Dual-Purpose Flock Owners UNITE!

[legacyln]

Quote:
I think Doms have a great personality and when I butchered a roo that was too aggreessive at 6 months he was a good eating size and not TOO tough-- shoulda fried him rather than baked him though. Anywho-- I have not done any breeding myself but read that Doms make great mothers. Also, when I have seen them at poultry shows the show Dominique roosters are HUGE!

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Quote:
Just changed my name, been in Oklahoma for the past 5 yrs.

 

[brewmiss96]

HI! I want to be in this group!

Right now I have a backyard flock in the city limits so no roos. I started with 2 GLW, 2BO, 1 Light brahma, and 1 BR. I gave the BO aways, have lost the LB and 1 GLW, and I got a Light Sussex. I would like to get more Sussex, some Dominiques, and my favorite future project chicken, the Blue-laced Red Wyandottes. We are fortunate in Humboldt County that the purchaser for A&L feed in McKinleyville is into Heritage breeds and has Heritage breed days. WTG Tom!

So I have a BR, GLW, and Light Sussex. I LOVE heritage breeds! And will get nothing but dual purpose once I have enough room to raise more for meat. Right now all my ladies are layers.

So some thoughts I've had... I love how the different breeds look together in mixed flocks, I have liked the BR and BO together. What other combinations of breeds would look good mixed together?

Also, if you breed them and are good at keeping them seperated, couldn't we each network with our local feed stores to sell 'authentic' breeds? But if you are going to breed them you have to keep them seperated. Or only during a certain time when you'll be producing these 'authentic' day-olds? I would think legbands would come in handy for identifying proved birds.

Just some thoughts. GO DUAL HERITAGE!!

 

[dacjohns]

Right now my mutts are laying better than my dual-purpose birds. The mutts are also younger.

 

[the1much]

my leghorns are doing better then my mutts,, but my mutts are doing way better then my "purebreds"

 

[Mrs MIA]

I raise Light Brahmas and Silver Grey Dorkings as dual purpose birds. And, might I add, the Dorkings are VERY good...

 

[VetsJetsnGuns]

I've got about 15 hens (see list in signature) and I'm averaging 8 eggs a day in cold Wisconsin weather. I am giving them a red heat lamp at night.

I also want to advise AGAINST White Laced Red Cornish. I had 6, and lost 5. Of the remaining breeds, I have lost nothing. (Started with 29 chickens, lost ONLY 5 of the 6 White Laced.) they're a LOT uglier than they were in the catalog

 

[snowydiamonds]

An update on my BO's and one RIR hen: Big Mama hatched ten chicks and they roamed the pen today for the first time I hurried and shoved all their bedding down the stairs so the chicks would be able to get back inside. The Cayuga duck hatched one BO chick yesterday so I put that one in w/the others and today the three ducks, the RIR hen, two other BO hens and my BO roo all took care of the chicks! (The Cayuga duck has four more BO eggs beneath her plus a duck egg or two, hope she hatches her own kind...) So, one more BO hen has her own nest going now I only hatched a roo and a young hen out of the BO/RIR hen's eggs and the daughter is broody already, the roo is slow maturing but much calmer than the RIR roo's I had before. His daddy is teaching him how to be a big guy.

I've decided to give away two bantam flocks asap to two different young couples and go w/the BO's (along w/the RIR hen and her offspring from the BO roo). Also, cannot make myself give up the (not show quality at all) BLRW hens (3) along w/a daughter who lays huge eggs (her daddy was a black EE roo) and last two remaining black EE hens that lay green eggs.

I've got about 15 bantam chicks now, will be trying for that body type and now have a young roo to mate w/that big bodied bantam wyandotte hen, she's got a daughter half grown now That project is taking longer. Had too many bantams given to me to begin with that I kept over winter. But, I've found out this Spring/Summer, the older hens are great mothers while the young ones hatch the chicks out fine. They (young hens) just aren't such good mothers right off the bat!

Ended up w/two ganders in the Am Buff geese with the smaller one more aggressive toward the bigger gander. It won't be safe to keep both together next Spring. All things read so far indicate I should eat the smaller aggressive one and keep the nicer and bigger gander. Don't know how the goosie girls will feel about that...

I am VERY pleased w/the BO roo and hens! If I have to only have one flock of chickens, it will be them. Pics taken, haven't downloaded yet, will post them asap...

So what has everyone else learned this past year?

 

[journey11]

I was wondering about this myself...the desire to set being the key to a sustainable flock. (Like you said, the old-fashioned way of doing things..no incubator, just a broody). I will have to go back and read all this thread when I have time! I am curious to see what you guys come up with.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
Buckeyes, which are on that list, are an EXCELLENT dual (triple) purpose breed, and my personal favorites (and they also come in bantam.) I like Buckeyes so much that I recently started a fully fledged breed club for them, the American Buckeye Poultry Club:

http://www.americanbuckeyepoultryclub.com

They are a nice dual purpose bird. They lay a good amount of medium sized brown eggs. They forage very well (even hunt mice!), get along with each other and humans (not flighty, almost too friendly, underfoot a lot!), and the extra males, with their wide breasts, dress out nicely.

They are the only breed of American chicken created by a woman (yay!), and the only American breed with a pea comb, which means no frostbite in winter (unless you live in Saskatoon or someplace like that.) They tolerate heat and cold well, some will go broody (if you prefer them to raise their own babies) but are not excessively so, and are just an all around perfect farm chicken, IMO.

I have some pics of Buckeyes on my website:

http://www.pathfindersfarm.com/services

And you can see a great website devoted to the breed by a member of the ABPC here:

http://www.buckeyechickens.com

Let me know if I can answer any more questions about them.