The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[ronott1]

I'm not the only one that experienced that with the BAs. @jchny2000 was saying the same thing about hers as well. And my BA was the ONLY bird that I ever had a health issue with. She developed internal laying and we had to cull. She was a great layer for her first season and that was the end. I have 2 of her offspring and both of them are troublemakers. This is their first laying season so I'll be interested to see how they make it through the winter. I re-homed one of them and the other is still here but she will be one of the first to go. She purposely targets the younger pullets and is just not the kind of disposition I want in the flock, unfortunately.

My BAs are fine and many say that they are the lowest on the pecking order. Hatchery BAs have been crossed to leghorns which will make them mean and high spirited. Being forced to lay from the hatchery breeding program will make them lay too much in the first year and cause some to blow out their reproductive tract. Mareks will cause them to lay less in the second year too even without symptoms.

BAs are not listed as being winter layers either so after the first year of laying, without supplemental light, they would not lay from molt to Spring. They will lay a bunch the second year until the next molt.

If not giving supplemental light, breeds like rocks will lay in the winter without 12 hours of light.

 

[LindaB220]

My BAs are fine and many say that they are the lowest on the pecking order. Hatchery BAs have been crossed to leghorns which will make them mean and high spirited. Being forced to lay from the hatchery breeding program will make them lay too much in the first year and cause some to blow out their reproductive tract. Mareks will cause them to lay less in the second year too even without symptoms.

BAs are not listed as being winter layers either so after the first year of laying, without supplemental light, they would not lay from molt to Spring. They will lay a bunch the second year until the next molt.

If not giving supplemental light, breeds like rocks will lay in the winter without 12 hours of light.

Yea!!! My 3 good White Rocks will be starting to lay within the month. I also have a Coronation Sussex and 2 Sapphire Blue egg layers that will begin soon. They all show signs of getting ready.

 

[Leahs Mom]

@ronott1
Strangely enough, I got my first BA by mistake from a breeder. She was put into my order mistakenly thinking that she was another breed. I had always wanted to try the BAs because I had read good reviews on them so that was my chance.

I don't do supplemental light...I let the birds have their winter break for rest and restoration and if they lay, they lay. This little girl just didn't feel good after last year's molt and had all the symptoms of internal laying - including the yolk in the droppings. I let her go much longer than I should have before euthanizing....

Her 2 children were just mean little ladies right from the start...to their hatchmates AND to each other. So I didn't have a good experience with mine

 

[Leahs Mom]

I notice larger yolks also. But the biggest difference I have noticed (as have my egg customers) is how dark orange the yolks are

@armorfirelady
I'm curious...did you feed dry feed before? If so, are you able to tell a difference between the eggs from dry to wet feed?

 

[armorfirelady]

I notice larger yolks also. But the biggest difference I have noticed (as have my egg customers) is how dark orange the yolks are

@armorfirelady

I'm curious...did you feed dry feed before?  If so, are you able to tell a difference between the eggs from dry to wet feed?

When I started with chickens two years ago I fed them pellets. I didn't start feeding them FF until the following spring or so. I noticed dark orange yolks and less white part of the eggs. The yolks were def bigger. And I think they have a better taste as well. I'm not a big egg eater (weird I know) but I do like hard boiled eggs and sunny side up so I can dip toast in them. But I do like to bake so that's where I use them most.

The 1 yr olds were on chicken feed for awhile then switched over to ff when they got bigger.

 

[ronott1]

When I started with chickens two years ago I fed them pellets. I didn't start feeding them FF until the following spring or so. I noticed dark orange yolks and less white part of the eggs. The yolks were def bigger. And I think they have a better taste as well. I'm not a big egg eater (weird I know) but I do like hard boiled eggs and sunny side up so I can dip toast in them. But I do like to bake so that's where I use them most.

The 1 yr olds were on chicken feed for awhile then switched over to ff when they got bigger.

The comparison has to be with chickens the same age.

eggs get bigger and the yolk changes normally after the first year so it would be hard to tell if the change in feed was responsible.

 

[mlowen]

I have nothing to compare them with, but my chickens have had fermented feed from the day they arrived ( as started pullets) and I've always thought the yolks look really big. Especially when I make my weekly frittata lunches. 8 eggs in a big bowl--huge round yolks. And the shells are thick and hard, the whites are pretty sturdy, too.

 

[RedRidge]

I remember a long time ago when a lot of folks started fermenting feed and talking about it here on byc, there was a discussion regarding the egg yolks being larger.  Several people said that they noticed that when the switched to fermented feed, the egg yolks became larger.

I was new at chickens at the time and had nothing to compare with.  So even though I was fermenting or soaking feed, I couldn't say whether the yolks were any different since I hadn't fed totally dry feed to egg laying age pullets or hens before.  Plus sometimes I think that folks hope to see something and it may skew how they see

Fast forward to today.
I am part of a milk share and they also have a truly free-range laying flock.  Over the weekend I picked up a dz of their eggs while I was out there since I'm only getting 2 eggs every other day at this point with molting.  We had taken a tour of the farm since my daughter wanted to do a blog post on them  (you can read my daughter's blog post about it here:  http://www.followtheflavor.com/2014/10/pasture-haven-farm-raw-milk/ and see lots of photos toward the end that she took). 

Anyhow, the chickens there have dry feed in their horse trailer coops and they get to run the fields at-will with nothing to fence them in.  I imagine that there is soy in the feed...I didn't ask.  But it is non-GMO and mixed fresh by a local feed mill.  Except for the soy, (and my grains/legumes are organic) my feed is very similar in texture and content to theirs.

Today I cracked open 5 of the eggs to make a flourless chocolate cake.  The eggs were x-large.  The yolks were nice and yellow.  But...compared to my eggs, the yolks were tiny.  Probably about half the size as the yolks I have.  Way more white.

Now I know it's not due to lack of free pasture.  Maybe the variable of soy, but most of the fermenting people that were saying the yolks were larger were feeding store-bagged, soy filled, GMO feeds right off the shelf.  


So....I'm thinking they may be right!  Maybe soaked/fermented feed DOES produce larger yolks!

If I was forced to choose only one... fermenting OR not feeding soy filled commercial feed? I'd avoid the soy feed all day long. ;-)

 

[Leahs Mom]

If I was forced to choose only one... fermenting OR not feeding soy filled commercial feed? I'd avoid the soy feed all day long. ;-)

I'm in absolute agreement. In fact, that's one of the reasons I raise my own chickens.


ETA: Now if I could only figure out how to eliminate legumes from the feed entirely without breaking the bank I'd be all set.

 

[lazy gardener]

And, you know, BeeKissed said they were her favorites. Great layers, good disposition, good broodies. I had almost made up my mind to get a couple to have on hand for new chicks. Maybe I'll just do a silkie or coachin.

I believe that if you check with Bee now, she'll tell you that she LOVES her white rocks, and if i'm not reading her wrong, she's headed towards having a flock completely made of WR's.