Just that... if they don't have the instincts to breed, what's the point? Having chickens that lay (and eat expensive grain) like there's no tomorrow, is not a sustainable practise. It would be cheaper to simply buy eggs locally.
We are raising Sussex and Australorps, which are on their 'Recovering' column. In general, they're great in cold weather, and are not too hard to handle or aggressive... except for the Australorp rooster, who was super aggressive; kept finding sneeky ways to attack my 7yo son; but (worse) kept leading the flock far into the woods. Way too far.
We got rid of the Australorp male and kept the single Sussex male. He seems to know who's in charge (my son) with only an occasional challenge, and he takes better care of protecting the flock, not leading them so far away.
The real problem is that the Australorps wouldn't breed, and the Sussex don't seem to have the instincts too strongly either. We don't want chickens that are Monsanto-seeds, where you keep having to go back to the hatchery every year. Not collapse-proof, not peak-oil-proof.
Our two Sussex wannabee Mama has been sitting on clutches of eggs for over a month now without results. Sometimes one is joined by another hen for some time, two in a nesting box.
If we could help the Sussex along in the breeding, things would be perfect! Where should we look first, what information is needed? Should we post pictures of the nesting boxes?
We are raising Sussex and Australorps, which are on their 'Recovering' column. In general, they're great in cold weather, and are not too hard to handle or aggressive... except for the Australorp rooster, who was super aggressive; kept finding sneeky ways to attack my 7yo son; but (worse) kept leading the flock far into the woods. Way too far.
We got rid of the Australorp male and kept the single Sussex male. He seems to know who's in charge (my son) with only an occasional challenge, and he takes better care of protecting the flock, not leading them so far away.
The real problem is that the Australorps wouldn't breed, and the Sussex don't seem to have the instincts too strongly either. We don't want chickens that are Monsanto-seeds, where you keep having to go back to the hatchery every year. Not collapse-proof, not peak-oil-proof.
Our two Sussex wannabee Mama has been sitting on clutches of eggs for over a month now without results. Sometimes one is joined by another hen for some time, two in a nesting box.
If we could help the Sussex along in the breeding, things would be perfect! Where should we look first, what information is needed? Should we post pictures of the nesting boxes?
