Hello BYC ppl!
I’ve kept Chickens, Guineas, Ducks, & Turkeys off & on for a total of about 8 yrs.
Currently I’m in TN, eastern/middle, while that sounds warm at 2,400ft elevation in the past 5 winter’s we’ve had more than once actuals of -20F w/ wind chill to -50! We had as much as 12 inch snow as late as April 16, we’ve also had 80F in January! Summer temps. w/ highs well over 100F for weeks on end and zero rain for 5-8 weeks followed by torrential storms w/ 8-13 inches in one day. (not what I was thinking either ;/ )
We have 30 acres w/ red tail & coopers hawks, & every other predator from opossum to coyote to bobcat to packs of stray dogs.
With all that in mind, I’m UPGRADING FLOCK IN 2013!
My current flock is a mix of mutts from a neighbor, & a few purebreds of commercial hatchery background so nothing to get excited about but the list includes:
CHICKENS:
2 Black Astralorp, 6months, fairly sure they are pullets (yah!)
1 Opr. (buff), 6months, fairly sure pullet (again yah!)
1 Red-Sex Link, 6 months (sure better be a pullet
1 Delaware – pullet, pt-of-lay (pls pls pls lay an egg already…)
1 Sizzle – I’ve been assuming pullet?? Was a Chicken Math Bonus w/ above Del & 4 ducks…
1 ?Buff Polish? – hen , will have to put up pic & let ya’ll decide , have 1 surviving chick from a clutch I let her sit , roo , oops went to camp w/o photo, well lets just guess off-white roo was mutt…
1 EE – hen - random mutt from local gives “mint green” eggs
2- “RIR” – hen – ah, well not but red & orange! Mutts -& rehoming 1 next wk (so I can do chicken math and get a couple doz. New birds )
5 – mutts , bought a buff gamehen broody, her clutch all grew up b/w barred, 4 pullets, 1 roo (1p 1 r rehoming next wk, MORE chick math points !) . Pullets btw are just starting to lay light brwn med. Eggs
1 OEG(ish/mutt) -hen “Lady Black”
1 Banty, no like REALLY TINY, was told she was “half that French one” when sold her & clutch, will get pic. For you to play guess the mutt if anyone cares. (considering rehoming her if she dosen’t go broody for me this spring).
3 ROOSTERS – “Handsome” mutt w/ OEG & poss some Jap. Long tail, “Popeye” uncertain breed will do pic. As I was told he & 3 hens were purebreds as in hatchery day olds to the person I got them from. & Finally a Black Mutt jr Roo who will either start dancing for Lady Black soon (or lay an egg) or head to camp…
OTHER –
DUCKS – 2 Pekin, 2 Buff Indian Runner, 1 Welsh Harlequin (Drake)
TURKEY- 2 Bourbon Red pullets
& MORE OTHER- (Pigs, Dairy Goats, Dogs, Barn Cats, House Cats,
recently rehomed a Donkey we rescued & spent 18 months getting healthy)
WANTING ASAP (FLOCK UPGRADE PLAN):
(Planning to upgrade my flock in 2013 to a few specific purebreds as follows)
Ducks: Welsh Harlequin – getting 12 eggs locally between now & spring, pending diy bator…
Chickens:
A) Icelandic – (am on a waiting list for May 2013, fingers crossed, so VERY excited! & of course I’ll be doing keep it pure situation and make offspring available asap to support these rare birds. My husband’s family has Icelandic roots so he actually called my attention to this breed.)
B) Buckeye – still looking for a good source, believe this would be perfect for my homestead & since I spent a few yrs as a kid miles from where the breed was developed I gotta try them!
C) BCM – have plans to try a few when my diy bator is up & running, local egg source so why not…
D) Welsummer - ?hum maybe but since I now have source for BCM will want Wellsummers? ?
E) Speckled Sussex – fall back if I cannot get good Buckeyes
F) BLRW – gotta have some (you know 3, or more…), saw pics on BYC, am now obsessed
G) Ameraucana – blue/blk/splash – when I win the lotto ;> , or otherwise get lucky…
TURKEY: Will get the Bourbon Red girls a bf, yep it is on the to do list…
ALSO ON POULTRY RELATED TO DO LIST:
1.) Building Incubator – following the lovely ideas from BYC I will have the small simple w/ computer fan version very very soon as we already have the parts laying around!!woohoo!!
2.) Hoping to be ready to hatch along for NYD if I can get the bator ready, not sure gonna risk the duck eggs 1st time around, but none of my own girls are laying atm, so ???
3.)Started OAT s in Burlap sprouting method YESTERDAY was Day #1 (big thanks to the person who posted the pics. of her burlap bag system *exactly what I needed to jump up and DO it*).
4.) Started Wheat Fodder YESTERDAY, as in soaked some, now gotta figure out a good tray system.
OTHER STUFF RE: ME b/c the intro suguested I list other hobbies etc:
I upcycle all sorts of stuff, esp. Used Coffee Bean Bag Burlap Purses & Totes (I sell these)
Quilt - on a reg. machine, rustic looking stuff, I design the patterns myself but nothing fancy (I gift these)
Organic Garden - basic veggies, & growing fruit orchard, & herb garden
I'm a Reiki Master Teacher
& from time to time I bake sourdough bread, brew meade, make herbal tinctures, make goat milk cheese,
and I'm hoping to add goats milk soap to the list in 2013...
Winter project is a new toolshed/workshop from pallets; Basically I stay really busy!
Will take some picture & upload soon…
Raine
I’ve kept Chickens, Guineas, Ducks, & Turkeys off & on for a total of about 8 yrs.
Currently I’m in TN, eastern/middle, while that sounds warm at 2,400ft elevation in the past 5 winter’s we’ve had more than once actuals of -20F w/ wind chill to -50! We had as much as 12 inch snow as late as April 16, we’ve also had 80F in January! Summer temps. w/ highs well over 100F for weeks on end and zero rain for 5-8 weeks followed by torrential storms w/ 8-13 inches in one day. (not what I was thinking either ;/ )
We have 30 acres w/ red tail & coopers hawks, & every other predator from opossum to coyote to bobcat to packs of stray dogs.
With all that in mind, I’m UPGRADING FLOCK IN 2013!
My current flock is a mix of mutts from a neighbor, & a few purebreds of commercial hatchery background so nothing to get excited about but the list includes:
CHICKENS:
2 Black Astralorp, 6months, fairly sure they are pullets (yah!)
1 Opr. (buff), 6months, fairly sure pullet (again yah!)
1 Red-Sex Link, 6 months (sure better be a pullet
1 Delaware – pullet, pt-of-lay (pls pls pls lay an egg already…)
1 Sizzle – I’ve been assuming pullet?? Was a Chicken Math Bonus w/ above Del & 4 ducks…
1 ?Buff Polish? – hen , will have to put up pic & let ya’ll decide , have 1 surviving chick from a clutch I let her sit , roo , oops went to camp w/o photo, well lets just guess off-white roo was mutt…
1 EE – hen - random mutt from local gives “mint green” eggs
2- “RIR” – hen – ah, well not but red & orange! Mutts -& rehoming 1 next wk (so I can do chicken math and get a couple doz. New birds )
5 – mutts , bought a buff gamehen broody, her clutch all grew up b/w barred, 4 pullets, 1 roo (1p 1 r rehoming next wk, MORE chick math points !) . Pullets btw are just starting to lay light brwn med. Eggs
1 OEG(ish/mutt) -hen “Lady Black”
1 Banty, no like REALLY TINY, was told she was “half that French one” when sold her & clutch, will get pic. For you to play guess the mutt if anyone cares. (considering rehoming her if she dosen’t go broody for me this spring).
3 ROOSTERS – “Handsome” mutt w/ OEG & poss some Jap. Long tail, “Popeye” uncertain breed will do pic. As I was told he & 3 hens were purebreds as in hatchery day olds to the person I got them from. & Finally a Black Mutt jr Roo who will either start dancing for Lady Black soon (or lay an egg) or head to camp…
OTHER –
DUCKS – 2 Pekin, 2 Buff Indian Runner, 1 Welsh Harlequin (Drake)
TURKEY- 2 Bourbon Red pullets
& MORE OTHER- (Pigs, Dairy Goats, Dogs, Barn Cats, House Cats,
recently rehomed a Donkey we rescued & spent 18 months getting healthy)
WANTING ASAP (FLOCK UPGRADE PLAN):
(Planning to upgrade my flock in 2013 to a few specific purebreds as follows)
Ducks: Welsh Harlequin – getting 12 eggs locally between now & spring, pending diy bator…
Chickens:
A) Icelandic – (am on a waiting list for May 2013, fingers crossed, so VERY excited! & of course I’ll be doing keep it pure situation and make offspring available asap to support these rare birds. My husband’s family has Icelandic roots so he actually called my attention to this breed.)
B) Buckeye – still looking for a good source, believe this would be perfect for my homestead & since I spent a few yrs as a kid miles from where the breed was developed I gotta try them!
C) BCM – have plans to try a few when my diy bator is up & running, local egg source so why not…
D) Welsummer - ?hum maybe but since I now have source for BCM will want Wellsummers? ?
E) Speckled Sussex – fall back if I cannot get good Buckeyes
F) BLRW – gotta have some (you know 3, or more…), saw pics on BYC, am now obsessed
G) Ameraucana – blue/blk/splash – when I win the lotto ;> , or otherwise get lucky…
TURKEY: Will get the Bourbon Red girls a bf, yep it is on the to do list…
ALSO ON POULTRY RELATED TO DO LIST:
1.) Building Incubator – following the lovely ideas from BYC I will have the small simple w/ computer fan version very very soon as we already have the parts laying around!!woohoo!!
2.) Hoping to be ready to hatch along for NYD if I can get the bator ready, not sure gonna risk the duck eggs 1st time around, but none of my own girls are laying atm, so ???
3.)Started OAT s in Burlap sprouting method YESTERDAY was Day #1 (big thanks to the person who posted the pics. of her burlap bag system *exactly what I needed to jump up and DO it*).
4.) Started Wheat Fodder YESTERDAY, as in soaked some, now gotta figure out a good tray system.
OTHER STUFF RE: ME b/c the intro suguested I list other hobbies etc:
I upcycle all sorts of stuff, esp. Used Coffee Bean Bag Burlap Purses & Totes (I sell these)
Quilt - on a reg. machine, rustic looking stuff, I design the patterns myself but nothing fancy (I gift these)
Organic Garden - basic veggies, & growing fruit orchard, & herb garden
I'm a Reiki Master Teacher
& from time to time I bake sourdough bread, brew meade, make herbal tinctures, make goat milk cheese,
and I'm hoping to add goats milk soap to the list in 2013...
Winter project is a new toolshed/workshop from pallets; Basically I stay really busy!
Will take some picture & upload soon…
Raine
& 
from Alabama. Glad you joined us. Wow, love all of your plans, especially the breeds you've chosen. By the way, you'll love making goat milk soap. I started several months ago and can't believe how much fun it is 
