My SHTF flock

[Karoo permaculture]

I have gradually made the move away from show birds, more towards farmyard mutts.

Predominantly because keeping multiple separate flocks have become too time consuming with everything else going on. But the major reason was the move to the farm and me not wanting to build multiple coops again.

Feed prices have shot through the roof, egg and chicken prices are just crazy.

So I made the decision to start breeding a worst case scenario flock. The aim is that they will be able to sustain themselves on minimal supplemental feed(contentious topic I know), while giving some eggs and a little meat when needed.

Having had my fare share of different heritage breeds Im rather certain that a specific breed will not meet all my needs, except for something like OEG, American game. The problem is that both of these are near impossible to get here in normal size, a lot of OEGB available.

I have some plans on how I can possibly achieve this, will list them below

 

[Cammo77]

Have you read the Free Range Survival Chickens book by Florida Bullfrog?

 

[Karoo permaculture]

Have you read the Free Range Survival Chickens book by Florida Bullfrog?

Unfortunately not yet, I have been following his thread and following him on youtube for quite some time. I certainly helped me in making this shift towards my goal(which is not that far apart from his own)

 

[Karoo permaculture]

So lets start what I have done in the past year.

But maybe with something that happened before that. My wife loved the bantam chicken so we got 2 backyard mixed hens, to say they have been awesome is putting it lightly, raising chicks 2 times a season and then laying medium sized eggs every day during the rest of the season. This all while foraging for the majority of their food. The one got a baby, looks exactly like her, just a bit smaller(from a backyard bantam roo, may his soul RIP). This is important for context going forward.

Here they are raising some chicks at the moment(unfortunately not their own) like it is a piece of cake

They are small, but stocky, nice full breasts and can fly very well.

Perfect for what I want, would just like them a tad bigger.

 

[Karoo permaculture]

So back to what happened in the past year.
Failing to obtain OEGs I got hold of an Aseel, I let him loose on the hens that I have, Some Buff Sussex, some Potch Koekoek, some RIR and the 3 bantams above.

Of all the offspring only 3 caught my eye. 2 of them are like little raptors, runs like crazy, forage well, but they lack a lot, especially on their built. They are living with a friend in case I want to use them at a later stage, the rest got sold.

I kept one hen. She lays very well, and already raised a batch of chicks.

She, together with her mom, grandma and aunt above will be the basis of my one strain