Raising Baby Chick-Along

[orrpeople]

I have. Barred Hollands and Rhode Island Whites. I think I have enough RIWs and will know in a couple weeks on the BH.

Pictures! Pictures!

 

[rjohns39]

Pictures! Pictures!

Here are the RIW and some del's. BH are still in the bator.

 

[rjohns39]

Question of the day!! Why did you start raising chickens? What was it that made you take the leap into poultry ownership? Did you grow up with them, or is this a brand new thing?/

For us its two fold. We bought our final home in June of 2015, a very neglected 100 acre farm with a solid house and overgrown, tree laden pastures. Our goals simply put was to grow our own food and eat for free, which means selling food in the local market to off set the costs. We'd also like to make some profit along the way. Poultry was the least expensive way to enter into this craziness. We started with non-industrial Leghorns, Delaware's, heritage turkeys and rouen ducks. Since, we've added RIW and have some Barred Hollands hatching in about a week. Last fall, we tried our hand at CX for meat birds and took on 150, were able to harvest 140 which added up to 820+ pounds of meat for us AND a TON of learning and training. As we clear our pastures, we'll add pork, beef, goats and maybe even sheep. We're on the waiting list for cotton patch geese as well.

 

[UrbanFlock916]

Hungry little monsters, rjohns!

I took the time to get some cuter snaps of our flock this morning. Lots of let stretching and preening today, also getting a little flighty!

As for today's question, this is our first time raising chickens. Sacramento legalized urban coops a few years ago and seeing friends with their flocks made the possibility of us having our own much more realistic. We have a longstanding desire to eat locally and organically, keeping chickens helps us achieve that goal. Also, being connected to food production and cultivation feels like a more intentional way to live.

 

[orrpeople]

For us its two fold. We bought our final home in June of 2015, a very neglected 100 acre farm with a solid house and overgrown, tree laden pastures. Our goals simply put was to grow our own food and eat for free, which means selling food in the local market to off set the costs. We'd also like to make some profit along the way. Poultry was the least expensive way to enter into this craziness. We started with non-industrial Leghorns, Delaware's, heritage turkeys and rouen ducks. Since, we've added RIW and have some Barred Hollands hatching in about a week. Last fall, we tried our hand at CX for meat birds and took on 150, were able to harvest 140 which added up to 820+ pounds of meat for us AND a TON of learning and training. As we clear our pastures, we'll add pork, beef, goats and maybe even sheep. We're on the waiting list for cotton patch geese as well.

That is awesome! Hard, but rewarding work! We just helped some friends with the same goals to harvest their Cxs. We did 120 birds, as well as some of our own roosters. Yes, TONS of learning in the process, and we were so glad to have folks with experience (and all the amazing equipment - what did we ever do without a plucker!?!?) to help us out!

 

[orrpeople]

Hungry little monsters, rjohns!

I took the time to get some cuter snaps of our flock this morning. Lots of let stretching and preening today, also getting a little flighty!

As for today's question, this is our first time raising chickens. Sacramento legalized urban coops a few years ago and seeing friends with their flocks made the possibility of us having our own much more realistic. We have a longstanding desire to eat locally and organically, keeping chickens helps us achieve that goal. Also, being connected to food production and cultivation feels like a more intentional way to live.

Aww, your babies are so precious!! My husband grew up in Sacramento - Fair Oaks, home of the "wild" chicken flock that roams the city! Yes, I completely agree with your goals with food. We have this kind of conversation a lot, especially as we have begun to process some of our own birds (which we hatched and raised from our own flock). I am always amazed how "grossed out" some folks get about butchering chickens... and then go order a chicken club sandwich... hmmm.

 

[SquirrelMaster]

Hello all! I've been a silent member for a few years now but since I'm raising a new clutch I decided to get in on this thread!

I raise my birds by allowing nature to take its course but have had to use a surrogate brood hen, who's the toughest little mutt bantam I've ever known. She hatches my production reds and accepted 5 Silver grey Dorking chicks (all pullets thank heavens) along with the straight run RIR'S.

My alpha roo is Slinky, a 5 year old RIR that controls every living thing in the neighborhood if allowed...heaven knows my husband avoids him at all costs ( but to be fair Slinky has four inch Spurs and is not afraid to use them on man nor Beast...ask my 128lb intact male dog, he's scared to death of Slink!).

With the introduction of the dorkings I will now be able to double my egg production until brood season and then I am able to breed birds for meat.

As of right now, I have 22 birds in my flock. One Buff orpington (ugh...so aggressive that I've separated the sisters and the roo won't mount her but WILL stand on her side and rip her feathers out to get her under control) both blue and cream Wheaton Amaracuanas two gold laced Cochin and the rest production Reds and Dorkings.

Of all the eggs hatched this year I only ended up with one Cockerel. We have known since he was 4 days old that he was he as he is much much more dominant than my big Roo. (I will butcher him at 15 weeks, his name is Skillet...I don't usually name meat birds but dang he's gamey)

I don't usually take photos of chickens but I'll take a pic of the entire flock this afternoon when I change the straw in the laying boxes.

With two roosters, I've got to watch my back, especially since the brood hen has Slinky on high alert (that and the seven red tailed hawks that live in my oaks...never lost a chicken but Slinky killed a big male hawk last year...guess he shoulda stayed out of that pen!)

I've lived on a farm my whole life so I grew up with the "everything is food for something else" mentality which is part of the reason that I've been quiet for so long.

I do know that people love their Birds, I actually love some of mine but, I'm extremely practical and I produce about 80% of our food, meat, fruits vegetables and grain here on my property.

(People sometimes think I'm cruel for raising birds for meat but, I know that my birds have been cared for well, they have never been hurt or dumped down shoots they have had the sun on their faces they have chased butterflies and roosted in trees...they've never been subjected to the intense cruelty of a production farm and my family isn't ingesting chemicals or tortured birds.)

Here's a shot of Slinky I found (he was right at a year old in this photo) . When I leave the kennel to work the bees and chickens I'll take more! (We pulled the well down to re-shingle it so the flock wasn't in their pen at the time this photo was taken)

 

[SquirrelMaster]

Question of the day!! Why did you start raising chickens? What was it that made you take the leap into poultry ownership? Did you grow up with them, or is this a brand new thing?

When I was three it was my job to sort bitties in a flock of well over 300...not a new thing!

 

[rjohns39]

Aww, your babies are so precious!! My husband grew up in Sacramento - Fair Oaks, home of the "wild" chicken flock that roams the city! Yes, I completely agree with your goals with food. We have this kind of conversation a lot, especially as we have begun to process some of our own birds (which we hatched and raised from our own flock). I am always amazed how "grossed out" some folks get about butchering chickens... and then go order a chicken club sandwich... hmmm.

I love my featherman setup. We can do about 300 birds in a day now, started at 25... And we now can break down a bird into leg quarters, wings, breast, tenders and carcass at a rate of about 3 minutes per bird. All of the girls get to stay for two full laying years, maybe more for the turkeys and the boys with a job (aka breeders) get to stay. All of the unemployed boys go to the freezer.

My CX birds get fresh grass every day while the due is still fresh and clean supplemental feed and my girls get moved on pasture to fresh grass regularly they have their own custom blend of clean feed and have an electric feather net to keep the predators out. All of my birds fly, so they'll often enlarge their range and return to the pasture when they need shelter. Though I have several large and small hawks, they generally leave the birds alone. Had one crash land in the pasture one day and the turkey's about took it out.

 

[rjohns39]

Just finished candling the BH eggs. 12 out of 24 made it this far. 22LH and 10 del. Will candle turkey's and ducks a week from now.