- May 16, 2013
- 5
- 1
- 7
Hi Everyone,
Our family and chickens can be found in NE Iowa.
We live on a family farm.
My husband used to milk and farm but gave it up to take a job off the farm just before we meet.
We "hobby" farm, we have chickens - layers that started out as just a small flock of 1 year old Wyandotte and Buff Orpintons. We acquired these the year our daughter started 4-H. She wanted to learn more about chickens and we wanted fresh eggs. My husband had helped his Mother growing up with layers and broilers so he helped us learn.
Well these birds started to lay less, plus we had lost many of them, and our kids said they wanted more fresh eggs and a fair project.
So we purchased 12 Hardy Concords (Red Star) in the fall of 2011 hoping 6 or more would live so each kids could have 3 to show at the fair. All 12 are happy and still alive today! I also brought home 5 eggs from a friend and put them under one of our broody Orpintons. Well she hatched out 4 of the eggs just before we brought home our other chicks. Three of these lived 2 roosters and 1 hen all mixed breed. So now we had a nice flock of birds again and our kids showed their chickens at the fair along with our daughter showing broilers she raised. All won Blue Ribbons.
This year over the fall I ended up with some 1 year old California White's and purchased some additional pullet and 2 year old Red Star's. We had an increase in people wanting to purchase eggs from us.
This spring the kids decided to "branch out" and we now have some heritage / rare breed chicks for this years fair. They will be showing Iowa Blue's and Welsummer's. Our daughter will also be doing Broilers again for FFA project.
The hope to get more chicks this fall from other genetics so they can breed next year and raise their own chicks for fair. Time will tell if this works or not. We are hopeful. If not we will purchase more birds next year.
Our son also raise pigs to show, we have lots of farm cats and 3 dogs that this kids also show at the fair.
We raise a BIG garden and other hobby farming stuff.
My husband and I work off the farm full time too. Both kids are busy with school and we love life.
Well that is us in a nut shell.
Thank you all,
LittleSongBird
from NE Iowa
Our family and chickens can be found in NE Iowa.
We live on a family farm.
My husband used to milk and farm but gave it up to take a job off the farm just before we meet.
We "hobby" farm, we have chickens - layers that started out as just a small flock of 1 year old Wyandotte and Buff Orpintons. We acquired these the year our daughter started 4-H. She wanted to learn more about chickens and we wanted fresh eggs. My husband had helped his Mother growing up with layers and broilers so he helped us learn.
Well these birds started to lay less, plus we had lost many of them, and our kids said they wanted more fresh eggs and a fair project.
So we purchased 12 Hardy Concords (Red Star) in the fall of 2011 hoping 6 or more would live so each kids could have 3 to show at the fair. All 12 are happy and still alive today! I also brought home 5 eggs from a friend and put them under one of our broody Orpintons. Well she hatched out 4 of the eggs just before we brought home our other chicks. Three of these lived 2 roosters and 1 hen all mixed breed. So now we had a nice flock of birds again and our kids showed their chickens at the fair along with our daughter showing broilers she raised. All won Blue Ribbons.
This year over the fall I ended up with some 1 year old California White's and purchased some additional pullet and 2 year old Red Star's. We had an increase in people wanting to purchase eggs from us.
This spring the kids decided to "branch out" and we now have some heritage / rare breed chicks for this years fair. They will be showing Iowa Blue's and Welsummer's. Our daughter will also be doing Broilers again for FFA project.
The hope to get more chicks this fall from other genetics so they can breed next year and raise their own chicks for fair. Time will tell if this works or not. We are hopeful. If not we will purchase more birds next year.
Our son also raise pigs to show, we have lots of farm cats and 3 dogs that this kids also show at the fair.
We raise a BIG garden and other hobby farming stuff.
My husband and I work off the farm full time too. Both kids are busy with school and we love life.
Well that is us in a nut shell.
Thank you all,
LittleSongBird
from NE Iowa
