So I was on The Livestock Conservancy site and saw several breeds that were considered critical or threatened. That got me thinking, though I have no intention of raising chickens just to breed, should I stick with a breed that needs the boost.
Has anyone decided to keep a heritage breed for a hobby and egg keeping, but will sell the eggs or chicks as purebred? Do I need to do anything specific to ensure they keep their status or anything like that? The two chicken breeds I'm looking at are Araucana (Critical) and Holland (Critical). Though I haven't found any Holland breeders near me (100-mile radius), I have found several breeders of Araucana. Where we live currently, there are 35 chickens that free range, so mine would need to stay in a large run.
The other route is to stick with ducks. I see that Australian Spotted (Critical), Aylesbury (Critical), and Dutch Hookbill (Critical) are also needing a boost. I feel dumb for asking, but if I don't clip their wings, will they fly away? Also thinking of maybe 5 females and 1 male of the breeds. How big of a run would be appropriate? Would a 20ft long run, 6.5' tall, and 12' wide be sufficient? We have a pond on the property, but I'd also give them a pool to swim around in.
Has anyone decided to keep a heritage breed for a hobby and egg keeping, but will sell the eggs or chicks as purebred? Do I need to do anything specific to ensure they keep their status or anything like that? The two chicken breeds I'm looking at are Araucana (Critical) and Holland (Critical). Though I haven't found any Holland breeders near me (100-mile radius), I have found several breeders of Araucana. Where we live currently, there are 35 chickens that free range, so mine would need to stay in a large run.
The other route is to stick with ducks. I see that Australian Spotted (Critical), Aylesbury (Critical), and Dutch Hookbill (Critical) are also needing a boost. I feel dumb for asking, but if I don't clip their wings, will they fly away? Also thinking of maybe 5 females and 1 male of the breeds. How big of a run would be appropriate? Would a 20ft long run, 6.5' tall, and 12' wide be sufficient? We have a pond on the property, but I'd also give them a pool to swim around in.
