Heritage breeds

[frustratedearthmother]

I have a couple new random chicks too! I swear there were three last night, but I only saw two when I was feeding.. hope one was just hiding!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree. The larger breeds seem to be more casual and calm. My WRs are almost regal in their bearing as they stroll along, very calm and genteel. I call them the royalty of chickens, with their snow white, deep plumage and their regal way of standing or walking. Now, when they run, it's like seeing a line of NFL linebackers thundering down upon you! Very comical.

 

[tortoise]

We have RIR. Our 4 original hens are 3 years old and still lay every day. Only health problems have been breeding injuries.

Also have a group of Cornish / Buff Rock chickens. Not the commercial cross, but starting to breed my own cross because we don't really like the RIR for meat - their legs are so long they don't fit in a crockpot or soup pot! We tried the commercial cross and I thought it was just awful, those poor birds don't even act like chickens! We raised them with purebred cornish and purebred buff rock. The difference in their behavior was so dramatic, I told DH "never again"!

I'm hoping to find a balance of production and quality of life.

 

[baymule]

I have 5 red sex links, I know Bee, but I wanted EGGS!! LOL And I have 10 Delaware hens, won't have them again! I have 4 Easter Egger hens, 3 of them with the HATED rooster, but I bought an incubator, have 14 chicks and 27 eggs in the 'bator. I am still searching for "the" chicken breed. I like Australorps and Speckled Sussex, but have not had either one.

We raise feeder pigs to slaughter size. The first batch were Large Black crossed with Berkshire. This batch is Red Wattle. I don't want to keep sows and a boar, I'll patronize those that do raise piglets and buy theirs.

Sheep are Dorper/Katahdin crosses, so I don't feel like I am "saving" a sheep breed from extinction.

Do you get bacon from the AGH? Or are they too short bodied? The Red Wattle are a bacon hog, I am drooling already!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh heck yes! I have pork belly in the freezer waiting to be made into bacon. I need to get to it...just too much going on right now.

 

[baymule]

How do you make your bacon? It looks like we will be slaughtering our pigs and I want bacon!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Bee, interesting you say that about the Large Blacks. My friend had one he tried to breed for months to his very well proven (many times over!) boar, she never took. He ended up butchering her, and he said she was at least delicious!

 

[BarredBuff]

I am also a fan of Black Australorps.

 

[NH Homesteader]

They are awesome birds, my friend has some. Very friendly, great layers.

 

[lcertuche]

My production reds are good layers and friendly but they won't make much of a meal when their laying days are over. Large, brown hardshell eggs, 5 pullets are keeping us in eggs most of the time. One cochin mix seems to be laying pretty good too. I want to get a dark cornish rooster for size. I'm hoping to bring it into a self-sustaining mix of eggs and meat birds eventually. I still want some Dixie Rainbow pullets for size and eggs. Hopefully at least one or two of my girls will turn broody someday. It doesn't look likely however. I do have one pullet that's been sort of looking out for my little New Hampshire's. Now the NH are filling out nicely but I'm thinking they are probably cockerels from the looks of them. I bought them as pullets from someone.