Hi! I'm Meaghan from the North Florida area. My SO Nathan and I just purchased our first home two months back and are closing on it in two weeks. We have been doing quite a bit of research into what to do with our new home's 5 acres, and we definitely would like to start our own flocks of poultry.
I am a graduate student hoping to go into Veterinary Medicine, and Nathan is a nurse at a local hospital, so we both have our own careers aside from farm work.
So, after doing a bit of research into breeds of chickens and ducks, we decided on Orpingtons and Muscovies; as well as some Bourbon Red and Royal Palm turkeys. We were also considering Wyandottes, but are unsure if we want (or can even afford) to set up an additional pen/coop to the three we are planning for. Later on, perhaps, but maybe not initially.
We are planning on getting our chickens and turkeys from Meyer Hatchery and our Muscovies from Country Hatchery, because we want to start off on the right foot with healthy stock from fairly good companies.
We also plan on having geese, quail, and guinea fowl later on, but do not have the ability to create enough pens and coops at the moment.
In addition to our poultry adventures, we are also getting four doelings and a buckling Nubian, mainly for dairy products and raw milk, as well as five Berkshire gilts for meat and a llama for guarding them.
Our other interests are in starting a garden for ourselves and for our pets diets (we currently have a menagerie of 4 cats with a fifth stray possibly being added if he can get along with everyone else, 2 dogs, and a pair each of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and ferrets). So, in other words, a large garden.
Neither of us are brand new to farms, but this is a pretty big undertaking for us. Any general tips for starting out would be fantastic and much appreciated!
So, after doing a bit of research into breeds of chickens and ducks, we decided on Orpingtons and Muscovies; as well as some Bourbon Red and Royal Palm turkeys. We were also considering Wyandottes, but are unsure if we want (or can even afford) to set up an additional pen/coop to the three we are planning for. Later on, perhaps, but maybe not initially.
We are planning on getting our chickens and turkeys from Meyer Hatchery and our Muscovies from Country Hatchery, because we want to start off on the right foot with healthy stock from fairly good companies. We also plan on having geese, quail, and guinea fowl later on, but do not have the ability to create enough pens and coops at the moment.
In addition to our poultry adventures, we are also getting four doelings and a buckling Nubian, mainly for dairy products and raw milk, as well as five Berkshire gilts for meat and a llama for guarding them.
Our other interests are in starting a garden for ourselves and for our pets diets (we currently have a menagerie of 4 cats with a fifth stray possibly being added if he can get along with everyone else, 2 dogs, and a pair each of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and ferrets). So, in other words, a large garden.
Neither of us are brand new to farms, but this is a pretty big undertaking for us. Any general tips for starting out would be fantastic and much appreciated!
and Welcome To BYC!
