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Looks like our sink right now. We processed 4 cocks all weighing in at 5lbs after dressed. Our largest was the oldest we did early this year but he was 3 years old and came in at 8 lbs. Nothing like homegrown chicken. The 4 were 7 months old so I still have work in my breeding program yet to...

I would like to read documentation on this. Can you please post a link for it. I have not heard of this before that running a mixed gender flock will cause retardation of full growth.

I find the best way to get a good amount of eggs threw winter is to have pullets each Spring. This is where breeding your own comes in handy and cut cost in buying chicks each year. By winter they are laying while my older girls take there time coming back into lay from molting.

You are so right there Kim. Raising your own is not cheaper than store bought. BUT the quality and flavor is SO much better. I sell some eggs when I have them and I hatch chicks. I make way more hatching chicks than sell eggs. Working on one breed that lays well helps. I live in farm...

OK mostly this is done with pigs and cows but can be done with chickens. What we are doing here is that chickens free range all day long and get fed in the evening before they coop up at night. Now I have alot of cockerals to butcher this year. We will be penning them up and grain feeding...

Orange Ribbon My Healthy has good stock and some is heritage. That I can say for sure from my own birds here. Many hatcheries bought from breeders way back that was how they got started. Unfortunaly many mixed there breeds to increae egg production. So now many look like the breed but do not...

Broodies have hatch but only 3 survivers. I just got my incubator in so will be hatching more. We have already lost 3 hens this year too. So I have alot to replace with hatching.

I just got an email from my heritage group about a guy that has made a new american breed. Got laugh at that one. He has it in 4 colors and is charging $800.00 a pair for you to buy his new rare breed.

Quote: My 2 cents on the word homesteading and what it means to many. I belong to a homesteading forum where many do live much more off the land than us. Some even live off the grid but that is for another topic. Most of todays homesteading is trying to get back to nature and away from mass...

Quote: I personally like leg bands because observing the birds moving and their daily habits and personalities is important to my selection. I like to take mental notes on which ones dominate the pen, which ones are bullies or protective, which ones have that "extra sparkle" in their bearing...

Quote: I have been dealing with IDing my chickens now and am still looking for the best way. I started and still use bandetts but since I free range they can be lost. Most have stayed on and since they come in colors and number up to 100 I will continue to use them. I started last year toe...

Quote: Actually this is not correct. Any good chicken owner will free range and have feed out when needed. Chickens in a pen are very high maintance and much more prone to disease and bugs/pest like mite and lice. Free range tend to lay more consistant due to a better diet. They grow to...

Quote: In my case, I chose a heritage breed because I want long term self sufficiency. Although I am not looking to set any laying or meat records, I do need a certain level of production to cover cost. If my chickens can't pay their way, I may as well buy eggs and meat. Production is a...

OK I think I can help out and clear some of this up. First off we are a small family just hubby and me. When I did my search for a breed I had certain requiremnets to meet. Free ranging was a must to cut feed cost. Broody a must since chicks raised by mothers are better than those that are...

Quote: Punky this is first post. Yellowhouse Farm started this thread. Just refreshing everyone on topic. Which reminds me of a question. Does anyone harvest feathers to sell? Where I live we have alot of craft stores as well as fly fishermen. I have seen feathers for sell for both here...

Quote: That's very interesting as I live very close to a lake as well, about 200 yards. My yard is very damp and my basement perpetually wet. I consider it very damp around here. As I said, i have had no problems. One thing I did do was put floor boards in the coop. I had wanted to build it...

Quote: I know of many chicken owners up North even in Canada that have coops not heated and own single combs birds. The main trick is venalation in coop. Too many have air tight coops and humidity builds up in them. Many think they have good venalation but do not. Our temps here hit 0 and...

Bob, you nailed it. For years I have had a saying "Stupid animals die". Of course I use this on people too when someone get truely stupid. I am not going to get into a long story about how this phase came into being with me. Lets just say it is real right.

Ok on the color part. I picked pattern due to protecion. We have a few here in the state that swear white is not a problem. For hawks used to hunting rabbits it is a problem. They target the white tail and white bird is a bigger target. I have lost a few to hawks but more to a dang fox...

Ok with many years free ranging experiance. Not just the chickens I have here but ones I raised up North with a friend. You need to start dettering hawks. First get one of the bog machanical owls for this. Hawks and owls will not hunt in same area. Trust me on this it works we have owls...