Does anyone else here raise chickens?

You might try guineas. They're eggs are delicious ... I like them better than my chicken's eggs, and the meat is supposed to really good although I've never killed any of mine. And they're very good watch dogs ... noisy as heck if anything unusual comes around.

I meant "their".

Dont get any broad breasted,they have a hard time with reproduction.I have 4 bronze females,lost the male over the winter.

Still looking for my girls a new boyfriend but am gonna get me some Black Spanish eggs and hatch them,gonna cost around 45 for 6 eggs but worth it.

B-spanish are from south america and can take the heat and reproduce without issues.

I have 4 bronze turkey hens,2 B-rock chickens,3 r-Red hens,4 easter eggers and their fella(rooster).


check out some hatchery sites for info on meat birds,they give good details.


I lost around 8-10 hens last year because of the heat(Tejas)

The French guineas are the big meat birds,been looking locally for some.

Back yard chicken forum

We have Red Pullets which lay some pretty large brown eggs. My husband is in the process of building a new coop. If anyone has any ideas for a coop design, I would be happy to get some ideas.

will guineas and chickens hang together? or do they fight

My male guinea doesn't like the roosters, but I don't know if that's typical. They seem to all have their own personalities.

+1
They'll do fine together.

I'm stroking my cock as we speak.

BAD BRIT!

My parents have Isa Brown chooks which I believe are a cross of White Leghorns & Rhode Island Reds. They are great layers & nice and quiet. Don't know about the meat side of it as they only have them for eggs. They have 3 and they get enough eggs from them to never have to buy any. I also get my eggs from them & they still have enough spare for neighbours.

This is not one breed, but a cross between Cornish and Game. Another good cross for both meat and eggs is Cornish/Rock. Cornish by themselves can weigh about 15 pounds, if I remember correctly, and are regularily bred to other varieties to add bulk for meat.

Single varieties vary not only in egg laying capacity and meat, but also in hardiness, egg color (and thereby the variant nutritional value), temperment, and showiness. For your area I would contact a local member of a poultry fanciers group, such as Ideal Poultry or American Orphington Poultry Fanciers Forum.

My guess is that Modern Game, Leghorn, Hamburg, Old English Game, Minorcas, well, these are a few that come to mind as probable good fits for your heat there in the south. Most bantams would probably fair well, but the eggs are so small it takes a lot to make an omelet.

Depends on your climate, number of chickens, breeds, and the lay of the land (and the locals) I've got 29 chickens, 27 hens, 2 cocks, and built a two-sided coop, 12'x12', split down the middle. One side is for feed, straw, a couple of extra cages for any separating that might need to be done, and assorted accessories. The other side has a small (12"x12") door that is hinged on the bottom for a fold down ramp to let them out in the daytime. We have a variety of critters (fox, coyotes, fishers, black bears, mountain lions, bobcats, eagles, etc.) that necessitate caution at night. I made a bank of twelve nest boxes that seem to be enough for all of the hens.

If you want more info go to [email protected].

Good luck.

On guineas and chickens.

Don't 'coop' them together. Guineas tend to be aggressive and are usually larger than most chickens. Plus, for the most benefit (eating of ticks, bugs, etc), you really need to free-range your guineas.

It is best if you can teach them to come back to the covered pen at night, as they are vulnerable to night predators because they are pretty dead-headed sleepers.


Also, be careful raising any fowl. As the govt tends to watch you (tax number) closely. One tiny outbreak of bird flu and they may confiscate/kill all of your birds.

Cornish Cross don't tolerate heat very well. They die easily when it gets hot.

I like the RIR's. But I also really like the aracaunas. They lay the green or blue eggs. But they're hearty and interesting and can go broody which is handy if you want to raise some of your own. The reds won't. The buff orphington will though.

Good advice. I'd just add that if you're going with guineas hatch them yourself and they won't run off, i.e.- easier to train to come in at night, and they'll be friendlier with the chickens.

Just found this:

Although Guinea fowl meat is white like chicken it is probably closer in size and taste to pheasant. The primary difference between guinea fowl and pheasant is that guinea fowl does not have an excessive gamey flavor.

I may have to start raising more guineas for meat!

We have a few breeds.
Our Barred Rocks are the bravest ones.
Our New Hampshire reds are the world's best nest setters (brooder hens).
But our favorite chickens are the Ameraucana other wise known as easter eggers. Everyone we share eggs with say they taste the best. The eggs are very pretty too! Not just boring brown or white, we also get pale blue, pale green and a pale bluish-green egg from them. They all lay every day too.

We don't have any leghorns yet, I only want those for killing, I get too attached to fancy colored chickens.

Just sold a beautiful Ameraucana Rooster to one of the local police for his ranch and he was stunning too look at.
Wish I could post photos but only an AC.

We are in a housing area but grandfathered in, our birds must be 75 feet away from any human occupied building and we just barely make distance that since our backyard is fairly large.

I would suggest getting yourself a few Ameraucanas, they are wonderful! They are not as good at brooding but we use incubators when we want to re-supply our chicks twice a year unless we only need one or two, then we let our red's do the brooding.

Rhode Island Reds!

or a heritage breed of any kind.

<3 my chickens

Thanks guys for all the info thinking Im going to go with the Rhode Island Reds.

I have two as pets mostly. A Rock and a Red. Great birds.

australorps are the best meat chickens, bred for that purpose. Beautiful plumage black. Big birds and nice eggs too

I read the title so fast that I thought it said "racist chickens"

Then I thought to myself, chickens have reason to be racist too

australorps!

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