Chicken Diary – August

Its Now Time for the August Chicken Diary,  As I live an New Zealand  the  Seasons will be in reverse order in some cases. We are now coming into our Spring time, so just try to use common sense when applying some of these Tips.

“OK Lets Get On with It.”

• Check for Broody hens. If you want to try raising a Clutch of chicks then a broody hen is a natural incubator. How ever, during the time she is siting she wont be laying eggs.

• You’ll need a rooster to get fertile eggs or you can buy fertile eggs off a poultry breeder. this is a great way to get colorful rare breed poultry onto your property. Breeders can and do send eggs all over the place thru surface mail  so there is very little  limit to the breeds you can choose from.

• If you are hatching a clutch, remember you will be getting a 50/50 mix (or thereabouts)  of Males or Females, SO YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE A PLAN for what you are going to do with the Boys. Being poultry owner means having to make tough decisions on who lives and who dies, and it should never involve dumping roosters so that they become the problem of others.

• If you have hens that have gone broody and you don’t want her to be Broody you’ll need to trick her hormones  to get her to lay again. To do this , place her in an all mesh cage with food water and shelter but no nest and keep her in a place with a draft. A barn, shed or garage are good but make sure she can see the sunlight – don’t keep her  in the dark. if the cage can be put off the ground a few inches perhaps up on bricks, all the better as the cooler air around her body will literally cool her hormones down she should stop wanting to sit with in 1 – 2 Days and resume laying.

• The Longer the Hen has been broody the longer it will takes to cool her and get her back to laying, so keep an eye out and act quickly as soon as you see the signs of her being broody.

• Brown and White shavers/Hylines Almost will never go broody all though it can happen.

• Bantams (small coloured breeds) go broody at the drop of a hat, and make excellent mothers for any eggs you wish to incubate even duck eggs.

• Layer hens should be on good quality layer mash or pellets that provide protein, Vitamins and other essential minerals and nutrition that a layer hen needs for good egg production.

• Chicks should be feed a special – chick starter . Never give them layer feed as it is too high in calcium and can cause (fatal ) Damage to organs. A mother hen, if raising them, can safely eat chick Starter

Once you have decided to o raise a small flock, you have the exciting decision as to which breed to raise.

Your Tastes will change as you raise them. Choosing from such beautiful birds may confound you with the range of choices, or you may find your self lured  by a particular breed as soon as you see it. But their are breeds for all needs.

Breeds For All Needs

Production for meat and  eggs has been bred to high level. Modern chicken breeds and hybrids offer a wide range of characteristics. They are well documented and easily available from hatcheries and the local feed store.

Hybrid crosses, with their associated vigor, Can serve well in small production flocks.

Integrated and sustainable operations my find that traditional breeds offer many advantages in their settings. Traditional breeds have long-standing characteristics that have endeared them  to farmers over the years. That very history may make them ideal bird  for your needs

Modern commercial operations  keep chickens  for a year or 18 months at most. Fryers and broilers are processed for the table as early as 4 weeks, Seldom older the 16 weeks, Longevity is not a factor in commercial all-in/all-out production. For a small flock owner, However, it’s a  good indicator of over-all vitality. Longevity is associated with low chick mortality,high productivity and generally strong constitutions.

Breeds and Varieties

A breed is a type of Chicken, defined its body conformation,Comb, and feather quality. A variety represents of color, comb, muff, tuft, or feather within a breed. Breeds breed true–that is , their offspring are reliably similar to them to at least 50% of the time, Breeding true is a requirement  to be recognized by the American Poultry Association and is included in the American standard of perfection.

Hybrids by definition do not breed true. They are crosses between two or more seperate breeds.if you want to supply your own hybrids, you will need to keep breeding flocks of parent breeds. Small commercial operations that rely on hybrids may prefer to purchase birds from hatcheries as needed.

The single most important quality that should guide you in choosing which breeds to raise is what you like. You will enjoy the most and have the most success with breeds that appeal to you. Chickens have wide appeal, and so many varied breeds are available that you should express your personalty in the breeds you raise.

How Many Breeds?

You may want to start with a single breed. That gives you a chance to become an expert on them. Many experts, recommend starting with a single breed to gain experience. Few people actually follow that advice.

Keeping more then one breed can improve your general expertise. It can expose you to the differences between breeds as well as the difference between individuals. If you are keeping pure breeds , rely on the standard of perfection to learn their characteristics and discern which ones are desirable.

If you intend  to breed your birds, having multiple breeds will require  more pens and more paper work. Many breeders change the breeds they pursue over time, finding more satisfaction with over another.

How to Choose what Breed

Chickens have been categorized as  meat birds, egg birds, and dual purpose birds. If you intend to produce for a market, these are important considerations.

Leghorns are the acknowledged leaders in egg production, such as Polish, Hamburgs, and Spanish, Lay very well. The Braggs Mountain Buff, a modern composite, was developed for its large brown eggs. Bovans, a modern hybrid, are often used in organic egg operations.

Barred Plymouth Rocks are becoming the preferred traditional breed for meat production today

Cornish have a meaty, stocky build that makes them good for the  Table. Cornish/Rock Hybrids are the dominant commercial chicken. Dominiques and Wyandottes were popular in American history. Dominique-type chickens are documented back to colonial days. although there is no hard evidence that they arrived with the Mayflower.

Dominiques were recognized as a breed  by the early 19 century. Wyandottes were developed after the civil war and attracted many followers. The columbian Wyandotte ws admitted to the American Standard 1905, Interest continued thru the 20th century, with the blue variety recognized in 1977. These birds are again making there mark on the poultry niche market All Chickens Lay eggs and are good to eat, so categorizing them is some what subjective many traditional breeds provide both and are considered dual-purpose fowl.