Ideas on a self-sustainable flock?

[lazy gardener]

Got it Aart!

 

[Minky]

Hi folks. So sorry about the "ugly" comment, didn't mean to offend, but I do believe I'm entitled to an opinion.
I will check out the you tube video you mentioned! I love hearing how everyone does things- this is great!
I think I will try and post some pics of my birds. There are a few Im not even sure what kind they are.
Be back later today with a few pics. BRRRRRRR it's -19 right now..... gonna go give them some breakfast and check for eggs!

 

[aart]

BRRRRRRR it's -19 right now

Dang, I thought 5F with no wind was bad!!
Where are you located?
Please put your location in your profile?

 

[moomoodiddy]

Very well said. I've complicated my life a bit by choosing to go with endangered breeds for my layers, turkeys and ducks. I want to add geese, but there's an 18 month waiting list for the ones I want. Hopefully, I'll get some eggs in the spring and start with them. Processing birds can be exhausting and daunting. First time we did it, we did 30... We can now do 300 in a day, but then I need a week to recover. I chill them overnight then do 85% cut-ups. Then I make stock with the backs and feet. All I know is that when the last jar of stock comes out of the canner, I'm ready for bed and a long rest.

I tried going the endangered route also. Ended up buying a dozen eggs for $100 and got two roosters. I love the idea of helping a breed alive, but there must also be a reason for them going extinct right?

 

[moomoodiddy]

off topic - but what breeds are you thinking... I am thinking something different.

Also wondering this

 

[Mrs. K]

It is a real problem, the rare breeds. Limited genetics, problems tend to be magnified, and production not so great. Most of the time, there was a reason people chose other breeds to keep.

I have tried numerous breeds, thinking I would be a one breed flock owner, but truthfully I rather like a vigorous harem scarem flock. I get best results by adding a pure bred rooster over all sorts of hens, breeding for a couple of years, and then trying something different.

However, I am back to thinking, maybe something different in the spring.

Mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

Hi folks. So sorry about the "ugly" comment, didn't mean to offend, but I do believe I'm entitled to an opinion.
I will check out the you tube video you mentioned! I love hearing how everyone does things- this is great!
I think I will try and post some pics of my birds. There are a few Im not even sure what kind they are.
Be back later today with a few pics. BRRRRRRR it's -19 right now..... gonna go give them some breakfast and check for eggs!

Whether that's C or F, that's just plain cold. Re: ugly: yep, everyone has their view of what a chicken should look like, and every one is entitled to that opinion. I think that Silkies are just plain wrong. I think Turkens are ugly. And I think that Show Girls are: "Well, as hubby says, just because you can, doesn't mean you should!"

I tried going the endangered route also. Ended up buying a dozen eggs for $100 and got two roosters. I love the idea of helping a breed alive, but there must also be a reason for them going extinct right?

I agree with you that it shouldn't be so difficult to break into the "preservation of endangered breeds" game. And, there's a lot to be said for the benefit of the tried and true, as I am finding out about PBR, after resisting getting them for 5 years, b/c I thought them to be "too common". There's a reason why they are so common. They are a very nice bird.

The great benefit of keeping endangered breeds going is that it preserves genetic diversity. I could envision a day coming when commercial hatcheries get shut down b/c many of them are riddled with disease. The most recent avian flu scare or some similar circumstance could also eliminate the possibility of hatcheries being able to send chicks across state lines through USPS, or even private carrier. If that day ever comes, it will be the genetic diversity in the flocks of the back yard chicken people that will keep the American poultry gene pool healthy and thriving. Also, the back yard breeder is breeding birds that are genetically selected to thrive with his particular climate and pathogens.

 

[lazy gardener]

It is a real problem, the rare breeds. Limited genetics, problems tend to be magnified, and production not so great. Most of the time, there was a reason people chose other breeds to keep.

I have tried numerous breeds, thinking I would be a one breed flock owner, but truthfully I rather like a vigorous harem scarem flock. I get best results by adding a pure bred rooster over all sorts of hens, breeding for a couple of years, and then trying something different.

However, I am back to thinking, maybe something different in the spring.

Mrs K

This is also my approach. I love the diversity of a mixed flock. Last spring I put together an order of chicks which I expect to be my last order of chicks for a very long time. (barring unforeseen flock disaster). Almost all of those breeds were chosen to provide a good base for producing black or red sex link chicks which will have the characteristics that match my flock goals. (colored egg, small comb, non feathered feet). I also added Buck Eye and BA, which have been on my "want" list for a very long time.

 

[BantyChooks]

Dang, I thought 5F with no wind was bad!!
Where are you located?
Please put your location in your profile?

She said Ontario in an earlier post.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hi folks. So sorry about the "ugly" comment, didn't mean to offend, but I do believe I'm entitled to an opinion.
I will check out the you tube video you mentioned! I love hearing how everyone does things- this is great!
I think I will try and post some pics of my birds. There are a few Im not even sure what kind they are.
Be back later today with a few pics. BRRRRRRR it's -19 right now..... gonna go give them some breakfast and check for eggs!

You don't need to apologize for your opinion. We are all entitled to it, and should be able to share it. For those who choose to take offense... well, they are entitled to do that, too. I have always referred to the Cornish x as the "ugly white ones" because the only CX I had seen were bald-bellied and dirty from laying around next to the feeders. They'd drop dead at the slightest provocation. I was so happy to learn about red rangers, freedom rangers, etc. I also think turkens and naked necks are ugly. Also not a fan of the Froo-Froo chickens...