Guest guest Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 Thank you for the info about white roosters. I don't think it worth having chickens without a rooster, as everything I've learned tells me that fertilized eggs are far superior to unfertilized, healthwise. > If you do keep chickens,> avoid having roosters. They're noisy and some are aggressive.I have the sweetest plain white rooster. My neighbors have said that all oftheir plain roosters have been gentle, while the colorful ones have beenaggressive. Wondering if anyone else has ever noticed this correlation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2004 Report Share Posted July 31, 2004 on 7/31/04 1:43 PM, RawDairy at RawDairy wrote: > If you do keep chickens, > avoid having roosters. They're noisy and some are aggressive. I have the sweetest plain white rooster. My neighbors have said that all of their plain roosters have been gentle, while the colorful ones have been aggressive. Wondering if anyone else has ever noticed this correlation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 >I don't think it worth having chickens without a rooster, as everything I've learned tells me that fertilized eggs are far superior to unfertilized, healthwise. IMO there is a wide spectrum as to the health value of eggs. Eggs from hens that are free to graze green material(grass, weeds, legumes) and range for bugs and worms and snakes and baby rodents etc. are vastly superior to those from chickens raised in battery cages with no sunlight, bad air, no exercise and an unvarying diet roosters or no. Also, to ensure that eggs ARE getting fertilized consistently the ratio needs to be 1:6 roosters to hens. That's 16 roosters per hundred and 16% higher feed costs for no increase in production(not to mention the added hassle of roosters)! To me getting a good night's sleep is more important to my health than getting woken up at 4:00 a.m. every day by a bunch of roosters, so I can have fertilized hen's eggs. Jody of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 Hi Judy, The first point is essential. And the rest are excellent points as well. In agreement, Tonio IMO there is a wide spectrum as to the health value of eggs. Eggs from hens that are free to graze green material(grass, weeds, legumes)and range for bugs and worms and snakes and baby rodents etc. are vastly superior to those from chickens raised in battery cages with no sunlight, bad air, no exercise and an unvarying diet roosters or no.Also, to ensure that eggs ARE getting fertilized consistently the ratio needs to be 1:6 roosters to hens. That's 16 roosters per hundred and 16% higher feed costs for no increase in production(not to mention the added hassle of roosters)! To me getting a good night's sleep is more important to my health than getting woken up at 4:00 a.m. every day by a bunch of roosters, so I can have fertilized hen's eggs.Jody of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 At 12:39 PM +0000 8/1/04, cedarvalleysustainable wrote, inter alia: >To me getting a good night's sleep is more important to my health >than getting woken up at 4:00 a.m. every day by a bunch of roosters, >so I can have fertilized hen's eggs. > >Jody of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm Certainly makes sense to me! Although if my milking cycle included milking at 4:30 a.m., I might prefer roosters as " rousers " over an alarm clock... ;-) Can't say I'd be keen about getting up quite that early on a regular basis for milk *or* eggs, though! Thanks, Jody, this post answered some questions that I had. It certainly matches with what I've read elsewhere that having " free-range " birds is the key piece of the puzzle; but what (actual or alleged) benefits *are* conferred by having fertilized eggs? Other than the potential of breeding replacement chickens, that is... Thanks, Tom -- " Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's hand-writing, a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God, for it is a cup of blessing. " -- Ralph Waldo Emerson ------------------------------------------------------------------- H. Harbold P.O. Box 1537 tharbold@... Westminster, MD 21158 Outdoorguy_32@... http://www.geocities.com/Tom_in_MD ------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 1, 2004 Report Share Posted August 1, 2004 My hens are free range and as long as the cow, horse & 4 dogs are out with the chickens the coyotes, fox, bobcat, chicken hawk, and other preditors stay away. On rainy days, with the other animals inside keeping dry, I have lost several chickens. My rooster is tiny, 1.5lbs, sweet & colorful. He does crow at 4:30 am though & he is too small to actually give anyone but the smallest hen fertile eggs. I don't think there is much difference in a fertile (but not incubated) egg and a non fertile egg. My eggs have dark orange yolks, they are very different from store bought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2004 Report Share Posted August 2, 2004 ----- Original Message ----- > Certainly makes sense to me! Although if my milking cycle included > milking at 4:30 a.m., I might prefer roosters as " rousers " over an > alarm clock... ;-) Can't say I'd be keen about getting up quite > that early on a regular basis for milk *or* eggs, though! You wouldn't HAVE TO milk at 4:30AM unless that was the best time for you! I milk at 10AM & 10PM as that's the best time frame for me and works best around my family's schedules. ;-) You just need to keep your milk times close to a 12 hour routine if you want to have a consistent, long milk lactation. ;-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :-) Shelton, WA (NW of Olympia) @ Jekuthiel.com Jekuthiel means: God will support -- Luke 12:29-31 <>< http://Jekuthiel.com/ --come visit!!! (Last Updated 7/20) Registered Nubian Dairy Goats (Buck Service Available) 2004 Kids available NOW! Check out my " For Sale " page -------------------------------------------------- **Jekuthiel's Handmade Gifts!** Silhouette Potholders'n Wall-hangings, Shawls & Appliquéd Goat Shirts!!! Goat Breeding & Records Calendars! *NEW* Goat Cross-Stitch Patterns! http://jekuthiel.com/gifts.html (Last Updated 6/16) **Online Shopping Cart!** -------------------------------------------------- Proud Sister of TWO US Marines (Sgt & LCpl)!!! http://Jekuthiel.com/MarineEGA.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 5, 2004 Report Share Posted August 5, 2004 Ooops! Thought I'd sent this already: At 12:51 PM -0700 8/2/04, wrote: >----- Original Message ----- > >> Certainly makes sense to me! Although if my milking cycle included >> milking at 4:30 a.m., I might prefer roosters as " rousers " over an >> alarm clock... ;-) Can't say I'd be keen about getting up quite >> that early on a regular basis for milk *or* eggs, though! > >You wouldn't HAVE TO milk at 4:30AM unless that was the best time for you! >I milk at 10AM & 10PM as that's the best time frame for me and works best >around my family's schedules. ;-) You just need to keep your milk times >close to a 12 hour routine if you want to have a consistent, long milk >lactation. ;-) That was my impression, from things I've read on the list and elsewhere. I was just trying to come up with a justification for putting up with the roosters, and their crowing at 4:30 a.m., as per Sally's post: >My rooster is tiny, 1.5lbs, sweet & colorful. He >does crow at 4:30 am though :-) Tom -- " Thou visitest the earth and blessest it; thou makest it very plenteous. The folds shall be full of sheep; the valleys also shall stand so thick with corn, that they shall laugh and sing. " Psalm 65: 9, 13 ------------------------------------------------------------------- H. Harbold P.O. Box 1537 tharbold@... Westminster, MD 21158 tom_in_md@... http://www.geocities.com/Tom_in_MD ------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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