Raising your own

[Scooby308]

Thanks to all for the info. It is so much better to get it from folks who raise birds as opposed to reading some Wiki link (or the like).

 

[ronniewayne]

interesting to me as i have raised a few broilers for meat the last 3 yrs....my first attempt i got 100 comets (red sex links) straight run.. slaughtered the roosters and kept the pullets to lay eggs...the roosters were hardly worth processing...but were small tasty birds we had raised no arsenic no antibotics ...ect...the hens were egg laying machines the best brown egg layers i have ever seen....and better than most white eggers....i sold most of the hens and have 3 left and 1 of them went broody and hatched chicks this yr....then i raised 100 at a time the cornish x broilers ...better feed conversion much larger dressed birds easier to pluck and dress ...3x as much white meat..so if you want eggs the egg layers will convert more feed to eggs and if you want meat the meaties will convert more feed to meat....i love the heritage reds and barred rocks...starting a flock of rhode island reds now..but they wont lay or produce meat with those hybryds....as the last poster said that the fun of it decide what you want to raise and what the end goal is ...i know a self sustaining flock usually doesnt have winter eggs...because they lay less and take the winter off ..and just on the yard you would have to have a large # of broodies to keep the flock going...i do know a lady who does so with almost no feed as she lets hers out in the day and they range and forage for what they get...they dont lay so much and the roosters are not great meaties ...but it is her wish to have a flock with low cost and low maintence good luck with yours !

 

[cmom]

I have started a Heritage RIR flock. Soon I will have the first breeding of my Heritage pullets with my Heritage cockerel. They are such a dark red they almost look black. I don't know how they will lay but it will be interesting to see. The pullets haven't started laying yet but should start pretty soon. I won't hatch out their eggs though until they get to be a decent size which will be several weeks away.

 

[vsmenagerie]

Out of my 5 buff orphs, 3 have gone broody. One sat for like 5 weeks I'm planning on getting them a rooster, I just haven't totally decided what yet.