Best chicken for the apocalypse?

[nevergiveup]

Just a thought re feeding them. Have you tried farming insects for them. That way you can feed them with a fraction of the feed costs. They are omnivores. I have sawdust for my humanure system that might attract woodlice/pill bug. I will be building a black soldier fly grub farm in the next few weeks. Apparently you can scald them, dry them, and store them to use in winter. Free food !!!!! That's my kind of chicken keeping !

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Just a thought re feeding them. Have you tried farming insects for them. That way you can feed them with a fraction of the feed costs. They are omnivores. I have sawdust for my humanure system that might attract woodlice/pill bug. I will be building a black soldier fly grub farm in the next few weeks. Apparently you can scald them, dry them, and store them to use in winter. Free food !!!!! That's my kind of chicken keeping !

One problem - where does one find sawdust during the apocalypse if one doesn't live near a forest?

 

[nevergiveup]

Good point ! All you need for black soldier fly grubs is gone off food. That might work. Just an idea.

 

[randyreese]

I want to know more about this beautiful Giant breed of chicken. What is a Legacy and where can it be found? Please, any information is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[hedz82]

I would definitely look at Orloffs and Chanteclers. They are both excellent for cold, lay well and are hardy but endangered breeds. You would be preserving genetic diversity, which is what we will need most when SHTF.

 

[SanCarlos6127]

You asked about Wellsummers. I started with 14 of them for a couple years. They were a total bust. Only fair layers, Both roosters aggressive. Completely or nearly so stopped laying for 2 months in winter and never got back over 5 a day. By Comparison, My 14 Golden Comets have been laying a full year. Over winter, with no additional lights or heat, they never layed less than 10 eggs, and then it had gone to -10F for several days her in Central Ohio. They RARELY lay less than 13- 14 eggs and large to jumbo. They are pure egg machines, super docile and QUIET. I am staying with the. If apocalypse comes I will grab some Dominiques fore self sustaining.

Thinks for sharing your experience with Welsummers! I knew they were only considered average layers, but shutting down in the winter for 2 months makes them a definite no-go for me. I have all but decided to go with Dominiques at this point, as most people say they are excellent winter layers, good foragers and apparently I can also raise sex-links by using my Black Langshan rooster over Dominique hens!

Thanks for your reply.

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Thinks for sharing your experience with Welsummers! I knew they were only considered average layers, but shutting down in the winter for 2 months makes them a definite no-go for me. I have all but decided to go with Dominiques at this point, as most people say they are excellent winter layers, good foragers and apparently I can also raise sex-links by using my Black Langshan rooster over Dominique hens!

Thanks for your reply.

Our Dominiques laid right through the winter with no artificial lighting; they lay more in the spring, but they lay year around. They are also very active foragers, busy on big biddy business at all times. They have very dense feathering, so you have feathers for bedding when they finally go to the stewpot.

 

[RachaelS]

Quote:
Do you have any other pictures? And what is their average dress out weight? It is hard to tell how big this guy is, due to the depth of the picture, I mean the person is in the background, but holding the rooster to the foreground. Still looks pretty big, but not sure if my eyes are tricking me

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[RachaelS]

Also, Cubalayas are really good, hardy birds, just go check out their thread, plus they are to die for pretty and come in all colors, which I LOVE.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/352331/cubalaya-thread-for-sharing-pics-and-discussing-our-birds

 

[laughingdog]

I wonder about how all these rare hard to get breeds are great at all for common people for an apocalypse.. they can't be that great if endangered! lol. also you may want sex linkage, but also know roosters determine eggs of daughters, and you may as they are hatchlings may not pick fittest. it may be decent to keep production and foragers as one, but broody and foragers to raise young and let less valuable broody types let loose before others so they can learn lay of land were feed is to be found and dangers, then give them more valuable production chooks to go and then be safer. or keep brooder type silkie, cochin, muscovy duck, ect. or is that just un necessary? my muscovy ducks free range and hardly any pred trouble in pair with young, but now flock of fifteen, nothing bothers them. they eat grass, moss, lichens, algae, slimy and flying insects out of air,rodents, snakes, spiders scorpions, carcass meat from dog and cat kills (they tear at to get flesh like gatars). They are pretty much silent, so not attracting anyone or thing that'd hear chickens and mallard breed ducks free ranging, or cooped up around your hidout. only trouble is they seem to need ability to forage some for food to do good, but need an inclosed shed ect to stay warm preferably below forty for mine so far. They can see and actively forage in dark making great if need to hide during day from sight. the hatches can be staggered so hens lay at different times so one lays daily exrta large egg for thirty days or lot longer, all year long as long as have place out of freezing temps to nest ect. bad point is wimter can take lot out of them when just kept out in three sided metal. coop to see how do and having no place else to lock them up so they don't fly up and roost in neighbors barn at night.

my bantam Americana are second as haved grown the KCs out yet. my Americana also forage for all of own food, calm with me from handling from young ones caged. they have tiny combs ect that haven't had trouble in below zero temps but also the beards and muffs ect to block wind so go out and forage cheerfully in wet windyfreezing weather. hens are not standard color/pattern nor are eggs ranging from blue green pink tinted tan brown cream and white, but they seem better survivalists for, maybe cause of varied landscapes and colors n ect of that hide different ones/their eggs better. roosters are fighters to death for hens like games and hens even are spurred and can use as saw when one was attacked by hawk two or more her size.. she turned and spurred it then ran back under bush as lead hen got hold of screeching and tore it up so bad it couldn't fly away or stand and layed propped up on wings bleeding from mouth ect heaving unable to screach any more, as i finally walked up and picked up exuasted tore up hen that had chipped her beak and lost some toe nails scales feathers and had sores torn open on bottom of feet. she still screamed at and wanted to attack this in her territory that challenged her flock (she is piss n vinager on bad days and flock roo knows to stay back when she goes off on usually cats shrews, weasel, snake, occasional dog, songbirds ect. so the rest just hung back screaching and dashing in for blows on other side of were ever she was so she wouldn't turn on them for getting in her way). the roos are small enough to fly forage anywere easily see eating more smaller bugs but can tear apart larger ones, and be meaty carcasses. the hens at a few mothes begin laying taking a month to get into a med egg a day (have had prolapsing ect issues as suspicions that this tiny a bird not ment to lay that large an egg every day, so some babying for week. for one that was really bad was needed). they can and have as flock fought off preds when there was some light in on or around coop so they can actively see ect at night. every day is Easter egg hunt as new laying hens seemingly instinctively make and hide nest of some eggs, before settle in and accept nesting and roosting coop/box whatever. they need summer shade but can and do oddly bath in water to cool off (never seen this in anything but games and leghorns, so guessing breeder got from probly crossed those in for laying and then every other great trait that didn't come from ameruacaunas), hens still cackle at times when laying being great for me then to narrow down nests of young hens that do but bad as others can also close around hear, roos crow softly though, but still bad to be heard when trying not to let every hungry belly around know were you are..