Hello Everyone!
I"m posting to join. I've got a lot of reading to do here!
A brief overview of me - I currently have a dozen (reportedly pure) Silver Grey Dorking hatching eggs in the incubator with the first candling to occur on Saturday. I'm extremely excited about this hatch! I've coveted this breed since the day I decided I wanted to own chickens and spent years trying to locate quality stock. I'm hoping
that my search is finally over and that this hatch will prove successful and provide me with a good base with which to work.
I've only been keeping chickens for two years and have enjoyed a very steep learning curve, moving from "I only want some for eggs for my family" to teaching myself how to butcher and process birds, breed and hatch from my own stock, and strive to meat APA standards...or at least comprehend them. I currently own a variety of breeds that I acquired primarily so I could "sample" what's out there. Over time my primary production focus has come to center on Naked Neck Turkens, which are outstanding birds for my harsh, desert climate. They also afford me plenty of opportunities to study poultry genetics as well as provide an abundance of entertainment, eggs and meat.
The SGDs will be my focus heritage breed that I would like to work diligently with in the hopes of improving recognition of this noble breed. I'm nervous about how well they will hold up to our harsh summers, but beyond excited to try my hand at raising, keeping and breeding them...and maybe even showing them (another new potential adventure for me).
Anyway, hello, and thanks for this thread!
I"m posting to join. I've got a lot of reading to do here!
A brief overview of me - I currently have a dozen (reportedly pure) Silver Grey Dorking hatching eggs in the incubator with the first candling to occur on Saturday. I'm extremely excited about this hatch! I've coveted this breed since the day I decided I wanted to own chickens and spent years trying to locate quality stock. I'm hoping
I've only been keeping chickens for two years and have enjoyed a very steep learning curve, moving from "I only want some for eggs for my family" to teaching myself how to butcher and process birds, breed and hatch from my own stock, and strive to meat APA standards...or at least comprehend them. I currently own a variety of breeds that I acquired primarily so I could "sample" what's out there. Over time my primary production focus has come to center on Naked Neck Turkens, which are outstanding birds for my harsh, desert climate. They also afford me plenty of opportunities to study poultry genetics as well as provide an abundance of entertainment, eggs and meat.
The SGDs will be my focus heritage breed that I would like to work diligently with in the hopes of improving recognition of this noble breed. I'm nervous about how well they will hold up to our harsh summers, but beyond excited to try my hand at raising, keeping and breeding them...and maybe even showing them (another new potential adventure for me).
Anyway, hello, and thanks for this thread!
