Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Random question! I figured this is as good a place as any to ask since you've all been so helpful

Should I expect my girls to not live very long once they're done producing? Since they're all from a big hatchery and bred for production. I've read that chickens bred for production usually go downhill healthwise as they age and stop laying. But I've also read that, SLW for example can live 6-12 years. My dad would prefer to cull once they're done laying. I'm on the fence about that and would rather only cull if QOL isn't good anymore. His biggest concern is continuing to feed them ($$), but since they're going to be free range I don't think that will be much of an issue. They already prefer to forage in the garden rather than eat their feed 90% of the time

Anyway, it's not something I need to worry about for a while yet, but I want to be prepared!

Fluffy butt tax

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High production breeds can have shortened lifespans due to things like ovarian cancer. 3-4 years is frequently on the high end.

Most big egg places cull/ rehome their birds at about 18 months. Birds moult in the late summer early fall each year, so the 18 month mark is about that time. Because moulting requires higher quantities of protein, many birds stop laying so their body can focus on growing new feathers in. They usually start laying again by spring (some partway through moult, some when moult complete, and some when early spring arrives). Hens that take egg laying breaks by going broody also tend to have longer lifespans (egg laying takes much out of them). A hen that lives 10 years will lay roughly the same quantity of eggs over her lifespan, but only 1-2 a week + broody, + winter breaks, as the one that lays EVERY SINGLE DAY including winter and moulting but only lives for 4 years.

The biggest thing with the old girls is they teach the young chicks how to be wise in their world. They'll show them where all the best foods are, the best places to hide from hawks, dogs, other predators, where the tasty ants nest, where the nasty bugs/plants are, and educate the youngsters on how to become the canny old matriarchs/patriarchs)

 

[rural mouse]

That's good to know, thank you. So letting them go broody might prevent some reproductive issues in the long run? Will a hen break her own broodiness after a while if no chicks hatch?

Depends a upon the bird. Some are DETERMINED to hatch golf balls (as that's what they're sitting on) for 6 weeks plus (takes 3 weeks for hatching). Others start to sit, then decide to bail on it after only a week. Some will get off the nest on their own to care for their daily needs. Others will glue themselves to the nest and starve to death without help (human intervention to go for food/water).

 

[rural mouse]

I am and always will be a big dog lover. If it is under 70lbs it is a little dog in my opinion.

Now, in recent years after dealing with numerous strays going after my chickens I can say I hate a lot of dogs.

When it comes to little dogs my very strong dislike towards them does stem from their owners and letting the rats get away with murder. Their tiny and no one trains them. Their behaviors that are deemed cute would have my 113lb CeeCee confiscated and put down and me in jail. I also do not like their high pitched bark or yapping. It is like nails on a chalk board to my ears. My next door neighbor had 8, yes 8 Chihuahuas and chi mixes inside. When they get going I can hear them in my house. They are never allowed outside because they are too little so never walked either. Instead they potty on puppy pads. I cannot walk in that house very often because of the smell. CeeCee is inside, and I have cats, but my litter boxes are cleaned constantly and CeeCee is house broke so while yes there is hair floating around no matter how much I clean you do not smell pee and poop.

There have been a handful of small dogs over the years that I will say I really loved. My Granny always had Chihuahuas. Feisty was special. She was not yappy, never bit any of us grandkids and Granny trained her. My dad got a Chihuahua Sparky after feisty passed. He was a little yappy but again well trained and not a ankle biter. When dad died I thought about taking Sparky but his next favorite person was my aunt and she wanted him so I let her have him. My grandmother had a little Sheltie x Peke mix. Rusty was a good watch dog and companion for her. He was good with kids but yes I do believe he would bite a stranger if given the chance. He passed a year before she had her stroke and I am thankful for it. Over the years we have had him up here for a few nights if her power went out. Rusty hated the chickens and would try to strangle himself on his leash if he saw them trying to get at them.

19 years ago now I tried and got a little dog. I met and fell in love with a little Shih-tzu pup. I knew better but had to have her. I took her everywhere and did my best to socialize her. She had a problem, she hated children. Even my then 8 year old sister who she was around from day 1 she growled and snapped at. It was not just Sara it was all children I exposed her to. She never bit but I did not like the snapping. I kept working with her until I became pregnant with my daughter. Priorities immediately changed and I found her a home with a elderly lady who had no small grandchildren. Match made in heaven for both of them. Some told me I should have waited until after Rosie was born as she may have loved my daughter. I told them no, if she had snapped and bit Rosie she would have had a one way trip to the vets to be put down. In my mind I did the right thing and give me the big guys from then on out.

I see the same thing with many little dogs: no training, awww it's cute (magnify that up to a mastiff or great dane: not so cute so don't let them get away with it). I grew up with Springer Spaniels (30-45 pound dogs) good middle size, all bird hunting dogs (we never gad chickens). Sherlock is the biggest dog I've ever had (lab, approx 85 pounds)and teaching him to leave the chickens alone is an ongoing work in progress, but I'm learning sooooooo much about how to work with such a big dog. Could I handle a smaller dog...easily. Do I want hawk bait? No. I like dogs large enough to not be carried off by hawks but small enough to be inside (hot water bottle for my feet/legs).

Rose

 

[Sylvester017]

Random question! I figured this is as good a place as any to ask since you've all been so helpful

Should I expect my girls to not live very long once they're done producing? Since they're all from a big hatchery and bred for production. I've read that chickens bred for production usually go downhill healthwise as they age and stop laying. But I've also read that, SLW for example can live 6-12 years. My dad would prefer to cull once they're done laying. I'm on the fence about that and would rather only cull if QOL isn't good anymore. His biggest concern is continuing to feed them ($$), but since they're going to be free range I don't think that will be much of an issue. They already prefer to forage in the garden rather than eat their feed 90% of the time

Anyway, it's not something I need to worry about for a while yet, but I want to be prepared!

Fluffy butt tax

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Beautiful fluffy butts!

Age of birds QOL? Depends. There is accepted rule of thumb & then there are unusual exceptions to the rule. Hybrids will normally have the most reproductive issues which in itself weakens the health of a hen & contributes to a shorter lifespan.

Black Hen rescue farm once posted the average lifespan of chickens is 25 yrs!!! No one I know has a chicken that old & the only recorded 17 yr old chicken was a Silkie. One BYC Silkie owner had a bird show Silkie 12 yrs old but it died at the hands of a careless vacation substitute keeper & who knows how much more life the bantam could've had?

But every bird is an individual w/different genetics in their construct. I remember reading the story of one chicken owner who ordered a batch of quick growing Cornish-Cross meat chicks to raise for 2-3 months then process. However one little chick was a slow grower so she wasn't processed & held back to grow a little more ~ her slower growth rate contributed to her good health compared to the dangerous faster growth of her siblings. The owner never processed her & the hen became one of the owner's best egg layers.

I've had a Silkie live over 11 yrs & I've lost a Silkie at 3 months. How to determine longevity of a breed is a guess.

So far our own experience wound up being that broody hens give their bodies a rest from laying eggs & are the ones that had the healthiest lifespans & best quality eggs. We had a Silkie prolific layer who developed a bleeding ovarian tumor at 6-yrs-old while a Silkie that ended her laying at 5-yrs-old was the one who lived to over 11 yrs. We had 3 Dominique hens & 2 were good egg layers & died young while the 3rd Dom layed less egg volume & is still w/us at 7 yrs.

Rule of thumb ~ non-broody prolific egg layers: more health issues = shorter lifespans.

Rule of thumb ~ broody hens that take a break from egg-laying: less reproductive issues = longer lifespans.

Exceptions to the rule: forget the rules of thumb!

 

[rural mouse]

That is a very good question and depending on who you ask you will get varied answers. Also every families needs and set ups are different so there is no 1 right or wrong answer to this question.

My personal take on this.

My flock free ranges. I do not want high production breeds, I prefer they have as long of a life as possible. Broodies are welcome even if they are a pain in my rear to break. Every girl this year has taken a few weeks to break, it is ok, that is time their bodies needed to take a break from laying even if they did not get to raise chicks. I do not keep them under lights in the winter to encourage laying either. Their bodies are designed for these breaks, they need them. If I have to hang my head in shame and buy store eggs in the winter I will. Actually i do not and go eggless if I have to but that is me.

If you free range I'm going to warn you now. Everything and I mean everything loves to eat chickens. There will be losses at some point. There is a unspoken rule that the ones taken are the ones you love the most and there is going to be heartbreak. Those older hens who no longer lay but free range. I keep them. They are the survivors and they are smart. They may not lay anymore but they have value. They teach the younger generations. They are predator savy and know how to escape.

My dearly departed Momma Hen is my best example. A stray game hen who would become the bane of my existence. Chronic broody who would disappear if not allowed to hatch and come home with chick in tow. Terrible egg layer. Terrible due to the broodiness. She would start laying. Lay for a week, then hide and start building her clutch. Once she hit about 7 to 10 eggs she would start setting. When broody and or raising chicks she would turn into a chicken keepers worst nightmare. She did not growl, she bit. She would get a beak full of tender skin and then twist drawing blood. If that did not get the message across then she came at you like a bat out of you know where, with your head and face the target. She lost the toes on one foot to a hawk and was left with a stump for a foot. That became her club and let me tell you she wielded it like one. Once her chicks hatched she was worse. You did not look, touch or get within a few feet of those babies. It was not fun making sure they had fresh water and chick feed available. You needed a suit of armor to protect yourself. She struck fear into every cat and dog in this neighborhood. My big girl CeeCee, she simply walked by her with a few day old chicks and Momma had her cornered in a dog crate beating the crap out of her. I had to save poor CeeCee as she was cowering. She raised smart chicks though. The majority of my flock fish for minnows in the creek. Momma hen taught them all this. A couple roost in the trees, again, thank you Momma Hen you bat.

Momma Hen passed from old age this spring. She was at least 11. I have cursed that hen. Called her every name under the sun and made up a few for her. I lost count the times I threatened to wring her neck. I miss her. She was useless as a layer but there will never be another like her. I do not have any of her biological chicks. But through the lessons she taught the flock she will live on for a long time after she is gone.

She was a treasure, full of personality, and a royal pain the the posterior. I love hearing stories about her (especially of her hatching on the hillside in snowy december/january). I pray at least one of my girls shows at least some of her spunk. Twirp has. I need to see that more often.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

She was a treasure, full of personality, and a royal pain the the posterior. I love hearing stories about her (especially of her hatching on the hillside in snowy december/january). I pray at least one of my girls shows at least some of her spunk. Twirp has. I need to see that more often.

I miss her. I miss her more then I ever dreamed I would. I still would not wish the ole bat on my worst enemy.

 

[rural mouse]

I miss her. I miss her more then I ever dreamed I would. I still would not wish the ole bat on my worst enemy.
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Note I said SOME of her skunk. I don't think I could handle her in all her broody glory. I could certainly use at least 3 of her for educating the youngens, though.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have a bunch of hens who like ‘trim’ Mr P’s coiffe- but it really more of a cannibal thing - making his feathers bleed and then they really go to town on him! Crazy birds!

Yep, they can be nasty little cannibals. Blood or red colors really attract hens! We have to make sure finger cuts are bandaged or the hens will attack a hand wound!

We watched our Silkies stay still while another bird gently plucks a couple face feathers. When the plucked bird feels she's tolerated enough plucking she walks away. Very polite obliging hens

 

[featherhead007]

Yep, they can be nasty little cannibals. Blood or red colors really attract hens! We have to make sure finger cuts are bandaged or the hens will attack a hand wound!

We watched our Silkies stay still while another bird gently plucks a couple face feathers. When the plucked bird feels she's tolerated enough plucking she walks away. Very polite obliging hens

Guys, don’t let them near your face. They will peck your eyes, pull on your mustache and pick your nose hairs! Ouch!

 

[rural mouse]

Note I said SOME of her skunk. I don't think I could handle her in all her broody glory. I could certainly use at least 3 of her for educating the youngens, though.

SPunk! Not skunks autocorrect strikes again.