# Chickens



## lazydaisy67

May be a dumb question but why do some hens have bigger combs and waddles than others? I bought all pullets from the store, and none of them show any signs of growing spurs or long tail feathers so don't think they are roosters.


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## Emerald

It totally depends on which breed it is.. and even in some breeds they do have different comb types. from upright to floppy to flat to the lumpy rosebud(or is it raspberry) it is a genetics thing.
I found that those with the tiny bumpy/lumpy combs do better in the winter.. no loss of the tips to frostbite. 
my brown leghorn girls have huge floppy combs.


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## *Andi

I agree ... it is all in which breed you go with ...


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## goatlady

It's good you are being so observant. A chicken's comb and wattles are a real good indicator of the overall health of the bird. Bright red, upright (mostly) means prime health in the bird. Pale colors and droopy combs (depends on breed) means the bird is having internal problems.


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## lazydaisy67

I have 4 different breeds this year. Rhode Island red, Barred Rock, Black sex link and Silver laced Wynnadot. I got 5 pullets of each breed from the local farm store. I've noticed that there's 1 silver laced that has the bright red comb, 2 rhode island reds, 2 barred rock and 1 sex link. I've also noticed that on those birds who do have the bigger, brighter combs, their feet and legs are a brighter yellow than the others. I just thought it was odd and had never really found the answer as to why. 

I'm really happy with the silver laced. This is the first year I've had them and they are gawgeous! I'm somewhat of a chicken snob and want the "prettiest" flock I can. I didn't think I'd like the Rhode Islands, but have found them to be quite pretty too. No roosters this year, though . I could never get to the store when they had straight runs and when I did they were always a breed I didn't really want. I may kick myself for that in the future. I don't want to order 25 roosters from the hatchery at this time of the year. 

We've been trying to come up with a way to better insulate the coop and maybe string up a light and timer in there for winter. I'd like to get eggs in the winter, but most people say that even with a light it's kind of hit or miss on getting eggs all winter long. One old lady said they won't lay if their feet are cold.....um.....chicken booties?


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## Emerald

In the winter here, since I switched to feeding a scoop of whole corn per day instead scratch grains, I have been getting eggs all winter. plus it is cheaper than scratch grains that have that nasty millet in it. my hens won't eat the millet so it was like half the bag got wasted. 
I do have a light on in the winter. and it gets cold here in MI. 
The only time they really slowed down for me is when they moult then i get no eggs.. lucky for me each breed moults at a different time.
Even my older 4 year old hens(yes I need to cull but just haven't) lay about every 3 days. They do slow in the winter a bit but we still get eggs. Just not enuf to sell the extras.
My new gals should be good for eggs all winter tho.


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## lazydaisy67

So do you feed layer crumbles or just scratch grains? I keep telling DH that I don't think they need the crumbles but he's convinced they gotta have it. I'm assuming because the corn is high in sugar it keeps them warmer in winter? Do you have the light set on a timer so it simulates more daylight hours?


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## Emerald

Okay I feed layer crumbles and a scoop of the whole corn. I feed a bit more corn when the temps get too low(like under 10F) The whole corn puts a bit more fat on them (I think) and if they have a nice fat layer to keep them warm they lay better. I have read that they lay better if the daylight hours are about 14 to 15 hours. so I usually have the timer set to go on about 5am and go off about 8 or 9. I was thinking about putting a window in their shed as there is not one now but just haven't got around to it. 
I do have a small oil/radiator(its electric) type farm heater and if the temps are going below 0F at nights I have plugged it in but most of the time they just do not need any extra heat.
They also get any kitchen scraps year round and any veggies or garden scrap too. There is always one or two zucchini that get too big and I just pop them right in whole and them them peck it.. I had a harvest of squash that was forgotten in the shed one year when the hard freeze came and it all froze solid on me. I had only gotten about half of it in the house for us but that squash didn't go to waste. once a week one of them got tossed into the pen/coop.. the chickens pecked at it, even frozen, and ate the whole thing. keeps them from pecking one another out of boredom. 
I have also used up some rabbit pellets that I had from our old pet bun bun that passed away and found that if I poured boiling water over them they burst open and get fluffy and the chickens loved it in the winter.
I had a family friend give me a huge bag of government oatmeal that got wormy on her. I used to take a couple cups of that and pour boiling water on it and let it "plump up" and cool it just so it won't burn them and then I would put that big bowl full(they have their own bowl haha) and they love that warm oatmeal mush in the winter. and those little buggys in it just give them a bit more protein. Mice caught in traps in the winter(we have a very old home and just can't block every hole) go in the pen too.. they love mouse.


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## lazydaisy67

Our coop has south facing windows in it and they still don't lay in winter. Do you think a heat lamp on a timer would produce enough light or does it have to be a brighter light? I put the veggie scraps in there too and I have thrown other grains in as well.

Any ideas on what or if we will feed them if we can't get grain in bags from the store anymore?


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## Emerald

lazydaisy67 said:


> Our coop has south facing windows in it and they still don't lay in winter. Do you think a heat lamp on a timer would produce enough light or does it have to be a brighter light? I put the veggie scraps in there too and I have thrown other grains in as well.
> 
> Any ideas on what or if we will feed them if we can't get grain in bags from the store anymore?


I'm thinking about talking to the out of work contractor(he is a cousin of mine and my neighbor)about making chicken tractors aka like some of the Amish have and also that one guy who wrote the book "everything I want to do is illegal" then I only have to feed them small amounts to supplement the grass/bugs. , the chicken tractor would be moved every other day to fresh grass/yard. There would not be any true free range due to the fact that there are all kinds of predators four legged and by then. two legged.
I was hoping that since I have known many of my farming neighbors since high school, that barter may help with the wheat/corn situation but I would probably convert much more of my two acres of land into gardening and corn/wheat/amaranth/beans and hope that I could produce enuf or even forage enuf to feed them thru the winter. or only let the strongest best hens and a couple roos live nearing fall and cull the rest for the table and then in the spring let them set eggs and pick from the best of them for layers. Also if our neighborhood pulls together I could also get them to help me by taking a few hens each for them for eggs and they can help me. we have a small little village of well drillers and contractors and farmers and even small heirloom gardeners such as myself. 
On the matter of light.. I have only one 100 watt light-bulb(which I have been buying up and hoarding) in the coop.


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## lazydaisy67

Oohhhh...good idea on the 100 watt bulbs. They're going extinct soon, I think. To be replaced with those MUCH safer mercury filled, energy efficient bulbs, lol. 

I just can't think how the farmers around here will be able to plant any corn after :shtf: The only thing they plant is GMO hybrids so I wonder how that will work. Plus everybody around us despises horses so there isn't anybody who has draft horses, tack, or old equipment either. There might be more bugs for the chickens to eat though, I don't know.


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## Emerald

I use the 100watts for my brooder lamps too.
Plus side for use in this area.. many folks have horses and several raise the big blond Clydesdale's for pulling competitions so the horses are used to pulling heavy loads.. I also know two different farmers that not only collect but use and keep in working condition old horse drawn farming equipment.
Even the folks who use non GMO corn are pretty much screwed here. the pollen from corn is transmitted via the wind and can be found as far as 1 to 2 miles from the source. Probably tainted any good corn in the area.
I can see any corn left standing being used whether or not it is GMO and replanted anyway. Hoping that the crop that you end up with in years to come may not be as poisonous as what it was.
Also hoping that the popcorn that I have grown every other year stays as nice as it is now.


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## piglett

well let me jump on in & say this
many many hens will NEVER go broody for ya
so you can have all the roos in the world but without a broody hen
your chances of hatching out new stock is going to be not so good.
now if you have power & a little knowhow you could build a bator 
& try your hand at hatching out your own, 
trust me i just had a batch that didn't hatch at all (not even one)

IMHO buff orpingtins,silkys & most bantys are what you want for hatching out eggs
they will even hatch out other bird eggs including duck eggs
they unlike most modern production hens they like to sit on eggs.
this causes chicks to happen which fit well in your stew pot at about 12/14 weeks 


good luck
piglett


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## Emerald

So far I don't have to worry about hens going broody.. my problem is that too many want to set eggs.. and I have to break them most of the time. 
I have an incubator too.. but if I have no electric then it won't do me much good.
Right now when I do want to hatch eggs I get mutts as I let my mixed flock breed willy nilly.. but if I want to start breeding for pure then I do want to put them separate. probably in their own tractors per breed. 
I have been thinking about my two big Ameracana roos and the ameracana girls that I have and would really like to have more of them. Putting them in their own tractor first and hatch more of them would be my first move.


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## lazydaisy67

I could only feasibly get pullets this year. I literally RACED to the store when they called and told me they had a straight run of Buff Orpingtons but by the time I got there they were all gone. I asked if I could order some, but they have to be ordered 25 at a time and you have to buy all 25 of them....I didn't want quite that many. SOOOoooo I am rooter-less this year and it's kind of freaking me out. I've kind of tossed the idea around of ordering from a hatchery, but you have to order 25 min from them too and I already have 22 of them and I kinda didn't think I wanted 50 chickens.


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## goatlady

Young butchered roos are THE creme de la creme of frying chicken. But as to your egg laying questions - chickens need a minimum of 14% protein in their daily diet to be able to form an egg PLUS they need at least 12-14 hours of light hitting their eyes - that light stimulates the hormone that released the ova to be fertilized to make the egg. A south facing window help a lot in the winter, but the sun is not above the horizon for 12 hours in the winter months, so you must supplement light if you want regular egg production plus ensuring their feed is adequately high in protein. You might want to start experimenting on growing your own field corn for you hens to find which variety does best in your particular area. Those farmers growing the GM corn right now will NOT be growing that in a survival situation - that seed will not be available to them and they cannot save seed from GM corn and have it sprout, I'm pretty sure of that. You need to grow and save one of the old time open pollinated field corn varieties. R. H. Shumway seed company carries about 8-10 old time varieties.


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## netandtim

Every 2 years we get a new batch of day-old chicks from the local farm store. Supposed to be all pullets, but there is always a 10% chance of a rooster according to the owner. This year we got 3 out of 12 roosters. It's okay because we'll use them to introduce new blood lines into our flock. But, even at 4 weeks old, we could pick out the roos because their comb was so much more pronounced than the girls. Wattles were bigger as well. Now they are 3 months old and still have no pronounced spurs or rooster tail feathers, but there is not doubt they are roos (crowing and getting on girls). 

For developed chickens, goatlady is right. Bright red combs/wattles and bright eyes are signs of healthy chickens. For the bright yellow legs, hens will lose the pigment colorations in their legs and beaks the longer they lay. That's why older hens have washed out looking legs.

Egg production does slow down in the winter, but for us we've never had our girls completely stop laying. Others in our area have, though. We have a 13W CFL light on a timer in the coop - on about 15 hours a day. If it's going to be a hard freeze we'll plug in an electric oil heater, but that's not often. 

We feed chick starter/grower until they are 4 months old and then switch to layer pellets when they near egg production time. Layer pellets too early can damage their livers - too much calcium. Our girls are out in fenced pasture areas during the day to forage, scratch, eat weeds and bugs, so we don't have a huge food bill. Plus they get any kitchen scraps that don't go into the compost. We also have some girls in chicken tractors that get moved every week (the tractor is 10 x 20). Emerald has listed some great feed-cutting costs, too. Weeds are great supplements for them, too. Down here we have 'pigweed' which is in the amaranth family and they like picking all the tiny grains.

The full size hens I have had go broody have been Buffs. My banty girls love going broody and I have used them to hatch full size eggs.

Net


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## lazydaisy67

Ok, said "hen" is now developing some slightly longer tail feathers, is taller than the hens, is fighting with other hens and this morning was mounting another hen. I read that in a rooster-less flock sometimes one female will take on male characteristics, but to that degree? He/she still doesn't have any spurs, but everything else looks male to me. He/she has tiny little nubbins on her/his legs, but they look just like all the other hens'. 
Is she secretly shooting up male horomones back behind the coop?


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## Emerald

lazydaisy67 said:


> Ok, said "hen" is now developing some slightly longer tail feathers, is taller than the hens, is fighting with other hens and this morning was mounting another hen. I read that in a rooster-less flock sometimes one female will take on male characteristics, but to that degree? He/she still doesn't have any spurs, but everything else looks male to me. He/she has tiny little nubbins on her/his legs, but they look just like all the other hens'.
> Is she secretly shooting up male horomones back behind the coop?


Does she crow? I have read a couple books where they had a female that took on male characteristics but still laid eggs. She even had a half hearted crow.


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## lazydaisy67

Have not heard any crowing. It's kind of funny to us, but sheesh, had no idea there was such a thing as trans gender chickens, lol!!


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## lazydaisy67

Ok, said hen is now crowing.....guess she's a he after all.


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## TheLazyL

lazydaisy67 said:


> Oohhhh...good idea on the 100 watt bulbs. They're going extinct soon,...


I have success with the EcoGlow and save a bunch on electric costs


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## piglett

lazydaisy67 said:


> No roosters this year, though . I could never get to the store when they had straight runs and when I did they were always a breed I didn't really want. I may kick myself for that in the future. I don't want to order 25 roosters from the hatchery at this time of the year.
> 
> QUOTE]get on craigslist & get a couple of free roosters
> you can have more than 1 if they grew up together.
> i get free roosters all of the time on there
> the 2 buff orpington roosters that i have were picked up for free
> also a rooster is great for protecting the flock, they will give their life so the girls will have time to run into the hen house.


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## Tribal Warlord Thug

if you want to have a good supply of eggs during the fall winter months, git yerself some Brahmas...they lay from Oct.-May...good to have in colder climates too
....another plus is always buy chikins that serve 2 purposes....layin' and good to eat..


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## piglett

rabidcoyote666 said:


> if you want to have a good supply of eggs during the fall winter months, git yerself some Brahmas...they lay from Oct.-May...good to have in colder climates too
> ....another plus is always buy chikins that serve 2 purposes....layin' and good to eat..


buff orpingtons are also good for eating & laying year round that's what we have here. they also go broody so you get free chicks every so often:2thumb:


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