Arkansas folks speak up.........

[AmpersatChick]

I didn't know rabbits got that big!!! Pretty pretty!

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

They are young. Just about a year old.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

We have a big family (5 children) so we need enough meat on one animal/bird to make a meal. thus we have the Flemish Giant rabbits (15-30#) and the Orpingtons (10-14#). Its what's for dinner!

Here is our new puppy. He is just 10 months old, but should go ahead a finish growing and maturing for another 6 to 8 months. He is an Anatolian x Pyrenees cross, as is our 2 year old female. They are livestock guardian dogs. No predator will cross their pasture for a chicken dinner! the male pup is with Nicole.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Mom and Dad raised five kids too. Our chickens were straight barnyard mix. They had some Rock, Rhode Island Red, and who knows what else in them. Every 7 or 8 years, Dad would get a dozen chicks from the co-op and keep a rooster and a couple of hens from them to add genetic diversity. But I expect they had some barnyard mix from pioneer days. The smaller game was in the mix too. They totally free ranged and foraged for all their food in the warmer months. No protein boosts or special feeds.

Mom used one chicken for a meal, rooster or hen. Of course along with the regular body parts, she cooked up the back, neck, gizzard, and liver. That way everyone got two or three pieces of chicken if they wanted them. Those were good meals.

 

[FreedomLover]

Our ultimate goal on our 3 acres of land is to have enough chickens, rabbits and goats, to keep us in meat for the year. Taking into consideration that we also realize that meat is not a requirement for every meal, it shouldn't be too hard to do.

Our chickens pretty much free range all year round. Sometimes they eat a little more feed (colder months) but all in all, we don't really have to feed them much at all. We keep their feed in their coop so they aren't tempted to eat too much since they don't hang out in there.

The rabbits are new for us so we're working out how to grow most of the feed we're going to need for them. Doubt we can grow it all, but I'm hoping that we can grow most of it, especially once spring gets here.

The goats? Well, we don't have them yet, but our plan is to rotate them around our 3 acres clearing underbrush and supplimenting that with a small amount of grain for the does that may be breeding or milking.

All in all, it's appears to be a viable plan, we'll just have to wait and see!

 

[birdsss]

anyone happen to know someone with a flock of jersey buff turkeys?

 

[TheJadeChicken]

I am thinking my eggs aren't going to hatch. I am kind of devastated. But this is my first time hatching eggs on my own. And the power outage didn't help either. I can say I DISLIKE THE EGG TURNER! It kept the eggs to hot, even with the incubator all the way down. I rather just turn the eggs myself. Plus it leaks all the water out of the base. I had to use sponges or a pan of water.

 

[FreedomLover]

I am thinking my eggs aren't going to hatch. I am kind of devastated. But this is my first time hatching eggs on my own. And the power outage didn't help either. I can say I DISLIKE THE EGG TURNER! It kept the eggs to hot, even with the incubator all the way down. I rather just turn the eggs myself. Plus it leaks all the water out of the base. I had to use sponges or a pan of water.

What a drag! How long have they been in there? You might get lucky? Hopefully ...

 

[TheJadeChicken]

What a drag! How long have they been in there? You might get lucky? Hopefully ...

Since January 13th. But the hatch date isn't until tomorrow. But I am not giving up on hatching. Hoping to buy some more hatching eggs at swaps, and from other people. I am hoping to get to turkeys, ducks, and geese. And the possible pheasants, quails, and peacocks.

But I am going to watch the seminar video, and read the Incubation Cheat Sheets before I start getting any more hatching eggs.

 

[FreedomLover]

I'd love to be able to hatch out eggs, but I don't have an incubator. I guess it's possible to do it with a homemade incubator but I'm not willing to try it! LOL

I'd love to do some turkey's but it's just one of those things we can't afford to do right now. (i.e. not enough funds to build a turkey coop!) But, it is one of the things on our list of livestock to add to our homestead.

Chickens - Check
Rabbits - Check
Goats - Pending
Turkey's - Pending

One of these days ...