Anyone raise Chickens for eggs AND meat on 2 acres or less?

[AmericanMom]

Wow, that's great. I just started with chickens this year, will see how it goes. What breeds of chicken do you have? I might buy eggs from you

Last summer I did veggie garden and was self sustained till November. I want to get to a point close to yours be self sustained on vegetables, eggs and chicken meat esp since I want to know how much chickens were raised.

My older hens are Australorps, I have three, I also have a molted java, 2 acona's and 2 EE's.... I have three roosters 2 of which are going to freezer camp this weekend to make room for the beautifully big Blue Orpington we were given last month, he is 6 months and has started trying to cover the girls.. I also have 10 pullets that just started laying in February, they are the offspring of the above hens..

Then I purchased Buff Orpingtons, Sex Links, Jersey Giants, RIR's, Leghorns, Speckled Sussex and Marans, I also hatched out 10 barnyard mix's from ours and a neighbors. They range in age from 4-8 weeks. I also was given 10 Meaties two weeks ago for free...

Oh and my Java is sitting on 10 eggs due to hatch Sunday......

Wow, it seems overwhelming when I type it all out lol

 

[AmericanMom]

Also to add.. I bought so many chicks because Wilco made me a killer deal, Some had pasty butt and they gave them to me for .75 each...easy to fix...and because I took all they had they gave me what I wanted out of everything else for 1. each

I also garden and can enough to get us through the year...Getting worried, I only have about 20 pints of green beans left lol.. come on summer!!!!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Wow, and I thought my just over 2 acres was too little to keep a goat or two, I only have 14 chickens.... now I just have to work on my husband slowly then I can add more stuff. I do have a raised garden that ill add a few more sq foot for veggies.

If I had over two acres I would be keeping Kinder Goats and Babydoll Southdown sheep. I would also raise out 3 turkeys each year (Christmas, Thanksgiving and one to sell), keeping Kunekune pigs or American Guinea Hogs, I would have a cuy pen, and I would be pondering trading out the goats for a mini jersey dairy cow TBH. My word, I would be SO excited!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/self-sufficient-homestead-zm0z11zkon.aspx

This sort of thing, but sized up with more pasture space to cut hay each year... And a little more livestock space for my rabbits, sheep, and cuy.

 

[Loc20chick]

Also to add.. I bought so many chicks because Wilco made me a killer deal, Some had pasty butt and they gave them to me for .75 each...easy to fix...and because I took all they had they gave me what I wanted out of everything else for 1. each

I also garden and can enough to get us through the year...Getting worried, I only have about 20 pints of green beans left lol.. come on summer!!!!

Lol.. you are a word working person... ill try my hand at canning this summer and might try hatching too. Do you ship eggs?

 

[Loc20chick]

If I had over two acres I would be keeping Kinder Goats and Babydoll Southdown sheep. I would also raise out 3 turkeys each year (Christmas, Thanksgiving and one to sell), keeping Kunekune pigs or American Guinea Hogs, I would have a cuy pen, and I would be pondering trading out the goats for a mini jersey dairy cow TBH. My word, I would be SO excited!

http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/self-sufficient-homestead-zm0z11zkon.aspx

This sort of thing, but sized up with more pasture space to cut hay each year... And a little more livestock space for my rabbits, sheep, and cuy.

That is great, I'm checking the website and it has a lot to learn from. I'm definitely going to raise two turkeys add to my chickens and start ducks since I have a stocked pond they can share with the fish. Maybe later hubby might agree to a goat after we fence. thanks for this information its motivating.

 

[AmericanMom]

Lol.. you are a word working person... ill try my hand at canning this summer and might try hatching too. Do you ship eggs?

I have never done so... Not sure if I want to risk it knowing how the PO operates??

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
I have 2 acres, probably closer to an acre and a half if you take out the house and the outbuildings. I have 30 chickens right now 27 of which are hens for eggs and the other 3 are roosters to keep the flock sustainable. I raise meat chickens (usually just the boys that have hatched out from my DP flock but occasionally some freedom rangers as well) I shoot for processing about 100 to 150 a year to put in the freezer to last us until I can process more. I also raise turkeys (usually around 20 to 30 a year) and ducks plus have a 1250 sq foot garden space and about 7 raised beds. As long as you rotate the animals so they only have a short time on each space having them on a small amount of land is doable. I don't have a tractor (was thinking about building a few this year) but I have done it before with fencing and moveable shelters and it worked fine. I also run a horse and two beefer calves as well on the same property. It leaves very little land for me to have to mow but since I don't really like to mow it works out fine for me.

Wow, and I thought my just over 2 acres was too little to keep a goat or two, I only have 14 chickens.... now I just have to work on my husband slowly then I can add more stuff. I do have a raised garden that ill add a few more sq foot for veggies.

Your just over 2 acres is plenty. I have less than 2 acres and I have 115 Chickens, 19 Geese, 19 BR Turkeys, 7 Rabbits, 120 Muscovy Ducks (6 duckling) , 9 Guineas, 9 Peafowl, 8 sheep (7 baby lamb) and 1 Goat and it's a perfect set. I don't have to walk far to get from point A to point B.

 

[Loc20chick]

Your just over 2 acres is plenty. I have less than 2 acres and I have 115 Chickens, 19 Geese, 19 BR Turkeys, 7 Rabbits, 120 Muscovy Ducks (6 duckling) , 9 Guineas, 9 Peafowl, 8 sheep (7 baby lamb) and 1 Goat and it's a perfect set. I don't have to walk far to get from point A to point B.

How do you manage all that, and how much space is leftover if any lol, that is a lot of work.

great job though. I'm so challenged

 

[kuntrygirl]

Your just over 2 acres is plenty. I have less than 2 acres and I have 115 Chickens, 19 Geese, 19 BR Turkeys, 7 Rabbits, 120 Muscovy Ducks (6 duckling) , 9 Guineas, 9 Peafowl, 8 sheep (7 baby lamb) and 1 Goat and it's a perfect set. I don't have to walk far to get from point A to point B.

How do you manage all that, and how much space is leftover if any lol, that is a lot of work. :/  

 great job though. I'm so challenged

Thank you.

I manage it on a wing and a prayer and a glass of my home made wine that I make a few times a week. It's hard sometimes when I have little babies (bottle feeding 3 lamb right now) and have to go from there to there to there to feed and water all of them. I give all of my space to them. The sheep get as much space as possible, so I don't have to cut grass.

Throughout the years, I have learned to make my setup VERY functional for me. Example: I had a covered feeder built for the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys) that holds 400 lbs of feed. I only have to fill it up once a week. That saves me 6 days of having NOT to fill that up, so I can concentrate on other work. So, it's the little changes that I can think of that I change to make it work for me because I am the only person that runs my little operation.

If you want to see a little bit of the set up, you can go to my photo gallery on my website and see pics.
http://happyacresfarm.webs.com/apps/photos/

http://www.happyacresfarm.webs.com/

 

[Loc20chick]

Thank you.

I manage it on a wing and a prayer and a glass of my home made wine that I make a few times a week.

It's hard sometimes when I have little babies (bottle feeding 3 lamb right now) and have to go from there to there to there to feed and water all of them. I give all of my space to them. The sheep get as much space as possible, so I don't have to cut grass.

Throughout the years, I have learned to make my setup VERY functional for me. Example: I had a covered feeder built for the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys) that holds 400 lbs of feed. I only have to fill it up once a week. That saves me 6 days of having NOT to fill that up, so I can concentrate on other work. So, it's the little changes that I can think of that I change to make it work for me because I am the only person that runs my little operation.

If you want to see a little bit of the set up, you can go to my photo gallery on my website and see pics.
http://happyacresfarm.webs.com/apps/photos/

http://www.happyacresfarm.webs.com/

You have a neat setup from what I see in your site.