buff orpingtons with turkey poult
We asked around and considered a number of breeds when choosing our chickens. There are a lot of innovations in chicken breeds. Sex links allow you to determine the gender of chicks, but they are a hybrid and this trait doesn’t breed true. Other breeds have been geared towards meat or egg production to the exclusion of all else. Some of these breeds are aggressive and difficult to manage; while some breeds are blobs that can do nothing but eat. We wanted something that could be handled easily; take care of itself and breed true to propagate itself. We looked at a few heritage breeds and finally settled on buff orpingtons. These are called utility birds, providing both meat and eggs, but excelling at neither. This breed is easily handled, the roosters are not overly aggressive, and as an added bonus they lay eggs through the winter. They are not hybrids, so will breed true, and have a reputation as good setters and mothers. To get a little background, we picked up a few chicken books. Of the three books, we kept “Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens” by Gail Damerow. It is worth keeping on hand as a reference.
Most hatcheries have a minimum order of 30 chicks. This is to provide enough body heat to keep the chicks alive in transit. We found a business named Cackle Hatchery, out of Missouri, that had a minimum order of 15. Being our first venture into chickens, we figured 30 chicks might be more than we could handle. We didn’t have much space, so the chicks needed to be brooded in a cardboard box. Fifteen chicks would be pressing space to the limits. We ordered a straight run – meaning the chicks were just grabbed from a batch and not sexed. Our thinking was that excess roosters could be used for meat. The box arrived with 16 chicks - one to allow for attrition in shipping. They were 16 healthy, active chicks and started growing like weeds. Within a week they could not fit back in the shipping box. After a month brooding, they were moved to the chicken house. That was early July and the nights were mild. Because they were still so small, each evening they would be returned to the crate. Handling the chicks regularly helped tame them, and to this day they are still a friendly bunch. Even though gender wasn’t guaranteed, we wound up with eight cockerels and eight pullets.
After a month the chicks had started perching and were left to their own devices in the chicken house. At that time they were still confined to the covered pen, but responded well to scratch in the evening. After gaining a little size, another month or so, they were given the run of the property. It became necessary to reinforce the training with the dogs – the new creatures were also off limits, just like the guineas. We never had any incidents with chickens, though there were a few times where I had to caution the dogs when I saw them getting caught up in all the chasing and grab-assing going on with the chickens. Each evening the chickens are called home to the covered pen and chicken house. Starting late in the afternoon they become watchful of my activities, waiting for me to head towards the barrel holding the scratch. While pecking at the scratch in their pen, the gate is closed and they are locked in for the evening. In the morning, as soon as sunshine reaches the ground in our hollow, they are turned loose into the yard. So far, with occasional exceptions, the hens return to the chicken house and their nesting boxes to lay their eggs.
The first egg came at 6 months of age, almost exactly. The chickens were still on starter feed and were immediately switched to layer. The first chick to lay developed a prolapsed (blown) vent. Storey’s recommended applying Preparation-H to the exposed tissue (I’ve since been told that this is a poor woman’s face-lift) to shrink the mass of tissues. I did my best, but the hen died three days later. I believe the condition would have been aggravated every time she layed after the incident, so should it ever happen again I will put the poor creature down humanely. Two weeks later the second egg showed up. Eggs increased in frequency, and by the 9th of January we had our first seven-egg day – one for each hen. They continued to lay through the winter. The average seems to be about five eggs a day.
About January we decided we had to thin out the roosters. Eight roosters for seven hens were way too many. The hens were constantly harassed by randy cockerels. Storey’s recommends a higher hen count than our remaining seven for a single rooster, and I had read that it was a good idea to have a backup rooster. We selected the two roosters that were the easiest to handle and moved the rest of the roosters to the guinea side of the house. They were not happy. A pecking order had to be reestablished amongst the roosters and they set about figuring who the bottom rooster would be. Funny thing about roosters, the poor devil on the bottom has a chip on his shoulder and has to find someone lower than him. I had more trouble with that bottom rooster than all the others put together. I always wear long pants, boots, and usually a long sleeved shirt when working outside. Orpingtons have spurs, but nothing to be overly concerned about. Their toenails get sharp, but I’ve never suffered injury – even when one jumped up and raked my hands and arms. Their bite is like a pinch – does not break the skin but will leave an impression in the skin.
Storey’s recommends isolating a chicken from food the night before butchering. We built a few cages and set the candidates in them with a water dish. I had never butchered a chicken before, and had some concerns about going squeamish with chickens I had raised. It turned out to be a non-issue. Storey’s recommended slitting the jugular and letting the chicken bleed out. That’s all very well and good with a diagram, but quite another matter with a squirming, feathered chicken. The first fellow was not dispatched very quickly, sad to say. After that, we went to the chopping block. Quick. The first rooster didn’t go very fast. For the second one we had a neighbor show us how to do it. He made it look easy. Scalding is the way to go for plucking – get the skin wet, then the feathers pull away like an old hair plug in a shower drain. Chickens have an oil gland that helps to water proof the feathers. By the time you’re done with the first chicken, your hands are covered with this oil. It doesn’t have a really strong smell, but it will surprise you when eating sandwiches, potato chips or other hand food. I recommend refraining from eating anything without a fork or spoon for a day after butchering. We gave the rooster to the friend that provided the demonstration, and got the rest into our freezer. They were too old and tough for frying or roasting, but have made wonderful chicken and noodles. The flavor is superior to anything you can get in a restaurant or grocery store.
Some months after the “bachelor” roosters were in the freezer, we separated the remaining two roosters from the hens. Breeding behavior had resulted in the loss of almost all the feathers on the back of the hens. They were getting sunburned from scratching and pecking without protection. We had collected an adequate supply of fertile eggs for the incubator and no longer needed to keep the roosters and hens together. Storey’s recommends making a chicken cozy or apron to protect the hens. They also recommend putting vaseline on the frost-bitten combs of roosters – sometimes I get the feeling Gail Damerow is laughing somewhere… When the hens heal, we will let the roosters visit – they seem to have a positive effect on hen morale, but I think one day a week will do until we need more fertile eggs.
One orpington hen went broody. She sat on a nest for 28 days and the eggs did not hatch. The experience sapped her vitality and removed her from egg production. We have since picked up an incubator and are now cooking our first hatch. These chicks are destined for the freezer. The original intention was to let the chickens handle reproduction on their own, but after watching the broody hen, it seems like the incubator is a more sensible approach. That keeps the hens laying, keeps down on aggressive/protective maternal behavior, and lets us control the conditions. We still have the chickens as a backup, should the need arise, and buying a breed that sets and broods was still a good idea.
Regards,
Pat