I have had lots of people ask me questions about raising chickens. For us it is a very affordable way to get organic range fed eggs and chicken. I am definitely no expert, but my mom is. So, she has been kind enough to type up a ton of information about chickens. It is way too much information to put in one post, so I will break this up into several posts for you guys to enjoy.I will do my best to answer any questions that you guys may have, but I will probably have to defer to my mom. She knows more than I could ever hope to know about chickens. She does mention local stores in these posts, but I am sure that most of you will find similar stores throughout the country.
What breeds to buy……….
It depends on what you want. White Leghorns are the queens of egg laying. They are also somewhat high strung, however, and we were concerned about that around small children. There is almost no meat on the bird so they are stewing hens only if you plan to eat them.
Meat birds are the larger breeds like Cornish, Cornish Cross and even the Freedom Rangers we raise. The Freedom Rangers forage and we started our experiment this past year to see how well they will breed and continue the flock. The meat is the best we have ever tasted.
Cross Breeds….. Those for meat and eggs. Rhode Island Reds, (but the roosters can be quite mean), Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons…….They lay well and are good for meat. We have raised both barred rocks and buff orpingtons and prefer the Buff Orpingtons for raising their own young and being more docile. They seem to have better meat production as well.
Do you need a rooster for eggs?
No, but you do if you want to raise your own chicks.
Tomorrow’s post will be about chicken houses and predators.
Click here for Part 1 – Where Do You Get Your Chickens
[...] Click here for Part 4 – Types of Breeds [...]