Looking for help with my 2012 flock planning

[TarainNC]

I have not processed any birds as yet, but i do understand the space and economics of a small flock. I am in the city limits and i have been over my limit almost since I started keeping chickens 10 months ago. I appreciate that you and your family are trying to be self sufficient and are not on welfare rolls. In my mixed flock I have two marans, but they have not started to lay yet. One suggestion for an extra chicken dinner would be to check out craigslist for other folks extra roos.

 

[Zootopia]

When we first got our 5 chickens it was just for eggs since we had a trio of meat rabbits already. We lived in SC and had a beautiful garden. With the chickens and rabbits, there was no waste. We had 2 Americana, 2 Buff Orp and a Delaware. I should have done more research, I'd have done it alittle differently. We didn't have alot at the time but we ate well. It did take awhile but we soon had all the eggs we could eat. As was said earlier the rabbits reproduce and grow fast and don't take up much room. They usually sell well if you have extras too. We have never done the worm thing, but if you a able to do the rabbits too, it's a great idea.
I would say to try a couple of breeds that you like, but I'd include a couple of the fast maturing hybrid layers. I'd go for one that lays white eggs since I'm lazy. That way when you get a broody hen you know to NOT put the white eggs under her, those are for eating. I would also buy a couple (5 or 6) of meat chicks to raise with everyone else so you can eat the biggest at about 8 wks, then at 9 and 10 wks and freeze 1 or 2, or if they are staying on their feet, they make some Very Big roasters. I have a couple 8 pounders in the freezer. That will really feed a family! While you do need a couple of broodys, I'd keep it to 2 or 3. One hen can cover over a doz eggs and you might be able to sell some of the extra chicks.
I like Delaware, Turken, RR, New Hampshire, and Dominicker for this kind of small flock. I 'd replace the Hybrids every 2 1/2 to 3 yrs from the local feed store and pick up a couple of meat chicks to raise with them like before.

 

[junglebird]

Sounds like you're saying it's more important for your flock to stay small, and for you to continue to stay under the radar than it is to produce a bunch of meat. Get a scale, start a notebook, and keep good records. Eat the birds that don't enhance for your criteria, breed the ones who do. Time your breeding so that you're not feeding too many birds over the winter - too expensive!

Search this site/google for "line breeding", which is breeding to offspring. I'm new to breeding myself, but I understand there are arguments for and against line breeding, mostly having to do with how fastidious you are in record keeping. But, with only one rooster, I think you'd have little other choice, unless you change out roosters often (craigslist generally has plenty of listings for unwanted roosters). That means you'll need to set up a breeding pen or trap nests after your first generation (so you can keep track of the parentage of each egg). I've got 4 roosters and all my birds range within a pretty good size area of pasture/woods. I'll be rotating paddocks to control parentage, rather than putting the birds in pens. It's a little bit loose (I'll know the father and which group of hens an egg is from, but not which exact hen), but I think it'll work for us.

You didn't mention what kinds of chickens you already have. Keep in mind that hatcheries make money by having hens that lay lots of eggs for production - so even their "dual purpose" breeds are heavy on the egg laying and light on the meat making. I've collected a variety of heritage breeds that I've been curious about and started breeding them last year to build my own homestead line of hearty chickens suited to my environment, interests, and style of husbandry. The offspring of hatchery birds are vastly superior to the parents, amazing how much more glorious the birds are in just one generation! Can't wait to see how they progress through several generations.

To support productive brooding, have a very inviting nest, write on the eggs you give the hen to hatch, and keep good notes. I find that hen raised chicks are better foragers and hardly need dishes to eat from. My alpha Marans hen was a great mother last year, as was a Dark Cornish. My alpha rooster, an Australorp, fathered some big kids with a Barred Rock and the Marans. We've got a La Fleche trio - they are smaller birds, but super tasty. Also, the La Fleche rooster is not too loud (he's my beta roo). So far, Buff Orpington roosters, though they grow fast enough, have been too loud and goofy for our flock - they're devilish, even the second generation. We ate our Silver Dorking cockerel (who was stunningly beautiful), but kept the three hens; they were fast growers and I'm looking forward to some big birds when I cross her with the Australorp. Our Javas looked big, but weighed no more than the heritage Cornish (White Laced Red), since the Cornish are so dense. I'm going to cross some heritage Cornish with the bigger dual purpose boys this year to see if I can get the density of the Cornish into a larger body. Heritage Cornish aren't supposed to lay as many eggs as, say, a Barred Rock or New Hampshire, but mine lay PLENTY!

It's really fun to breed, raise and eat our own birds. Killing never gets easier, but it feels really right.

 

[DanEP]

I don't have any first hand knowledge of marans or welsomers but I do have australorps and like them. They grow fast ,lay well and are pretty calm. I also have white rocks, buff orpingtons, black orpingtons , barred rocks and slw. But if I had to choose one or two breeds for eggs and meat I'd go with the white rocks first because they have the fastest growth of all my breeds and lay about as well as the aussies and forage well. My second choice would probably be the aussies for their laying and dp function.The wr and aussies I have right now were hatched in march last year and one of each breed has gone broody and hatched chicks for me.There is no telling if or when a chicken will go broody but at least you know they will.
I've read on here that white chickens are the first ones to get picked off by hawks but haven't found that to be true,maybe it's just that my white rocks are fast. We are in the middle of a hawk migration right now and the only birds i've lost to hawks are the orpingtons. A freind of mine has had the same experiance I don't know maybe it;s because the orp's are slower or maybe just luck but I haven't lost any white birds so far.
If your going to try some different breeds this year you might consider white rocks too. I don't have any white rocks from a hatchery so I can't tell you how well they do but mine are pretty big and would dress out fairly well.

Good luck with your choices Dan

 

[sriston]

Thank you for the replies and ideas. Cali Chick, I really have no reason for not wanting to try the Cornish X's other than I just don't like the looks of them; they look like genetic defects to me. I lean more towards the heritage breeds.

As for rabbits, I love fried rabbit but in all honesty I have a heck of a time dressing them out. I find plucking a chicken much easier.

Black Australorps is one of the breeds I want to try, and I have added Dominiques and Delewares to my mental list, too. I am hopeful that I will be able to accomplish my goal with a small flock.

Thanks again for the encouragement. I had forgotten about the update to this site. I love the new look but wish there was a mobile version as I have a tablet.

Susan

 

[Mahonri]

Wyandottes are a great dual purpose breed and Barred Rocks if you get the right ones....