How many chickens would you need to keep to supply all the meat and eggs your family eats?

[igorsMistress]

You could have just been out of here without insulting someone... If you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all!

I'm tired of seeing people insulting each other and thinking that this is okay, It isn't.

Everyone is entitled to sharing what they want to share, but we don't need to insult people for sharing their point of view or their opinion.

Lets keep in mind that's a 2 way street. Shad is quite capable of defending his position on a subject even if people don't agree.

 

[igorsMistress]

Surprisingly, my CX were still moving pretty well at 12 weeks. They also had massive drumsticks and thighs to support those breasts. But, yeah, they are pretty freaky looking, and is one reason I've decided to go in a different direction this year. The slow broilers from this spring dressed out between 4 and 5.5 pounds at 14 weeks, so a pretty big difference. And, I really don't expect much over 3 lbs for a heritage cockerel at 14 weeks. So, it's going to be a trade off between having more active and normal chickens, and more butchering.



Growing up in suburbia, our backyard was devoted to growing fruits and vegetables. I really didn't appreciate it at the time, but it was a great example. We always had a compost bucket under the sink, so less garbage out on the curb.

I think if 1) people would use the resources available to them; and 2) try to avoid wasting so much food, collectively it would have a very positive benefit on food supply and the environment.

I totally agree with less waste of food and using the space you have to be productive. I think our whole social model is wrong. One parent working outside the home should be enough, and people should be encouraged to grow their own food and ditch the lawn and swimming pools.

 

[FortCluck]

I totally agree with less waste of food and using the space you have to be productive. I think our whole social model is wrong. One parent working outside the home should be enough, and people should be encouraged to grow their own food and ditch the lawn and swimming pools.

I completely agree with you on this! This is what we are working towards at our home. I think I was supposed to be born in a different time because I'm the wife who holds down the homefront while my husband works. It works for our family.

 

[redrooster99]

As far as the self sustaining flock. I would hatch my own eggs in an incubator that takes out the broody aspect of it. And way less hens to have to keep.

 

[cmom]

I totally agree with less waste of food and using the space you have to be productive. I think our whole social model is wrong. One parent working outside the home should be enough, and people should be encouraged to grow their own food and ditch the lawn and swimming pools.

Most people are not homesteader type of people. Everyone is different. In our younger years both my husband and I worked and paid off our home and paid cash for what we wanted instead of going into debt. We didn't use credit cards. I came from a farming background he didn't. We did eventually buy a farm and paid cash for it and he got his tractors and such and now we are pretty much self sustaining. We grow and preserve what we grow. We do sell some of our produce along with eggs. We have processed some birds but now I mostly sell the extra males which helps offset the feed costs. For many years I have been into showing my birds at poultry shows so some of my coops and pens are used for breeding and some are general purpose for eggs. I keep my backup breeding males in the general population coops and pens. I do use an incubator and hatch out all of my chicks usually 200/300 chicks yearly. I haven't processed birds in quite awhile. I don't have meat birds but do have dual purpose breeds. The cost to feed them then process them isn't cost effective for us. We are older retired people. We do have a butcher down the road. If we want a chicken dinner I go to the butcher. If a person has a family to feed, it may be more cost effective to process.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Too many if they’re not paying me... I’m not paying for all that food!

 

[igorsMistress]

Leghorns are essentially battery chickens. They do not fare particularly well free ranging, don't tend to go broody easily and because of the breeding criteria that has produced them, don't tend to live very long. They do lay lots of eggs and carry a good weight.

The idea here is to set up a semi feral flock that will reproduce itself.
The breed needs to be very predator aware and fast enough to evade hawk attacks in particular. Maximising meat per bird isn't an issue.
The two breeds being considered are Fayoumies and Hamburgs.
Both these breeds are excellent foragers and if acquired from Middle Eastern countries, or North African countries they are not likely to have the genetic problems that are often associated with USA hatchery stock. Fayoumies fare well here where I live.
If part of the strategy is too produce pictures of beautiful looking birds that resemble game fowl and have excellent predator evading skills, low maintenance costs and feed costs, will survive roosting in trees in the event that they are reluctant to use the provided shelter, will go broody and make good mothers, have decent inter flock social skills and are apparently still highly adaptive birds then the picture is rather different.
The people that keep Fayoumies here state that a clutch size of 4 to 6 eggs is what produces the maximum number of adult birds from the hatch. More chicks and they tend not to survive. Apparently both Fayoumies and Hamburgs still have good hatching and rearing skills. This means fewer staggered hatches and higher hatch survival rates with fewer sick of weak chicks.
So, there are lots of important criteria apart from how much meat one can squeeze out of one bird and how many eggs they lay.
What the customer at these restaurants is prepared to pay top money for (according to the market research) is a meal form a chicken that could with a small stretch of the imagination be a wild chicken.
Because of the above criteria a flock that reproduces itself and remains stable which can operate as a closed flock becomes important. The best way to achieve this is to have elder birds teaching the younger birds. It also helps with flock dynamics and genetics if you let the senior hens sit and hatch the next generation and eat the offspring.
There are lots of other points relevant to keeping a closed free range semi feral flock that do not make any sense to a keeper who replaces their birds by incubation or purchase.

I hope you'll let us know how this goes Shad. I find it interesting that the clutch sizes are optimized with smaller numbers. Fewer chicks to keep track of helps in that situation where as in most US backyards there's plenty of protection what with runs and electric fences and such.

I read an article about a husband and wife that were let go from their public service jobs and started a similar business. The chickens are basically feral and they sell eggs and meat to locals and restaurants. Pretty cool situation!

 

[cmom]

Too many if they’re not paying me... I’m not paying for all that food!

I have pure heritage breeds and in the spring after I do a test hatch, I sell hatching eggs for $35. a dozen and occasionally will sell some birds to others, a trio or quad or even a pair, who want to start a pure heritage flock. I got my start many years ago with a quad I acquired at a show from a top breeder and have kept the birds pure. So far the birds have paid for their own feed through the sale of some birds and eggs. I do sell eggs regularly for eating and have many regular customers. Once in awhile I will get someone who has seen my signs and decide to give them a try and they usually become regular customers. As you know a fresh off the farm egg is different than a store bought. One thing people notice is how rich and orange the yolks are. Soon I will be getting the breeding pens set up and pick out my birds for this season's breeding. Some People who have bought some of my birds and have shown them have done well. It works for me and I love doing it.

 

[cmom]

Leghorns are essentially battery chickens. They do not fare particularly well free ranging, don't tend to go broody easily and because of the breeding criteria that has produced them, don't tend to live very long. They do lay lots of eggs and carry a good weight.

I do raise White Leghorns and Dark Brown Leghorns. They are larger than hatchery stock and live longer. I have some older White Leghorns and they are my best layers.

 

[sourland]

Most people are not homesteader type of people. Everyone is different. In our younger years both my husband and I worked and paid off our home and paid cash for what we wanted instead of going into debt. We didn't use credit cards. I came from a farming background he didn't. .

The story of 'us' . Instant gratification has now become the norm. I am sometimes asked, "How can you afford to do the things that you do?" My answer is, "Because we did without when we had to."