Selfsufficientish.com

Hi
This year I decided to get some more chooks - I haven't kept any for years. My 5 year old grandaughter offered (via her mother) to get me 4 from a maternal Aunt as a christmas present. Six week old birds, sexed as females, duly arrived and were comfortably housed and fed. No eggs arrived in the ensuing 8 weeks. Yep, 4 boys!

Three days ago I "obtained" four young laying birds liberated from a small battery egg farm - roosters into a second pen pending re-purposing ( will keep one) Two eggs within one hour and so far eight in 3 days.

Tell your granddaughter she needs to improve her chicken sexing skills.

Having chickens is the only thing (probably) that OH and I disagree on. I'd have some tomorrow but himself says no. As it's the only thing I can remember not being able to change his mind on in 30+ years, I'm bowing to his commitment.

Oh dear - spoke to the chick (rooster)provider yesterday. I seems that the little grandaughter was adamant in choosing only the prettiest ones as a present for Grandpa. Guess I now have a bachelor flock as well.

Update
The three excess roosters have found happy homes amongst three spinster flocks belonging to friends & friends of friends. The one remaining is very carefully looking after the four battery cage refugees. Unfortunately these hens (Isa Browns) are bred only to produce designer eggs for mass consumption - no maternal instincts whatsoever so won't sit. The choice now is to either get more hens that will sit (light sussex for choice) or incubate eggs.

Is it breeding or conditioning? Could their chicks be trained to sit? I'm just musing really, you'd probably need to change the rooster if you succeeded, so it wouldn't be much use.

Are Isa Browns good for eating or will they get to retire as pets?

Isa Browns are hybrids bred for high egg production in commercial situations - up to 300 annually. Broodiness is a trait that has been largely bred out of them but I would expect the odd "rebel"; I will be patient though as these ones are only now getting their feathers back after their time in intensive housing. This breed is quite small at 2Kg live weight and short lived (about 4 years) so I think they will enjoy a short retirement.