American Gamefowl

[roosterhavoc]

No chicks just yet but soon enough I’ll hopefully have plenty running around.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Awesome setup @centrarchid.

 

[centrarchid]

Awesome setup @centrarchid.

I have 11 units like shown with cock and white hen. They can be moved onto fresh grass with some difficulty. Still having issues with Black Rat Snakes as they can get at nest even in the side ways barrels after dark.

 

[centrarchid]

Eating cicadas till can’t

 

[centrarchid]

The hen above is the product of four generations of line-breeding anchored on the hen (Sallie) below that was 2-years-old in 2012. The matriarch hen looks a little lighter I think because we did not have as much tree cover and the pens were not yet covered by shade cloth. Feather bleaching. In spring of 2018 the old hen at eight years of age was lost after a storm came through and rolled a bunch of pens so a fox could come in and git her. Fox had just killed her when I intervened.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

I count 15 chicks. That's quite a hen.

 

[centrarchid]

I count 15 chicks. That's quite a hen.

She consistently hatched reared to independence 10 or more chicks. One brood with another hen adding eggs was 23.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Wow, my crazy hens are lucky to hit 8 or 9.

 

[centrarchid]

Wow, my crazy hens are lucky to hit 8 or 9.

Most of mine are in the 6 to 10 range. Lower than that means poor hatch rate of eggs laid. Usually that is from too much chicken traffic or stressed hen.

 

[centrarchid]

Son is really proud of this brood. Six chicks with five eggs left.