Farming and Homesteading Heritage Poultry

[punky rooster]

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Awesome, Joseph! Dorkings were one of the breeds I seriously considered before I settled between buckeyes and barred rocks. I will have to get some to try them out some time. I really want to try the meat, that was another thing that made me like them.

I doubt I could breed them though, I only want to raise American breeds, But they would be my first choice other wise.

Mitch

 

[knittychickadee]

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I have 104 Buckeye chicks hatched so far, and another 50 or so more eggs set. I've had 6 go broody already this spring so I've been using them to hatch some along with my incubators. I'm winding up the hatching and turning the breeding pens into grow out pens now.

 

[stonykill]

while not a traditional farmsteading breed, I have been breeding my Sumatra's. They have become my favorite breed. All the online sources say they are poor egg layers, laying only 2 eggs each per week. Not even close to true. My girls lay 5 to 6 eggs each per week. They are the best free rangers I've had yet. I have incubated a few dozen eggs. The chicks bring a good price. Month old birds even more. I currently have 3 broody's. I is raising 4 little ones, one is hatching eggs today, with another due in a few weeks. I hope to be to 60 Sumatra's by the end of the summer.
I also hatched 2 eggs as an experiment. Black Australop hen, Sumatra roo. I'm hopeful they are both hens. The eggs should be larger.... which means easier for me to sell.

 

[punky rooster]

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Stonykill, where did you get your Sumatra's? I friend of mine has Sumatra's, beautiful birds, Really shiny too.

 

[stonykill]

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Stonykill, where did you get your Sumatra's? I friend of mine has Sumatra's, beautiful birds, Really shiny too.

it's a long story, but the short version is, a local guy had them in a Village, where roosters are not allowed. He ended up in jail, and I got the birds from his wife. She did not want them, all the neighbors were complaining to the Mayor, and the neighbors were ready to start killing them.
I fell in love with this breed. Great low maintenence chickens, who go broody often.

 

[X2Farm]

Well, I've had a tough time hatching Dels, this spring, but I've got a small group of VERY tough and spunky chicks on the ground. I'll be taking a break with hatching those for a bit, since I swapped roo's to give him a chance to settle with the girls

I've got approximately 40 Speckled Sussex chicks on the ground, and I swapped Roo's out and will give him a few weeks to get things goin with the ladies. I didn't want to be hatching so late, but oh well, I'm just doin what I can.

I do have 23 Partridge Rock chicks from a breeder in MO and they're doin really well. Not the line I'd intended to have, but I didn't have much luck finding some elsewhere.

So while I've not got as many chicks on the ground from my birds as I'd hoped, it looks like the ones I do have are good strong stock.

 

[punky rooster]

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Is it fertility or something different? I have heard Delalwares are strong from the start, my buckeyes seem to be the same way.

 

[Stevenson]

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Sounds like you're keeping the same breeds that I am! Delaware and Speckled Sussex are my main two breeds. I also have some partridge rock (from Paul Harter in Missouri), new hampshire and one barnevelder.

 

[WallTenters]

We're down to somewhere around 80 or so chicks right now, after a few rounds of early culling, I don't have my paperwork in front of me for exact count. Mostly Dominiques, a few Orp crosses (a side project), two Orp chicks (had terrible fertility out of the one roo) and a handful of Americaunas. There's also two purebred Marans and a dozen or so MaransXs in there as well. A little menagerie! There are a few more we've tagged as pets or culls.

We've got I think 2doz Dom eggs, 1doz Orp eggs and 1doz Americauna eggs in the incubator now, and will put 50-60 more Dom eggs and maybe a few more Orps in there next week. Lots of fluffy butts!

Our hatches have been fantastic, except the Marans (awful, so glad we aren't hatching any more!) and the one Orpington pen that had bad fertility with that particular rooster. I haven't candled the current eggs yet but I'd expect a 90+% out of this current setting, our Dom eggs have been 90+% hatchings. Last two hatches were 98% and 100%. Really good year so far!

 

[X2Farm]

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Is it fertility or something different? I have heard Delalwares are strong from the start, my buckeyes seem to be the same way.

I'm not sure. Having just purchased the quad in February and them being in a completely different environment might have made a difference. Its not usually a fertility thing. They have all been goin strong until lockdown, telling me the embryos are very fragile. I think they've just taken longer to adjust to the routine we have here, thus effecting the strength of the embryos. Could be the incubation/lockdown process but I can hatch Speckled Sussex like its goin outta style, so I don't think thats the issue. I guess time will tell. We'll see how they do with the new Roo. The chicks are super strong when they hatch, they bound around like lil maniacs, honestly!

It could have been stress from cows bein in the same pasture.. who knows. I am very happy with the chicks I can get to hatch, though.