Egg Laying Chickens

[H2oDunc]

Does anybody know where I can pick up a few egg laying chickens ?

I've got a nice patch of grassy scrub at the bottom of the garden and would like to stick a small chicken coop and avail myself to some freshly laid eggs. Cheers all

[Boater]

there is normally loads just wondering around near the workers camps, offer them a few THB for 1 .... also you never know thy might have an egg poacher pan as well

Edited March 18, 2011 by Boater

[samui543]

Will the eggs laid be mostly for poaching, boiling, frying or scrambling?

[H2oDunc]

I have a poaching pan en route as we speak. Just though I would get some chickens to keep it busy along with all my Heinz baked beans .

There are some jungle chickens down the bottom of the mountain but was looking for a more up market layer

[sbk]

Gai ban aren't good layers, Boater, as they only lay eggs for a set period of time (a clutch, usually about 12 days, so you would only get 12 eggs) and then stop. The egg laying hens Dunc has in mind were bred to produce eggs but! you must have a rooster in order to get eggs, I believe, so you have to decide if the middle of the night crowing down at the bottom of your garden is worth a few egss.

Interestingly, they think chickens were domesticated in South East Asia.

[Boater]

There are some jungle chickens down the bottom of the mountain but was looking for a more up market layer

well you dont get more free ranged then jungle chickens ! ....

[H2oDunc]

As I was brought up on a farm and there are no other neighbours to upset a cockerel wouldn't be a problem. The last place I lived in Plai Laem had some kicking about and they were crowing at all hours.

Got a bee hive coming when the rain stops to add to the country feel

[Boater]

As I was brought up on a farm and there are no other neighbours to upset a cockerel wouldn't be a problem. The last place I lived in Plai Laem had some kicking about and they were crowing at all hours.

Got a bee hive coming when the rain stops to add to the country feel

I can forsee H2oDunc's next post's

Where can a find a decent Dairy Cow ?

Keep up the work, if you get the Cow, maybe you could start making cheese and sell it to us poor folks on TV who cannot afford to Pay 1,000 THB for a small block :jap:

[PoorSucker]

Considered to buy a female goat?

[Boater]

Considered to buy a female goat?

also heard ostridge eggs are mighty tasty, can also get a good steak out of them when the time comes

Anyone know if you can buy an ostridge in Samui

could also set up an ostridge racing park ....

[H2oDunc]

Dairy cows are far too much trouble but good beef steers is another thing altogether now No good here though as the garden apart from a few flat bits is all mountain and that doesn't make for good grazing now

Goats are good on mountains though. Mutton is good

I don't know about buying a live ostrich but you can get the meat in big C

Edited March 18, 2011 by H2oDunc

[PoorSucker]

I actually saw one ostridge in Surin.

They had bought two females (one died) hoping to get eggs.

Probably did not knew that it's the males hatching the eggs.

[starcandle]

make sure you purchase the right breed of hen, not sure about here in Thailand but back in England I had 6 or so warren hens, these are a mix breed with one half being rhode island reds,(also good layers)

when I purchased mine I was advised to buy november hatched hens as if they where hatched in november they only malted once a year.

they do not lay eggs during malt, also regards a rooster, you should get by without one, I was having trouble with my young hens not laying eggs, so returned

to the old boy I'd got my hens from, he gave my set up a visit and said all was well, his advise was to put a golf ball into one of the nest box's,

thinking the guy had lost the plot I took his advice anyway, popped a golf ball in and 2 days later I had my first egg, as the birds got older the

eggs got bigger, I used to get about 2 1/2 dozen eggs a week off 6 birds.

and here endeth the leson for today.

[joe84330]

As I was brought up on a farm and there are no other neighbours to upset a cockerel wouldn't be a problem. The last place I lived in Plai Laem had some kicking about and they were crowing at all hours.

Got a bee hive coming when the rain stops to add to the country feel

nice, where did you get the beehive? i need some bees around my garden

[vont]

there is normally loads just wondering around near the workers camps, offer them a few THB for 1 .... also you never know thy might have an egg poacher pan as well

A laying egg hen would normally go for around 200 baht. not a few baht.

Think, what would you pay for a chic at tesco, a dead one at that. LOL

[vont]

As I was brought up on a farm and there are no other neighbours to upset a cockerel wouldn't be a problem. The last place I lived in Plai Laem had some kicking about and they were crowing at all hours.

Got a bee hive coming when the rain stops to add to the country feel

nice, where did you get the beehive? i need some bees around my garden

Gee, there have been several farang that I helped rush to the emergency room because of the little bee stings that come with the beauty of the beehive....

However, I do preserve several beehives around our properties but they are quite a few kilo from civilization.

[H2oDunc]

Joe I got the bee hive from the Thai guy at the bottom of the mountain. he has a small garden near the waterfall. I will ask him if he has another if I see him tomorrow.

Back in the old days we had some ceramic eggs that we used the same as the golf balls for when the birds were not laying. Pop a couple in the boxes and they started to lay again.

The missus says there is a chicken farm near the road so will go and have a look later today.

[Gatorade]

Joe I got the bee hive from the Thai guy at the bottom of the mountain. he has a small garden near the waterfall. I will ask him if he has another if I see him tomorrow.

Back in the old days we had some ceramic eggs that we used the same as the golf balls for when the birds were not laying. Pop a couple in the boxes and they started to lay again.

The missus says there is a chicken farm near the road so will go and have a look later today.

My friend had a few hens in the backwoods of Maenanam but had to give them up as they were attracting chook eating snakes.

These were the bantam type hens that roosted in the trees.

[joe84330]

As I was brought up on a farm and there are no other neighbours to upset a cockerel wouldn't be a problem. The last place I lived in Plai Laem had some kicking about and they were crowing at all hours.

Got a bee hive coming when the rain stops to add to the country feel

nice, where did you get the beehive? i need some bees around my garden

Gee, there have been several farang that I helped rush to the emergency room because of the little bee stings that come with the beauty of the beehive....

However, I do preserve several beehives around our properties but they are quite a few kilo from civilization.

i'm allergic to bee stings but that has never stopped me from working outside. my fruits and vegetables that need pollen didn't ask me if i was allergic anyway...

[samuijimmy]

I think H20 will need to change his name to "Old Mac Dunc"... has a farm! e i o i o

The local honey bees have a nasty sting,...( I've seen people swollen for days, luckily so far I have not been stung! YET!) ... much smaller than "western" bees, as you can see in the picture.......

I had them nest in a few odd spots around my house, including my out side speakers, then moved on to another location... Honey pretty good though, but not a job I would want to do to move them on again.... even after they have been smoked.... which you do around sunset when they have returned to the hive... Once removed they move on to a new location....

To add to clucking roasters & chickens at all hours of the day and night , you might consider raising frogs.... These (pictured) are raised for eating and sold at a few local markets Ok I guess if you are French or from Essan.... no insult intended!

[NALAK]

Gai ban aren't good layers, Boater, as they only lay eggs for a set period of time (a clutch, usually about 12 days, so you would only get 12 eggs) and then stop. The egg laying hens Dunc has in mind were bred to produce eggs but! you must have a rooster in order to get eggs, I believe, so you have to decide if the middle of the night crowing down at the bottom of your garden is worth a few egss.

Interestingly, they think chickens were domesticated in South East Asia.

think you only need a rooster to fertilise the eggs, chickens in battery house lay average off about one a day, no roosters around.. rohde island reds were alway the best we ever had.

[smokie36]

Gai ban aren't good layers, Boater, as they only lay eggs for a set period of time (a clutch, usually about 12 days, so you would only get 12 eggs) and then stop. The egg laying hens Dunc has in mind were bred to produce eggs but! you must have a rooster in order to get eggs, I believe, so you have to decide if the middle of the night crowing down at the bottom of your garden is worth a few egss.

Interestingly, they think chickens were domesticated in South East Asia.

think you only need a rooster to fertilise the eggs, chickens in battery house lay average off about one a day, no roosters around.. rohde island reds were alway the best we ever had.

Correct. No need for a rooster. A few different breeds is good for a variety of eggs though.....get a couple dozen good layers and sell some of the eggs to pay for the feed.

[473geo]

Ideally 20-24 week old layers, takes a while to settle in, then they should be providing eggs around 30 weeks. Rhode Island red are good as stated above, also as suggested no need for a rooster/cockerel. Keep them in the hut for a few days to make it their home, then let them out through the day and block the entrance at night when they return. Try and make your holding pen a little mobile as fresh grass does provide a good outdoor free range yolk. Be careful of any mass bred chickens that are not for laying, some are bred only to quickly put on weight to eat and wont ever lay an egg. Also the hens bred for laying do not eat well they are very tough. Best not to buy the young chicks with the big comb.

But you know all this with your upbringing so it is information for others reading the thread who also who may follow your idea.

As far as obtaining the hens/pullets/chicks......no idea but if anybody in the Surin area knows of a local supplier I would be interested

Edited March 19, 2011 by 473geo

[H2oDunc]

Thanks all for some good advice.

I think I will give the frogs a miss though as frog isn't a favorite of mine unlike fresh eggs

Went and saw the chicken farmer yesterday but his are for eating so none yet but he is going to get a friend of his to come see me so looks like we are on a winner.

I've started a batch of traditional British pub pickled eggs which should be done in a couple of weeks so we will see how they turn out

[473geo]

Another little tip I learnt, hens require grit to assist in the breaking down of food in the crop. Drying and crushing your used egg shells and making this available provides not only a cheap source of grit but the ingredients to make the shell of the next egg.

[sootybrown]

I have many chickens, they are bantams, they seem to lay all the time, if you let them lay 8 to 12 eggs they will sit them and in 21 days you have more chickens. 30 hatched in the past 6 days. We live well into the jungle but they do not roam far, some of them I hand feed. I do use some eggs for pickling. I started with 4 and now have 50 or so. I dont like to kill them but yesterday had green curry cockrel.

If I can help contact me, I live Koh Samui, Thong Krut.

I have a poaching pan en route as we speak. Just though I would get some chickens to keep it busy along with all my Heinz baked beans .

There are some jungle chickens down the bottom of the mountain but was looking for a more up market layer

[starcandle]

I have many chickens, they are bantams, they seem to lay all the time, if you let them lay 8 to 12 eggs they will sit them and in 21 days you have more chickens. 30 hatched in the past 6 days. We live well into the jungle but they do not roam far, some of them I hand feed. I do use some eggs for pickling. I started with 4 and now have 50 or so. I dont like to kill them but yesterday had green curry cockrel.

If I can help contact me, I live Koh Samui, Thong Krut.

I have a poaching pan en route as we speak. Just though I would get some chickens to keep it busy along with all my Heinz baked beans .

There are some jungle chickens down the bottom of the mountain but was looking for a more up market layer

Quick question,what size are the eggs off bantams??

[smokie36]

I have many chickens, they are bantams, they seem to lay all the time, if you let them lay 8 to 12 eggs they will sit them and in 21 days you have more chickens. 30 hatched in the past 6 days. We live well into the jungle but they do not roam far, some of them I hand feed. I do use some eggs for pickling. I started with 4 and now have 50 or so. I dont like to kill them but yesterday had green curry cockrel.

If I can help contact me, I live Koh Samui, Thong Krut.

I have a poaching pan en route as we speak. Just though I would get some chickens to keep it busy along with all my Heinz baked beans .

There are some jungle chickens down the bottom of the mountain but was looking for a more up market layer

Quick question,what size are the eggs off bantams??

Small but good flavour.