Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[WallTenters]

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They did it with all that cardio they got chasing the ducks out of the drinking water, the goats out of the grain bins and the sheep out of the fence.

 

[Orange Ribbon]

Hi everyone,

Boy, I sure have learned a lot from this thread. Some of this stuff is just amazing.

I want to tell you what I've done, what I now want to do, and get your opinions on it. Any suggestions and lessons you might think I need are very welcome!

I just bought a bunch of chickens this spring from Tractor Supply which I was told come from Mt. Healthy Hatchery. I got a little bit of everything. Sex link, barred rock, white rock, a couple soon to be dinner cornish x's, gold comets, red and black sex links, and some ameracanas. Oh, and some "australorps" that are now all mottled up with brown! HA! I had two goals when I bought these birds, 1--having a bunch of eggs to sell, and 2--figuring out which breed(s) I like best to go with. Of course, there was a lot I didn't know about at first (mainly chicken math lol) but this site has been very educational, and now I understand the difference in what I have and the true heritage breeds. Okay, that is what I have done.

What I would like to do now is raise a true heritage breed. I fully intend to see it through till my dying day as far as being true to breeding, selection and, of course, taking care of them. I would have started out this way if I had known, but I didn't. I now realize hatchery stock is not heritage stock. Still, I like what I have, I mean, they are my first real "flock" you know, and I intend to keep them for the sole purpose of raising eggs to sell. Over time some will be eaten, sold or disappear and that will be the end of them. Well, I might breed a few for fun and the learning experience too. I can always sell the chicks. But I'm going to enjoy them. Just so you know, I have plenty of free range area, and good buildings to house my birds--even more new birds. I also have the ability to put up more coops and sheds if I need to as I get into a good breeding program. I don't think having two flocks will cause me to neglect what I need to do for the heritage breed because I won't be trying to keep the original flock up to any standard. Those just get fed, watered, eggs sold and eaten.

Okay, I thought about the partridge rocks. Good looking dual purpose bird from what I gather, that are beautiful along with good camo to hide from predators. But after reading how much effort is placed on keeping different breeds in their Standard I don't think as a newbie the PR's would be a wise choice, especially in keeping the feather patterns right. I think it is Cybercat? who said it is kind of tough to do. I like barred rocks pretty well and think I could do them right. I also like australorps and a couple other breeds, but don't know where to get any good stock right now. But one breed has caught my attention the past few days and that is the Buckeye. The fact that it is a rare breed in need of help is interesting, and after checking out the website someone put a link to further back in this thread, I see there is a breeder who has some at this time for sale. I am thinking of getting 25 in the next day or so, but have not 100% committed to getting this breed just yet. I want to hear from some of you first about various breeds, breeders and availability.

Now listen, I know I still have a ways to go on things I need to learn. But I can and will learn it. Even if I get some chicks in now I still have time to figure out what to do with them when they are old enough to breed. And I have you guys. I need you all to help me with this stuff. I'll have lots of question for you to answer. If you will, I know I'll do great. I don't half way do anything. If I like something I get good at it. If I can't get good at something it is either because it is beyond my abilities (like ALGEBRA!!!) or because I don't like it. I won't waste my time with either. Now, I might never be what is called a Master Breeder, but I can see I have a knack for this along with the desire. I can do it.

Well, I guess that is about all I can think of at this time. I'd like some input from you all because I respect your thoughts and judgement. The wealth of knowledge some of you have is absolutely wonderful. Somebody mentioned the fact they wished they had asked their parents, grandparents, or other older folks about things while they were still here. I know all about that too. My granddaddy won trophies in bass fishing contests and had a huge tackle box of lures and I sure wish I had taken the time to ask the right questions that would have made me as good a fisherman as he was. I wish I had enough sense when I was young to ask my grandmother more about her chickens and how to raise them. Now they are gone. But you're not!

I'll check back here later to see if anyone has anything to say before I decide for sure on placing my order. Thanks for all the time you've spent helping someone like me gain a better picture of how things are and what they need to be.

 

[cybercat]

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 breed true. Some hatcheries still buy from breeders like Privette. Sand Hill hatchery does heritage also look them up. You best bet once you decide what breed or breeds you wish to work with is to join that breeds club. Get to know the breeders in the club they will help you the most with good stock and advice. Also one does not have to show in order to have good breeding stock but one must be breeding toward or with the SOP to have good stock. So make sure to ask and get pictures if breeder is not close. Many call themselves breeders but many are just producers with not breeding plan but money.

 

[NotAFarm]

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No truer words have been spoken (posted).

 

[Orange Ribbon]

Hey Cybercat and NotAFarm, thanks for the replies. Man, I tried to get on here earlier and I got a page that said my account was suspended! I thought, good grief, what did I do?

Then I finally saw the site was down for some reason. That was a relief!

Anyway, I got to thinking about it which I am pretty slow at sometimes, and since it turns out our TSC sells chicks from Mt. Healthy I guess I must already have some pretty decent stock. So I guess I could pick out from one of the breeds I have and work on them. Barred Rocks seem like the obvious place to start. The two roosters I got look pretty good as do several of the hens. So, what is your take on Mt. Healthy's Barred Rocks?

My wife has suddenly got the idea she wants some Silver Laced Wyandottes, and I see Mt. H. sells those too. So I think I'm going to get some of those for her, and if some of you can tell me about their BR's I will stick with them.

You know, my grandmother had chickens when I was a kid but I didn't get to visit her but once in a while and never got to really know about them. I remember she had a little round incubator and I got to see chicks hatch once in a while which was neat. Dad got a few chickens one time which we raised and then killed to eat. I got the job of killing and cleaning them, but since I had done grouse and quail before it wasn't a big deal. About 15 years ago a guy gave me several bantams and a danged old possum got in the pen one night. I killed it, but not before he had wiped them all out. So, now I got a bunch and this time I have ensured my sheds are animal proof when they are put up for the night. What I'm getting at is I never realized how much enjoyment fooling with those boogers could be until this time around. Maybe it is because I'm older now, or because I'm not able to physically do as much due to health problems, but I have found myself just messing with my chickens all throughout the day. I let them out into their runs in the morning and feed them. A little later I let them out to free range for the day. I sit out there in a lawn chair and watch them and I have gotten to know all their personalities. I know some of them are mixed up, but I like them too. The oldest rooster is an Ameracana who has just started crowing good this past week, and he is a pretty thing. Well, I'm just rambling on, and I know I'm not saying anything most of you experience too. But I do want to help keep a certain type or two going that can be good representatives of the heritage breeds.

I know you are all mad now so I'll quit!

 

[kathyinmo]

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Sorry, but Mt. Healthy or TSC (neither one) have very good quality stock. Hatchery stock is what they have. If you are interested in "better" stock, I would suggest you get your birds from a breeder, not a hatchery.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[Oldhound]

http://www.sandhillpreservation.com/pages/poultry_catalog.html. Orange Ribbon this is Sandhill's poultry page. Check them out when you get time. They sell out early , but they are such honest descent people . I got my second batch the first week in May , big healthy chicks , not sold as show but one of the few places one can have a choice of Heritage breeds. Bless You and Best Wishes

 

[WallTenters]

Orange Ribbon, there are some good breeders on here of nice barred rocks. I would however go to some shows first and TALK to the breeders. Often, they will meet you at a show with a nice started bird so they can help you choose good birds, and you actually save money going that route instead of buying chicks and having to brood them and then go through and cull them.

Also, it's a great opportunity to see the breeds you're interested in in great form. Talk to the judges if you can afterwards, they are usually very nice. Tell them you're a new breeder and ask them if they could tell you the pros and cons of the birds they saw in the class, so that you can apply that knowledge to your flock when you start breeding. Also, if the judge says something like "this was a really nice bird, but just didn't show well or wasn't in condition" then you know that bird has the genetics to do really well - look at the exhibitor's list, get that person's information, and talk to them about where you can get a bird similar to that.

Not all great breeders show, but it's a great place to learn a lot of information and to meet folks that have experience with your breeds and can give great advice and leads on good stock.

 

[Orange Ribbon]

Kathyinmo, and Oldhound, thanks for the info! I just happened to check out the Sandhill site a little while ago. They have an impressive number of breeds. Made my head swim LOL.

I see they have a waiting list. I know no one can say for sure about a time frame, but do you have any round about idea of how long a person has to wait? Not talking about the breeds they are sold out of for the year. Would it be just a few weeks/ months, or do they get backed up for a year or so? I don't mind to wait a little while to get something, but I'm not going to send a check and wait indefinitely. Their website indicates one may not even be able to talk to anyone there for days at a time depending on how many calls they get. I'm not complaining about it! HA! Sounds like they got a great thing going there. I'd love to order from them.

Just wondering, does anyone know of a a good heritage breeder closer to Virginia?

 

[kathyinmo]

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How many and what breeds are you interested in?