Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[wyoDreamer]

Jim, you just now figured that out? Actually, it is just people in general that are crazy - some pretty strange ideas floating around out there.

I purchased some "organic, free-range" eggs the other day. I can't tell the difference from the store ones. Just brown shells and larger sized. The eggs the neighbors gave us a couple of weeks ago were so incredible, I wasn't expecting that good but sheesh.

started working this week. 3:45 am comes pretty early, I have to be to work by 5 and have a 35 minute drive.

 

[chikenscratch]

I will be getting 22 baby chicks middle of July or there abouts. These will be in addition to the 3 roosters and 2 hens I will be getting on Sat that are 5 weeks old. I now have just 4 adult hens. So, my question was when can I put the new hens in with the 4 adults I have now? I recon nature will just take its course on when the Roosters can do their thing. Maybe, this is normal for chickens, but, today, one of my Blacks jumped on the back of the other Black, clamped onto the back of the crown (?) and was pulling like mad. I shooed her off and everything was fine.

I might have missed this somewhere, but I have noticed that you are asking about breeding and having a wide range of types of hens/roos and a lot overall.....have you already build separate runs & coops for each type? Cuz the roo doesn't care a fig about breed, he will mount any fine lady he chooses. So, if they are not kept separate, you will end up with barnyard mix and not much else!

 

[Firstchic]

I might have missed this somewhere, but I have noticed that you are asking about breeding and having a wide range of types of hens/roos and a lot overall.....have you already build separate runs & coops for each type? Cuz the roo doesn't care a fig about breed, he will mount any fine lady he chooses. So, if they are not kept separate, you will end up with barnyard mix and not much else!

We are working on the fence and additional coop this weekend. The new birds I am getting are about 5 to 6 weeks old. Don't know when Roos mature, but your information did bring up questions I can ask my son. JiminWI said when they start crowing-they are mature. Guess I will go for that. Had not thought about keeping them separated. So, would each type need their own coop? Man, that could get to be a lotta coops. As now son says: Golden Wyadottes (sp?), RIR, Black and Brown sexlink.....well, that right there would be 3 coops. Maybe better rethink this. No breeding to sell, just for us. I think I better tell him this stuff, maybe we will have to pull back on the Black and Browns(or REDS) whatever they are.

 

[Firstchic]

So, guess I will have to just ask the uncrazy chicken people. So, from now own I will only ask this site, and you folks can argue about whos right.....however, most everybody bows to you, Jim. Thanks.

 

[chikenscratch]

We are working on the fence and additional coop this weekend. The new birds I am getting are about 5 to 6 weeks old. Don't know when Roos mature, but your information did bring up questions I can ask my son. JiminWI said when they start crowing-they are mature. Guess I will go for that. Had not thought about keeping them separated. So, would each type need their own coop? Man, that could get to be a lotta coops. As now son says: Golden Wyadottes (sp?), RIR, Black and Brown sexlink.....well, that right there would be 3 coops. Maybe better rethink this. No breeding to sell, just for us. I think I better tell him this stuff, maybe we will have to pull back on the Black and Browns(or REDS) whatever they are.

I think we've had a misunderstanding.

While they are young, it doesn't matter a fig about separating them by breed.

However, let's say you have 2 hens and 1 roo that are all easter eggers. If you plan to breed easter eggers only, you need to keep that triad penned separately. Likewise, you'd keep your 2 hens and 1 roo that are black orps separated if you wanted to breed blk orps only.

Does that make more sense?

Personally, I only eat the eggs and I don't breed, so I keep all of mine together (I have 7 hens: 3 blk orp, 1 lav orp, 1 BLRW, 1 maran, and a mix). And as you say, you are only keeping them for yourself, so no need to separate.

 

[chikenscratch]

How many overall did you say you planned to have? (how many roos vs hens?)

 

[Firstchic]

How many overall did you say you planned to have? (how many roos vs hens?)

I have now 4 adult hens, tomorrow I am suppose to pick up 2 hens and 3 roos from one place(Goldens) and 4 hens and 1 roo from another place. Then my son has ordered form Sunnyside? 10 Black Sexlink, 10 Brown(red) sexlink, and 2 run that are S(cannot remember name, cross between RIR and NH, I think.) so it is possible I will have a total of 32 hens and 4 roos, unless the st.run turns out to be 2 roos.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote: by sex links do you mean the hybrid egg layers ?
I wouldn't bother hatching any of their eggs.. I think the chickens from a hatch like that would be smaller than a regular full size chicken..

 

[Firstchic]

Yeah, I think that is what they are. Sunnyside Hatcheries sells them. We will just use them for eggs, and later on for meat. I plan on gathering the eggs every day, so I should not have a problem. Maybe by the time I want chicks, we will have the setup to separate the RIR from the rest as well as the Golden Wyandotte.

 

[jvls1942]

Yeah, I think that is what they are. Sunnyside Hatcheries sells them. We will just use them for eggs, and later on for meat. I plan on gathering the eggs every day, so I should not have a problem. Maybe by the time I want chicks, we will have the setup to separate the RIR from the rest as well as the Golden Wyandotte.

do like CC and others do.. have a breeding pen .. then just separate the breed you want eggs from .

then when you are done with that breed, turn them back with the flock and then separate another breed.

If you had only two breeds, then you can pen one breed up and automatically the loose ones will be separated also..