Australorps breed Thread

[MrsBrooke]

LOL! Being a realist is SO overrated!

All joking aside...I've heard more than once that for some reason when people hatch purchased eggs they seem to get significantly more males than females. I've already prepared myself for the possibility that I'll be culling for meat and to reduce my rooster population on these birds, but I'm still hoping for enough quality birds of both genders to be able to breed them and increase my flock. Though I'm not looking forward to having to slaughter any of my birds (and I promised my hubby that if I pursued this venture I would do the dirty work myself instead of expecting him to do it for me), I am intrigued by the prospect of "home-grown" meat.

You and I are in the same boat, sister. Only difference is MrB was fully prepped to "prep" before we got married, so adding some meat to the farm was the next step for us. He's down to help with the dispatch if needed. Many hands make for light labors, they say, and when it comes to a two-person, off-the-grid-ish, experiment in sustainability... well, we're hoping to have some little farm hands soon! Hahaha.

MrsB

 

[MrsBrooke]

Providing one's own food, no matter if it's meat, veggies, fruit and what-not...will generally not be cost efficient and some considerable hard work and perhaps painful decisions will have to be made...BUT....It's worth it on all levels, not the least is the fact that you know what's in the food and perhaps more importantly, what's NOT in it.

I like my chicken ARSENIC-FREE, please, and THANK YOU!

MrsB

 

[hellbender]

LOL! Being a realist is SO overrated!

All joking aside...I've heard more than once that for some reason when people hatch purchased eggs they seem to get significantly more males than females. I've already prepared myself for the possibility that I'll be culling for meat and to reduce my rooster population on these birds, but I'm still hoping for enough quality birds of both genders to be able to breed them and increase my flock. Though I'm not looking forward to having to slaughter any of my birds (and I promised my hubby that if I pursued this venture I would do the dirty work myself instead of expecting him to do it for me), I am intrigued by the prospect of "home-grown" meat.

For some reason, I have an aversion to buying eggs or even accepting free ones to be hatched here. I have bought quite a few chicks from a hatchery in the last 2 years but I have set myself back up to where I can hatch chicks from my own eggs.

A friend has asked for eggs from some of my birds and I'm inclined to provide them if we can get some reasonable weather, (for the cost of shipping), but If I were to put eggs laid elsewhere into my bator, I'd always wonder if they were from the birds that I wanted.

 

[getaclue]

36 week old pullet has 1 tiny whitish gray spot on one wing tip, everything else is properly colored. The chicks get white in tips of their wing feathers, which they outgrow. What age does it become a flaw? I know the older hens have to be all black, but is this a DQ at her age?

 

[hellbender]

36 week old pullet has 1 tiny whitish gray spot on one wing tip, everything else is properly colored. The chicks get white in tips of their wing feathers, which they outgrow. What age does it become a flaw? I know the older hens have to be all black, but is this a DQ at her age?

Are these birds bought from a conformation breeder as 'show prospects'?

 

[getaclue]

Hatched from a trio bought from a breeder that shows.

 

[getaclue]

She's the only one like that.

 

[getaclue]

I didn't even notice it when I bathed her, but I used a white washcloth, so I guess I thought it was the washcloth I was seeing. Dh pointed it out tonight. Had I found out earlier, I would have swapped her for another. I'm frustrated with myself!

 

[DesertChic]

Providing one's own food, no matter if it's meat, veggies, fruit and what-not...will generally not be cost efficient and some considerable hard work and perhaps painful decisions will have to be made...BUT....It's worth it on all levels, not the least is the fact that you know what's in the food and perhaps more importantly, what's NOT in it.

Well said! And this is precisely why I started growing my own food. We've spent a small fortune buying organic/free-range/non-GMO, etc, etc only to wonder if the labeling even comes close to matching what we think it means. Even my teenage son has commented repeatedly on how much better the food from my garden tastes than what we buy from the store. Adding chickens was something I've wanted to do for a few years now, but suddenly this year I just did it...much to my family's surprise. Literally I informed then one day that by the end of the week we'd have baby chicks in the house, and two days later they were in the brooder I'd made. They were my starter flock and all hatchery birds while I grow my knowledge base, and now I'm expanding into breeder quality birds. What has surprised me is how many people we know who are now begging to buy eggs and meat from me once my flock(s) reach maturity, including a local baker. And a few people have come into our business (auto body repair) asking for me to request a visit to view my chickens and garden. It's all rather shocking for an introvert like myself.

 

[DesertChic]

For some reason, I have an aversion to buying eggs or even accepting free ones to be hatched here. I have bought quite a few chicks from a hatchery in the last 2 years but I have set myself back up to where I can hatch chicks from my own eggs.

A friend has asked for eggs from some of my birds and I'm inclined to provide them if we can get some reasonable weather, (for the cost of shipping), but If I were to put eggs laid elsewhere into my bator, I'd always wonder if they were from the birds that I wanted.

Our local post office is so...well...blatantly incompetent that I'm actually afraid to have live chicks shipped here. At least with eggs I don't worry about a living, breathing creature being brutalized before it even gets a good start in life. I'm looking forward to being able to breed and hatch exclusively from my own flock...but first I have to build my flock, and not many people around my area seem to favor the birds I'm most interested in. I did luck out in finding a breeder of Bielefelders and Cream Legbars in the Phoenix area who invited me to come to his farm to inspect his chickens before buying eggs to hatch...or to possibly by chicks from him instead. I'm actually pretty excited about that impending trip.