The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

There have been several good answers here already, but I think the generic answer is this... it depends on what your goals are.
So many people want "cute", or "sweet", or "lays well"...
if that's the case... go for it.

But... I personally see a real need for maintaining genetic integrity and have hopes that for all breeds of all livestock there are enough folks out there attempting to maintain that the breeds do not suffer. I have zero problem of keeping everything, breeding and cross breeding without purpose, etc - I have a flock of production layers who are all kinds of mixes. But... to preserve and promote a specific breed I cull almost EVERYTHING.

I plan to breed what I don't cull. If I wasn't going to breed it, I might keep it for other reasons, but I only keep what I plan to breed. That's just me. And no matter HOW wonderful everything else is, I don't keep anything with a bad temperament. Again... that's just me and an important part of my goals.

Why? Because why would you breed and perpetuate anything other than the best? The only exceptions to this are "saving future culls".
Most people don't have enough of a breeding plan to even have a "future cull" list.
For instance... if bird A is awesome in so many ways but needs his comb improved... BUT he's the best I have so far. I keep him, breed him to the best hen who came out of a great combed bird... and get a bunch of chicks. Once I get a chick who is an improvement on his dad, the dad goes. The dad was a future cull. I knew he wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but he served a purpose to get me another step closer to that goal.

I have this philosophy about all the livestock I breed. A ram who was national champion... he doesn't stick around forever... as soon as he produces a son better than himself he has lost his status. I have a supreme champion bull... exceptionally nice fella in almost every way including temperament. He has one, not so obvious, fault that I really want to correct. As soon as I get a son out of him, he will go in the freezer (or maybe to help improve someone else's genetics - I haven't decided yet).

I takes time to sell and market quality stock - especially if you don't show and aren't "out there in the public eye".
I know many breeders who have quality stock and don't show. I will likely not being show over the next couple of years (last child off to college next month and a farm to run - spread too thin) and suspect I have some RC HRIR that would kick butt at the national level. But if I don't show them, I can't get that feedback for sure and no one will know me... I will not have developed a reputation in that breed to easily promote what I have. I will be limited to selling the quality birds only to those who take the time to look at them and have enough knowledge to know what they are looking at.

So... I have to ask myself... what are my goals? For me... I want to make sure that what I have 5 years from now is AT LEAST of the quality I have right now... hopefully better. To have the confidence that I'm doing that I am probably going to have to pack up a few birds and make a few road trips to get some professional advice from those more knowledgeable.
So , more importantly... you have to ask yourself... what are YOUR goals?

Wow... I probably got long winded there... sorry... got on a roll...

Wait.. You only keep ONE quality male? What happens if he dies?

I think two should be the bare minimum, and 3 is a better idea (because if one dies, you will need another backup).

I've been in the crappy situation where I lost my cochin rooster. His hens became useless because I had no backup.

 

[RedRidge]

Quote:
Actually... I keep two of each breed, but only breed one... I do keep an emergency back up for one breeding season. I should have mentioned that but my post was getting so long already I didn't want to bore folks any more than I already had with details.

LOL

 

[aoxa]

Actually... I keep two of each breed, but only breed one... I do keep an emergency back up for one breeding season. I should have mentioned that but my post was getting so long already I didn't want to bore folks any more than I already had with details.

LOL

Glad you clarified that

BDM also knows how inconvenient it is when you only have one boy. It really messes with your plans!

 

[starlingdaly]

just a quick question. my silkie hen had started to lay eggs every two days like clockwork and stopped a while ago. Im just worried. Maybe shes not getting enough of something? Their on grower right now as I have chicks in with them

Molting, perhaps? It seems a third of my flock is molting right now.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I had 3 full grown roos and in less than a month was down to 0. But 2 were production quality and the other the owl ate. I think my children are the only children I know who consider owls and hawks as mean.

 

[aoxa]

One of the many silkies I'm growing out right now. This one is on the cull list (rehome) because I'm creating partridge from scratch. None at all in our area, and Jamie does not know of any in Canada with quality partridge silkies.

I have a few that look really good for colour. All have nice tight wings and awesome foot feathering, like really crazy amounts. They are still so young. I am culling on colour now.

 

[Eggcessive]

My HRIR are a very calm and docile strain. They aren't aggressive towards the food or the other chickens but they are big boned muscle bound birds and need a lot of groceries. You would laugh at how the little White Silkie hens and bantam RIR pullets bully those big cockerels off the feed pans. I laugh every time I see it. It's the main reason I wanted them. For that gentle good nature and a big meaty bodies that lays jumbo eggs. It's getting my breeder flock started that is the hardest part. I want a foundation flock of twelve. No more, no less. But I want them excellent in type. True to the SOP. Right now they get along in one large free ranging flock with my Silkies and layers but my property is very small. My house, garage, and gardens are a half acre. Only half of that is accessible to the chickens. They certainly are not easy on the pocket book right now but this time next year it will all be more manageable.

Edited to add: Your right Justine. At this age the girls are prettier than the boys. Those fellows remind me of awkward thirteen year old boys that have feet that are too big for them to manage. They are so clumsy sometimes. I laugh at them everyday.

Mumsy, my Fogle HRIR's are 13 weeks old now and are the most meek and gentle chickens I have had. They have been raised with German New Hampshires and a few black copper marans all the same age, and are the sweetest and most non-agresssive with food. I ended up with 5 pullets and 3 cockerels (HRIR,) but 7 out of 8 GNH are cockerels, so they will be going, although they are gorgeous.

 

[camilleathome]

Are you still free ranging them Camille? She could be laying somewhere different, or the heat could do it for sure. My blue silkie hen has stopped maybe four or five days ago. Only one of those silkies is laying. Also, either Doc or Hope is. I am not sure which, but I am guessing Doc, as she is doing the broody sounds. Any day now!!

You need a hen in lay... Wish I had one for you!

I'm so glad you don't go out and just add. So many people do around here, and ILT was record high this year.

We were for a while then stopped since we put the chicks in with the adults just because its a lot harder to keep an eye on the chicks. were almost done with the barn though so once thats done we are going to put them in there and free range them all

 

[aoxa]

We were for a while then stopped since we put the chicks in with the adults just because its a lot harder to keep an eye on the chicks. were almost done with the barn though so once thats done we are going to put them in there and free range them all

Hope you get it done before the summer is out. Don't want to miss all that ample foraged foods!

 

[Alibabe]

Hi all
Would like to ask for some advice please. I have 17 3 week old chicks who are feathering out really well and are getting huge. I am going to put them outside tomorrow with a new House where they can go for shade as well as a tarpaulin over half the mini run as I want them to be outside on the grass and then I will bring them in at night - would this be ok?

They are basically off heat as we have had very hot temps here lately and I have reduced their heat down as I did not want them to overheat during the day.

I really want them to be out as long as possible as I want to clean their brooder and put it in the sun to disinfect by sunlight.

Is there anything I need to be aware of and watch out for with them being outside? Should I dampen the grass first to help keep them Cool? The temp tomorrow is supposed to get upto 84F or 29C?

Any advice greatly appreciated.