I've been raising enough chickens to supply myself and two dogs (65 and 75lbs) who eat an all raw diet including eggs, each dog getting several eggs per week and I eat up to dozen eggs per week, for over 20 years, have had many different breeds over these years but now I only have Dark Cornish and am planning to stick with Dark Cornish for the rest of my life because they produce both excellent, even considered gourmet by some people, meat as well as plenty of eggs for my needs. Also they're considered to have "poor" temperaments whatever that means but I like them the way they are, very tough, hardy birds who are good foragers, great mothers and intelligent, as far as chickens go. I don't want to bond with food animals so am not trying to make friends with my chickens and they don't want to be my friends so this works out perfectly.
Now I have a partner who also has two dogs so now it's two people and 4 dogs, plus I am starting a small, high quality Boxer dog breeding program with my female who is almost two years old and first litter is planned for her next heat cycle, and I want to keep a female from that litter if there is one I really like so then we will have 5 dogs including two breeding females and all of my dogs are also working dogs, very athletic and active so have very high and specialized nutritional needs.
We are planning to produce not only all of our chicken eggs and meat for all of us but all of our meat needs in total between farmed and hunted animals. We have the beginnings of a herd of Scottish Highland cattle including three calves born this year and two confirmed pregnant cows due next summer. Also going to get pigs next year. Have 3 African geese to guard chickens because they are going to be put on a rotational pasture system with a mobile coop and portable solar powered electric fencing beginning next spring/summer. Partner already shot one good, large deer, is hanging in garage ready to be cut up and frozen, and plans to try and get two more before season ends Sunday.
A big advantage of Dark Cornish over Cornish X is Dark Cornish are not hybrids so can be bred to reproduce enough to hatch each spring. We were going to do this next year but due to an avian influenza outbreak at Murray McMurray hatchery I was unable to buy enough chicks last summer that would be old enough to produce enough eggs to hatch next spring, so instead ordered 150 Dark Cornish to be delivered the week of May 1. They'll be pasture raised with geese guarding them for around 5 months, May-early October then most slaughtered and frozen, except those we deem "best" will be kept for breeding (and egg supply) so we won't have to buy a bunch in future years, mostly just replace roosters for fresh genetics every couple years or so.
I have tried selling and giving away eggs over the years but found it to be far more trouble than it's worth, at least for someone like me who doesn't really socialize much, so one goal is to never have "too many" eggs again. Pigs will eat any surplus we ever have after us and dogs. We're also getting turkeys to raise for meat and maybe ducks too, but partner hunts ducks and geese as well so maybe not.
(Anyone have dual purpose breed suggestions?)
Yes, Dark Cornish.
Nice topic idea.
and I barely even eat them. Lol
