Guest guest Posted February 22, 2008 Report Share Posted February 22, 2008 hi all, we plan on getting a few chickens this spring and i am wanting to find some WAPF style resources for choosing a brand of supplemental feed. we plan on " pasturing " them in our small yard, but i will need to find starter mix, plus a supplemental food as well. Most of the products I am finding include lots of grains (found one that was soy free) and synthetic vitamins. are there alternatives? maybe there is a specific discussion group for this type of topic? thanks for any leads you might have, lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2011 Report Share Posted April 24, 2011 I'm sure there are breeds out there that fit all these. But usually your bulk, tenderness and laying qualifications tune the other instincts out during selected breeding. In other words, our white meat birds and laying leghorns are no where near as durable as our mutt birds. The only survival advantages I've noticed on them are that humans like them, and the broiler birds seem to tolerate cold more readily than everyone else, maybe due to larger body mass? What will the setup be like? Free Range? Caged? Urban, rural? Be as detailed as you can and the producers here can make suggestions based on good info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 We've got 50 heritage breed Delaware chickens and I love them. Here they free range the pasture, woods and barn area and come back to the henhouse every night. They have been laying well and are good natured chickens. They are white, though, and I would think that would make them more visible to predators. I haven't seen them being taken by predators (doesn't mean it doesn't happen) whereas my duck was recently killed in the pasture. However, they are BROODY, or more broody than some of the other breeds we've had. last year one hen brooded 15 chicks in the barn and this year there are presently 3 broody hens sitting on clutches. However, I think that there aren't many chickens that lay like the Rhode Island Reds do. They are prolific. We've also ordered the red, slow growing broiler chicks from Stromberg's. They turned out to be nice meat birds (between 5-7 pounds at 15 weeks) . We've still got about 5 left from last year and they have also been laying nice eggs for me. I'll save their eggs to incubate some meat birds for next winter. Also, you might consider the Buff Orpington as a dual purpose bird. They are so sweet, though, that it's hard to butcher them Ahna SEMPER BUFO FARM Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Semper-Bufo-Farm/114464825287378?v=wall Family blog: http://jaragazette.blogspot.com/ > > My sister and her husband are looking for a breed of chicken to raise that would be good layers, have good tender meat, be good free rangers (able to get away from predators) any suggestions? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 25, 2011 Report Share Posted April 25, 2011 The Delaware was the breed that the CornishXRock replaced as a meat breed. The breed almost died out and is being reintroduced. It has a ways to go before the Delaware will be a good multipurpose breed again. At this point in time, I would describe it more as a show breed. They don't seem to be carrying the weight that I would like to see. A friend of mine has been successful crossing the CornishXRock with Mottled Javas for meat birds that can free range. They lay OK. I have had extremely good luck crossing Buff Orpingtons with Leghorns for an excellent egg layer that is far less ADHD than the Leghorns. They are consistent layers of very large, cream-colored eggs. Pat Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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