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Chicken Wrangler To Be

Started by pabst79, March 14, 2016, 12:47:30 PM

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gww

sand
I don't know about cackle but did read that doing what I am doing now degrades good chicken laying.  I read that every new batch of just mixed chickens breading with each other, that they lose %10 percent or more of egg laying capasity.  I was given 23 birds with about 4 of each breed in them.  Say 4 black rocks, four road island reds, 4 buff oringtons bla bla bla.  I had an incubator that mom bought at a yardsale for $5 bucks and I had just retired from work.  We had cows, horses and hoggs when I was young.  I had an uncle making fun of me for being on the poor side of the family for only having chickens :).  I am just keeping some around so I can bribe my kids to visite for eggs.  I am not very sientific about it but just like them around.  Going for bees next.  I think having very many roosters and old chickens is kind of stupid but I don't claim to be smart. 

You probly had a pretty decent buisness going dealing with good stock.  I started with good stock but are now just letting them do as they please.  I would raise more bought meat chickens if my wife would eat them but she can't stand watching me kill them after watching them for 8/12 weeks.  She has no issue filling the freezer with supermarket birds that she buys on sale.

She is 500 times the gardener that I am so not a city girl.  Go figure.l

Oh well, just give me more time to saw boards and play.
I guess I better let pabst have his topic back.  I have found this fun though.
Cheers
gww

PS plow, I have a daughter in springfield and one in marshfield.

bates

I hope to do this again some day. We used to raise 200 every year.  Every chick had to get their butt wiped off and beak put into water as we took them out of the box.  There butt can get hard crap that can give them problems going do-doo. 
Used to use some red substance, paint it on them, so that they wouldn't pick at each other's red coomb.  The red stuff had something in it that was hot, like cayan pepper?  Can't remember exactly what it was. 
Then at times we would give them canned tomatoes with bran to help them with constipation.  Had to do these things every year with every batch of white rocks we purchased.  More than 30 years ago now.  Must be getting old!  Good luck and future good eating.

gww

pabst
Bates brought up a good point for chicks
QuoteEvery chick had to get their butt wiped off and beak put into water as we took them out of the box.

Need to show them where the water is by sticking their beaks in it.  I just watched thier butts but had no issues but should be watched just in case.  Good job bates.
gww

bates

Your welcome.  The red paint stuff didn't have to be used until they were quite a few weeks old.  You will know when, they will start pecking each other and make each other bleed.  Then put it on the back of their necks.

sandsawmill14

gww they are in lebanon mo. just crossing chickens will do as you said. we keep all pure bred breeding stock all we have now is barred rock, black jersey giants, rir, brown leghorn, and few assorted feather legs and some games  and bantams  :) then we also raise bourbon red and bronze turkeys, apple yard, rouen, and mallard ducks and a few geese :) good thing we cut back aint it ;D :D :D :D  the only cross breed we raise is a black sex link :) 
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

sandsawmill14

i forgot the guineas and who knows what else ::) ::)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

gww

sand
I don't like eating the duck eggs as well as chicken but they sure (in my limmited experiance) seen to be better and more consistant layers then chickens. Good eggs for cooking with.  They need lots of water and get the water dirty quicker then chickens.  Which chicken for eggs do you like best?  I like the white eggs but only have a few.  I have one old americana that lays green.  I like the green just cause I know when and how many she lays.  Gives me an ideal of what to sorta expect from chickens.  It is funny that a guy can have so much fun talking about birds.
Cheers
gww

ps I incubated some wild turkey eggs and had zero luck keeping the babies alive and am not sure what went wrong.  They lasted about two weeks maby a bit less.

sandsawmill14

yep it is funny :) i like the rir for layers seem like they are more consistent than the others but the jersey giants really shocked me at how well they lay :)  far as white eggs either white or brown leghorns are the best we have found but around here almost everyone wants brown eggs so thats the kind of chickens we raise :) i also should say 90% or more of the eggs i eat come from the grocery store :o :o :o they are worth alot more as chicks than as eatin eggs :D :D :D

eggs $3 per dozen  chicks $3 each ;)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

thecfarm

Americona or however you spell it, ;D I had a few times. I like them because no 2 look alike. but not good layer when the temps drop here. Might get 1-2 a week. But I just like the diffeant look of them.
Blue Kote is what I have used on my chickens bare spots. Comes in a spray,or a small brush. I like the spray. I always keep some on hand. As soon as I put the Blue Kote on,the noise from seeing blood is gone. Them chickens don't know nothing when they get pecking each other.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

sandsawmill14

we have very little trouble with picking but we can control light, mineral and any other of the many cases of picking but the best thing we have found is to figure out which one is doing the picking when we first notice it and throw that one out in the yard by itself most of the time it is a hen where most people suspect the roosters :) a lot of people will take out the one being picked on only to find another one in the same shape in a day or 2. there are some common causes but a lot of times one will just do it >:( the red lights i have on in one of the pic i posted earlier helps more than anything i have done when they are small i will keep those lights on them until they are at least 2 months old sometimes longer on the replacement pullets :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

sandsawmill14

cfarm that is the luck we had with the americana hens to :-\ the eggs have a high hatch rate and the chicks sell good but the hens just wont lay regularly  :-\  another breed that is not very popular is the turken they are excellent layers but are so ugly i cant hardly look at them :o :D :D :D
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

pabst79

Great info, now I gotta get coop done!
Not sure which came first, but I have chickens and eggs.

sandsawmill14

p79 sorry i keep getting off topic :-[ ;D :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

Raider Bill

Wild Bill and I both have city chickens at our houses. He also has bees.
Been doing it for about 6-7 years. Found RIR work best for us, trial and error. We want eggs. Used to have 12-18 but now i'm restarting with 6 chicks. We have started rotating them out every 2 years. These are about 3 weeks old.

I generally have a rooster which is a rarity here in the big city.



 
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

gww

Raider
I don't do it, but believe rotating out two year olds is smart.  I also think roosters are a mixed bag.  I have a couple cause I want babies and not to buy chicks though from a feeding point of view this may not be smart.  I also have fond memories of being very young and laying in bed and hearing a rooster crow.  For just eggs, not having a rooster ripping the feathers off the backs of your hens would probly make for prettier chickens.  If I wasn't retired and sorta wanting to play with/watch chickens, I would get about 8 chickens and keep them young and just gether eggs.
Cheers
gww

Raider Bill

I like to see the expressions on peoples faces when the ol boy let's loose.  :D
I live on a "rails to trails" exercise trail and next to a county park so lot's of victims ;D
Roosters are a no no here but so far they have left me alone.
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

pabst79

Sand, all these posts are helpful! My Dad raised pheasants and quail when I was young, but I didn't help all that much and I'm way out of practice. Funny thing is, the more people I talk to, the more I realize that DanG near everybody has had chickens at one point or another.
Not sure which came first, but I have chickens and eggs.

thecfarm

I "rotate" mine too.  ;D No more than 3 years.
Grandaughter would go collect eggs everytime she came here,10 years old. Rooster was fine,one he was not fine,she came up crying about the eggs she dropped and limping. Quite a battle scar from the spurs. That was it. He felt the 22. No way she would of went back down to pick eggs.
The kids would call to say they was coming and grampie would have to put some eggs back into the boxes for her to find.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

gww

When I was 15 I worked for this lady and had to feed her chickens.  She had this big old white turkey that just intimidated the heck out of me.  He never really attacked but just puffed up and strutted.  At 15 I was glad I fed alone cause it would have hurt my pride if anyone would have actually saw me being that scared.

I took my grandchild out to the pin to gether eggs.  (about age 2) I had a bunch of roosters (about 50% of what I inccubated).  One of them bowed up on us.  Needless to say I butchered all but three the next day.  The ones I have now are really friendly but my motto is never trust them and if they act strange once it is time for chicken and dumplings. 
Cheers
gww

sandsawmill14

i dont tolerate mean roosters either >:(  when i was a kid we had a game rooster that would run 50 yards to get to flog you i mean if he could see you he was coming after you :-\ 1 evening after they went to roost but not dark we were feeding the hogs and that rooster flew off the roost right on to dad and flogged him good :D dad grabbed the rooster and stuck it in a feed sack and tied it shut. a hawk had caught one of my great uncles rooster and he had been over earlier that day telling us about it so when we got done feeding we took that rooster over to uncle earl and set it on the porch and told him we brought him a rooster. it stayed in the bag till the next morning as it was after dark so after breakfast earl went out and untied the bag and shook the rooster out :o it ate him up :D :D :D :D he was scratched on both arms legs and face :D :D :D he came over after dad got home from work that day first thing he said was where did yall get that  rooster  :D :D :D :D we told him the whole story and told him we would catch him another one after dark and bring it to him and he said no :o that was a fine rooster just a little bad tempered :o ??? :D :D :D he fought that rooster with a stick for 2 years before something finally caught it :D :D :D    i know that may sound mean to some of you but thats the way all of my family is you never open a bag box bucket or even a newspaper :o :o :o with out using a little caution it could have anything from snapping turtle to a rock raccoon or even a really rooster :D :D :D  but it is all in fun and no one or no animal has been hurt by the pranks yet ;) :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

pabst79

Another Question for the Pro's, Do I really need 1/2sq ft area per chick for the brooder box? With 40 chicks coming I'm not sure I can find a cardboard box that provides 20sq ft, but I can make something out of scraps. I'm planning on raising the chicks until they are 4 weeks old in my heated shop before moving them to the coop. I did tease my wife that we could raise them in the spare bedroom, she wasn't amused  :D.
Not sure which came first, but I have chickens and eggs.

sandsawmill14

they wouldnt have to have that much on the start but they would need it i the first 7-10 days so might as well start with it unless you run out of time :) but you can go 6-8 weeks or longer at the 1/2 ft per bird :)
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

DelawhereJoe

If you have the room you can use one of the bagsters they are 96"x48"x30" just get a few 2x2's to frame the top out and just staple it in place. Should be plenty of room at 32 sq ft and hold up better then cardboard...slightly more expensive  but multiple uses afterwards.
WD-40, DUCT TAPE, 024, 026, 362c-m, 041, homelite xl, JD 2510

Seavee

I sure had a high percentage survival rate. Now I have more chickens than I want.
Wood mizer lt50 47hp yanmar Diesel  Sthil MS311, Ms661 MS200T, 029 farm boss  and a New Holland T4  75hp.

Seavee

Are your meat birds going to be the fast growing birds.
Wood mizer lt50 47hp yanmar Diesel  Sthil MS311, Ms661 MS200T, 029 farm boss  and a New Holland T4  75hp.

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