I think a mixture of breeds that have been bred for high production and just very inbred strains contributed to our issues 🤔 we’ve started adding breeds with lower egg production and from a different hatchery in hopes that our bad luck ends now 🤞🐥
Hi everyone,
My first batch of chicks hatched for this year! 😍 they are barnyard mixes from our Light Brahma rooster and Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. The hens are an Easter egger, Brahmas, Orpington, and a Black Star. Y’all have been right on my last batch so I’d love to hear your thoughts...
Picking breeds with a higher egg production for sure was a mistake I made when I got some of our current birds 👍 I just looked up each breeds personality and didn’t pay enough attention to the number of eggs 🥚 which breeds are your older ladies? I’d love to hear your recommendations!😁 one breed...
I agree with what you said about managing them and keeping them healthy 👍 But I view the responses in this thread from a perspective of getting hope that one of my little feather friends like Obi Hen might get lucky enough to live with me 10 more years 😍 I’ve had horrible luck with my ladies so...
Hi Mrs K,
thank you for your response! Not a competition here, but an exchange and attempt to see what other people experience. Me personally I would rather have a flock of fossils that don’t lay then have them die young. But that’s not a value statement, just my personal preference since I...
Thank you so much for your detailed response! 👍 my personal impression very much aligns with what your saying in regards to selecting for hardiness! The few chicks that we hatched from barnyard mixes are indestructible compared to some of the hatchery ones! 😅
I’m getting some Easter egger hatching eggs and really hope that they’ll live long 👍 fingers crossed!🤞 over the next few years I’m just hoping to create a long lived healthy flock 😁 even if they barely have any egg production going on 😂👍
They’ve been so easy to keep healthy in comparison, it’s crazy! I’m making my goal to breed myself a backyard flock over the years that lays few eggs, stays healthy, and grows old! 🐥
Yes, it was 😟 I caught it somewhat early and managed to stabilize her over weeks. But she never recovered and I ended up euthanizing her before she started to decline again. Broke my heart! 💔 These decisions are so tough to make 😔
How old do your hens really get? I have a mixed group of chickens (roosters, hens, and young ones) free roaming. At night they are locked into the coop and as soon as the sun is about to come up the automatic doors open and they are off.
The reason I’m asking: I get VERY attached to every...