chickens

[Schultz]

Oh, I forgot to mention, have fun and enjoy them, there great fun for the kids to raise (me included). Like the one gentleman's web site states in a round about way, its cheaper to go buy eggs, but what fun is that. I enjoy getting differnet birds every year. We usally get 2 or 3 each year.

My all time best layer is a Golden Comet, (sexed linked chicken) she will lay a jumbo or larger egg everyday for about a month straight in the summer, take a few days off then go at it again for another month. Even in the winter she lays 3 somtimes 4 days out of the week.
TIm

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I think the missing feathers on the hens back is from the old rooster....riding bareback......if you catch my drift... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

<font color="blue"> One year I ordered 10 pullet Aracaunas from the local farm supply and got 6 roosters </font>

My luck has been a little better, but not much. I think "Chicken Sexers" are a lost breed. I have good luck when I order fryers, but pullets are running 1 in 20 roosters. If you can handle an occasional "bloody" egg a single Rooster adds a lot of harmony to the flock. If a predator shows up he is the first to get whacked, which is a lot better than loosing a good laying hen.

 

[Boondox]

Schultz -- Do you find some breeds calmer than others? This is our first year with Buff Orpingtons, and they are so mellow you can pick them right up and carry them around! We only have a couple of flighty hens in the flock, the rest are downright laid back!

Pete

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If you can handle an occasional "bloody" egg a single Rooster adds a lot of harmony to the flock. )</font>
We got around the fertilized egg problem by keeping two banty roosters. Too small to hurt the hens. Most of the time too small to hit the target! But the advantage of keeping two is that when one sees the other having sex he charges over and knocks him right off! "She's mine! Keep your beak off of her!" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Since they never make it past first base, we have no fertile eggs! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Egon]

Spoilsport:

Egon

 

[diggerjim]

Great website. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I prefer a rooster or two, like little chicks running around. I have a couple of bantams and auruacanas (green egg layers). Flock is a mix. However, plans are for more later this year if I get "aroundtoit". They "aroundtoit"s are scarce however and may "delay" my plans. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jim

 

[Schultz]

Definitely. I've found the Buff Orpingtons to be pretty tame too, I have two of them. One is a decent layer the other isn't worth much and she's only a year old. My tamest and favorite hen is a silver-laced Wyandotte, she a beautiful bird, great layer and let's kids of 2 yrs old hold her. I've found other Wyandotte&#8217;s to be very tame as well. The Araucauna's all seem to be flighty birds. They don't mind you getting close to them, they just don't want to be touched, but their pretty, decent layers, and we like the green eggs. Even my wild jungle foul is very tame and doesn't mind be handled. You have to keep a handle on him because he's a pretty good flyer. I have a Black Minorca that's very tame, the Golden comet would rather not be handled, but you won't find a better layer. Which would be Murray McMurry's Red Star.

If you're going to let them free range. I keep the new chicks couped for most of the summer but let the older ones out. They pretty much stay to the area behind my barn. Towards the end of the summer, I let the younger ones about 1/2 -1 hour before sunset with the other birds. As soon as it starts to get dark, the older ones go to the coupe and younger ones usually follow. Sometimes they need a little helping. The wild jungle foul quite often would rather roost in the trees. Then gradually extend their times out. I've tried putting them out earlier but have lost a couple that way, because rather than allowing you to round them up they panic and just run into woods or high grass. I think they need to get use to being out and use to you &#8220;herding&#8221; them.
Tim

 

[RichZ]

I always thought the bloody eggs were fertilized eggs, but I recently found out that the blood is from a defect when the egg is being produced, and has nothing to do with being fertilized. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

There's always stuff to learn about chickens!

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

<font color="blue"> There's always stuff to learn about chickens! </font>

Them and most everthing else. I older I get and the more I learn the dumber I feel.

I have always correlated rooster, bloody eggs. No rooster no bloody eggs. The how and why part is a mystery to me.