Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[Yellow House Farm]

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All of Yellow House's suggestions tips are excellent. I wonder where he gets NHs and Australorps as the same, less color. LOL. This I learned from my judging mentor. I don't know how long it would have taken me to see it, but, yes, they're essentially the same fowl type-wise.

 

[Arielle]

We have bred our production line for 4 years. They are from ISA stock originally. We're very, very pleased with our line. We see no reason to buy "chicks in a box" ever again.

How did you get a cckl? Or did you use another breed and breed back to the hens??

 

[Arielle]

Quote: haahaaa, my marans are the reverse. Big dilute eggs from the cuckoo and med dark eggs from the black coppers. THe cuckoos are definitely a bigger bird. DInner!!

 

[Arielle]

Our Reese Barred Rocks are laying very well in the winter, with no lighting supplementation. The Reds lay pretty good too. Not bad.

We do not need to carry 70 birds through the winter. It's tough up here. A dozen production pullets for eggs and the breeding stock of heritage birds, 6-8 Barred Rocks, perhaps and 7 or 8 Reds, that's enough. We have deep snow cover for almost 4 months. Carrying a heavy flock number through a long cold winter isn't a lot of fun. They eat feed in winter to generate body heat and there is no range/pasture. There is no practical or affordable way to carry more than is necessary.

A few years ago, we were more egg sales oriented, at least my wife was. We're evolving over time and egg production/sales is waning in importance to us personally.

Why am I not surprized by the Reese birds laying in winter without light?

As far as not keeping many birds thru the winter I have been thinking a lot about how the farms years ago with homesteading flocks have wintered their flocks. WOuld they too wittle down the numbers, or was their enough stored freed to keep fresh meat "on the hoof" until a dinner was needed? Perhaps winters were rather lean for everyone in the old days.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I love your thinking!!

I have sheep and they will browse just like goats!! We use them to finish clearing an area as they will strip off the bark and kill any regrowth. Usefull.

MY chickens eat almost everything-- not pill bugs. THey do eat up the Japanses beetles if my kids can knock a few off the 5 foot black berry bushes into their hand and call the chickens over. CHickens can't get up to the ft level on their own-- sure wish they could.

Love that you have reseeded. My chickens have wiped out my grass hopper supply; I need to plant more area for the chickens. I"ll use the sheep to eat off the fallen leaves and reveal the grass for the chickens and sheep. IT is a balancing act though. Time to clear more trees. I do like to keep some for shade; and need to address the loss of wind breaks-- no solutions yet that the sheep won't eat.

Glad to see another farm continuing on with new stewards.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I ti not my intetion to derail either, but to better understand and compare options. I learned animal breeding with the modern cross breeding goals to produce the high production animals to meat our ever growing needs, I also value the genetics stored in the old breeds, like an insurance policy. I'm trying to figure out how to have a heritage flock but may need to have a production flock to pay for the heritage birds. A suggestion put out there by BOb.

WHen I read the old sussex book ( England's pulication) I came to understand that the sussex as we see them today were FAR from the SOP when they formed the SOP-- the SOP was a goal to attain. fifteen years later they were still trying to have more birds reach that goal. THe writter also said there was a separation between SQ and utility birds. I still struggle with understanding how there can be two different birds-- I like nice neat compartments to peg everything, so I have my own thinking on it and it put factions in opposite corners of the ring. ANd draws on my need for understnading birds can fullfill the needs of many people with different goals. I can appreciate the work of creating a perfect bird = a work of art,and something I will never be able to do in my lifetime; however, if I can breed something that is decent and get the benefit of meat and eggs, I will be happy.

 

[Arielle]

Yellow house---

YOu have my interest focused on this--- why did you sort these this way? YOu have a bit of logic behind it I"m sure . . I just can't see it.
"consider . . . . . .. broody/meaty and a non-broody/egger


Ok after some thought I get it. DOn Schrider has buckeyes and leghorns.

I'm learning!!

 

[Yellow House Farm]

On can use them to fill different niches, and one can select for goals more clearly. If one is going to keep a large layer flock for the purpose of eggs above and beyond the breeders, Anconas will get you farther than Dorkings, for example. The broody/meaties can be kept smaller number. It also gives diversity to what's going on, developing one's own skills in different directions. It's deep variety, not just a different variety, but a different breed with different goals, not only in color but in type and function, as well.

 

[Arielle]

 

[Fred's Hens]

How did you get a cckl? Or did you use another breed and breed back to the hens??

We got a bunch of ISA Brown cockerels in our first order, some 7 or 8 years ago. Also got 3 cockerels in our last order a few years back. They're not rare. LOL

Why am I not surprized by the Reese birds laying in winter without light?

As far as not keeping many birds thru the winter I have been thinking a lot about how the farms years ago with homesteading flocks have wintered their flocks. WOuld they too wittle down the numbers, or was their enough stored freed to keep fresh meat "on the hoof" until a dinner was needed? Perhaps winters were rather lean for everyone in the old days.

In the old days, 1930 and earlier, on the homestead, eating chicken was a rarer treat than folks usually realize. The occasional Sunday dinner when the preacher was coming over, but not a whole lot more often. The idea of chicken as a main meat product was primarily the result of a sociological/political change during WW-II. The government pushed for the Chicken Of Tomorrow program. Chicken is now EVERYWHERE in the diet of Americans today, for Wings, to Buckets, or sandwiches, or under plastic as skinless breasts. This has not always been so.

The chicken on the old homestead provided the "rare occasion" meal, feathers and about 150 eggs per year. That's about it. Spring chicks swelled the summer flock numbers, but winter flocks were absolutely smaller.