| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Home on the Hill |
Chooks - what next?I've had hens now for a few years and want to get some more. Problem is, I don't know which way to jump!I have a large run that they're kept in almost all the time so they can't damage the garden. They get let out sometimes in the winter when there's less to destroy. Anyway, I currently have 3 warren hybrids and they have so much room that they don't keep the grass down and it has to be mown. Also, as they're past their prime, they don't lay enough eggs to supply everyone in our large extended family. So, I need more chooks - preferably some for meat as well as eggs. So far I've decided that I don't want more hybrids. They were easy when I had a job to go to - they never went broody and needed it breaking. But now they're 3 years old, they don't lay very well. And I like the idea of contributing to maintaining the biodiversity by keeping older breeds. I've always liked Light Sussex although I know they're not terribly unusual. They are supposed to be good dual purpose birds. I kinda thought about getting a pair of Silkies to use as broodies, then buying in LS eggs to hatch for more layers and meat birds. But I'm concerned that there'll be a problem with the Silkies being so much smaller than the LS and warrens - anyone any experience of this? Maybe I should just buy a pair or trio of LS hens, then make use of them when they go broody - which they inevitably will. But then I read Chez's website about her Barnvelder/LS crosses being better eating - maybe I should get some pure bred LS hens and then get utility bred eggs? Do I need to do anything special to raise birds for meat? Do they need to be kept seperately to the others for example? Obviously if I rear several batches at once I need some method to keep track of how old each bird is - but is there more to it than that? I should say that this place is near me so I can get birds and eggs from here http://www.warwickshirerarebreedfarm.co.uk/ Then there's the housing issue. I currently have two houses with runs attached - but cos they're in the big run, I just leave the doors to the small runs attached to the houses open all the time. One houses the 3 warrens, and the other one gets used sometimes as a sick isolation bay. However, it is dead little and would make a good broody house and run for little chicks. Which, I think, means I need to get some more housing before I get more birds. If I bought a pair of LS, they wouldn't automatically mix with the warrens and would need their own housing? The little sick bay probably is too small. Sorry to ramble on but I'm hoping you folk can help me clarify my thoughts and decide just what to do first. Thanks for listening! Carrie |
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| Penny |
Not quite sure why or how, but we just got six more hens 
Hybrids all, three black three white with black bits. Currently our old six are one end of the garden with the new six at the other, eyeing each other up. Hee hee - CHARGE!!!!!!! Sorry  As you say, easy to keep, no lack of eggs, do what they say on the tin.....
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| Chez |
Re: Chooks - what next?I stick all mine in together when the youngsters get to about six or eight weeks - barnies, LS, legbars, boys, girls, young, mature, the lot. You just need to make sure they've got enough space to sort themselves out. Silkies should be fine in with the others. I do tend to notice that the different breeds toddle off together when I let them out, though.The downside of sticking the boys in with the girls is when they get to about five or six months they start to bother the ladies and fight with each other. So I do keep a spare pen that I can have as a Youth Offending Hostel for a few weeks if that happens, which it doesn't, always - I just bung the chaps in all together and let them get on with it, rather like Eton. I don't see any need to keep track of how old meat birds are to the nth degree - I just pick 'em up and see whether I reckon they're fat enough to eat. If you are being purely practical and want to keep trad breeds, I would do what Pookie does and run a Rhode Island Red cockerel with a few LS hens. They lay well. They go broody (although silkies or pekins will go broody more). And when the birds hatch, they are sex-linked - the boys are silver and the girls are brown. A barnevelder cockerel and LS hens seems to give you silver boys and brown girls. There are various other sex-linked crosses you could experiment with, can look up refs if you're interested. Or you could just pick a breed you like and go with that and wait and see what you've got when they get to six or eight (or twelve or sixteen) weeks. The downside of trad breeds for meat is that they take five to six months to come up to killing weight. This is fine if you are not purely interested in the economics. But if you want economical, buying in Ross Cobbs at day old and killing at eight weeks is the way to go. I've never done it - Judith has, and I'm sure there are one or two other people around who can make informed comment. Buff Sussex lay as well as LS, apparently - and I think they look a bit more interesting. Ugh, a ramble, sorry ... pick the bones out of it and ask questions  .
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| Chez |
Oh good grief. I read this as 'black tits'
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| Home on the Hill |
Thanks Chez, that's all really helpful.
I'm not sure about keeping a cockerel as I live in the middle of a town and have quite close neighbours. It's only 10mins walk to the town centre so not even vaguely rural - just an old house with a massive garden. I thought I might keep one for a while and see if anyone complains! Are any breeds a bit quieter than others? Also saw that my local supplier has a hybrid/utilty breed available called a Fenning Sussex so that might be something to look into. Anyway, the youth offenders run is a good idea so I'll incorporate that into my plans. First, find and old shed.... Carrie 
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| Penny |
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