Topic of the Week - What is the purpose of your flock?

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

I keep my flock for:
1. Eggs - this was my primary reason, and things grew from there.
2. Meat - this was what happened when three "pullets" turned out to be roosters.
3. Breed and sell - this is what happened when I decided to keep one rooster.
4. Bug control - my grasshopper population has never been so low!
5. Entertainment - more than enough said!

I can relate to all of that. However when I get a roo and I have extra hens I will sell the extras in bulk. That's why I hatch one breed at a time so I can sell them in breeding trios for a good bit of money! Or I give the extra roosters to my neighbors, they...."take care of them"
I also love how my hens like eating the katydids. I get bot by those sometimes and it hurts. My hen Susan loves eating any mice she sees, she actually ate a young rat snake I found while I was walking around. She ate it whole!

 

[Sir Sacabambaspis]

Hello everyone, this is my flock... well some of my flock. I have 5 roos, but I'm getting ride of 3. This is because I'm splitting the flock from bigger to smaller. I hatched put a smaller rooster so he is staying! I also have 12 hens and one of them has gone broody!!! Sense she is only brooding a few eggs and she might not have the best success I'm getting some other pullets when her's hatch! The dual purpose flock has 5 hens. There names are Eda (the broody hen), Lilith her sister they are both Austrolorp mixes, Nugget & Bake Beans the Piemonte sisters, Susan the French Cuckoo Maran. I will try to get a picture of the Littly Flock later.

 

[abpatchy]

At first I just wanted to keep chickens for eggs and meat. Since I can't keep them where I live I had to join a breeding club. They require that you show your birds though. So now I show my chickens (which I learned to love) and use them for eggs and meat.
I usually raise about 100 chicks per year. The hens that don't make the cut will be sold. The roosters will be sold IF I find someone who wants a rooster. Very hard in GErmany. The rest will feed the family.

 

[Alaska907]

My chickens are pets I don’t eat chicken don’t cook chicken! Family members eat chicken but have to get it in a restaurant .there fun to watch that baby’s r the best so funny , stupid all wrapped into one. I love fresh eggs to cook with nothing better then fresh eggs. It hurts me to loose any of my flock. Thank you

 

[GoldenBlossoms]

My chickens are pets I don’t eat chicken don’t cook chicken! Family members eat chicken but have to get it in a restaurant .there fun to watch that baby’s r the best so funny , stupid all wrapped into one. I love fresh eggs to cook with nothing better then fresh eggs. It hurts me to loose any of my flock. Thank you

100% the same. My chickens are my sweet babies I hate losing them and spoil them rotten lol (I feed them stuff from a restaurant I go to and bring them left overs lol) safe for them to eat of course, never want to give them something toxic lol

 

[Batter]

I have chickens for probably a little of every reason. Some are pets, chosen to be such because of a special quality that makes them loved by all, such as the funny antics of Jace or the calm and docility around children my sweet Jazz displays.
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These birds are almost always kept for their whole lives, and if they're sold for some reason, it's only to homes I know and trust to care for them well.

Then I have the egg layers, which pay the feed bill for the rest of the freeloaders. These are usually sold in two to three years. This year it's White Leghorns. I highly recommend them, by the way.
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Some birds are breeding stock for my endeavours towards the Standard of Perfection. These birds will likely be kept for a good long time but I don't know as of yet whether I will keep them their whole life or not. Likely not, if I can get some better stock from their eggs.

Partridge Chantecler cockerel. This is the bird I am keeping from this set. That gold you see in his hackle is the underside; the top side of the hackle is the brilliant red seen on the rest of it.
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Partridge Chantecler pullet. This one is not a good bird in terms of colour but she has decent structure in points where the above cockerel is weak, I think.
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Some of my Silver Ameraucana breeding group. The cock is going to be invited to dinner as soon as I get a suitable replacement due to his bratty temperament. I have eggs from them in lockdown now.
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Last, I keep them for tick patrol. The ducks in particular are great at this and definitely reduce how many issues we have with them. As an added bonus, I don't have to mow the area where the birds spend most of their time. I have also utilized a spare cockerel for meat. I have more for that purpose sitting in the coop now, and I mean to do it more often, rather than giving away all those feed guzzlers for nothing in return... still, I shirk from it enough I don't think it can as of yet be classified as a purpose that I keep my flock for.

Hi, you seem to have a range of birds. Can you say what breed are these: my birds are few and are pets.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

Eggs

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Hi, you seem to have a range of birds. Can you say what breed are these: my birds are few and are pets.

The first is a buff orpington mix, looks like the last two are Easter eggers.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I raise mine for eggs but so enjoy their company too. I am lucky and have a great neighbor to chicken sit if I'm gone. In fact she begged me not to use anyone else!
I love taking eggs to friends and family. Some folks pay for them. I've learned so much about them these last 3 years. I find going to coop very relaxing and peaceful.
I don't know if I could do meat birds?!.

 

[Batter]

The first is a buff orpington mix, looks like the last two are Easter eggers.

Thank you.