Ferndale Eagle
In the Brooder
- Feb 7, 2020
- 2
- 17
- 13
I've been raising chickens for 30+ years. I am raising Campines and Barred Holland's. I've had several breeds through the years and am developing a hardy, self sufficient, disease resistant breed for my farm.
In my opinion the single worst thing that small flock owners do is look for "EXCELLENT RATE OF LAY".
This McD drive-thru corporate mentality is pervasive throughout the small agriculture community. I understand why mega factories want this but why do you?
Fast machine gun layers vs slower natural birds:
(all birds have the same amount of eggs inside so it's about how fast they lay those eggs. Fast lay means you squeeze them out of her as quick as possible vs letting her lay them at a more natural rate)
FAST- She is burnt out quick with no time to learn your farm, the best forage, the high predator zones, develope resistance to local pathogens and viruses. No time to pass this on to her chicks. Non broody so she won't provide replacements. She'll have a scrawny caress of little use at the end.
SLOW- since you'll need more of them to provide your daily need of eggs you'll also get more valuable manure, garden scratching, bug control, shared winter body heat, predator protection. If you lose a few you'll have lost a smaller percentage of your egg production (literally not keeping all your eggs in one basket), more usable carcass (all taste winners are heritage breeds) at the end of it's life, less cost due to hatchery chick replacements and it's associated chick losses and new disease introduction risks, and chick feeds and vaccinations. SLOW birds are represented by more breeds than the fewer FAST breeds so a farmer can select a breed more suited to his personality and situation. Endangered breeds are all SLOW breeds so instead of saving a hybrid or sex link you can save a heritage breed.
There are many, many other reasons but suffice it to say that a natural breed can become you and your farm's breed. A "GMO, Monsanto, hybridized, de-chickenized" type of a creature is nothing more than a factory chicken. Leave that to the corporate world with their unhealthy and tasteless, mushy Frankenbirds.
SLOW is sustainable and self sufficient. FAST is a never ending repeating cycle.
So when you see "great rate of lay" just say "That's not good for my girls- human or avian."
In my opinion the single worst thing that small flock owners do is look for "EXCELLENT RATE OF LAY".
This McD drive-thru corporate mentality is pervasive throughout the small agriculture community. I understand why mega factories want this but why do you?
Fast machine gun layers vs slower natural birds:
(all birds have the same amount of eggs inside so it's about how fast they lay those eggs. Fast lay means you squeeze them out of her as quick as possible vs letting her lay them at a more natural rate)
FAST- She is burnt out quick with no time to learn your farm, the best forage, the high predator zones, develope resistance to local pathogens and viruses. No time to pass this on to her chicks. Non broody so she won't provide replacements. She'll have a scrawny caress of little use at the end.
SLOW- since you'll need more of them to provide your daily need of eggs you'll also get more valuable manure, garden scratching, bug control, shared winter body heat, predator protection. If you lose a few you'll have lost a smaller percentage of your egg production (literally not keeping all your eggs in one basket), more usable carcass (all taste winners are heritage breeds) at the end of it's life, less cost due to hatchery chick replacements and it's associated chick losses and new disease introduction risks, and chick feeds and vaccinations. SLOW birds are represented by more breeds than the fewer FAST breeds so a farmer can select a breed more suited to his personality and situation. Endangered breeds are all SLOW breeds so instead of saving a hybrid or sex link you can save a heritage breed.
There are many, many other reasons but suffice it to say that a natural breed can become you and your farm's breed. A "GMO, Monsanto, hybridized, de-chickenized" type of a creature is nothing more than a factory chicken. Leave that to the corporate world with their unhealthy and tasteless, mushy Frankenbirds.
SLOW is sustainable and self sufficient. FAST is a never ending repeating cycle.
So when you see "great rate of lay" just say "That's not good for my girls- human or avian."
