Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
July, August.
If you forced the hens to lay by using artificial light, they have now laid
consistently for a year and are showing their stress and tiredness. A particular hot spell,
predator attacks or other trauma triggers a molt and cessation of the laying process.
If you raised new birds this year, they begin to lay and you see no drop in egg pro-
duction from your flock. The question arises as to when it's acceptable to mix young
birds with old birds. I never mix very young birds with older birds as that can be very
hazardous. Don't add your new birds into the pens with the older birds yet. Mixing this
year's birds with older birds in midsummer is tough as the hens are still laying and the
males are still interested in the hens.
September, October, and November.
September is the best time to mix adult birds of
different ages, now that the days are short and birds are not much interested in mating.
This works best for mixing male groups as well as female groups. The hormone level
in both genders is low and aggression is at a minimum. Always mix new birds in with
caution. Make sure you observe the new cohabiters for a short time to see that all is go-
ing well. It is amazing how territorial certain birds can be, and how they can traumatize
and seriously harm new arrivals.
Even if you have kept your hens on artificial light the whole time, by now they need
a rest and will molt, as they are well over a year old. Whether or not you choose to keep
the year-old hens over another year is dependent upon the system you wish to establish
and the breed of the bird. For example, sex-links and certain white-egg-hybrid crosses
may be more economical if you start fresh with new layers at this point, while many of
the heritage breeds have at least one more year of good to excellent production. Most
raisers find it cost effective to keep their backyard hens yet one more year. Commercial
operations discard the hens once they molt but the backyard flock owner is able to get
at least one more year of successful performance.
December.
Do the necessary checks to keep the flock healthy and enjoy a bit of a rest
and a decent holiday meal or two of your freshly raised meat and eggs.
Ducks
can be butchered during what's called “the green stage,” when they are only
about eight weeks old, but only certain breeds do well with that. Many will not be filled
out yet, leaving you with a scrawny, feathery, frustrating mess. Modern Pekins will per-
form quite well green, but be careful to choose them at a time when they're not putting
forth a lot of new feathers or they will be considerably pinny and you won't be able to
pick them all out without a great deal of difficulty.
I try never to butcher waterfowl until we've had several hard freezes, and usually wait
until several weeks after that to do the job. This gives the birds a chance to start grow-
