Self Sustainable Flock?

[Hei 20]

Hello!
I am relatively new to raising chickens (I've had some for about 10 weeks and bought them when they were around 12 weeks). I have this flock for eggs and can't wait for them to start laying. However, I am now starting to look into having a separate flock of chickens for meat. I love the idea of a self sustainable flock, where the hens go broody and raise chicks until they are the right age to butcher. I was thinking of a chicken tractor out in my pasture, one rooster to fertilize eggs, and a few hens, although I still have a few questions. One, how do I let the chicks eat grower food while keeping the hens on layer? Two, are there any breeds that you might suggest (chickens known to go broody, good mothers, etc.)? Three, has anybody tried this? Does this even work? Anyways, I would greatly appreciate any feedback or tips on a self-sustainable flock of chickens, reproducing and raising chicks on their own. Thank you!

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

Thank you all for this feedback! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Also, this is my first post on this forum and did not expect so much feedback so quickly!

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you all for this feedback! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Also, this is my first post on this forum and did not expect so much feedback so quickly!

You're welcome!

This is a very friendly place full of people who are eager to enable the love of chickens.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined. Never be afraid to ask a question on here even if it has been asked many times before. The search function on here is not always easy to use plus if it's been asked before it's usually easier to answer. We all have to start somewhere so there is no bad question. Well, actually there is. A bad question is the one you fail to ask and something goes wrong because of not asking.

Many of us on here do some version of what you are talking about. There are almost an endless number of different ways you could approach this. There are also a lot of places where romance meets reality. That means things don't always work out the way you plan, but if you are flexible you can usually make it work.

It's hard to even start on how to respond. I think the first thing is to get an idea of what your goals are. You have some generic ones right now which is where a lot of us started but to make them real you need to narrow them down. You might start by reading this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-are-meat-birds.1427714/

Some of us raise Cornish X, some Rangers, and some dual purpose. Some breed their chickens to improve the meat qualities that are important to us. What breeds are in your current laying flock? You may have a decent base to start with if you think dual purpose is the way to go.

You need to decide how much meat you actually want. It can be really challenging to raise many for meat using only broody hens unless you have a lot of chickens. That can get expensive to feed and house. I manage to raise a lot for meat with one rooster and 6 to 8 hens by using an incubator as well as using broody hens. There are a lot of different ways to approach this.

So read through this forum and ask questions. You might consider reading some of the threads started by Cody Brown, he's been asking some interesting questions.

Good luck and once again

 

[Geena]

As do many others here, we raise own own blend of meat mutts - heritage birds x meat birds. We fill the freezer for us and the dogs and haven't purchased chicken at the store in quite a few years now. Like Ridgerunner we collect eggs and hatch them in incubators. We'd starve if we had to depend on broody hens, lol.
It sounds good in theory but in reality good broodies are hard to come by in breeds that are big enough to make good meat birds, at least in my experience.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined. Never be afraid to ask a question on here even if it has been asked many times before. The search function on here is not always easy to use plus if it's been asked before it's usually easier to answer. We all have to start somewhere so there is no bad question. Well, actually there is. A bad question is the one you fail to ask and something goes wrong because of not asking.

Many of us on here do some version of what you are talking about. There are almost an endless number of different ways you could approach this. There are also a lot of places where romance meets reality. That means things don't always work out the way you plan, but if you are flexible you can usually make it work.

It's hard to even start on how to respond. I think the first thing is to get an idea of what your goals are. You have some generic ones right now which is where a lot of us started but to make them real you need to narrow them down. You might start by reading this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-are-meat-birds.1427714/

Some of us raise Cornish X, some Rangers, and some dual purpose. Some breed their chickens to improve the meat qualities that are important to us. What breeds are in your current laying flock? You may have a decent base to start with if you think dual purpose is the way to go.

You need to decide how much meat you actually want. It can be really challenging to raise many for meat using only broody hens unless you have a lot of chickens. That can get expensive to feed and house. I manage to raise a lot for meat with one rooster and 6 to 8 hens by using an incubator as well as using broody hens. There are a lot of different ways to approach this.

So read through this forum and ask questions. You might consider reading some of the threads started by Cody Brown, he's been asking some interesting questions.

Good luck and once again

Thank you!! Currently I have a bantam production blue, a Rhode Island Red, a Buff Orpington, some barred rocks, some Black copper Maran sexlinks, and a brown leghorn.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

As do many others here, we raise own own blend of meat mutts - heritage birds x meat birds. We fill the freezer for us and the dogs and haven't purchased chicken at the store in quite a few years now. Like Ridgerunner we collect eggs and hatch them in incubators. We'd starve if we had to depend on broody hens, lol.
It sounds good in theory but in reality good broodies are hard to come by in breeds that are big enough to make good meat birds, at least in my experience.

Thank you! After reading all these I will probably end up getting an incubator.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I had a Dark Cornish hen, bought as a chick from McMurray hatchery, that went broody and raised chicks. I don't know how broody that breed is, because she was the only one I had, but she did a fine job.

Hatchery-quality Dark Cornish are basically dual-purpose chickens (show-quality Cornish would be much meatier, but lay fewer eggs.)

I have Hatchery Dark Brahma myself - was eager to add them to the flock because they tend to be better winter layers than many breeds, and as dual purpose go, they get bigger - bigger than most. Also, I find my dark brahma to be very alert and good free rangers, helping to protect the less alert (more "prey") members of my flock.

That's the good news.

Now the bad.

None of my five hens have gone broody. Its basically six months till you can hope one will start laying, so even free ranging, there's a lot of feed invested. When they do start laying, they still don't lay near as frequently as a comet or other bird picked specifically for that quality, and slower than many dual purpose as well. In spite of their large appearance, they don't actually weigh much in their first 6 months of life, they get big late too (again, those feed costs). Once they do get big in their second year, if you do decide to eat them, they've been free ranging for a long time - meat is lean, very flavorful, and totally unsuited to anything not closely resembling stock, stew, or sausage.

I love mine, but self-sustaining? That's a big flock, with high up front costs, significant maintenance costs, and a long horizon return on investment.

Give me a few generations, I may have something that improves a bit on a few of those factors, and if you've space and time, that may be a good pick for you - but if you are on a small plot, buying your feed, and moving a chicken tractor around? Look elsewhere.

MY Hoover Hatchery "Rainbows" (which all look a lot like Buff Orps with some NH Red in the background, or Reds with some Orp in the background) are nothing special dual purpose. Medium lay, medium development, medium weight - they aren't bad at anything, but somehow they aren't good at anything either.

Comets are a short term fix for high egg production needs. That's all. No breast meat, not enough weight to be worth removing the feathers - peel the skin entire and toss in the stock pot when they are done laying (which doesn't take long, 2-3 years is their productive span). Small birds laying large eggs, its hard on a body.

CornishX - all meat, no brain. Hands down best for fast feed conversion. Successfully breeding them is beyond most home flocks - like the Comet, they are a hybrid, and to get an exceptional bird, you need to maintain multiple breeding lines. Did I mention no brain? Even with other breeds to show them the way, they free range poorly, aren't predator alert, and waddle worse than a duck when fleeing predators.

Silver Laced Wyandotte? I have some, a lot like the Brahma in many ways, but I've not had them long enough I feel comfortable offering further insights.

So, no recommends, but some useful cautions???

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

I have Hatchery Dark Brahma myself - was eager to add them to the flock because they tend to be better winter layers than many breeds, and as dual purpose go, they get bigger - bigger than most. Also, I find my dark brahma to be very alert and good free rangers, helping to protect the less alert (more "prey") members of my flock.

That's the good news.

Now the bad.

None of my five hens have gone broody. Its basically six months till you can hope one will start laying, so even free ranging, there's a lot of feed invested. When they do start laying, they still don't lay near as frequently as a comet or other bird picked specifically for that quality, and slower than many dual purpose as well. In spite of their large appearance, they don't actually weigh much in their first 6 months of life, they get big late too (again, those feed costs). Once they do get big in their second year, if you do decide to eat them, they've been free ranging for a long time - meat is lean, very flavorful, and totally unsuited to anything not closely resembling stock, stew, or sausage.

I love mine, but self-sustaining? That's a big flock, with high up front costs, significant maintenance costs, and a long horizon return on investment.

Give me a few generations, I may have something that improves a bit on a few of those factors, and if you've space and time, that may be a good pick for you - but if you are on a small plot, buying your feed, and moving a chicken tractor around? Look elsewhere.

MY Hoover Hatchery "Rainbows" (which all look a lot like Buff Orps with some NH Red in the background, or Reds with some Orp in the background) are nothing special dual purpose. Medium lay, medium development, medium weight - they aren't bad at anything, but somehow they aren't good at anything either.

Comets are a short term fix for high egg production needs. That's all. No breast meat, not enough weight to be worth removing the feathers - peel the skin entire and toss in the stock pot when they are done laying (which doesn't take long, 2-3 years is their productive span). Small birds laying large eggs, its hard on a body.

CornishX - all meat, no brain. Hands down best for fast feed conversion. Successfully breeding them is beyond most home flocks - like the Comet, they are a hybrid, and to get an exceptional bird, you need to maintain multiple breeding lines. Did I mention no brain? Even with other breeds to show them the way, they free range poorly, aren't predator alert, and waddle worse than a duck when fleeing predators.

Silver Laced Wyandotte? I have some, a lot like the Brahma in many ways, but I've not had them long enough I feel comfortable offering further insights.

So, no recommends, but some useful cautions???

Thank you very much! This really helps a lot. After getting all this insight I am definitely leaning on the incubator method and artificial brooding. I thought my idea might be easier than an incubator but Im learning otherwise. I love the idea of breeding my own line of chickens. I am relatively new to chickens so this didn't even cross my mind. Thank you!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

As others have said it’s a trade off. The only real meat birds that will give you a dressed chicken that looks like store bought is the Cornish cross.
leghorns and most ornamental types will have less usable meat than a jumbo quail.
but any of the heavy breeds will give you a usable carcass. But most, like the Orpington, Wyandot, and so on will give you a fair amount of meat as adults. But expect them to be stronger tasting and tougher than you are used to.
I grew up on dual purpose birds, we never bought meat, only ate what we raised. So to me that’s what chicken is supposed to taste like.
it will also take three times as long to get to a good weight for meat. But they eat far less so again, a trade off.
as far as a broody hen I’d suggest a game type, silkies or a heritage type bird. Although I’ve had wonderful luck with my partridge Cochins.