In animal news, we ordered our chicks this weekend. Since we're ordering rare breeds, we thought it important to order early since the supplies are limited. We'll be getting our 30 Silver Gray Dorking chicks and 10 Cayuga Ducklings in March, and our 15 Narragansett turkeys in April. I'm so excited!! :)
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| You Are Chicken Noodle Soup |
 You are very loyal, especially to your family. You prefer a low-key life, with lots of time spent at home. You like soup because it's easy, quick, and cheap. You tend to have a favorite soup you stick to. Why change a good thing? |
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8 comments:
Those plants look fantastic - will they stay safe all through the winter?
How did you decide on your breeds for chickens? What will you be using them for - meat, eggs?
Alice, oh no, they won't stay safe under there for much longer. They're calling for our first snow storm thanksgiving day, I may have to bring everything in before then.
Liz-well, first off let me say we really loved our buff orpingtons. But we felt it important to try to do our part to save some of these rare heritage breeds. So we went to the ALBC website and started researching the birds that were most endangered and narrowing down the field to find something that would fit our climate, our need for docile/friendly breeds (because of the children)etc... We also like the qualities that the old breeds posess. Things like they're ability to forage well and raise their own broods. So the Dorking apeared to be the best fit for us, and we'll be using them for both meat and eggs.
Found you through the Dark Days Challenge...
We've been raising Silver Gray Dorkings for the past two years, and their meat is excellent, in my opinion. They are, however, terrible layers in comparison to my other breeds, several of which are heritage along with some for pretty colors. ;) None are commercial.
I've decided this year that I'll keep the Dorkings for the meat and use the hens for my broody birds, leaving my other hens free for egg production. I think this will work well since they're such good brooders, and it gives them a useful purpose here on the farm.
At any rate, just wanted to share my experience in case it may prove helpful. We're also raising Delawares and Buckeyes for heritage meat birds.
Touch the Earth Farm
Danielle-thank you! I aprreciate the info very much. To be honest, it is hard to get good info on the rarer breeds. So, you've scared me with the "terrible layer" bit!! We're not trying to provide eggs or meat for anyone besides ourselves at this point. We were thinking about keeping a dzn or so hens, do you think they would lay well enough to provide the family with eggs, or should we be looking into another breed? Thanks!
In my experience, no, the Dorkings would not lay enough. We started out with a mixed flock of 12, too—3 of each kind. We ordered Speckled Sussex, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Delawares and Americaunas that first round, and there were weeks (in Southern Maryland, very temperate) that we didn't have enough for our family of five. Of course, there were also weeks when we were flush, depending upon the season, the daylight, and the age. The Dorkings don't lay as well as any of the breeds I've had so far (I've also raised Welsummers, Dominiques, and Cuckoo Marans).
I think a small mixed flock is the perfect way to start with the heritage breeds, definitely, but none of them will ever lay like the more commercial, standard egg layers. Still, I prefer them hands down for the breed preservation and the pretty colors—both of eggs and hens. To me it's worth it.
You guys are pretty cold aren't you? Wyandottes and Americaunas would both do well there probably, as their combs wouldn't freeze. Delawares not so much. I have Buckeyes now, and they'd probably do well, but I don't yet have a feel for how they lay. They are friendly and supposedly make good meat birds, which is why I'm raising them. Oh, and supposed to be good mousers, too, incidentally. But it's my first year raising the Buckeyes, so I don't have a recommendation either way on them.
Hope that's a bit helpful.
danielle-thank you so much for your advice, I really do appreciate it. We had a mixed flock for our first flock and I did enjoy all the colors of the birds and the eggs as well. Since we don't have the space to keep separate flocks, and I want a rooster, I was feeling as though we had to stick to one breed type, but you've definitely given us something to think about.
I have to admit though, I'm not looking for commercial layers by any means. I enjoy so much about having the chickens here on the farm....the colors, the antics, watching them scratch around the yard, listening to the rooster crow, having their company in the garden.....that the egg laying isn't as important as one would think it would be. Eric and I are now discussing possibly adding another breed to the mix, so thank you for the advice. We'll just have to see how it all works out.
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