For single mating pairs or breeding trios (one rooster and one or two hens) you must start with a good sturdy brood pen. To prevent overcrowding the pen should be 4x4 square feet at minimum and should protect the fowl from the elements. One rooster can service several hens hens, but the more hens he has to keep up with the more prone you will be to start seeing infertile eggs. We like keeping our brood pens at a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio for best hatch results. Use fresh straw in the pens as nest material to prevent muddy messes and to keep the chickens happy (happy hens = lost of eggs!) Keep each rooster's spurs trimmed down to prevent injury to the hens as he mates them. A bald or sparse patch to the back of the neck/head is normal and shouldn't cause worry. The rooster grabs the hen's feathers on the back of her head while mating and is perfectly normal. They can also start to get sparse patches on their backs as well. If the feather loss becomes a problem, the rooster can be removed and only placed in the pen every couple of days so mating can take place and then removed after an hour or so. Hens can retain a rooster's sperm for up to a week and sometimes longer, so daily mating is not necessary to fertilize the eggs.
Nests can be made out of anything as long as it is sturdy and provides the hen the privacy she needs to lay and protection to the eggs from the other chickens. An egg on the ground is often seen as a tasty treat for roosters and other hens if it gets cracked or busted while they scratch and kick the straw around. This will lead to bad egg eating habits and needs to be avoided. You can use nest boxes or 5 gallon buckets turned on their sides, but the bucket must be secured some way so to keep it from rolling around when the hen enters the nest. She may not lay in a nest that is not sturdy. You can place a brick or rock against the side of the bucket to keep it from rolling, or you can brace the bucket by nailing a piece of a 2x4 to the bottom. We cut out the lid halfway to allow the hen to enter and exit the bucket easily, and it also helps keep the straw from being scratched out. Smaller 2 1/2-3 gallon buckets can also be used, but these do better if used upright instead of on their sides but can also be used on their sides if you prefer. If you use them upright be sure to secure the bucket with a bungee cord or nail it to the side of the pen so the bucket doesn't topple over as the hens jump up on the lip of the bucket to check it out. I have seen hens lay very happily in old flower pots, large baskets, pet taxis, barrels, coolers, and what have you. They can be as extravagant or as redneck as you want them to be. If using milk crates, be sure to create a sturdy bottom with a piece of plywood, cardboard, folded up feed sack, or whatever you've got lying around. They are not too particular as long as the nest is clean, dry, and sturdy.
Hens can share a nest, but if allowed to go broody and incubate their own eggs this can cause problems if the other hens in the pen are still laying. You will have incubated eggs of various ages of gestation in the nest and they will not all hatch at the same time as the other hen or hens in the pen deposit their eggs on a daily or every other day basis. Not to mention the clutch will become too large for the one broody hen to cover and some of the eggs may not be incubated properly. Once you have a hen to go broody (start setting), I recommend she be removed from the main brood pen and placed in a pen by herself so she can tend to her clutch in peace. The "broody" pen must be in a quiet, even secluded spot for privacy so the hen is not disturbed. If she feels the nest is no longer safe she may abandon the eggs. It is best to move the hen at night so she doesn't become frightened and jump off the nest.
Unless absolutely necessary to maintain a bloodline, close inbreeding should be avoided and line-breeding is the better route. Close inbreeding such as brother-sister, mother-son, and father-daughter may not cause problems in the offspring at first, but after a few generations of close inbreeding you will start to notice subtle problems and flaws. The chickens will begin to come smaller, shorter legged, and above all cold blooded (not literally cold blooded like reptiles, I am speaking in terms of gameness). For the most vigorous fowl, the breeding of totally unrelated stock, or crossbreeding, provides the best results as the offspring obtains fresh genetics from both bloodlines. In order to maintain pure "seed stock," brood fowl for line-breeding must be carefully selected. Look for birds with only the best qualities and no imperfections if possible.
Linebreeding:
- First Generation: Hen - Cock,
½ hen ½ cock
- Second Generation:
Hen to son,
Cock to daughter, ¾ hen ¾ cock
- Third Generation:
Hen to grandson,
Cock to granddaughter, 7/8 hen 7/8 cock
- Fourth Generation:
Hen to grandson
Cock to granddaughter 15/16 hen 15/16 cock
- Now in the 5th generation you breed the 15/16 hen to the 15/16 cock. Then, choosing the best hen(s) and cock(s) you begin again.
For best egg laying results, feed a good quality feed year round such as the Burkmann 18% we feed to our game chickens. It has a good grain and pellet content and contains a small amount of calf manna for protein. It also contains a good amount of black sunflower seeds, corn, millet, wheat, alfalfa, and milo. Laying hens require lots of calcium as well, so offer oyster shell regularly to prevent egg eating. We just throw the oyster shell directly on the ground and the hens eat it well if they need it. They know what they need and how much they need. You can also put the oyster shell in a separate cup or feeder in the pen for them to eat as they need it. Hens will eat feathers and eggs if they don't get enough protein, calcium, sodium, and other nutrients from their diet.
Collect the eggs everyday if you are going to save them for an incubator, or leave them be if you are going to let the hens naturally incubate them. Store fertile hatching eggs in a cool, but not cold place (55-68 degrees Fahrenheit) in a dry container, large (air cell) end up and turn them daily. If storing them in a carton, place a block under one end of the carton and alternate ends daily. This will keep the yolk centered in the egg and keep it from sticking to the side of the egg. If collecting eggs from several different breeds, mark the eggs with a pencil or marker. I have heard some people don't like using permanent markers, but we have used Sharpies for years and have never had a problem. Pencil just doesn't hold up as well and can easily be smudged or fade. Don't store eggs for longer than 7-10 days before setting them or your hatch rate will go down the longer you store them. Be sure to check for mites and de-worm chickens regularly as hens with bugs or worms will not lay as well or may not lay at all.
