Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[OneMountainAcres]

Wallingford PA near Chester ( South of Philly)

Welcome from Cambria County!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

dheltzel -- how are your Genetic Hackle roosters? I have never owned a rooster and never really considered it, but I am curious about them, as everything seems so peaceful in your video with multiple hens and roosters. He would be, for the most part, a pet, a sort of mascot for my father, who is a fly fisher. Although we are semi-rural and you can hear other flocks around us, I want to have open eyes as to the noise of owning a rooster and whether or not it is likely that our hens' attitude towards us would change with a rooster around, as well as the rooster's disposition itself.
I realize that every animal is different. I am not asking for any guarantees. But more than simply owning multiple roosters, you know what sorts of animals your line tends to produce. I can not free range my hens everyday -- free time is a special treat. They spend the majority of their time in their secure run. I am not looking for a rooster to provide protection or even fertile eggs, just for it to be another living being to enjoy. Open to chick or older, if there was a grown own that met personality standards but not breeding ones.
Right now I am just considering the Hackle because of the "tie" to my father. If that doesn't work out, perhaps if the circumstances present themselves, one day we will adopt a rescue rooster.

Just jumping in to share my experiences. I've had a few of his hackle boys and they've been very docile, mellow and sweet boys

 

[Seaslug]

Just jumping in to share my experiences. I've had a few of his hackle boys and they've been very docile, mellow and sweet boys

Your response is more than welcome! Thank you very much.

 

[Amesway]

Me too!
I'm in Ambler... Where abouts in Montco are you?

I'm next to Harleysville in a little town called Upper Salford.

 

[kittyvamp1884]

I'm next to Harleysville in a little town called Upper Salford.

Oh cool. I'm up that way every weekend for our farm / feed runs. It's so nice up there. I hope their kinder to chicken owners than Whitpain township!

 

[wingstone]

Hey Wing! Long time no see! Local livestock swaps should be starting back up in March.

Unfortunately I never get to any of them.
My weekend is Tuesday and Wednesday, seems to never be much going on those 2 days.
I do go to middleburg some Tuesdays and belleville on Wednesday for their auctions, but For this pen I prefer a rooster straight from a breeder.

 

[dheltzel]

dheltzel -- how are your Genetic Hackle roosters? I have never owned a rooster and never really considered it, but I am curious about them, as everything seems so peaceful in your video with multiple hens and roosters. He would be, for the most part, a pet, a sort of mascot for my father, who is a fly fisher. Although we are semi-rural and you can hear other flocks around us, I want to have open eyes as to the noise of owning a rooster and whether or not it is likely that our hens' attitude towards us would change with a rooster around, as well as the rooster's disposition itself.
I realize that every animal is different. I am not asking for any guarantees. But more than simply owning multiple roosters, you know what sorts of animals your line tends to produce. I can not free range my hens everyday -- free time is a special treat. They spend the majority of their time in their secure run. I am not looking for a rooster to provide protection or even fertile eggs, just for it to be another living being to enjoy. Open to chick or older, if there was a grown own that met personality standards but not breeding ones.
Right now I am just considering the Hackle because of the "tie" to my father. If that doesn't work out, perhaps if the circumstances present themselves, one day we will adopt a rescue rooster.

The Genetic Hackle roosters are the most mild-mannered of all my roosters. They make great pets and know everything a rooster is supposed to do. As protectors, they are small and will probably not stand up to a hawk, but will be running faster than the hens away from it.
Roosters can be a lot of fun, and make some parts of having chickens easier, like mixing in new hens.
The best thing would be to get a chick and raise it with some female chicks so he has company growing up. Getting adult roosters is a gamble because they can bring in diseases and parasites to your flock. When looking for mites or lice, I check the roosters. They do much less dust bathing and seem to be the main repository for the pests. But treating them is simple because there are no issues with whether you can eat their eggs while in treatment.

 

[Amesway]

Oh cool. I'm up that way every weekend for our farm / feed runs. It's so nice up there. I hope their kinder to chicken owners than Whitpain township!

It is really nice and woodsy. As far as I know... they are good to chicken owners. There is a family nearish us that has a ton of chickens. Some roosters too.

 

[twochixchickens]

Two questions for those in Berks County...

I currently pay around $25 for a 100lb bag of 18% poultry pellets. I get around 900lbs at one time every 3-4 weeks and am satisfied with it. Due to the amount I go through, my issue is the picking up, hauling it, unloading it, and trying to store it (so mice don't get to it).

Question 1 - What are you doing for storing large amounts of feed? I understand the use of metal cans, but I would need quite a few to store that amount. I use a trash can feeder that holds 250lbs at a time. To fill it, I use a dolly with a crank lift to lift the 100lb bags about 40 inches so I can dump them in. I'm looking for a storage solution that would allow me to still do something similar.

Question 2 - Does any one know a feed store that delivers to the Oley area with comparable feed prices? I prefer a local feed, not any of the Purina, etc. stuff.

Thanks!

 

[dheltzel]

Two questions for those in Berks County...

I currently pay around $25 for a 100lb bag of 18% poultry pellets. I get around 900lbs at one time every 3-4 weeks and am satisfied with it. Due to the amount I go through, my issue is the picking up, hauling it, unloading it, and trying to store it (so mice don't get to it).

Question 1 - What are you doing for storing large amounts of feed? I understand the use of metal cans, but I would need quite a few to store that amount. I use a trash can feeder that holds 250lbs at a time. To fill it, I use a dolly with a crank lift to lift the 100lb bags about 40 inches so I can dump them in. I'm looking for a storage solution that would allow me to still do something similar.

Question 2 - Does any one know a feed store that delivers to the Oley area with comparable feed prices? I prefer a local feed, not any of the Purina, etc. stuff.

Thanks!

I use a gravity wagon parked inside a large shed. It holds over 2 tons of pellet feed, which is the minimum for delivery from the feed mills. Double layer of heavy tarps over the top. 5 gallon buckets with lids are filled from the shute. I have a low plastic stock tank under the shute, and the buckets go in there to be filled. The tank catches any overflow or missed pellets. Works quite well and saves 2 cents a pound over bagged feed.
Currently, we are using Browns in Birdsboro, but I am considering switching to Sensenigs in New Holland. I buy bagged feed from Gehmans (now owned by Stevens Feed Mill) in Denver. I prefer the Gehmans feed and it is cheaper, but they do not deliver out to Pottstown any more.
Pull up your address in Google Maps, select nearby and use "Feed Mill" to find all the mills in your area, then start calling.