Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[Tatters]

Alright, I have a lot of reading to do

Just for an off topic thought, if one was to confine, how big of a run do you need? Since I live in a woods, chances of having free rangers is pretty nil.

 

[FrenchToast]

I think they use the leghorns for the egg production because they lay a large egg and they don't eat alot for a bird their size. Can't think of the term they call that ????

(Must be because of my High IQ !!!

)

Anyway, a good all purpose chicken that can be used for both meat and egg production is the Buff orphington. They also are known to go broody. Once you have chickens you will soon learn that they eat alot !!! And if you're main goal is egg production you will want to pick a breed that lays alot of eggs and easy on the feed bill.

The sexlink chickens (cross of chickens that will have different color chicks) are a cross of two different breeds. Hatcheries sell these since they are sexable at hatch. The are known to lay very large eggs and often daily BUT the clincher is they burn out and quit laying at a young age. Just like a woman has only so many eggs stored in the ovaries so do Chickens.

So it really all depends on what you like, what you want out of your flock etc.

As far as house chickens, some people don't consider chickens livestock and have them for pets. I for one consider all of my chickens pets that happen to provide breakfast. Everyone knows on here that I have WAY to many roosters that hatched and I don't have the guts to kill them. Although I did try calling around and could find no place that would humanely butcher my roos and grind them (which I think is the only way I could eat them at first)
It's all in the way you look at things. Who am I to decide that chicken needs to die because it is a male? Hey, I'm a city girl that moved into the country at the ripe old age of 48 so like I said old habits are hard to break.

So, that said, I feed tons of Roosters !!! And I have a house chicken now. That started beause I drove him down to SE WI to give him to the person who I got the original showgirl breeder pair from but never made it there thanks to WCC. ( I stopped to visit her (switch some chickens) and stayed way to long, had a good time) So the rooster came back home with me. It's not that I wouldn't or should I say couldn't put him back in with the others but once a rooster leaves the flock he will no doubt be low man on the totem pole and the fights will begin if I put him back. I plan on selecting a nice hen to pair him up with some day and he won't have the luxury of house living but until then he is a riot.
I think once you get some chickens you will soon notice that they do indeed have unique personalities and you will have your favorites.
After spending few days with him , well lets just say he grew on me.

OM DH says, don't tell anyone we have a chicken in the house so this is a secret I'm sharing with all of you !!!

But I have a cockatiel and a few parrots (one Blue & Gold MaCaw and African Greys) so I have to ask what is the difference ???? Price ????

I actually am getting a bigger kick out of the chicken then my expensive birds.

And as far as Coops go who says that is their home ???? And a house is ours ??? People ??? If I remember correctly all of the animals on the Ark shared accommodations !!!

 

[tiki244]

A little more food for thought. on coops


https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=445004


Hey FT

 

[tiki244]

I dont know much about the square footage. Just that you should have more than you think you should.

Maybe someone else knows.

 

[Tatters]

Yikes, chicken brain drain

...definitely going to have to sit back and read this all through. Lots of good reading and soaking in

 

[tiki244]

So much for the secret

FT

Whatever you do Tatters dont start looking at any pretty pictures of chickens.

 

[FrenchToast]

Man am I ticked !! I just typed tons and lost it all !!!

Now I'm having a brain fog and can't even remember what I was saying.

Shoooooot !!! Only that is mispelled !!!

 

[bigzio]

I just want to put in a couple cents here...not that it matters at all, but the true breeds of chickens fall into two categories: foundation breeds and composite breeds. Composite breeds are those that are made up from the original foundation breeds. In reality, if a composite breed is lost it can be created again as long as there are foundation breeds still around to contribute... For exampe the only american breed that is a foundation breed is the Java...all the rest of the american breeds.....plymouth rocks, dominique, wyandotte, rhode island red and white, jersey giant, new hampshire, buckeye, holland, delaware, chantecler, and lamonas are composite breeds. Please don't ask me to tell you who makes up who in the composite breeds. (although I know)

It's the same for the rest of the breeds asiatic, english, continentals, mediterranean, and others. While the true heritage breeds are the foundation breeds....most consider the composite breeds as heritage too.

bigz

 

[Tatters]

Sometimes its best to write in word, save it and then paste and copy. I find this works out beautifully as one can never trust the computer. I use to do this when I would write pages for my book.

 

[FrenchToast]

Quote:
Yep, Chicken brain drain !!! Wait til you get the chicken math going. Where there's a will there's a way ! You will find the room for all of the different breeds you want !!

Check out that site that I posted earlier yesterday, you can post an arial view of your place.

Did you see it Tiki ????