Chicken bald back

[mimi5]

Hi all

 

I did post these on the main chicken forum, but not many replies

 

1, Can bulling traits be passed on from mother to her chicks??

 

2, Is it ok to hatch eggs from a hen who has suffered from sour crop?

 

Thanks

[Beantree]

Some chickens are more aggressive than others by breed, so in that respect traits are passed on Mimi5. The top hen will teach her offspring to be aggressive and that is why in the wild only the top hens offspring can replace her I've read but if you are hatching her eggs in an incubator they will be fine I think. Most bullying is the result of environmental pressures anyway.

 

I would say hatching from a hen that has had sour crop is usually perfectly fine. Depends whether she is predisposed to the condition genetically and you don't say what actually caused it?

 

It's good that you are considering these questions to produce a nicer and stronger breed. Have you signed up for the Poultry Behaviour and Welfare course which starts April 1st?

[mimi5]

Thanks Beantree

 

Sadly I lost Penny with sour crop, sadly PTS tonight. She had been bottom chook and also finishing a heavy moult & the last straw my bully top hen Polly So the question is now mute. Polly is then hen I have in mind to sit, but I wasn't going to use any of her eggs. But now I'll only have Martha's & or bought hatching eggs. But my eldest son thinks I should hatch her eggs as she is very healthy.......so I'm a bit confused Also I was considering getting hatching eggs. I have hatched once before and used my own eggs & bought eggs under a broody (well 2 hens, 2 hatches) My eggs - 100% hatched & bought eggs 50% hatched

 

It's good that you are considering these questions to produce a nicer and stronger breed. Have you signed up for the Poultry Behaviour and Welfare course which starts April 1st?

 

Interesting! but I don't know anything about it! Can you tell me more please?

[Beantree]

Sorry you lost Penny Mimi5. Moulting often brings serious problems with it because they can get so run down, particularly in cold weather.

 

My preference is always to hatch our own eggs. We have bought in once previously and had a terrible hatch of a sickly chick and a cross-breed, so both were PTS. I would therefore recommend hatching your own but by incubator, not under a broody as that, in our experience, can have a bad effect on the health of the broody and the chicks are not as strong.

 

The course was advertised on here a few months back. It's on the Coursera web site and is free, so go there to sign up. I've read the course book, which fortunately isn't the majority of the course subject matter even though the titles are the same. The book is mainly about commercial welfare issues, is very heavy reading and I found the content upsetting and not particularly relevant to a small poultry keeper.