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
