starting backyard chickens, also in East York

[mucm]

Since the fall I've been getting increasingly enthusiastic about backyard chickens, planning to start with chickens this spring in our (fairly large) urban yard. I'm also getting obsessed with a bigger garden than what we've done the past two years (about 2 m x 10 m), better composting, etc.

My main question right now is where can I get hatching eggs?

I very luckily found a thread last night (which lead me to join this forum), about NOT going with DC Heritage Poultry (which had SEEMED to offer what I wanted). I had certainly heard good things of Performance Poultry but my thinking was to get hatching eggs and Performance Poultry seems to do only chicks, not hatching eggs. Any tips for me for recommended breeders? My thinking is I'd like to have mostly just 1 dual-purpose breed (considering Buff Orpington or Black Australorp), plus include 1 or 2 Maran, and 1 or 2 Ameraucana for the egg variety. The Orpington and Australorp seem about equal for what I'm looking for: fairly many eggs per year, large eggs, and the cockerels can still be a reasonable size bird for food. So a slight tie-breaker is I like the green-beetle sheen on the Black Australorp plummage.

So, can anyone recommend any breeders in Ontario where I might get all 3 or 4 of these breeds, hatching eggs, at one place? (Orpington, Australorp, Maran, Ameraucana)

My thought process and reading process has gone roughly as follows:

- Andrew, a homesteading friend north of Bobcaygeon, has 50+ Gold Laced Wyandotte, and goats for milk
- Andrew directed me to Performance Poultry if I decide to get chicks
- Andrew recommended Gail Damerow's Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens; read it from library; bought it
- that book mentioned Joel Salatin (pastured poultry), tons of his talks on youtube, got Pastured Poultry Profits from library (almost done reading)
- watched tons of youtube of beautiful coop designs of carolinacoops.com, deep litter system, using hemp bedding, large covered runs, etc (anyone used them? I was planning to imitate their designs but now thinking lighter, movable, on bicycle wheels)
- Salatin described rehabilitating his soil and Sir Albert Howard's An Agricultural Testament (1940) on The Indore Method of composting, read it from library, rejigged my compost piles during those warm days in December
- Salatin mentioned Andre Voisin, on rational grazing, several books like The Cow and Her Grass (1958), still trying to get from library
- watched tons of youtube of no-dig organic gardening from Charles Dowding, bought two of his books but they just arrived
- Salatin or someone mentioned Alan Savory, on reversing desertification with intensive grazing (famous Ted talk), guided by "Holistic Management", got from library but not finished

As you can see this is taking most of my free time but I'm really enjoying the learning process, can't wait to go from book learning to hands on!

So! Orpington, Australorp, Maran, Ameraucana! Hatching eggs! Where? : - )

[Ontario Chick]

Sounds like you are well on your way in preparation, remember to check your local bylaws to make sure chickens are allowed in your area.

[mucm]

oh ya, GREAT point. That was indeed one of the first things I checked in the fall. They're not allowed but the former property owners had chickens, the neighbours are good with it, and I'm intending to flout that, and fight it legally if need be.

There is a pilot project in four areas of Toronto (on former ward boundaries pre-Doug-Ford shrinking of city council) but I'm not in one of those areas https://www.toronto.ca/community-people ... yard-hens/

[Killerbunny]

Best of luck!

[Kbr42]

Welcome!

Check out Josh Hasima, he is in Brighton. He has most of those breeds and will sell hatching eggs. He has reasonable quality birds. I have a few of his birds and have been very happy with him. He is on fb. Also Performance Poultry has some great chicks. You can get them sexed, very helpful.

Good luck!

[Jaye]

Welcome to PTO!

[windwalkingwolf]

to PTO! There is a treasure trove of information here, from many poultry keepers in various stages of the addiction. You will find that most serious breeders will keep just a handful of favourite breeds, and you will likely have to do a bit of travelling when you're ready to start your collection...but this is often part of the fun, since most will be happy to talk your ear off about poultry. In the meantime, don't be afraid to ask questions and bounce ideas off the experienced folk here.