Niagara Greetings!
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- Newly Hatched Chick
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2017 7:39 pm
- x 7
Niagara Greetings!
Hi! I'm new here, and new to raising layers... so I'll have lots of reading to do and plenty of questions!
I am mom to our four kids, and wife to a very patient man. I'm a nurse who always wanted to farm... but my parents discouraged those inclinations...so, after 25 yrs of nursing, dear hubby and decided to take the plunge and give homesteading/small farming a "go". Of note: DH is not at all inclined to farm...this is my dream...but he's willing to indulge me...and it's my job to balance hobby and business aspects- this property has to cover its own expenses.
I raised 300 white rock broilers on pasture last year, and sold them in July, September, and November, along with pastured chicken eggs. In January we processed 2 pasture-raised, grain finished bull calves for veal (from the dairy where I milk every morning), and will have another two ready to process in the mid to late summer, depending on pasture. We will repeat the broilers in spring and fall again, and I'll be growing produce for sale as well this year... it will be busy!
We have had chickens for three years: first in a backyard coop in town, and a year ago we bit the bullet and purchased a small farm. Now we have a flock of 40 ISA brown hens, 4 home- grown pullets (EE rooster over ISA brown hens) who just started to lay, (one roo from that hatch), a gorgeous mystery roo "Archie" who was given to me via the SPCA (thinking maybe BCM or Welsummer?) and an Orpington/Silkie cross roo "Mr Lodge" (free off Kijiji).
Considering the replacement cost of 40 RTL pullets, and how much we enjoy having chicks in the house, I've read all the threads on the topic I can find, and asked for an incubator for my birthday (this weekend). I plan to raise our own flock, going forward. I enjoy heritage breeds, and breeding for conservation, so I'm researching right now, and can't wait to get started!
If anyone wants to share their experiences with Welsummers, Chanteclers, and Sussex, those are my focus (I think) at this point. I'm certainly open to other suggestions! I'm looking for good feed conversions, foraging insticts, winter hardy, reliable layers, with mild temperaments (not flighty) and which are good sized. ISA brown have been excellent laying birds but are very independent and super scrawny! I'd rather have birds that lay a little less but look healthier and have better egg quality for longer... our production hens need to take a break to get in better condition but just won't stop laying!! Egg quality seems to diminish (runnier whites, thinner shells) as they get beyond 14 mos... I feel like heritage breeds might just hold up longer.
I look forward to meeting/ hearing from you... are there many PTO folks in Niagara?
I guess this got a little long... kudos to you if you've hung in this far!
Kristy
I am mom to our four kids, and wife to a very patient man. I'm a nurse who always wanted to farm... but my parents discouraged those inclinations...so, after 25 yrs of nursing, dear hubby and decided to take the plunge and give homesteading/small farming a "go". Of note: DH is not at all inclined to farm...this is my dream...but he's willing to indulge me...and it's my job to balance hobby and business aspects- this property has to cover its own expenses.
I raised 300 white rock broilers on pasture last year, and sold them in July, September, and November, along with pastured chicken eggs. In January we processed 2 pasture-raised, grain finished bull calves for veal (from the dairy where I milk every morning), and will have another two ready to process in the mid to late summer, depending on pasture. We will repeat the broilers in spring and fall again, and I'll be growing produce for sale as well this year... it will be busy!
We have had chickens for three years: first in a backyard coop in town, and a year ago we bit the bullet and purchased a small farm. Now we have a flock of 40 ISA brown hens, 4 home- grown pullets (EE rooster over ISA brown hens) who just started to lay, (one roo from that hatch), a gorgeous mystery roo "Archie" who was given to me via the SPCA (thinking maybe BCM or Welsummer?) and an Orpington/Silkie cross roo "Mr Lodge" (free off Kijiji).
Considering the replacement cost of 40 RTL pullets, and how much we enjoy having chicks in the house, I've read all the threads on the topic I can find, and asked for an incubator for my birthday (this weekend). I plan to raise our own flock, going forward. I enjoy heritage breeds, and breeding for conservation, so I'm researching right now, and can't wait to get started!
If anyone wants to share their experiences with Welsummers, Chanteclers, and Sussex, those are my focus (I think) at this point. I'm certainly open to other suggestions! I'm looking for good feed conversions, foraging insticts, winter hardy, reliable layers, with mild temperaments (not flighty) and which are good sized. ISA brown have been excellent laying birds but are very independent and super scrawny! I'd rather have birds that lay a little less but look healthier and have better egg quality for longer... our production hens need to take a break to get in better condition but just won't stop laying!! Egg quality seems to diminish (runnier whites, thinner shells) as they get beyond 14 mos... I feel like heritage breeds might just hold up longer.
I look forward to meeting/ hearing from you... are there many PTO folks in Niagara?
I guess this got a little long... kudos to you if you've hung in this far!
Kristy
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- thegawd
- Head Cockerel-Moderator
- Posts: 3658
- Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2015 10:30 pm
- Location: Port Lambton
- x 3739
Niagara Greetings!
Welcome aboard Kristy! We have all your poultry needs and then some! it sure sounds like you have an awesome thing going for you! Congrats! I keep Heritage Rhode Island Reds myself. they are an excellent layer of large - extra large eggs but dont quite compare to production birds. I love my reds though and they are my focus. I also keep light brown leghorns which are awesome layers of large white eggs. in the near future I'm going to be getting my hands on some partridge chanteclars.
have a good one!
have a good one!
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Al
Home Grown Poultry
Home Grown Poultry
- Bayvistafarm
- Chatty Hen
- Posts: 662
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 5:45 pm
- Location: Hamilton Ontario
- x 1297
Niagara Greetings!
Welcome!! You'll have fun here..... and join us each morning in the Good Morning thread and let us know whats happening in your day!
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- Killerbunny
- Poultry Guru - total zen level
- Posts: 7875
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 12:04 pm
- Location: Brockville
- x 10170
Niagara Greetings!
Love the chicks every time! Baby dust in the basement!
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Beltsville Small White turkeys.
Mutt chickens for eggs
RIP Stephen the BSW Tom and my coffee companion.
RIP Lucky the Very Brave Splash Wyandotte rooster.
RIP little Muppet the rescue cat.
- ross
- Teenaged Cockerel
- Posts: 4958
- Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 7:54 am
- Location: Parkhill /Thedford SW Ont
- x 8490
Niagara Greetings!
Welcome have fun ..luck
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ENJOY YOUR HUNTING / FISHING HERITAGE & the GREATNESS of CANADA
- baronrenfrew
- Stringy Old Chicken
- Posts: 2353
- Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:07 pm
- Location: renfrew, on
- x 3506
Niagara Greetings!
Well good day eh! You've definetly come to the right place.
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Diligently follow the path of two swords as one. Percieve that which the eye cannot see. Seek the truth in all things. Do not engage in useless activity.
The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsmen
The Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsmen
- poultry_admin
- Site Admin
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Mon Dec 07, 2015 8:27 pm
- Location: West Lorne, Ontario
- x 1949
- Contact:
Niagara Greetings!
Hello Kristy!
There are breeders near you on this forum. We have a map here: http://pto.ca/forum/usermap/ where you can put your own marker on and also see the others near you.
Have fun!
There are breeders near you on this forum. We have a map here: http://pto.ca/forum/usermap/ where you can put your own marker on and also see the others near you.
Have fun!
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Be brave enough to suck at something new!
Political Grace: The art of disagreeing well.
Political Grace: The art of disagreeing well.