Oregon

[Cloverleaf Farm]

Oh yes, on the egg color thing...If you want a varied egg basket, you would likely need to have one dual purpose breed, plus some hens of other breeds to mix it up a bit. For example, if you choose the Delawares, adding in a few Welsummers, Marans, and Ameraucanas, would give you what you're liking for in your egg basket.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I did the Cx on a feed store promotion. Won't do them again. It is so unnatural for an 8 week old CHICK to be larger than my biggest hen and still PEEPING. I am gonna raise LF Faverolles for my meat birds. I happen to know the best source around, Cloverleaf, wink wink nudge nudge. I have two pullets at 5mo they are the second biggest birds in my flock. Only one bigger is from my hatching from my 13# Orp boy over 6# Orp hen.

 

[ibreathe4u]

Have her call the fair grounds office. They were using it as a livestock shelter a little while ago. The kids will be thrilled - they just did pre-fair clean-up.

I'll do that. Thanks for the info.

 

[BGMatt]

I do realize that if I'm going to be serious about poultry it will mean "starting over" with quality breeds from "real" breeders so my flock(s) can be mostly self-sustaining and dual-purpose. I'd also love to help with preservation/conservation if possible. I don't think my experience with hatchery birds will be very useful in selecting breeds to work with once we find "real" breeders to buy from. Personally I'm interested in the biggest variety of egg colors (I'm very motivated by the beauty of eggs) but also need decent laying rates as I already have some egg customers.

Unfortunately, I cannot attend swaps and otherwise "hang out" much in person with chicken people (no offense to chicken people, it's not you, it's me), so was hoping to get some reliable referrals. Ideally I'd like to have my own broody hens raise the chicks, so that requires an extra layer of coordination. I had hoped to get started with that this spring, but it was our first spring with adult birds and we weren't sure how it would go so we decided against it. We did end up with a lot of adorable mystery mutts from our own flock, which was good experience but doesn't move us closer to the bigger goals.

Along with that I'd also like to do several small seasonal runs of meat birds and would prefer to have a local source for the chicks to avoid the issues of shipping them during heat waves etc. I don't know of any alternative to hatcheries for sourcing meat birds. Am I wrong? Are there any "good" local sources to buy meat birds from?

We've had a lot of fun buying birds from the feed store, but I do think we could do better. I believe it is time to either get serious or get out.

I really would appreciate any referrals/recommendations people would be willing to give me.

(I've been to all of one swap and some of what I saw there was very sad ... and had other experiences which make me VERY wary. I'd love to have a mentor.)

If you're wanting multiple colors in one flock, I'd recommend choosing one breed first that you want to breed. Then just pick up pullets of whatever other breeds that lay colored eggs if you want (as long as it isn't the same as your main breed), and of course only keep males of the main breed. This lets you have the best of both worlds, the breed you're concentrating on, you just hatch those eggs.

I do not think most serious poultry folk attend swaps, I'm trying to encourage some too because they keep complaining that their feed bill is too high, and some of the backyarders could really benefit from their stock that currently ends up necks snapped in a garbage can. I understand the time crunch as someone who owns their own business and works 60+ hours a week, has a currently small-medium size, but rapidly expanding again poultry breeding operation at home. The issue is a lot of the best sources for a lot of breeds are only really found there as a ton of the best chicken folk aren't on-line at all, and you tend to get better deals once they know you. HOWEVER with that said, if you toss out some breeds, myself and others here can make some good referral choices.

I agree with the others here, a reasonably quick maturing dual purpose fowl is going to be a good fit. I do like Zanna's recommendation of the Delaware, as it's a bit faster maturing than some of the other dual purpose fowl, you're talking 20-22 weeks for butcher on a Red or Dorking.

Allow me to toss in a quick plug for what I believe is the ultimate homesteading fowl, the Langshan. They are solid year round layers ~150-180 eggs a year so 3-4 a week, winter doesn't seem to effect them at all, the eggs are brown, occasionally with a faint purplish tint. They're a very hardy breed with a long long history. The males get to a good butchering size and the meat is very delicate, Most strains are a little bit slower growing than other dual purpose fowl and you're looking at 24 weeks or so to butcher, older birds make great roasting fowl. However I speak from experience (worked with the breed for ~12 years before I was forced out do to a move) when I say you CAN select for faster growth and see results in a few generations. They come in three recognized colors, Black, White and Blue, which of course means you'll see Splash as well.

 

[Reurra]

I used to live in Oakridge and Springfield. I was born and raised in that back woods country!

I miss the mountains

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I do realize that if I'm going to be serious about poultry it will mean "starting over" with quality breeds from "real" breeders so my flock(s) can be mostly self-sustaining and dual-purpose. I'd also love to help with preservation/conservation if possible. I don't think my experience with hatchery birds will be very useful in selecting breeds to work with once we find "real" breeders to buy from. Personally I'm interested in the biggest variety of egg colors (I'm very motivated by the beauty of eggs) but also need decent laying rates as I already have some egg customers. 

Unfortunately, I cannot attend swaps and otherwise "hang out" much in person with chicken people (no offense to chicken people, it's not you, it's me), so was hoping to get some reliable referrals. Ideally I'd like to have my own broody hens raise the chicks, so that requires an extra layer of coordination. I had hoped to get started with that this spring, but it was our first spring with adult birds and we weren't sure how it would go so we decided against it. We did end up with a lot of adorable mystery mutts from our own flock, which was good experience but doesn't move us closer to the bigger goals.

Along with that I'd also like to do several small seasonal runs of meat birds and would prefer to have a local source for the chicks to avoid the issues of shipping them during heat waves etc. I don't know of any alternative to hatcheries for sourcing meat birds. Am I wrong? Are there any "good" local sources to buy meat birds from?

We've had a lot of fun buying birds from the feed store, but I do think we could do better. I believe it is time to either get serious or get out.

I really would appreciate any referrals/recommendations people would be willing to give me.

(I've been to all of one swap and some of what I saw there was very sad ... and had other experiences which make me VERY wary. I'd love to have a mentor.)

If you're wanting multiple colors in one flock, I'd recommend choosing one breed first that you want to breed.  Then just pick up pullets of whatever other breeds that lay colored eggs if you want (as long as it isn't the same as your main breed), and of course only keep males of the main breed.  This lets you have the best of both worlds, the breed you're concentrating on, you just hatch those eggs.

I do not think most serious poultry folk attend swaps, I'm trying to encourage some too because they keep complaining that their feed bill is too high, and some of the backyarders could really benefit from their stock that currently ends up necks snapped in a garbage can.  I understand the time crunch as someone who owns their own business and works 60+ hours a week, has a currently small-medium size, but rapidly expanding again poultry breeding operation at home.  The issue is a lot of the best sources for a lot of breeds are only really found there as a ton of the best chicken folk aren't on-line at all, and you tend to get better deals once they know you.  HOWEVER with that said, if you toss out some breeds, myself and others here can make some good referral choices.

I agree with the others here, a reasonably quick maturing dual purpose fowl is going to be a good fit.  I do like Zanna's recommendation of the Delaware, as it's a bit faster maturing than some of the other dual purpose fowl, you're talking 20-22 weeks for butcher on a Red or Dorking.

Allow me to toss in a quick plug for what I believe is the ultimate homesteading fowl, the Langshan.  They are solid year round layers ~150-180 eggs a year so 3-4 a week, winter doesn't seem to effect them at all, the eggs are brown, occasionally with a faint purplish tint.  They're a very hardy breed with a long long history.  The males get to a good butchering size and the meat is very delicate, Most strains are a little bit slower growing than other dual purpose fowl and you're looking at 24 weeks or so to butcher, older birds make great roasting fowl.  However I speak from experience (worked with the breed for ~12 years before I was forced out do to a move) when I say you CAN select for faster growth and see results in a few generations.  They come in three recognized colors, Black, White and Blue, which of course means you'll see Splash as well.

I have to disagree on one point here...I consider myself a pretty serious breeder, as the president of my national breed club & all, and I am the organizer of the spring swap...we're getting more and more serious breeders every year.


Yes Travis, you shall have Favs... LOL

 

[BGMatt]

I have to disagree on one point here...I consider myself a pretty serious breeder, as the president of my national breed club & all, and I am the organizer of the spring swap...we're getting more and more serious breeders every year.


Yes Travis, you shall have Favs... LOL

I did say most. I consider myself a serious breeder and am going to be at all the swaps I can. Was at spring swap, have a selling table at summer, and will be at fall in some capacity. I think more serious breeders should go to them, but currently most do not, present company excepted.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Matt I bet there were probably more "SERIOUS" breeders at the spring swap than you were aware of. BTW I wish you woulda stopped by to say Hi since ya were there. I missed ya at the swap and PNPA show in Vancouver.

IF by chance any of you decide you want to check out the Faverolles. Cloverleaf Farm is a VERY good source for AWESOME birds like FUDGE.


This is also Fudge and Peaches. From Cloverleaf Farm. I now own both of them.




I also have Bantam Faverolles in Black, Blue, Salmon and Buff. All from Cloverleaf Farm!!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I did the Cx on a feed store promotion. Won't do them again. It is so unnatural for an 8 week old CHICK to be larger than my biggest hen and still PEEPING. I am gonna raise LF Faverolles for my meat birds. I happen to know the best source around, Cloverleaf, wink wink nudge nudge. I have two pullets at 5mo they are the second biggest birds in my flock. Only one bigger is from my hatching from my 13# Orp boy over 6# Orp hen.

Yes, totally freaky. But so yummy. I hate to be so gluttonous about it, but that's the truth. I'd better decide on an alternative before I cave into cravings and buy more.

 

[Tammy N]

Matt I bet there were probably more "SERIOUS" breeders at the spring swap than you were aware of. BTW I wish you woulda stopped by to say Hi since ya were there. I missed ya at the swap and PNPA show in Vancouver.

IF by chance any of you decide you want to check out the Faverolles. Cloverleaf Farm is a VERY good source for AWESOME birds like FUDGE.


This is also Fudge and Peaches. From Cloverleaf Farm. I now own both of them.




I also have Bantam Faverolles in Black, Blue, Salmon and Buff. All from Cloverleaf Farm!!

Matt I bet there were probably more "SERIOUS" breeders at the spring swap than you were aware of. BTW I wish you woulda stopped by to say Hi since ya were there. I missed ya at the swap and PNPA show in Vancouver.

IF by chance any of you decide you want to check out the Faverolles. Cloverleaf Farm is a VERY good source for AWESOME birds like FUDGE.


This is also Fudge and Peaches. From Cloverleaf Farm. I now own both of them.

had one with the same face he was huge i am sure mixed because he was blue No one wanted him so he met the camp freezer