Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[gjensen]

It takes time to sort out who is who and what is what.

The thing is to enjoy it. If you do not enjoy it, you will not stick with it.

It is just a hobby. If it is not enjoyable, then it is not worth doing.

I like my birds, and I enjoy them. That is why I keep them, though many people keep them for many reasons.

 

[Strevale]

A book is a great start. That's how I started because having egg layers as a little kid was nothing like what I do now with serious breeding for standard bred homestead birds. And there is a lot more to chicken keeping than many people think. Since you don't have a lot of experience and you are having the issues with sex/number, and you are new to chickens altogether, think again about getting a few birds from the feed store. I know you have these ideas of what you want, but with so many barriers right now - one big one being that it can be difficult to get quality birds in a specific breed sometimes - getting a few feed store chicks is a less expensive way to learn your husbandry skills. This will let you get your hands on chickens faster, and let you work out the kinks of things. If they die - they are easier to replace than those Buckeyes. It really sucks to have a lot of pressure on you to keep chicks alive that you know you can't easily replace. Plus you won't have the problem with more chicks than you want at a time if you order from some hatcheries. It will give you time to figure out what does and does not work for your flock - because every day a new variable occurs and you have to come up with a different plan. Once you have some experience under your belt, it will most likely be easier for you to transition to getting those Buckeyes that you want because you'll be ready for them instead of trying to not only figure out how to care for chickens, but how to get the ones you want as well. And too, by the time you think you're ready to tackle Buckeyes, they may be easier to find and more of your barriers with chickens may no longer be barriers.

I think that is what we're going to do.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I've got a rooster so tough that when the red tail hawks swoop down to get the foo foo birds I keep as hen toilet paper, he will jump on one and mate it. Whole passel of barebacked redtails around these parts...the DNR are investigating the cause.

Ok guys, I know I could order more chicks and sell the extras/roosters on Craigslist. But I feel like there are a lot of shady people on Craigslist that will do shady things to my babies.

If that's what I have to do I will do it, but I just don't like it.
I am the kind of person that doesn't break the rules, so keeping illegal chickens a secret also kind of bugs me.

Thanks for all the help and leads though. You guys are awesome!

Don't ask.

Glad you came to a decision. It really is better to learn on a breed or mixed breed, the care and work involved with chickens. There's a lot of it.

 

[thedragonlady]

It takes time to sort out who is who and what is what.

The thing is to enjoy it. If you do not enjoy it, you will not stick with it.

It is just a hobby. If it is not enjoyable, then it is not worth doing.

I like my birds, and I enjoy them. That is why I keep them, though many people keep them for many reasons.

Right on George. If you do not enjoy the birds , wheel barrowing shavings , or sand, gets old in a hurry, as does lugging sacks of feed. Never mind trudging out in rain, sleet, and snow to feed .If you can sit on a bucket in the yard, and watching your birds feeds your soul, you're in it for the long run. You have to try it to see.

 

[Beekissed]

Right on George. If you do not enjoy the birds , wheel barrowing shavings , or sand, gets old in a hurry, as does lugging sacks of feed. Never mind trudging out in rain, sleet, and snow to feed .If you can sit on a bucket in the yard, and watching your birds feeds your soul, you're in it for the long run. You have to try it to see.

This. Times ten.

 

[gjensen]

Right on George. If you do not enjoy the birds , wheel barrowing shavings , or sand, gets old in a hurry, as does lugging sacks of feed. Never mind trudging out in rain, sleet, and snow to feed .If you can sit on a bucket in the yard, and watching your birds feeds your soul, you're in it for the long run. You have to try it to see.

It is just like that. I actually enjoy cleaning the coops. I do not even know why, but I do. I especially enjoy it when they are all back in and looking pretty on the nice clean bedding.

I do not know, but if I had to give it up, it would not be the same.

 

[Beekissed]

I like chicken chores too. I've always liked farm type chores, so they aren't much like work to me. My least favorite is carrying water, but that's about it.

 

[bnjrob]

I think that is what we're going to do.

Sounds like you're getting your plan together. Take it slow. It's easy to get excited and want to jump right in to this, but you have to remember to just jump in the shallow end so you don't get overwhelmed and have to start backtracking too much. Once you start with chickens, it is easy to get overwhelmed - have you come across the term chicken math yet on this site? It's easy to get so excited and focus on the less important things and overlook the really important things. There are tons of ways to raise chickens and what works for one won't work for another and what works today won't work tomorrow for you. So taking things slow and step by step can help you avoid big blunders that you want to kick yourself for. Set your short and long term goals for your flock and take it step by step and before you know it you will be enjoying some chicken TV in your backyard.

 

[bnjrob]

I like chicken chores too. I've always liked farm type chores, so they aren't much like work to me. My least favorite is carrying water, but that's about it.

My husband made me a "chore train" that I drag around the pasture with the riding garden tractor/mower. 35 gallon tank to hold water that has a gravity spigot and also a pump attached to a battery - makes hauling water out to the pasture so much better, especially in summer. Then another cart goes behind the water cart to carry other items I need.

 

[Vamvakas]

With people using sand in there chicken coop runs to keep it from mudding do people use play sand or commercial grade sand? Also is 1" thick of sand good?