Thank you very much for this!Oh my dear! This is just the tip of the learning curve! My folks raised livestock when I was a kid and we've had animals along the way especially when raising our family. And now I'm a senior with a small backyard flock for the last 3 years and I'm still learning so much! It's amazing how someone might share just a little incident about their experience that can change for the better how I do things with my birds. When we had English Budgerigars (before internet popularity) we joined up with Budgerigar show people just to be able to exchange helpful information about raising these birds - English Budgies were unique and rare 30 years ago and befriending breeders and show goers helped us tremendously. Nowadays the internet saves all that physical traveling.
You are doing a wonderful thing researching your project before diving into it. Every chicken breed is unique and have different breeding concerns -- diets, climates, temperaments, etc. I've seen a lot of breeders (just in my 3 years as a backyard flock owner). They come and go. Some owners raise breeds not conducive to the climate or have more birds or breeds than they can handle and lose their flocks to climate disasters, predators, or disease and have to destroy their birds or else they exhaust themselves from overwork and close down their projects.
Caring for livestock of any kind is work. Even the lowly little chicken has so much to learn about it. May I suggest you start with one breed to see how it goes for a season before deciding to add a second breed. I started with 2 little bantams as pets 3 years ago and I've gone through 9 chickens and breeds during that time just to have the 3 hens I have left now. I had to rehome a "pullet" who turned out a cockerel, had to rehome 3 bully LF, and lost 2 as chicks/juvies during quarantine.
It has cost us so much money in vet bills to keep one little Silkie hen treated that we calculated her little Cadbury-sized eggs cost about $5 to $6 apiece. Yes, chickens need immediate vet visits as much as dogs and cats dobecause so many chicken diseases manifest the same symptoms and usually only a vet lab test can identify the malady conclusively. Because chickens like most animals will hide their illnesses so that when symptoms finally become apparent the animal has actually been ill quite a few days -- so a vet visit should be immediate. Avian vets are costlier than dog/cat vets -- we were lucky our vet had once worked in the poultry industry and was familiar with chickens. Raising animals is time consuming which is why you see so many breeders waiting until retirement to delve into livestock/poultry. There is also little-to-no money to be made -- rare-breed poultry raising is more of a hobby, homeschool classroom, or done just for the sake of saving a breed. One vet bill can eat up any profits seen previously. This is why I have no qualms about paying the higher price qualified breeders charge for their stock.
You seem to have some ideas in what direction you want to go. Much luck to you and remember to go gradual so that you have fun along the way. Chickens are really a hoot to enjoy.
I have experience with dogs and other livestock breeding, but this is my first time with chickens. Right now, I'm starting with Phoenix bantams next to my main egg laying flock, but the Dwarf Olandsk is on my wish list for sure! I like the history behind the breed, and obviously the way they look. I think I'm partial to the bantams because my rooster (also my first chicken) is a tiny Sebright.
I'm definitely not looking to get into this for the money. As an artist, I'm very familiar with doing something because you want/have a passion for it not because it'll make you rich or even pay the bills. LOL I just want to try to raise up some good strains for local rare breed enthusiasts/4H projects and try to help ensure the breeds last a little while longer.
