Best recession/depression chicken breed(s)?

[farmer9989]

When your great grandmaw needed something she didn't run to wallyworld she made it her self .They raised a garden ,fields of grain,harvested the wild world around them. That we have destroyed it didn't matter what, they had they used every last piece of it. They didn't throw any thing away.they needed a cow,chickens ,pigs,goats,horses,all had its place, to feed and be fed.The money they made through the year on selling the surplus went for seed to plant, so they could make it the next year.They if they had a broodie hen whitch they strived to help. They took very good care to see that she succeeded. There lives revolved around trying to suvive and prosper. as would yours if things go bad. Some of us won't make it some of them didn't . The world is always in a state of change not always for the better.Being prepaired is not un realistic . Having chickens and the knowledge of how to takecare of them is one step closer but far from being able to or having the knowledge to survive , In what our future has in store for us.Sorry for the long rambling , I would think that you would start building your flock to suit your new use for them no matter what kind they were. Dominiques,Barred Plymouth Rock,bantams for broodiness.

 

[bobcart]

Quote:
Great post and I agree if the depression was already in place and you were without choices. However, if one were trying to get ready for such a challenge or just wanting a breed best suited for that mindset and didn't already have chickens, it's not a waste of time to ask and do research. I did my best on that and tried three breeds and one of them (redcaps) turned out to be a bad choice for my needs. Could have been that hatch or line, but it would be tough to need them for food. Mine are/were weak, slow growing predator targets that aren't broody. They are rare and I think I know why.

No, you won't find perfection, but I think you can do better than just buying random chicks from the feed store. It's also part of the fun of raising chickens. Trading stories and wisdom. In the old days that happened more with neighbors, no it's on the Internet like this. Fewer doing it, but easier to talk with them. It's amazing what can be learned reading these pages...

 

[kingdr85]

I say Old English Game can do very well!

 

[reereechickens]

I'm getting ready to decide on what chickens to keep and what to try next. I think I'm going with maybe getting some started BR, RIR, NH,Australorps or Delawares. I really don't want to risk bringing any diseases but I will isolate for 2 wks. I have some Australorps but I just lost one pullet to sour crop and I have 1 pullet and 2 roos. I will peobably will be processing my Brahmas and my Dorking hybrids because they are taking forever to start laying and love to eat a lot of feed. I will (maybe)keep a few of the pullets but for now I can't do the endangered Heritage thing. I love the Dorkings, they are so friendly and my Light Brahmas are pretty yard ornaments but I miss the beautiful big brown eggs from my Red Stars. My foo foo birds are my Silkies but I need some brown eggs layers!

 

[Pathfinders]

Personally, when I bring new birds onto my property, I quarantine for at least 4 weeks, if not 6. I think 2 is not long enough to determine if birds are carrying disease.

 

[reereechickens]

Thanks for the info. I just ordered some chicks from Ideal-White Rock, Australorps, RIR, and Ameraucana(EE). I think typing this out helped make the decision.

 

[BirchHatchery]

after reading all 10 pages i thought to myself all or most of hatchery strains are bred for complete EGG production i myself have white hy-line leghorns and if the economy really tanked id have lots lots eggs they lay without artificial light in winter but back to what i was saying will they go broody? will any of the hatchery strain hens go broody with so much breeding/gentics going to egg production?

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

For survival purposes, I'm looking for small, efficient egg layers that can be sexed at birth—generally considering cuckoo/barred bantams, leghorns, game-types, etc. My recession plan doesn't include much meat production. (But, then again, I do live on one of the greatest wild fisheries in the world, so...)

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Well, the simple answer is - yes. Can they be relied upon? Depends on how you define that.
Most birds, even hatchery birds and Leghorns, will brood chicks if given the chance. Genetic watchdogs and animal rightists may not believe it, but you don't have to let them scare you.

Now, will every hen in your flock go broody like clockwork? Probably not, no. But that is nothing new. That guarantee has never existed.
They're chickens, after all - not automatons. They are nothing if not individually unpredictable.

Keep in mind that today's hatchery birds are still only a few decades away from the "old days."
Even into the 1970's, commercial birds were still raised 'en masse' as dedicated breeds. Factory rearing of caged, Leghorn gene-mutants wasn't practiced until relatively modern times. Sex-links, too, had not been refined as a separate element as we know them. They were known, certainly. But, commercially, they were not in demand like now.

So today, each hatchery strain is still bred to remain true to the type. Turn them out on their own and they'll do what chickens always do. Broodiness is not utterly lost, because a bird arises from a hatchery.

 

[gjensen]

American Games. Period. Let the dark stuff hit the fan, and the last thing you are going to want is a big eater. You will want a smart, tough, and resourceful bird that can tough it out like you will have to. No heading to Tractor Supply for feed then.