Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum
ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: GSF on December 22, 2014, 03:54:30 pm
-
I had a friend tell me that chickens peak out laying eggs around 18 months and completely stop between 2 and 3 years. Anyone ever heard of this before? We both are still learning about having chickens and it's probably more like the blind leading the blind.
-
Not completely true. They really slow down at a couple of years old but dont stop. I dont keep them over two because they are not worth the feed.
-
I've had chickens that were still laying at 3. In general they don't lay well. I think I've had a few that were still laying at 4. It's hard to say exactly if a hen is laying or not unless you are butchering them, then a laying hen has either an egg or one in the works. Also, with yellow skinned chickens you can look for bleaching of their skin when they are laying. I've had some hens that lived pretty long (not sure exactly but at least six or seven) but they do stop laying eventually.
-
It is also very dependent on the variety. We have had white leghorns that have produced 366 eggs a year for two years (neighbor dogs always kill the white ones within the first two years). The Buff Orpingtons (sp?) laid about 4 a week in the longest day of the year maximum. With the reduced daylight and all my hens over 2 years old I have not found 2 eggs in the month of December. Wife will not let me start over.
-
Minz, I've observed the white leghorns as a laying machine as well. When we had 4 and twenty something "other" breeds, we would always, and I mean always at least get 3 white eggs. A lot of times we'd get 4.
I had someone tell me last night that they will usually quit laying around 3 to 4 years, not 18 months. It's a learning experience.
-
slip in a new one or two
they been cooped up for the winter don't know where they came from maye be they hatched
-
I have a few old girls,not laying much anymore but had one that was 5 and would go broody all the time.
We let her raise babies and was a good mom,I would get eggs from friends and neighbors to bring in new blood.
-
When I was a boy we stopped at an 'egg house' that had a sign 'chickens for sale'. White Leghorns I assume. They were white and laid white eggs (all of our other chickens laid brown eggs). The folks there were culling the ones they considered to old for their program. We bought 6, took them home and turned them out with the 'gang'. After a bit or R & R they once again began laying and were laying machines! We had them quite a while and were always good layers.
Phillip
-
The more they produce the quicker they parish. As was stated production farms usually cull in two years. I am sure they go to animal feed. After all farming is a business. So no keeping pets.
-
> After all farming is a business. So no keeping pets.
Absolutely. Efficiency is a must, just as in commercial beekeeping, the cattle business, etc.
Phillip
-
Odd fact. Chickens have a predetermined number of eggs. If they eat nothing but laying pellets and lay almost daily or twice daily like some egg production places, they run out sooner than a chicken on scratch and free range. Kinda of like putting off chicken menopause. Of course, your laying breeds have more than my Dark Cornish from the start.
You can compare it to your queen only has so much sperm after being mated.
-
Odd fact. Chickens have a predetermined number of eggs. If they eat nothing but laying pellets and lay almost daily or twice daily like some egg production places, they run out sooner than a chicken on scratch and free range. Kinda of like putting off chicken menopause. Of course, your laying breeds have more than my Dark Cornish from the start.
You can compare it to your queen only has so much sperm after being mated.
This is actually the case with all female animals to my knowledge, and humans as well. Females are born with all the proto-eggs their body will make already in their ovaries, and when they run out, they run out. That doesn't necessarily coincide with menopause in humans or animals that experience menopause, which there are very few. This is unlike the male reproductive system, of course, which produces new sperm continually.
-
I don't keep a light on mine in winter. I start saving eggs in fall and usually make it pretty much to Feb when they start sporadic laying again. Not only do my hens lay much longer, but they seem to live longer too. I have a few that are 10ish and still lay occasionally although by that age, they have usually quit. Next month I'll start adding calcium to their food again. No free-ranging in this weather! And I have a hawk hanging out waiting for the chance....
-
I just turned on the lights in the chicken coops. Right now we are only getting 6 eggs a day from 50 chickens. In about 2 weeks they should be back to full production due to the added hours of light.
Kathy,
We used to lose every chicken we let out within a day or so. A friend gave us some jungle foul chickens for free ranging. Now we have more totally free raise chickens than we want. The biggest killer of the week old or less chicks are the horses. The mother hens take them in the stalls while the horses eat and teach the chicks to pick up the food dropping on the floor. The horses stamp their feet to get the flies off and end up stomping a chick.
The hawks will not mess with the babies if the mother is near. And they definitely do not mess with the adults.
Jim Altmiller
-
And they definitely do not mess with the adults.
They sure do here. Big hawks. Got a bunch of my neighbors chickens and chicks. We have so many predators around here I'm always surprised when we count the chickens at night and they are all there!
-
Reminders me of a joke. A farmer had been loosing a chicken a night. He could not figure out what was getting the chickens. He remembered that one of his life long school mates, who just happened to be a captain of a ship, had a talking parrot that was exceptionally smart! Just so happened the Captain was home for a few weeks before sailing out.
After the two discussed the problem, the captain told his farmer friend, "lets put salty in the tree with he chickens and he can tell us what is getting your chickens". As most country folks know the big hoot owl will land in a tree and nudge up to a chicken, pushing until the chicken falls from the the limb and the owl swoops down, gets the chicken, and flys away.
The plans were made. The captain told the Parrot;
"Salty, I have an important job for you tonight. I need for you to fly up and stay with the chickens tonight and find out what is getting them".
"Acccck" said Salty
"Aw Yite Sir" so up to the high limbs he flew.
Later that night, close to midnight, Salty just couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He fell asleep on duty! Wasn't long before Salty was awakened to aggressive pushing from a 'big' 'really big' Hoot Owl who was relentless with combative, hostile pushing; each shove inching Salty closer to the end of the limb!
Salty said "hey fellow, stop the shoving!" The Owl let out a loud hoot; 'Whoooo Whoooo". Salty willayed him with a doubled right haymaker straight to the snoot and said "youuuu youuuu, you Big Eyes Son of a Gun". :cheesy:
-
The hawks will not mess with the babies if the mother is near. And they definitely do not mess with the adults.
The only thing that will deter a hawk is a rooster present and that is not 100%. Hens cower to their death while the rest of the pack goes screaming off. One other deterrent is lots of trees but that is not always true either.
-
"We used to lose every chicken we let out within a day or so. A friend gave us some jungle foul chickens for free ranging.""
I think this was missed. Only the "game" chickens can protect themselves from hawks, but an owl will get even them.
-
Ace,
The roosters are not the ones protecting the baby chicks, it is the hens. They will put a hawk on its back, trying to protect itself. Even the foxes and coyotes don?t come around anymore.
We don?t have owls so I don?t know how that would work out.
Jim Altmiller
-
Here is a video of a hen protecting her babies from a hawk. Many of my hens look like her.
https://youtu.be/czZrpFbY8DA
Jim Altmiller
-
IDK. I'd like to test them against our hawks, but those suckers are so big and fast...We have owls too, but they have not been to much of a problem. they seem to like to shred the rabbits and we try to get the chickens in early.
We ARE fortunate to have tons of rabbits, voles, moles, and mice. :grin:
-
The problem we had with hawks verses chickens was not so much the big hawks in our area, it was the smaller size hawks which were fast and efficient. They would swoop up a baby chick as fast as a cats eye wink, (so to speak, AND GONE) lol Without a good yard dog and 'sometimes' with one, an occasional fox would catch a chicken coming off the roost. Possums and Coons were in 'abundance' at our home as well and seemed to prefer climbing a tree at night to fill their need. (I suppose location may play a part in chickens as well as bees?} Taken in consideration of the numbers of predators available at a location and how quick a good yard dog may be. Tojo the half German Shepard half Bull dog, was Johnie on the spot! Tojo eliminated many predators. With Tojo around a predator was taking his life at its own risk, if it had chickens on its menu at 'his' (Tojos') place! lol
Phillip
-
Kathy,
Try getting some chickens with Jungle foul in them. Even at one month they are on and rarely get killed. You can have some of ours. 😊 We are trying to reduce our numbers. Actually we have a dozen of them in the back of the turkey cage, they went in there on their own, we are giving them away.
Jim Altmiller
-
I've never had the jungle fowl, but I've had most every breed. The ones I've had who survived the best where the Araucanas or the Ameraucanas. They tended to roost in the trees and as the flock dwindled due to predators they were the ones that were left.
-
We ARE fortunate to have tons of rabbits, voles, moles, and mice. :grin:
That is what attracts the birds of prey. When the food source is depleted they will leave. You can protect against birds. It is the ground animals that are hard to keep out of the coup.
-
That is what attracts the birds of prey.
And everything else. Found a stripped rabbit out there yesterday, but it was in the grass so I couldn't find tracks. Probably coyote.
I don't think I have ever seen Jungle Chickens around here. I'd probably have to order them in.
-
Kathy,
Come to BeeFest and take some home with you. 😆
Jim Altmiller
-
Lol. I'm sure the airline would love that. Guess I could drive, but I don't know if I could do 4 or 5 days in the car with chickens! Thanks for the offer though :cheesy:
-
When the hens come off the nest when sitting, make a startling (cackling sound) and fly like quail. I have never eaten one. I wonder if they taste like quail lol? If so you may want to keep them Jim; you might have a treasure trove of delicacy at your disposal.
:grin:
Phillip