My Attempt at a Dual Purpose Heritage Flock

[B and K Homestead]

I would rather just raise the purebred NHs. 9 lbs at 12 weeks for a NH is better than 10 lbs at 16 weeks for a cross.

If you cross that line of NH with Jumbo Cornish X, you will get 10lbs at 16 weeks.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Have some updates and pics!

Most notably, generation 2, which consists of 4 NH pullets and 1 cockerel, have reached maturity at a stunningly early 3.5 months. These birds hatched April 12th, and have just started laying/crowing! That is a great trait to have when the males will be meaties and the girls sold as started pullets. Here are some (poor) pics of those birds.

the pics aren't terrible, but the angle of the sun really washed put the more mahogany color of their feathers. They are much darker. Their butts are very floofy. I think I will be processing this cockerel as he just started to crow and I have no more chicken breeding plans until spring. He is quite chunky.

Next we have birds hatched 5/22. A mix of heritage NHs and Delawares. I actually moved this group right from the brooder to an integration/grow out pen. They have been mingling with the rest of my layer flock during the day and choosing to go back to the little pen at night. That ends today though, when I shut the little pen at dusk. I will be keeping all of these females and the best male of each breed over winter, to be breeders in the spring.

Look at all the chicken love in this photo

And lastly I have some chicks that hatched on July 12th. All sex links, I think I will sell the girls, and eat all the boys. Can't believe they all stood still for the pic

I also over the last week have finally built a brooder to put in my main coop. Thus increasing chick security and making chores easier. This also frees up the current brooder coop to be a breeder coop, which frees up the guinea coop for...well...guineas! I am pretty happy with this project cause it cost me nothing

It is somehow almost august already and in the northeast that means winter is comin! It has been an extremely informative and fun first year breeding heritage birds with a purpose, and I am proud of and hopeful about who I am putting in the big barn over winter to breed next spring. Thanks for takin the journey with me! I will continue to update as these birds grow and I process more of them.

 

[CNJ]

How heavy is this round NH cockerel?

 

[Tre3hugger]

How heavy is this round NH cockerel?

LMAO that is the question! I will be weighing him before processing

 

[BrennaM]

LMAO that is the question! I will be weighing him before processing

Update on the rooster weight? You've got me hooked, I'm definitely going to order some from freedom ranger in the spring.

 

[Tre3hugger]

This is an update I did not want to make. A few weeks ago around dinner time a fox got into my chicken yard. They took out about 22 birds in no time, most of them the heritage birds I have been breeding and documenting in this thread. It was really hard to see all my hard work and ideas strewn in pieces across the yard. I have 11 birds left in my flock, and a few sex-link meaties left. A few of them are heritage. I also ordered another batch of NHs from freedom ranger to grow out and start breeding again next year.

I also just bought 200ft of hardware cloth and am in the process of skirting the entire yard. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is an update I did not want to make. A few weeks ago around dinner time a fox got into my chicken yard. They took out about 22 birds in no time, most of them the heritage birds I have been breeding and documenting in this thread. It was really hard to see all my hard work and ideas strewn in pieces across the yard. I have 11 birds left in my flock, and a few sex-link meaties left. A few of them are heritage. I also ordered another batch of NHs from freedom ranger to grow out and start breeding again next year.

I also just bought 200ft of hardware cloth and am in the process of skirting the entire yard. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

That's horrible news!

I hope the upgraded skirting does the job for you.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This is an update I did not want to make. A few weeks ago around dinner time a fox got into my chicken yard. They took out about 22 birds in no time, most of them the heritage birds I have been breeding and documenting in this thread. It was really hard to see all my hard work and ideas strewn in pieces across the yard. I have 11 birds left in my flock, and a few sex-link meaties left. A few of them are heritage. I also ordered another batch of NHs from freedom ranger to grow out and start breeding again next year.

I also just bought 200ft of hardware cloth and am in the process of skirting the entire yard. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

I am so so so sorry. Beyond words.

 

[BrennaM]

This is an update I did not want to make. A few weeks ago around dinner time a fox got into my chicken yard. They took out about 22 birds in no time, most of them the heritage birds I have been breeding and documenting in this thread. It was really hard to see all my hard work and ideas strewn in pieces across the yard. I have 11 birds left in my flock, and a few sex-link meaties left. A few of them are heritage. I also ordered another batch of NHs from freedom ranger to grow out and start breeding again next year.

I also just bought 200ft of hardware cloth and am in the process of skirting the entire yard. Hopefully that will fix the problem.

Oh my, I'm so so sorry to hear.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so very sorry!
How about electric fencing too?
Mary