The Backyard Chicken and the 12 Best Legacy Chickens (and why you might want legacy chicken breeds).
Here is my choice for a heat-tolerant, all-around breed for the homestead, as described by Llama2:
The Plymouth Rock breed is known for its heat tolerance and foraging abilities, making it a great choice for backyard chicken keepers. They are a hardy and versatile breed that can thrive in a variety of climates and living conditions. In terms of meat production, Plymouth Rocks are known for their juicy and flavorful meat, and they are often preferred by chefs and home cooks for their rich, dark meat. They are also good egg layers, producing around 200-250 brown eggs per year. However, it’s important to note that Plymouth Rocks are not as prolific egg layers as some other breeds, such as Leghorns or Rhode Island Reds. But they are still a great choice for backyard chicken keepers who want a breed that is well-suited to their local climate and living conditions. Overall, Plymouth Rocks are a great choice for both meat and eggs, and they are well-suited to backyard chicken keeping. They are friendly, hardy, and relatively low maintenance, making them a great choice for beginners and experienced chicken keepers alike.
To add color to the plumage of my flock, I may cross the Plymouth Rock birds with Brahma, which is also a good meat and egg bird.
Building Mother’s 4th Generation Portable Chicken Yard.
Feeding your Chickens
Why and How to Ferment Chicken Feed – Really easy. I fermented some whole corn by mistake. I had bought it for the deer feeder but had leftover so I thought to use it for the chickens. I have Bantam chickens, and they are a small bird. So when I opened the leftover bag it looked like the whole corn was too big and too hard for them, so I decided to soak it. I fed that out along with a little calcium “pebbles” (chickens don’t have teeth, so it provides grit). Even though the weather was cool to cold, the corn was fermenting by the time it was running out. The chickens did fine and egg production stayed up.
So now I ferment whole corn on purpose using Apple Cider vinegar with the mother, or a little baking yeast, or even yogurt, as a culture starter. I also make sure the birds have real chicken feed available, but I let them self-manage what they want to eat.
I pour dechlorinated water over the corn in a bucket, add the vinegar, and wait until the bucket smells sour and is bubbly. The sour smell indicates that the yeast dominance has passed and probiotics (good bacteria) now dominate. Then I keep it the corn submerged and use a hand held sieve to scoop out a daily portion. Ideal temps are said to be 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit but mine seems to work fine in the shade in our summer temps of 90 to 100. Water left over when done can be used as starter for the next batch. Here, chick, chick, chick, chick!
Redworms: I don’t see why you wouldn’t grow redworms and feed them to your chickens. Here are 14 ways to feed Chickens Cheaply. They mention worms, but don’t give them emphasis.
Mealworms and/or Flour Beetle Larvae. This looks really easy to do. Chickens love bugs – especially bug larvae! What do you think all that scratching in the dirt is about?
Black Soldier Fly Larvae
I have built one of these and my experience is that the chickens adore fly larvae but the process is a little smelly. Don’t put it by your kitchen window! The mix needs to stay moist, so I keep a gallon jug or two of water on hand. Also, a few larvae have been known to escape, so I put the unit where the chickens can police that during their day. They are glad to. And finally, ants and beetles like to get into the unit and steal larvae. To minimize that I put the feet of the unit into pint or quart sized bowls and I keep these full of water. I am not getting the quantity that I want yet, but it works! I think it needs to be kept consistently fed and moist.
And another, more professional take on BSFL:
Housing your Chickens
You aren’t the only one interested in your chickens. Your chicken run and/or chicken coop need to be predator proof.
You need to give your chickens enough space. The Heifer USA group raises chickens on pasture in runs they call “schooners” because each one is moved daily and they sail over the pasture. This way, 500-550 chickens are raised in each 20′ by 40′ schooner. If that scales down directly, that’s 125-132 chickens in a 10′ by 20′ run. But the podcast below says you can raise chickens in a run tractor (that you move daily) giving them 3′ x 3′ each. That’s 66 in a 10′ x 20′ run.
This run design is excellent:
For a large breed, like the Brahma for example, you can use a Rubbermaid bin for a nesting box. Cut a 10″ diameter hole for her entry, as high up the side of the box as you can. Cut 3″ or 4″ holes in the ends for ventilation so a brooding hen doesn’t cook herself in the summer heat.
Processing your Chickens
Chicken processing supplies (including a DIY chicken plucker)
Poultry processing resources at Planet Whizbang: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/poultr… Jims Finger Puller at Planet Whizbang: https://www.planetwhizbang.com/plucke… To purchase Kent C-25 plucker fingers: https://pluckerfingers.com
De-feathering a chicken
You definitely want a fast, clean method of “plucking” your chickens. Here is how to make a plucker:
How-To video.
Materials:
- 6″ diameter, thin-wall (1/8″ thick walls), 18″ long pipe;
- Pipe end pieces;
- Axle (a 25″ axle) or a 24″ 3/4″ solid cold rolled steel shaft;
- 2 wheel barrow wheel bearings;
Specs:
- 6 rows of plucker fingers, 3″ apart. Stagger each row by starting them closer at one end with the next row starting closer at the other end. Or alternate rows with 6 fingers, then 5 fingers, per row, all 3″ apart.
- If the pipe is too thick, use a 1″ forstner bit to pre-drill each drill site down to a 1/8″ thickness so the fingers will seat properly.
- Then drill 3/4″ holes. A step-bit is handy for this.
- Use soapy water to pull the fingers into the holes.
- A ball bearing is inserted into some kind of cap or end-plate at each end of the pipe. Wheel barrow bearings will do it.
Icliks Incoming 