Hello from humid south of Mississippi! I'm not new to poultry, but this is my first flock all on my own. In the past, I raised ducks and geese with my parents until I went to college and married. Now we're ready to start our homesteading adventure, my dream.
We're starting with six Partridge Plymouth Rock pullets and one rooster from McMurray, all turning 4 weeks old this Tuesday. I chose Plymouth Rocks to raise as dual purpose birds, so in the long run we won't buy either eggs or chicken. I'm really looking forward to breeding toward an improved flock and ready to start collecting data on my little birds. To identify them, I gave each a Zip wing band and will later add a matching numbered "adjustable" aluminum leg band (I think that's at 4 months?) . My current resources are limited to thr book by Harvey Ussery and the three printouts on evaluation by the ALBC.
Besides my budding homestead, I dabble in freelance art and raising my two girls under two. I've started to experiment with baking so we can rely less on the store and cut down on our waste. I'm planning a starter garden for next year so we can add fresh vegetables to our pantry.
I've found answers on BYC too many times now to not join. I wish I'd found it sooner so I could've acquired my birds from a more reputable breeder, but this lets me play a little more with my breeding.
Some of the ladies wanted a close up when I was trying to get photos of my feeder in use.
All the chickies. My roo is starting to stand out more.
My mostly complete coop.
We're starting with six Partridge Plymouth Rock pullets and one rooster from McMurray, all turning 4 weeks old this Tuesday. I chose Plymouth Rocks to raise as dual purpose birds, so in the long run we won't buy either eggs or chicken. I'm really looking forward to breeding toward an improved flock and ready to start collecting data on my little birds. To identify them, I gave each a Zip wing band and will later add a matching numbered "adjustable" aluminum leg band (I think that's at 4 months?) . My current resources are limited to thr book by Harvey Ussery and the three printouts on evaluation by the ALBC.
Besides my budding homestead, I dabble in freelance art and raising my two girls under two. I've started to experiment with baking so we can rely less on the store and cut down on our waste. I'm planning a starter garden for next year so we can add fresh vegetables to our pantry.
I've found answers on BYC too many times now to not join. I wish I'd found it sooner so I could've acquired my birds from a more reputable breeder, but this lets me play a little more with my breeding.
Some of the ladies wanted a close up when I was trying to get photos of my feeder in use.
All the chickies. My roo is starting to stand out more.
My mostly complete coop.
