BarredBuff
El Presidente de Pollo
If you have looked at my journal this past week, you know I have been gone. I have had lots of time to ponder my SS projects, and after evaluating my projects I believe I am going to make several adjustments in my flock. Plus I have the goat money to use 
One aspect of my poultry keeping that I am going to work is utility. This past winter I kept 31 hens and 2 Ducks. For the price of feed, and demand of eggs from my customers. I cannot make enough to balance just my feed expenses, even in the summer. That is just to many chickens. Most of them are pretty good egg layers, and that is about it. My Buffs are my better broodies when they want to be. Australorps are a good bird in general. Dominiques seem to be good winter layers. One thing I have learned is I need a new rooster, the Buff is not very protective nor active. He is going I will probably pick a Delaware rooster out of WBF's offspring I hatched. But also in attempts to make any further chicks "meatier and more SS". I am cycling out all of the older Buff hens, and Dominique hens for their younger counterparts. I want to get them out to forage ASAP. They should be ready to soon. But my main goal is to have a more compacted flock that can manage all of my requirements (winter/in general egg production, meat production, hardcore foragers, and dependable broodies). I will probably keep 14 hens and a rooster. That are good foragers, and the works. I have my preferred breeds now, and now just time to improve upon them.
Foraging ability is a big thing for me. I don't like buying so much feed!! So I think to balance our egg production for home, I am going to expand the duck flock. They are more SS than the chickens. Good brooders, and she has laid quite a bit to be a meat breed. This week I have 8 eggs of hers due to hatch. So I want to keep all/most of the hens, and a new drake. My current one is getting mean with the chickens,and it is not working with me :/ So probably after these grow out some, he will bite the dust. I would like to keep about 4 or 5 hens and a drake. My turkey flock will probably be about 5 hens and a tom. From what I have read they are very SS, good foragers, and brooders. I have 3 poults, and plan to tack some more on to my gosling and guinea order. Then moving onto to the Geese, I really have just wanted some for quite a while. Way before I had ducks, I wanted Geese. Why I have no clue.
But I have found out that they are very SS with feeding and brooding. They are a good source of fat for cooking or soap. Plus the down, that could be used. So I am going to order a trio of Embden geese to keep. With three adults being my 'adult limit', and I think putting their off spring in my growing orchard wouldn't be a bad idea. Then there are the guineas, that is for the garden. We talked a lot about this last year, and are getting around to it now. This would be a "separate" flock from the main group. Just about 10 or 12 to live in the garden to eat bugs and weeds. Fenced in with the electronet and given a house of some sorts.
Does what I am trying to do make sense?
My actual questions are below
How should living arrangements work? I have two coops, an 8 by 8 coop, and an 8 by 6 coop, to share with the Geese, Turkeys, Ducks and Chickens. How should that be fixed? Should the geese have a 'hut' of some sorts for themselves?
My thoughts WERE this
8 by 8: Chickens
8 by 6: Ducks and Turkeys
Hut: Geese
Could it be fixed so I would not have to have a separate place for the Geese? Turkeys and Geese together, maybe?
Thanks BB
One aspect of my poultry keeping that I am going to work is utility. This past winter I kept 31 hens and 2 Ducks. For the price of feed, and demand of eggs from my customers. I cannot make enough to balance just my feed expenses, even in the summer. That is just to many chickens. Most of them are pretty good egg layers, and that is about it. My Buffs are my better broodies when they want to be. Australorps are a good bird in general. Dominiques seem to be good winter layers. One thing I have learned is I need a new rooster, the Buff is not very protective nor active. He is going
I will probably pick a Delaware rooster out of WBF's offspring I hatched. But also in attempts to make any further chicks "meatier and more SS". I am cycling out all of the older Buff hens, and Dominique hens for their younger counterparts. I want to get them out to forage ASAP. They should be ready to soon. But my main goal is to have a more compacted flock that can manage all of my requirements (winter/in general egg production, meat production, hardcore foragers, and dependable broodies). I will probably keep 14 hens and a rooster. That are good foragers, and the works. I have my preferred breeds now, and now just time to improve upon them. Foraging ability is a big thing for me. I don't like buying so much feed!! So I think to balance our egg production for home, I am going to expand the duck flock. They are more SS than the chickens. Good brooders, and she has laid quite a bit to be a meat breed. This week I have 8 eggs of hers due to hatch. So I want to keep all/most of the hens, and a new drake. My current one is getting mean with the chickens,and it is not working with me :/ So probably after these grow out some, he will bite the dust. I would like to keep about 4 or 5 hens and a drake. My turkey flock will probably be about 5 hens and a tom. From what I have read they are very SS, good foragers, and brooders. I have 3 poults, and plan to tack some more on to my gosling and guinea order. Then moving onto to the Geese, I really have just wanted some for quite a while. Way before I had ducks, I wanted Geese. Why I have no clue.
But I have found out that they are very SS with feeding and brooding. They are a good source of fat for cooking or soap. Plus the down, that could be used. So I am going to order a trio of Embden geese to keep. With three adults being my 'adult limit', and I think putting their off spring in my growing orchard wouldn't be a bad idea. Then there are the guineas, that is for the garden. We talked a lot about this last year, and are getting around to it now. This would be a "separate" flock from the main group. Just about 10 or 12 to live in the garden to eat bugs and weeds. Fenced in with the electronet and given a house of some sorts.Does what I am trying to do make sense?
My actual questions are below
How should living arrangements work? I have two coops, an 8 by 8 coop, and an 8 by 6 coop, to share with the Geese, Turkeys, Ducks and Chickens. How should that be fixed? Should the geese have a 'hut' of some sorts for themselves?
My thoughts WERE this
8 by 8: Chickens
8 by 6: Ducks and Turkeys
Hut: Geese
Could it be fixed so I would not have to have a separate place for the Geese? Turkeys and Geese together, maybe?
Thanks BB
My younger ones are penned separately for a little while, I need to sell half of them and then move them. But yeah mine forage A LOT and I am sure feed consumption is not near what it would be. But I can notice a difference between two roosters I had with almost the same hens.
