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VanillaSpice25 said:
TU for the info, i will ck that out & the welcome, Debbie292d!
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You're very welcome.

I'll just put out there that we buy a 50# bag of Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles for all of our silkies, every age, and our ducks, for about $25.00. It's just an idea if you hadn't thought of it.
 
VanillaSpice25 said:
North Central Idaho! Do tell, what were your best breeds?!?!
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We kept a variety of your pretty standard layers... skipping over the Mediterranean breeds like your leghorns, ancona, etc. Australorps, Plymouth rocks, production reds( sure they were called Rhode Island Reds, but they were definitely not true heritage rir so knowing what I know now I would say they were just production Reds)..... honestly because we were primarily sourcing from others within the local communities most of our birds were, or once we started hatching our own became, good old-fashioned Barnyard mixes which if you're not concerned about sop or exhibition is usually a really good way to go. Once we got our own flock established our hens were hatching chicks for us from whatever eggs covered by whichever rooster and we had robust birds that were great in the climate we had and produced really well for us. The only ones I was ever very concerned about keeping separate were my Bantam cochins and polish that I used for 4h back then. Keeping in mind that my chicken keeping in Idaho was more than a few years ago, so we were pretty much dependent on what other local folks had available and the few breeds that the feed store would bring in in the spring.
Flash forward a couple of decades and breed availability is way different and I've had a chance to try a lot of different breeds. If I were to move back home and start a flock now I believe I would probably go with Russian orloffs who are fabulous winter layers and are built for winter climate, I'd throw in some wyandottes, maybe some Buckeyes, a few marans and some easter/olive eggers because I really like a mixed egg basket. Ironically we had more severe winter weather when we lived in Indiana than when we lived in Adams County, and I kept the combination of breeds from both lists and they did great. Heck I even threw in some leghorns and never had an issue with cold related damage to combs or wattles.... cold isn't so much the issue, it's humidity/ moisture and cold where you start getting into trouble so most of the frostbite related issues occur when they are inside the coop if there isn't good ventilation to address the humidity from dropping and respiration to keep the air nice and dry
 
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WOOOW TU for all that GREAT info!!! Another ref to a, "new, to me," breed the Russian Orloff! They are beautiful! Interesting you mention the ventilation...I am repurposing a section of an existing building on the new homestead & am paying careful attention to ventilation! I too want a colorful egg basket! You also described exactly what i am shooting for, start w/chicks from locals & develop a hearty flock w/babies raised by their mama's here on the homestead! ♥ Appreciate your feedback so much, TU for sharing!
 

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