Chickens: Mixing Layers and Breeders

[junglechef]

I'm new at this but have had 10 layers (Rhode Island Red/White Leghorn cross breed) in 240 sq mt coop and let them free range sometimes in fenced in 2 rai garden. They were giving me average 9 nice eggs a day. I wanted to try raising some birds to eat and then maybe do some breeding and was given a rooster, one hen with 8 one week old chicks (4 died the first 2 days), a month old black chick and a two week old chick. I assume they are gai ban or mixed breeds, I call them soi chickens so that shows how much I know - lol. Told by my Thai friend who generously gave me them that not to worry put them all together. The result was lots of unhappy birds . The Hen attacked the layers and would not let them eat and they went down to laying only 3 small eggs a day. So I separated the hen and chicks and now the layers are attacking the rooster but are at least back up to 7 eggs today. Don't know if they will sort out their differences and this is just normal adjustment period. I have the back of the coop fenced off into another room (I was going to grow mushrooms there originally but thats another story) and thinking of putting up chicken wire and putting the Hen, Chicks and Rooster in there.

Anybody have any thoughts on any of this. If the rooster is with the layers will he fertilize their eggs and is there anything I should know about this. I'm all for doing things the local way if it works but also don't mind spending some baht and having it be nicer and work better. It's all for fun and I give most of the eggs and will the meat chickens (they must have a word for that) to an orphanage but I also want happy birds and good coop karma and as my 1 yr old loves playing in there. Any suggestions, comments etc. would be more than appreciated. Thanks!

[pigeonjake]

in my opinion, you would be better to get a proper rooster,a

and let you tai hens bring them up as your laying hes probly wont go broody, so just move some of there eggs under your thai hens when they go broody, then youll have more laying hens coming through as your other ones get older and dont lay so good,

you can find the good laying hen cockerals they are useualy white in colour with a touch of brown on them,

jake

[junglechef]

Thanks Jake. But sorry I don't know what that means. What is a proper rooster? What's broody? A laying hen cockerel? Def. of cockerel I found is a young rooster so do you mean a rooster to mate with my laying hens? As I said I'm trying to raise birds to eat and that I'm new at this and don't know chicken farming speak so I appreciate your reply but could you please explain.

[pigeonjake]

hi mate,

yes mate, get a raod island rooster, they are a dual perpose bird, good for laying and eating,keep your thai hes seperate with there rooster,

then when they, the thai hens go broody, that means they want to sit eggs, change there eggs for your roadies, then they will hatch then and raise them up as if they were theres,

keep the hens that hatch and eat the cockerals(roosters) thats what we do, only difference with us is that we have some small banty typ hens that are great mums,

hope this make things clearer,

jake

[teletiger]

" have had 10 layers (Rhode Island Red/White Leghorn cross breed) in 240 sq mt coop". That's a large coop there Chef. I'm amazed you can find them.

Regards.

[junglechef]

Of course I know your joking but actually they come up to us when we enter and like to be rubbed behind the ears. This is what I mean that everyone was happy and peaceful before and now it's like the real world - lol. Maybe they are normal but everyone who comes over says how big and healthy they look. But if you want to hear a funny story I went to my local animal supply store where a real nice young couple who were educated in the US run it and I asked if they sold organic chicken feed and they told me that since my coop is so big (I guess meaning the birds have low stress environment) they are organic.

But I'm still wondering if if this is normal with the birds fighting and if anybody cross bred gai ban w/Roadies.

[Jotham79]

I've seen Gai Ban hens get pretty aggressive, but usually chickens will sort things out given enough room. A few years back I was crossing layers with Gai Ban and plan to do some more in the next year. Thais cal them 3-blood chickens and aren't particularly crazy about them. Mine ended up putting on just a little more meat (with poor FCR) and had more physical characterstics of the rooster (wich is normal) and were poor layers. The best layers I ever had were when I had a rooster that was a sex-linked cross and put it with a sex-linked cross hen. The offspring were laying machines.