarp wise there too. It might also stop winter wind from blowing through so maybe I could use it in winter if needed. One side is my Call pen that I was gonna move them from.
Use it for them because they don't mind a mud pen as much as I do.

I get about 2 years use out of the tarp on my rooster overflow dog pen. It’s one of those premade chainlink with 10’ sections you bolt together.

 

[WallyG74]

Oh yeah, it’s on the roof draped over a section of the fence lying flat with a couple 2x4s shoved underneath to give it some pitch so water will run off.

 

[WallyG74]

High quality

 

[KF0002]

I “plan” to hatch a batch at the end of every March to pick my keepers from. That way I have layers when my year old hens start to molt. I know you and Moony are different from me in that every chick is a keeper. Even if that plan works out to laying at 6 months it’s great. Imagine my surprise when my first pullet this year was laying at just over 4 months!

We keep all of the pullets to use as layers or breeders, but every rooster I raise that I don’t need gets butchered. lol

My incomplete BTR pullet is 7 months old, I wish my pullets started laying at 4 months. The only pullets we have had that laid that early have been hatchery White Leghorns. But most pullets are 6+ months old before they start laying.

 

[The Moonshiner]

How do youens market your chicks? How do you start to build up a clientele? Obviously I won't have chicks to sell for a while but ... i want to learn from the best.

I asked a couple people that I know around here that sells chicks.
Both said Facebook groups. I'm not a fan of that route but it seems like it's the go to for many now days.
CL is dying off but you might get a few responses there and it's free so not much to lose trying.
Hatching eggs I guess many look on Ebay. Idk if you'd be looking to maybe go that route and ship eggs but it reaches way further then local like chick sells.

 

[KF0002]

Another egg from the incomplete BTR pullet today. Also one of the Brown Leghorn pullets from the first set laid today. She laid on top of the nest box instead of in it. She will get the hang of it eventually. lol. Woohoo!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Somewhere back there there was the pulling tail feathers deal.
Really mostly my issue is with juveniles. They're on pretty decent protein % and always have feed in front of them. It's probably more of an overcrowded problem. I switch them around but group them as they're grow outs. Sometimes I'm sure there's more together then is ideal especially if a group is together a while and grow quite a bit.
The only time I see it is when one pecks another on the butt and it looks like a... hey, move it gesture.
Then come breeding season if a male has a scraggly tail without a lot of tail feathers the girls sometimes pull them out. I don't think it's a protein problem because they all eat the same and if a boy has a mostly full or full tail those hens don't bother him.

 

[BlueBaby]

Another egg from the incomplete BTR pullet today. Also one of the Brown Leghorn pullets from the first set laid today. She laid on top of the nest box instead of in it. She will get the hang of it eventually. lol. Woohoo!




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You could always crack that one egg open to see if it's fertile.

 

[BlueBaby]

Somewhere back there there was the pulling tail feathers deal.
Really mostly my issue is with juveniles. They're on pretty decent protein % and always have feed in front of them. It's probably more of an overcrowded problem. I switch them around but group them as they're grow outs. Sometimes I'm sure there's more together then is ideal especially if a group is together a while and grow quite a bit.
The only time I see it is when one pecks another on the butt and it looks like a... hey, move it gesture.
Then come breeding season if a male has a scraggly tail without a lot of tail feathers the girls sometimes pull them out. I don't think it's a protein problem because they all eat the same and if a boy has a mostly full or full tail those hens don't bother him.

They want the good looking roos, it seems.