Sustainable egg & meat flock

[Buckhowdy]

If you were to get a broody breed (BOs have a reputation of being broody and would put some meat in your freezer or pantry when they are no longer laying), you could use a hen to hatch your chicks and integrate them into the flock for you. Of course, there is no guarantee a hen will go broody, or when. That can be a problem if you're trying to raise them on a schedule. Keep posting - it will be interesting and educational to see how your plans work out for you.

I've got mostly Barred Rocks now but I like everything I've read about Buff Orpingtons (BO). I'd like to buy a straight run when the timing is right. I didn't know that about broody hens introducing chicks into the flock. That would solve the partition problem. The partition takes up a third of the coop. BO's are heavy so that would help with the meat. They are supposed to be quiet, and that would help with the neighbors.

I lucked out with the neighbor. He is hard of hearing and he worked on a chicken farm as a boy!