Topic of the Week - Flock Development and Management

[Oisian]

I started with a flock that was given to me by a neighbour who was moving. They were all older hens, about 10 of them. I only have one of the original ten, one year later. I got a really good rooster free from a breeder because he is almost blind and needed a safe, non-breeding home. He did not like the one hen who survived, so I had to buy him some ladies. I got them from a farm where they retire them at one year old. They lay enough eggs for us and Johnny Blue is happier. Then I was given a couple of ducks and Duck Math set in. Now I have 8 hens, the rooster and 8 ducks. Four drakes and four hens. They all live in together with my two goats and a lop eared rabbit.
I don't eat chicken. I only use them for the eggs and more of a pet scenario.
i won't cull unless I need to [sickness etc] and I will get some retirees each year for the eggs. I do quarantine them. If I get chicks from a broody, it's just a plus. This is only the second year. We shall see what unfolds.

 

[RodNTN]

- How often do you replace birds?
We usually start a new flock every flock, since our older birds aren't putting out as much as usual. But we don't get rid of our older birds, we let them live out their full lives.

- What do you do with the older birds?
Just let them live out their full lives, since they still have so many uses! They fertilize, raise and hatch chicks, help keep the younger birds in line, etc. Plus, we raise a large flock so a few older birds doesn't hurt much. And we are always buying more pullets every spring so when the old birds aren't laying the spring chickens are.

- When you replace birds, do you: hatch your own, buy local, order from hatchery, breeder, other?
When we are looking for some new pullets, we usually go to our local feed stores. They always have lots of high production breeds perfect for our needs. If we aren't buying from a feed store though we order from a hatchery.

- Do you buy chicks or started pullets?
Although we always buy day old chicks, we occasionally buy a few started pullets from an auction. But it is better to buy pullets from other NPIP certified hatcheries and breeders, since quarantining is a must with young or adult birds.

 

[chickisoup]

For replacing birds I do what I call the three "I" s Isolation, Introduction, Integration.
Isolate for several weeks, then I have a setup where the new birds are in a cage inside my coop that has it's own pophole out to a run area that shares a fence with the main run. Then once everybody knows everybody, I integrate them into the flock.
I only replace birds when I have room, aka when one dies. I add whenever.................
I do try to add birds every two years to keep the eggs coming.
My birds are strictly eggs and entertainment so they have a home for life.
I only cull in cases of suffering with no hope of recovery.

I prefer to add with chicks when doing a normal flock increase/renew.
I have tried mailorder hatcheries with horrible results, mostly because the postal service has changed truck routing making it impossible to get live ships in a reasonable time.
Three tries last year, three DOA ships from 80 to 100% loss.
This year I plan to go strictly breeder. Would love to add some BLRW's this year.
I also always save room to take in rescues whenever that need arises.

 

[Betsy57]

How often do you replace birds? 18 to 24 months

What do you do with the older birds? Give them away


When you replace birds, do you: hatch your own, buy local, order from hatchery, breeder, other Hatchery or local Rural King store. I just bought 18 ISA Browns (earlier than I had planned) that were 3 weeks old. Couldn't pass that by. They've made it 3 weeks in a store and they fed them. $1.50, not a bad deal.

Do you buy chicks or started pullets Chicks


Anything you'd like to add? I sell my eggs so I have to constantly plan on when to get chicks. I need to the new chicks laying when the older gals start slacking off. When the new ones start laying the older ones are given away. I've been doing this going on 7 years and it is a lot of work for one person. I need to slack myself but my customers love the eggs and I like providing them the eggs but I'm getting tired of the work. I try to main 50 layers and usually have to turn new customers away. I'd like to get down to 35 layers but I hate to tell my customers they need to find another source.

 

[Teila]

Hhhhm, when you have a small flock which consists of 5 spoiled bantams who probably do not even know they are chickens

Flock Development and Management is definitely not something I have a lot of experience in but because I love the ToW’s here goes from the perspective of a pet chicken owner rather than a working flock .....

We are allowed 6 hens [no roosters] in our zone and currently have 5.

My oldest girls are soon to turn 4, so I have not yet had to manage older birds but when the time comes, they will be allowed to grow old gracefully and if a decision has to be made about their quality of life, I will be consulting with the Vet.

I try to keep a closed flock for their protection so when the inevitable time comes that we will need to increase numbers due to losses, I will purchase some fertile eggs.

So basically, the plan is … we started with 2, hatches and keepers increased that to 6, sadly lost a couple along the way and currently have 5. I am not looking at going back up to 6 until I have lost at least 1 more. That way, the 2 little ones I potentially keep from a hatch can grow up together.

As I do not have an incubator, the plan is based on having at least one broody [something which is not usually a problem

] but if, for some reason, I find my remaining girls are not the broodies, I would look at introducing 2 youngsters after an appropriate quarantine period.

But, as we all know with chickens, plans can be thwarted and I take one day at a time and hope for no nasty surprises

 

[Mrs. K]

I am so impressed with some of your goals... I have made plans, but life happens. I have thought I would like a single breed, and changed my mind. The one thing I have done is kept an on going flock for 9 years. I live in tough country predator wise. So really, only occasionally have I had truly old chickens. Butter was going on 4, but I had a new coop/ run for nearly a year, when some coons found the weak spot. Got that fixed now.

Truthfully I have gotten chickens from other chicken keepers, some as chicks, some as point of lay, and some as birds coming out of a molt to keep my numbers up and what I had left didn't freeze to death. I have never gone to a chicken auction or swap and bought birds. I had a horrendous coon attack in August while we were gone, and am anxiously awaiting chicks from Sandhills Preservation.

My numbers wax and wane, I live 45 miles from town. I originally got hens so that I could have eggs and feed people. And that really is my primary goal now, I like that any food I throw away can make eggs. It makes me feel thrifty. With the years, I have tried different aspects. I love a broody hen with chicks. With the chicks, comes extra roosters, and slowly I am getting much better at butchering roosters. I have thought about meat birds... it is another aspect of chicken raising. Might do a batch this spring. I tell people there are lots of aspects to this hobby, but you don't have to do them all at once.

I like the idea of clean and healthy birds, it makes me get outside each day and a bit of exercise, I don't have so many that it is a lot of work. I don't feel guilty about birds I don't want or don't like.

Mrs K

 

[3riverschick]

As time goes by flocks change. Birds get old, or sick. Some we lose. Chicken math strikes and we add birds. We all have our own ways of dealing with this and managing our flocks and found what works best for us, so this week I'd like to talk flock development and management. Specifically:

- How often do you replace birds?
As needed.
- What do you do with the older birds?
Give them away or kill them.I don't sell older birds.
- When you replace birds, do you: hatch your own, buy local, order from hatchery, breeder, other?
Hatch them or buy started birds. I want to know what I am getting.
- Do you buy chicks or started pullets?
Started birds Either from my own flocks genetics or anothers' which are old enough to be visually appraisd for vitrtue.

Anything you'd like to add?
I have started out with eggs and chicks multiple times. I never saw good success unless I started out with started birds. I will always recommend that to newcomers.
Flock development. Lots of ways to do it. I prefer a studied start. Having chosen one breed. Researched and learned about it. Figured out the top strains. Made my choice. Picked one with enough diversity I didn't need to cross strain( usually a bad choice) to found my flock. Bought a quad ( 2M,2F) . explained to the seller I wanted to linebred or possibly inbreed. Bought birds for that purpose. Stay in touch with seller and ask and follow breeding counsel for 1st 3 generations until it is known how that strain throws faults nd virtues. By the 3rd or 4th generation buyer should understand these things and have enough experience in the breed to form a breeding plan.
Whichever breed I am working with, I plan and want it to be beautiful in grace and symmetry in all virtues.
I have so many wonderful plans for my Chanteclers. Enhancing historical virtues and finding new ways to raise better chicks thru science. I can't wait till their kids will be old enough to show. I am unsure if I will expose my foundation flock to the show ring due to fear if them picking up an illness or something. I know they can win, just unsure.

Best,
Karen



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[dromo]

We have a small flock 12 birds through the winter is our max. We find we like to buy 6 pullets early in the spring. We've bought from TSC, Rural king , and farmers. We like a mix of breeds in our flock that we free range. Ameraucanas, barred rocks, orphingtons, production breeds, Columbian rocks, white leghorns, australop, and cochins. We have lost chickens to predators (4/year) and sickness(1-2/yr) (they eat something they shouldn't or egg bound) at about 5-6 chickens a year. We have to wait until our chicks are older to introduce them to the flock about 2 months to keep them from becoming cat snacks. We do a site swap while the big girls are free ranging and add extra feeding and water stations so the big girls cannot guard all the food at once.
Deb

 

[bobbi-j]

- How often do you replace birds?
While I don't have a strict replacement schedule, I rarely keep a hen past 3 years. It seems that when I try to keep one longer, it either gets taken by a predator, gets ascites, or something else happens.

- What do you do with the older birds?
We eat them. We process our older hens and I pressure can the meat.

- When you replace birds, do you: hatch your own, buy local, order from hatchery, breeder, other?
Sometimes we hatch them, sometimes I'll order some, sometimes I get got by the cute little chicks in the galvanized tanks in the feed store. I have, in the past, gotten adult birds from other chicken keepers, but that's pretty rare.

- Do you buy chicks or started pullets?
I prefer to buy chicks.


- Anything you'd like to add?
My flock development and management is always changing. It seems when I actually have a goal or idea in mind, Mother Nature comes along and changes my mind.

I have learned much here on BYC and am continuing to learn. I implement ideas and suggestions I get from here that work for me. Not every situation fits every chicken keeper. I live in a rural area, so what I do is not going to be relevant to the urban backyard chicken keeper. Our chickens are mostly considered to be livestock, so eating them is an option for us. When we hatch out chicks, we actually hope for cockerels for freezer meat. So again, that's what we do - that won't work for those who's chickens are pets.

 

[chicks are life]

What do I do with older birds- I keep them! They have been around for so long I hate to put them down... They need a break from laying! Plus by then there just pets I couldn't bear to eat them.

Replacing older birds- I normally buy chicks, the last time I tryed to hatch eggs they all went bad. Once or twice we have bought pullets from a friend to get the certent breeds I want that would take to long for a hatchery to deliver or when I need pullets that are laying.

How often do I replace birds- I replace birds ever spring or when laying plummets to far.