Good morning, all!
Long time lurker, first time post. I'm a backyarder that is thinking of transitioning into a single breed. Currently, my very small flock of hens is: 1 Plymouth Barred Rock, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes and 3 BA's. I had a Copper Marans rooster, given to me by a friend that I loved very dearly, but he was killed last week by a raccoon. Broke my heart, he was such a sweet boy.
After doing much research, I've narrowed down my thoughts on a single breed to a BA's. I live in an area where it gets over 100 for weeks in a row in the summer. My current BA's do very well in it, along with the other 2 breeds I have. I let them all free range, but pen them at night because of said raccoons and coyotes. I have started switching from cheap food to food with better protein (thanks for the pics to the company in King City, CA which is a couple of hours away!).
I checked my BA's this morning for some SOP (I feel so smart using the abbreviations). They all have beautiful black legs, white toe nails and white under their feet, two with a little black speckling. I purchased them from 2 different backyard breeders in the area.
I understand that there is a learning curve to get into this. I'm trying to go about getting a more superior flock and knowledge for the breed. First off, thank you all for the wealth of information!!!! You are all so giving and helpful. Second, if you all could give me some advice as to how to best go forward, what would it be? Mistakes that you wish you hadn't made? I haven't purchased any more BA's until I learn a bit more. I've hopped on the Australorp site from Australia. Any other sites you recommend?
Again, thanks for everything. You all are amazing with your knowledge!