Unplanned pregnancies

[eyeofskye]

It's been happening every year but this year looks like a record. I live on the Isle of Skye, Scotland and when Graham and I moved here we thought we would have a few hens, five seemed nice. Now after 10 years our hobby flock has reached around 200 over many breeds and all free ranging in our 1 acre. Ours is a cradle to grave operation, no one gets eaten and we only put down for illness or injury. We have many many boys as well as girls
.
The problem is, starting a few years ago, coinciding with the maturing of our little forest, some hens have started planning their own families and so far this year three mothers have presented us with 24 chicks, all raised in the bushes (some the neighbours) and we have run out of spare accommodation
.

Unfortunately, because we are the only island of trees for some distance, we have also become the home for around 50 blackbirds which now seem to eat layers pellets exclusively together with several hundred starlings, jackdaws, sparrows and rock doves which spend all their days here. Even the rabbits are eating layers pellets (they can open the treadle feeder) and lazing around in the sunshine.

Apart from wholesale slaughter can anyone suggest how we get this under control? If only there were some method of birth control.

Brian

 

[GitaBooks]

It sounds like you have an awesome flock!

Could you try selling started chicks? Even cross-breeds can go to good homes if they are healthy and friendly.

 

[eyeofskye]

In the past we have only sold cockerels to good homes and not many at that. This time we have put a whole new family up on the local classifieds (which we run!) and are hoping for the best. We have a blog at http://www.skyechooks.com/. If we mention it on there maybe we will find some homes but when you live on an island, however well connected to the mainland, it's difficult to get anyone willing to travel from there and a lot of people want full size eggs not bantams. All our intrepid mothers are hamburgs or wyandottes.

 

[eyeofskye]

Did I mention we have 4 geese and a pair of guinea fowl as well?

 

[GitaBooks]

Did I mention we have 4 geese and a pair of guinea fowl as well?

Wow! It sounds like a dream land!

 

[eyeofskye]

For birds yes!

 

[donrae]

You should be able to advertise those hens for sale as good broody mommas. Lots of folks want dependable broody hens.

 

[Mini Meat]

As far as I know the only form of birth control for chickens is abstinence.

I would suggest you pen one gender. Male or female, let the other gender free range. I would pen the females so I could collect the eggs, a further measure against unwanted hatchings + eggs to eat and help feed the flock.

This situation sounds like it has gotten out of control. It will likely not end well unless you get it under control. If that means making the hard choice to cull...

I am not judging, I have been there. I have seen how quickly a few good broodies can expand a free range flock.

 

[Mrs. K]

With the best of intentions, excessive population will bring in disease.

 

[eyeofskye]

Since my original post another three mothers have emerged with a total of
21 further bantam chicks

Having nowhere to put them we have had to allow the mothers to raise the chicks in the wild and are putting food out for them but of course that is just feeding all the jackdaws, starlings and rock doves as well. I'm afraid that the young will grow up much less well adjusted but as long as they join existing flocks that may only be temporary. So far they don't seem to have had any losses to predators.

BTW do look in at my partner's blog http://www.skyechooks.com/, it will give you a greater appreciation of what we do and they way we do it. An example of this was yesterday. We recently started raising 6 brahma chicks, three from our own eggs and three from Ebay. Having nowhere to go they have been moved in with the japanese bantams who are very tolerant of large birds. Unfortunately, even though they have yet to emerge from the pop hole one of them seemed under the weather yesterday. Having brought it into the house I found its crop empty and knowing how quickly this sort of thing can turn bad I decided to give it an emergency crop feed. I then spent most of the day brooding it on my ample stomach. By the evening it was fine and is now bouncing.