Warren Chicken One Year On

[Thomaspaul]

One Year ago I had the good fortune ( so i thought) to obtain 25 2 week old chicks

which after numerous discussions with Andy Crosby were identified as Warrens

It took them 9 months to Produce the first egg withthe right food being the main concern

although I was starting to believe that the chickens themselves were of poor quality

I had the fortune to get from Andy 2 17 week Rhode Island Red Males which were

put with the Warren

After 6 weeks together I decided to try to Incubate eggs and 2 months later from 180

I have 12 chicks plus 5 which were very weak and did not survive and 2 born with deformities

the rest were unfertile

From the most recent 20 eggs only 3 were fertile

From 3 months of egg production from 20 hens am averaging just over 7 eggs per day

I have now reluctantly decided to stop trying to breed

These Hens are of poor quality,and once the 14 week old Rhode Island Reds start to

produce eggs The Warrens unless egg production increases will be culled

and plenty chicken stews will be on the menue in my wifes restaurant.

Mo matter how much food they are given and what nothing improves the output.

A experience I feel others should be warned about if they are thinking of keeping

Warrens

Should anyone want 2 mature male Rhode Island Reds PM me

Warrens

[kikoman]

I have had 20 warren hens for almost two years now, purchased them a week before they started to lay. they laid about 16 eggs a day consistantly for over a year now eggs production has fallen to 10 eggs a day. Sorry you had such bad luck with them, my luck was a lot better. I will not ever again purchase any more warrens and I am hopeful to get some Rhode Island red chickens and my preference is Plymouth Rocks which I hope will hatch from some eggs I plan to purchase from Andy. My Muscoveys started to lay and were already sitting on their eggs. I purchase 3 more female Musky's two days ago.

I would not give up on chickens for eggs or meat if I was you, you need to purchase some eggs from Andy and start your own flock of Rhode Island reds.

What ever you decide to do, good luck.

Cheers:

[pigeonjake]

hi lads,

this is our tale and chickens, i found a source for ex laying hes,i said to the wife they will be ok we,ll get some 70bht each, so i got 20, they were pink on there cones and moulting so they werent going to start laying strait away, anyway after a while they did start laying not all but we were getting 12 to 14 eggs a day, but ot be honest i was happy with that,

then one day on our travels i saw the man on his motorbike selling chicks, i asked him all females, yes he said, ok ill have 20, after 2 days i had to kill 2 looking week, but the other 18 spot on, the only thing is they were white and they were all males, but i here you say, yes that did me a big favour as they were beautiful big cockerals just like the kallogs packet, we did eat some and i gave the builders some to eat, we kept 3 and we still have them to this day, what im getting to(sorry) is yes they were all males but it turned out to do me a big favour as the crosses from them and the ex laying hens are turning out to be very very good layers, i get brown ones whites and specles from the crosses but they lay good eggs everyday, some of the new cockerals are beautiful white specles with big black tails,

so buying them 20 chicks did us a favoure,

take care all jake

[kikoman]

Yes the Cockerals are white and the pullets are red, I purchased 12 males chicks for cheap, they were a nice big bird but they were very violent and I did not want them hurting my egg layers.

The Warrens are great egg layers, but they are very dumb, when it starts raining we have to put them in the Chicken house, because they would not get out of the rain,

Cheers:

[pigeonjake]

funny mine dont seem that bad, and mine have to walk up a ladder into chicken shed same we have in england, its raised 2 ft off the floor, which ive found to be ideal, they go under there when it rains, go there to dust dath and shade,

ive found my cocks arnt to bad, yes they have to mount the hens but thats just natual, and mine are very very tame, they have the odd fight with each other, but they soon find who is the boss and they just keep away from each other, each cock will have his own hens to take care of,

there a happy lot mine and like i say the crosses from them are doing really well,

[kikoman]

We ended up eating the roosters, They were very violent and my hens are very passive, they never run away when we try to catch them as most chickens do. As our chicken coop covers a very large area and the laying and roosting area are all roofed, the main chicken yard is all wire and net enclosed so wild bird can not get in.

They are great layers and very friendly chickens, they are good a what they were breed for 'to lay eggs', but I want to get a good layer as well as good meat chickens. I have my eye on Plymouth Rocks, The Warren hens rarely get broody and I need hens that will lay, hatch their own eggs, and raise / look after their chicks.

Cheers: