We have two different ages of hens in the hen house. One batch is Rhode Island Reds that were hatched March 19, 2007. They started laying in September, but have slacked off a bit in the cold weather and shorter length of daylight this time of year. They are beautiful birds, and were in the same hatch as our rooster, a Buff Cornish.
The other hens are some that were given to us by an organic egg farm. These folks are people we know and get some produce from. They took the older hens to auction after a couple years laying, as they begin laying larger eggs, and laying less often. The auction was full of chickens that day, so they didn't sell. She offered them to us for stew hens if we wanted, but we didn't really want to do any butchering. In the following week, we got an average of 4 eggs per hen, so we decided to just keep them on for layers. I like larger eggs and don't need to get an egg every day from every hen.
This batch of older hens we got in October of 2006, so they are now about 3 1/2-4 years old. Some Barred Rocks, but mostly Red Stars. The Red Stars, being a production egg breed, stop laying after a few years of laying. They are just all used up. They also have almost no meat on them, so they are kind of useless to process. I may just shoot them or give them to someone who wants a pet, but doesn't care about the eggs.
So, we are going to hatch/buy a new run of layers next month or so. If I could get some locally, I would buy started pullets, but the kids really like raising babies, so I may just go with day old chicks for the fun of it. Either way, they won't lay until they are 4-6 months old, so we won't be getting any eggs at all out of them until summer. Starting now would be best for future eggs, but keeping them warm and having a brooder to deal with this time of year is difficult.
I would need to get a thermostatically regulated heat lamp. I could get the thermostat switch hooked up, but it costs about 50 bucks, and that seems a bit of money to spend. If we don't do that, then we need to check often to make sure it isn't too cool or too hot for the little fuzzballs. Maintaining the right temp is more difficult than one might think. I guess I just need to go ahead and get the switch, as we will be raising many more chicks in the future and it sure would make my life easier.
Now, I just need to figure out which breeds to go with. Nathaniel would like some prettier breeds, I love heritage breeds and want consistent egg production. Virginia would like a chicken to keep in her room as a pet( this is not going to happen) and Sara is finally getting used to the idea that chickens are here to stay and she just needs to get used to it. She isn't scared of them, she just is horrified to think that they may jump on her or chase her. Naomi thinks chickens are fun to watch, but has not had a personal experience with one yet, so we shall see how that goes. The foster kids like the chickens and I think little chicks to play with may help them feel more at home, too.
Will write later on about how we decide to proceed.
Mark
The other hens are some that were given to us by an organic egg farm. These folks are people we know and get some produce from. They took the older hens to auction after a couple years laying, as they begin laying larger eggs, and laying less often. The auction was full of chickens that day, so they didn't sell. She offered them to us for stew hens if we wanted, but we didn't really want to do any butchering. In the following week, we got an average of 4 eggs per hen, so we decided to just keep them on for layers. I like larger eggs and don't need to get an egg every day from every hen.
This batch of older hens we got in October of 2006, so they are now about 3 1/2-4 years old. Some Barred Rocks, but mostly Red Stars. The Red Stars, being a production egg breed, stop laying after a few years of laying. They are just all used up. They also have almost no meat on them, so they are kind of useless to process. I may just shoot them or give them to someone who wants a pet, but doesn't care about the eggs.
So, we are going to hatch/buy a new run of layers next month or so. If I could get some locally, I would buy started pullets, but the kids really like raising babies, so I may just go with day old chicks for the fun of it. Either way, they won't lay until they are 4-6 months old, so we won't be getting any eggs at all out of them until summer. Starting now would be best for future eggs, but keeping them warm and having a brooder to deal with this time of year is difficult.
I would need to get a thermostatically regulated heat lamp. I could get the thermostat switch hooked up, but it costs about 50 bucks, and that seems a bit of money to spend. If we don't do that, then we need to check often to make sure it isn't too cool or too hot for the little fuzzballs. Maintaining the right temp is more difficult than one might think. I guess I just need to go ahead and get the switch, as we will be raising many more chicks in the future and it sure would make my life easier.
Now, I just need to figure out which breeds to go with. Nathaniel would like some prettier breeds, I love heritage breeds and want consistent egg production. Virginia would like a chicken to keep in her room as a pet( this is not going to happen) and Sara is finally getting used to the idea that chickens are here to stay and she just needs to get used to it. She isn't scared of them, she just is horrified to think that they may jump on her or chase her. Naomi thinks chickens are fun to watch, but has not had a personal experience with one yet, so we shall see how that goes. The foster kids like the chickens and I think little chicks to play with may help them feel more at home, too.
Will write later on about how we decide to proceed.
Mark
