How do you keep your flock small?

[junglebird]

Thanks for your replies, folks! Interesting to learn your thoughts on managing for size/production/breeding.

The sentimentality issue is big, especially with a small flock. If I had so many that I couldn't tell them apart, it would be easier to cull. As it is, with 7 chickens, they either do, or almost do, have names.

My flock has been living in a deer-fenced, fort-knox-like garden; once they begin free-ranging, I'm sure there will be more casualties. I like darkmatter's idea of keeping extra roos to cushion against loss, even though socially managing roos seems a bit trickier.

"If they come from a hatchery, including Sussex, Dark Cornish, or Dorking, they are not going to be as good for meat as ones you could get from a breeder that has specialized in breeding for size, but they are likely to be better layers since hatcheries make money off of having eggs to hatch, not because of size of the chickens."
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Get breeds that are not know to be really good egg layers but that put on size, preferably from breeders that have not been culling for egg laying ability but for size. It sounds like you do not need dual purpose breeds but mainly meat breeds that lay some eggs."

Thanks for that, Ridgerunner, very helpful to focus future planning. I'll research breeds more. Maybe if I breed something like a Dark Cornish to my Australorp or Orpington I'll be aiming towards more meaty/less eggy?! 5 of my birds were hatchery chicks from the grain store, the other 3 (marans and EE) came from a guy who was breeding for olive eggs.

Delmar, thanks! I like the idea of selling chicks! I agree, I'm only worried about the liability of selling edible farm products (aka food). I would have to pay an extra $1200/year for farms products liabililty coverage on my property, and I'm not willing to sell enough food to find a profit on top of that. I'm not willing to sell food without the insurance for 2 reasons: I'm homesteading to make life better for my family, not introduce potentially life-devastating risks; and if someone did get sick from food I sold them, I'd want ample resources to care for them.

 

[jettgirl24]

Thank you for posing this question as have been thinking about the same thing. Once we move to our new house I'd really like to start a breeding program of some kind in addition to keeping my laying flock. I have a hard time thinking about culling... I'm a giant softie and I should probably just be a vegetarian (again) because the thought of having to do the deed myself makes me feel a bit ill... On the other hand I would SO much rather eat homegrown meat over what passes for meat at the supermarket. I'm not sure how I'll reconcile this when the time comes but it's definitely something I'm thinking about.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:

I was going to say when you go to the Guru on the Mountain and ask him, lets us know what he says. The other possibility is to raise bantams.

 

[Teach97]

keep your flock small...really? People do this...didn't know that was possible...I don't think I want to think about that

 

[Naughty]

And whatever you do - don't name em until you decide if you want to keep em or eat em!

 

[Delmar]

Quote:
My wife is the one who names them, and I am 100% certain that she will never be the one who kills them. She doesn't think she will have a problem eating them. All she asks is that I never tell her which bird she is eating. I think this means I will need to butcher at least two at a time.

 

[cybercat]

Well, I can not comment on small flock as I have 13 down from 25 and going back up to that in spring. BUT I can tell you how to use eggs. First go down to the recipe thread here on BYC. Look at all the egg recipes. You can make very easy not much work at all your own noodles, bread, mayo,soup ect. Just get out of thinking eggs are just for breakfast. Since they are your eggs they are much healthier than any store bought product that uses eggs in it. Get making sonme of these items.

 

[NYRIR]

Quote:
Hee Hee....true! very true!

 

[junglebird]

I've been making lots of bread, pasta dough, crisp meringue cookies, pavlovas, 2 egg cookie recipes, etc. Cybercat - thanks, I didn't even realize there was a recipe section on the forum! There was a thread with a recipe for egg soap - love it! Mayonnaise is a great idea, too.

Part of the thing with staying small, as a homesteader, is leaving time/space/energy/resources for other enterprises. I've got gardens to plant, forests to thin, pastures to rehab, goats and donkeys to procure, orchards to establish, ... and someday beehives to build. It would be easy to get out of scale with each of these projects.