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

I like to play with the genetics but that’s just for fun. My reason to raise them is meat. The eggs are nice but I give most of mine away to a local group where eight area churches went together to create a ministry to help people that need help; food, clothing, furniture, help with utilities, household items, things like that. My wife and I volunteer time there and they get excess from my garden. All volunteers. Nobody gets paid a dime.

Normally I fire up the incubator to hatch out a bunch about now so they are ready before my freezer runs out, but by getting these hopefully I can get enough replacement pullets and enough for my freezer with three broodies this summer. I hope to not even have to fire up the incubator this year.
 
I like to play with the genetics but that’s just for fun. My reason to raise them is meat. The eggs are nice but I give most of mine away to a local group where eight area churches went together to create a ministry to help people that need help; food, clothing, furniture, help with utilities, household items, things like that. My wife and I volunteer time there and they get excess from my garden. All volunteers. Nobody gets paid a dime.

Normally I fire up the incubator to hatch out a bunch about now so they are ready before my freezer runs out, but by getting these hopefully I can get enough replacement pullets and enough for my freezer with three broodies this summer. I hope to not even have to fire up the incubator this year.
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not fire up the incubator?~!!! Where is the fun in that?
 
Where is the fun ? In a broody hatch.

Chicken math does not get me. I hatch when I have a use for the chicks not just because I can. I don't struggle to get rid of chicks because I have a use for every one that hatches. I enjoy hatching and brooding chicks myself, but I enjoy the interaction of a broody and her chicks with themselves and with the flock more.

To each their own, but broody hens are my preferred way to go.
 
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Where is the fun ? In a broody hatch.

Chicken math does not get me. I hatch when I have a use for the chicks not just because I can. I don't struggle to get rid of chicks because I have a use for every one that hatches. I enjoy hatching and brooding chicks myself, but I enjoy the interaction of a broody and her chicks with themselves and with the flock more.

To each their own, but broody hens are my preferred way to go.

That is the reason I am trying to go with breeds (except for the UofA blues) that all go broody. Red Dorkings, Heritage RIR, Buttercups (despite what tradition says), and Rhodebars all seem to be very prone to broodiness. I hope that in a couple of years I will be at the point where except for birds I raise to sell, I will be able to replace all my birds with broody raised chicks. They are so much smarter, healthy, self-sufficient, etc.
 
Still reading near Hot Springs. Just picked up some chicks at TSC on Wednesday for Valentine's Day. Put my black silkie in with them that night and thankfully she has accepted them! Sleepless night till I was sure of her.
 
I'm waiting for splash silkies. I've wanted them for like 8 months now or longer. I'll probably have to drive 1 hour to get them =/
 
I'm waiting for splash silkies. I've wanted them for like 8 months now or longer. I'll probably have to drive 1 hour to get them =/


I don't really know what I want. We just hatched some bantam mixes from a friend and ended up with one silkie mix. Waiting on our 4 pekin-black Swedish mix ducks to hatch next week. Did my last candling tonight and boy, were they active. Don't know what I'm gonna do with them or the banties. If I'm gonna have lots of chickens and ducks I wanna make sure it's what I want.
 

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