The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Rosemary on December 01, 2007, 07:58:45 pm
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Our cockerel, Hobbes, was killed last night by a fox. I have three of his sons and three of his daughters - all the females are at least half-sisters to the young cockerels and our Light Sussex hens may be their mothers. Do you see where I'm going with this?
If I keep one of Hobbes' sons as a replacement, am I going to get two-headed chicks (three legged ones would be good, then we could all have one!) as a result of in-breeding?
If so, anyone in Central Scotland want to swap a Light Sussex cockerel for an unrelated one?
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I have had a google moment and found this website
http://poultryone.com/chickens.php
It has endless info on keeping poultry and also has a contact section to ask questions so perhaps you could use the facility to get your answer.
I was amazed to read that a chicken in designed to live for 30 years and is able in the right conditions to lay for 18 years. I deffinately need to revise this subject. The general thought seems to be that after 2 - 3 years of laying they are finished - how wrong everyone is!!
Hope it helps.
Kate