I want ONE breed...DUMB???

[Iluveggers]

Naked Necks could serve your purpose.

 

[boldoldwoman]

I keep one breed at a time since I don't want interbreeding and the added work to separate. The last 2 have been on the endangered or watch list and heritage breeds. Out of Buff Orpington, Dominique and Salmon Faverolle I liked the buffs best for eggs ( big and flavorful) and being good sitters. They always used nest boxes, too. Their drawback was the high combs and frostbite so I went with low combs. I'm in a zone 6a. The favs mostly lay out of the boxes and like to bury eggs. And never had a mean rooster with the buffs. The dom and fav roosters make it "exciting" in the coop! Lol

 

[762]

I keep one breed at a time since I don't want interbreeding and the added work to separate. The last 2 have been on the endangered or watch list and heritage breeds. Out of Buff Orpington, Dominique and Salmon Faverolle I liked the buffs best for eggs ( big and flavorful) and being good sitters. They always used nest boxes, too. Their drawback was the high combs and frostbite so I went with low combs. I'm in a zone 6a. The favs mostly lay out of the boxes and like to bury eggs. And never had a mean rooster with the buffs. The dom and fav roosters make it "exciting" in the coop! Lol

I am right on the edge of 7A/7B, so maybe I won't have the frost bite problem with Orpingtons. But posts by Lilbitsnpieces (poopybutt and heat stroke) and EggSighted4Life (loud, bossy and slow to mature) on the previous two pages really have me second guessing. Also another posted that they cannot get their Black Australorps to become at all broody...I just...ugh.

I found a local who will be hatching about a dozen lavendar/split blacks that they raise for show, so they are very selective in their breeding process. I understand that mine won't retain the lavender trait unless I specifically aim for it in breeding and don't care, as that is not my purpose. But I do feel like it's the only line I have on quality birds this time of year so I may just go for it. I think she wants $80 for the strait run of chicks, so although it's not what I want (10 female two male), it's not a bad place to start.

 

[3KillerBs]

Also another posted that they cannot get their Black Australorps to become at all broody...I just...ugh.

About 1/3 of my Australorp girls go broody with some regularity.

The thing with "quality" birds is that "quality" is a subjective standard.

To a show breeder, quality is, first and foremost, how closely they approach to the physical characteristics of the Standard of Perfection. It may have nothing whatsoever to do with growth rate, speed of maturity, laying ability, preservation instinct on range, or other characteristics outside the chicken beauty contest.

To a person who is interested in egg sales, the SOP is irrelevant and laying capacity matters most in the definition of quality.

To a pet owner, quality is measured in friendliness, docility, and enjoyment of human interaction.

To a homesteader interested in eggs and meat from birds that don't require intensive care, quality can be measured in intelligence on range, activity level, tolerance for the local climate, health/vigor, and predator-alertness.

I'm thinking a lot on this issue because I'm working through a heavy cull -- intending to reduce my current flock of 47 down to around 20 or so for winter.

My goals are egg sales and the sale of chicks and started pullets to the backyard chicken market. I'm focusing on the Blue Australorps, but while I want my birds to be decent representatives of the breed, I'm not showing. So, my definition of quality is:

• Tolerance for Central North Carolina's heat and humidity. I don't use special measures like ice or misters for my normal summer highs of the mid to upper 90'sF. A bird who can't live through a week of 97F daytime with 78F nighttime lows when given plenty of shade, ventilation, and water simply isn't a bird I can raise.
• Good layers.
• Calm temperament, doing well in the flock without bullying or other troublesome issues.
• Vigorous good health.
• Early maturity, especially the ability to tell males from females at a relatively young age.
• Attractiveness.
• An appropriate level of adherence to the SOP so that I can honestly claim that my Austalorps ARE Australorps even if they'd be laughed out of a show more serious than my county fair that only has dozen entries of all kinds of chickens combined.

I suggest that you don't spend that much money on your very first flock but, instead, get some ordinary hatchery chickens and get a year of experience under your belt before you invest serious money in expensive birds.

 

[Cluckminster Fuller]

Getting ready to find some new chicks and build a coop while they start to mature. Seems like it would be nearly impossible to prohibit interbreeding without a lot of work, I want to find the right breed of dual purpose bird. I don't want to cross-breed anything because I want the natural traits of the birds I choose to remain intact. We want brooders that produce a good amount of eggs but also, eventually meat.

I want one breed because I do not want to depend on a hatchery to provide brooders for my egg layers, etc. If I have more than one breed of rooster, there will be no way for me to know which rooster has fertilized which eggs, etc. My ideal is to buy chicks once, and create a sustainable flock from those chicks.

From what I've read, Orpingtons seem pretty perfect. Forage well, generally too big for hawks but relatively quick on the ground for their size, 4-5 large eggs per week, great brooders and mothers, and good size for eating. Still researching breeds, though.

Regardless of which breed I go with, am I naive in thinking this can be done?

Whichever breed you choose, you'll have to cull all roosters that aren't purebred, I think.

 

[sdm111]

Whichever breed you choose, you'll have to cull all roosters that aren't purebred, I think.

How will they have crossbred roosters from pure breed broodstock?

 

[Apis mellifera]

I want one breed because I do not want to depend on a hatchery to provide brooders for my egg layers, etc.

For meat, eggs, and broody hens Ive had great luck for almost 7 years now with Partridge Chanteclers. Extras sell easy for a nice price.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I'll cut straight to the point-

Get a standard bred bird(s). There is no comparing a good breeder stock to even the best hatchery you could find. The standard bred win every time.

What you are looking for is a dual purpose bird. You'll never get that from a hatchery; their birds are bred for egg production. The body shape and size are wrong in hatchery stock. For true dual purpose you must start with a standard bred bird.

Any dual purpose breed you can obtain from an actual breeder will suit you nicely. Orpington are just Plymouth Rocks bred in England. Australorp are Black Orpington bred in Australia. Any dual purpose standard bred bird will brood. None will be aggressive. The body type of all dual purpose are the same, it's what makes them dual purpose.

Wyandotte, Rocks, Chantecler, Buckeye, New Hampshire, whatever. Ensure you get them from a breeder not a puppy mill and not a person who is hatching from hatchery birds. You need to obtain standard bred. The difference is night and day and the only thing that actually is a dual purpose bird.

Your local breeders have likely downsized for winter by now. They will have held over extra stock for final evaluation prior to breeding. Talk with these people and ask if they'd sell you a trio or quad of what didn't make their breeding cut in the Spring. Let them know feather color or pattern is of no concern. You want good dual purpose stock for a closed flock for homesteading.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Build your coop first, ensure you understand ventilation. Chainlink fencing is good enough to keep coyote and neighbor dogs from running in during the day. All birds must be cooped at night. An auto door works well for that. Raccoon, weasel and you name it love chicken. The coop must be predator proof, 1/2 inch hardware cloth over all openings or weasel will kill the entire flock.

I lose about 10 birds per year to predators. The majority are due to me falling asleep waiting for the young birds to coop up. The grow out coop does not have an auto door. I've awaken at 1 am to find birds with heads chewed off from raccoon as I close the door. We lose one or two to hawk each year and a few each spring to mink that will attack during the day. The bulk die due to not closing the coop door at night. It only takes one night. Auto doors rule and build a coop larger than you think as you'll want them all in the same coop and will hatch a lot prior to eating the cockerels and selling extra layers.

That said, the birds will become predator savvy all on their own. If you have a shrub or two in the kennel area even better. Once one is picked off by a hawk they learn to stay under cover and keep good watch when out in the open. Hawks won't pick them off once they are nearly full grown.

For best return, meat to feed ratio, and most tender you'll want to process the unwanted cockerels before 15 weeks of age. Understand that age of birds has everything to do with how tender they are and how hot you can cook them.

Broilers are up to 14 weeks, fryers are to 18 weeks, roasters to 9 months and anything older is a stew bird. If you love southern fried then it gives you more time to evaluate the males prior to culling. You eat the smallest of course. Let the good genetics stay with the flock. After a few generations the flock gains more consistency but you'll still have lighter birds for eating.

Think I've beaten this horse enough. Good luck.

 

[3KillerBs]

The majority are due to me falling asleep waiting for the young birds to coop up. The grow out coop does not have an auto door. I've awaken at 1 am to find birds with heads chewed off from raccoon as I close the door.

I haven't lost a bird to this yet, but I get up early for an early-morning job and I *have* had to set an alarm for sunset to make sure I woke up to go close up.

My roosters are helpful in herding the flock to the roost.