We're ordering a bunch of Chicks from Cackle hatchery, any must haves for you guys? Looking at something fun more so than productive. Got some Blue egg layers, brown egg layers, white egg layers all coming, what would you add that would be "fun"? Was going to order some of these Saipans but hearing they're not cold hardy, or hardy at all.

Loved our silkies ...well till they mean still got one who's just a joy to watch

Get a couple ducks. The ones I have are fun to have around and lay as well as the hens.

Any of you all looked into the American Jackraptor project?

Have 5 in the cart for my daughters birthday, I wasn't real excited about them but my kids are


I love roast duck, they'd never get to layer size

Get you a fightin' rooster. I wonder if running a gamecock with free ranch hens would cut down on loses from chicken hawks?

We've had all dual purpose breeds, which we have kept for eggs and fun behavior but never meat. (I've raised other chickens for meat)

Some of my favorites have been Ameraucanas, which lay blue or green eggs and are really sweet and fun to handle. They can come in every color of the rainbow, but each one will consistently lay one color of egg. It may be light blue or green or an olive green.

Another favorite has been Buff Orpingtons, which are mellow and so easy to love. Every breed we've had has been friendly as long as we handle them regularly, but those are especially fun. Our Daisy was 8 years old in 2019 and still laying eggs. (She had a thing for Trapstickman. ) We lost her later that year.



If you're looking for funny looking chickens, I'm not sure. The only odd breed we had in that respect was a Polish. The huge poof of feathers on his head was not advantageous for spotting predators and it would have caused a problem during winter months when the head feathers could freeze and stick in water. He was a champ at letting me give him a a Mohawk feather trim so he could see and drink without getting stuck, but he was still killed by a bobcat in his first year here.

Let us know what you get and how they all work out!

Ordering Pinnon hatch hatching eggs right after I put in this order. I don't think they'll help much with hawks but I love the birds. Wanting Regular Greys and Leipers.


I looked into it, I wish the guy luck but I don't think trying to turn chickens into essentially small turkeys is all that interesting. I can't see them being that predator resistant, coon don't care if a bird is 7 pounds or 4 but a 4 pound bird can be an explosive flyer and get high into the trees.

Add a few guineas.

Keith

Sebrights are some good looking birds if you're ok with bantams. I don't know if that counts as "fun"

And some earplugs

Hard pass from me, I wear enough ear plugs at work, I hate guineas, taste good though.

Welsummers are a cool breed. They are dual purpose, friendly, cold-hardy and lay dark brown eggs.

One on my bucket list is nankin bantams. I think a small flock bantam yard birds would be fun to have.

Great suggestion, just looked into them, extremely difficult to source

Wife has some speckled Sussex, great birds and very friendly. She spent lots of time with them from day two. They will come when called and love to hop on her lap and shoulders for rubs and scratches.

The Old English game bantams are a pretty bird.

They always dissappear around here pretty quickly.

Owls get them here when they're roosting in trees...they like going up in trees,

I bought some of these years ago absolutely loved the way they look. Bought them from the Lincoln homestead working farm at Lincoln state park. Asked what breed thay were and whare to buy them. They said I could buy some of there's so I did.

My dad always had a lot of Rhode Island Reds. And a few bantys. I hated those mean little blankety blanks. The Reds were always nice to handle. I don't remember what the meat birds were, only that they were white.

My paternal grandfather always had Barred Plymouth Rock and Buff Cochins for layers along with rainbow variety of fancy chickens for his amusement.

I would love to get into raising a few layers and meat birds but at this point in time it's not feasible. I have plenty of room for it and several around this tiny town have chickens. With jumbo eggs $1.97 a dozen at Winco, it kind takes the incentive out of raising layers. Of course the quality of eggs from home raised is far above anything you can get in the store.

Now thats just mean.

Just a heads up, Cackle has 25% off for July 6th or 8th hatch.

Last night we finalized our order but will add more later

8 Americana blue egg layers
5 mystery blue egg layers
5 silkys for my kids
10 buff cochins
16 Wyandottes of various colors
5 brown leghorns
5 delwares
10 exotic island special

Hopefully a mix of good birds for the kids and eggs.

Small grain will be harvested soon, was hoping to mix around a ton of feed once that happens and I can do it cheap. Anyone have a feed recipe they mix and grind?

Pretty much most any grain ground and mixed, depends on what you got but corn is a heavy component, lot of recipes in the old farm manuels, expensive part is the protein, what are you doing for that?
Soybean can be a part for that but should be cooked, and not be the sole source....

I can definitely add soybean meal. Maybe Fishmeal or something to up protein? I'm not real sure

Fish meal is a good source, probably the expensive part, lol, but I believe it's in every commercial feed, so you pay for it anyway, just need to get your ratios right, so you use just enough...but I don't have those recipes.

We free range ours,they roost in a coop but most days we open the door and let them forage.

We added some black australorps when someone told us "hawks think they are crows and stay away"
Not sure if there is any truth to that but have not lost one to hawks since

Mostly brown egg layers with a handful of araucanas

We had guineas but they cost more and they are dumb as dirt and quickly picked off by predators
Also had game bantams and the hawks picked them all off real quick