Hello from Florida

[BJnJenny]

My wife and I are considering starting our own "mini farm" on our property. We live in north central Florida on 5 acres (all pretty much wooded with scrub oaks and some water and live oaks). Reason for starting one with pigs and chickens is the cost of items bought in the market is just so outrageous. On top of that the quality of food is gone down. We have in recent months done some gardening and received some home grown beef and pork from relative, I must admit these products were by far much better than any store bought. So we are talking about chickens here, what are some thoughts my family and I need to consider to be successful in raising some chickens? We are beginners and have honestly no clue on where to start other than what I read here. We basically are wanting them for 1.egg production (my favorite b-fast food BTW) 2. meat (we are a family of 5 and eat chicken in various ways about 2-3 times a week) 3. Fertilizer for future gardens. I would love to hear some suggestions in any form as I mentioned we are beginners and know squat! What breed do I need to meet my needs? Do I need to keep a rooster in constantly with the hens or seperate. How can I tell if the egg has a baby inside or not? In short we just want to provide the best quality of food possible for our children as humanly as possible.
-Thanks in advance and God Bless!
BJ and Jenny

 

[aaabirdman]

Hello and Welcome to BYC from NY

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, BjnJenny, and

! Happy you joined our group and that you are embracing the rural lifestyle. You are sure correct about farm raised food tasting better! To your questions....hard to answer what you specifically need to know to get started. You are doing great by reading all you can on BYC - it is a great resource. To meet your needs for eggs first, meat second, either consider a breed that satisfies each need (Cornish Cross for meat and any number of choices for eggs). OR...some breeds offer good laying from the hens and the young roosters grow into a respectable sized bird for meat. Keep in mind, dual purpose breeds grow much slower than Cornish Cross and will not attain the same size. No, roosters don't need to be in constant contact with the hens. You can tell if an egg is fertilized if, after the proper number of days, you candle the egg to see the contents. Look up candling on a search on BYC. Hope this gives you a good start. Best wishes!!

 

[Big A Chickens]

Hi and So glad you joined us!!!! e

 

[Kevin565]

 

[welasharon]

Hi welcome! I am from North FL also. Up near Tallahassee and Panama City. Read tons....all over this forum....especially the predator/disease section. Learn from other's mistakes. It has helped me a lot. Open air pens work well for us here as they are lots cooler than the closed coops. Chickens don't do heat very well.

 

[BJnJenny]

Greetings from Kansas, BjnJenny, and

! Happy you joined our group and that you are embracing the rural lifestyle. You are sure correct about farm raised food tasting better! To your questions....hard to answer what you specifically need to know to get started. You are doing great by reading all you can on BYC - it is a great resource. To meet your needs for eggs first, meat second, either consider a breed that satisfies each need (Cornish Cross for meat and any number of choices for eggs). OR...some breeds offer good laying from the hens and the young roosters grow into a respectable sized bird for meat. Keep in mind, dual purpose breeds grow much slower than Cornish Cross and will not attain the same size. No, roosters don't need to be in constant contact with the hens. You can tell if an egg is fertilized if, after the proper number of days, you candle the egg to see the contents. Look up candling on a search on BYC. Hope this gives you a good start. Best wishes!!

Greetings from Kansas, BjnJenny, and

! Happy you joined our group and that you are embracing the rural lifestyle. You are sure correct about farm raised food tasting better! To your questions....hard to answer what you specifically need to know to get started. You are doing great by reading all you can on BYC - it is a great resource. To meet your needs for eggs first, meat second, either consider a breed that satisfies each need (Cornish Cross for meat and any number of choices for eggs). OR...some breeds offer good laying from the hens and the young roosters grow into a respectable sized bird for meat. Keep in mind, dual purpose breeds grow much slower than Cornish Cross and will not attain the same size. No, roosters don't need to be in constant contact with the hens. You can tell if an egg is fertilized if, after the proper number of days, you candle the egg to see the contents. Look up candling on a search on BYC. Hope this gives you a good start. Best wishes!!

Thank you very much for the info! Well basiclly starting off we have....the will and the property. That's it! I have read some post and information from this site and it is very helpful! I have seen a great idea for the construction of a place for the chickens seen here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/707319/50-chicken-chicken-tractor-pics-and-progress Since we need to buy this paneling for the construction of a pig pen, I do not see a reason as to not buy a few extra panels for the coop too.

 

[BJnJenny]

Hi welcome! I am from North FL also. Up near Tallahassee and Panama City. Read tons....all over this forum....especially the predator/disease section. Learn from other's mistakes. It has helped me a lot. Open air pens work well for us here as they are lots cooler than the closed coops. Chickens don't do heat very well.

Oh yes, I sure will keep up to date on any disease that may infict our future flock. This is one primary reason for doing this. I am by no means an activist but you really don't have to venture out far to see a commercial chicken farm and the way they house and raise the chickens. Absolutley disgusting. 1,000's of them eating off of the remains of others makes me sick to my stomach. But in any event...Go Noles!

 

[jbirds2012]

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!