Very hard chickens to get in numbers less than a hundred thousand now. I worked a deal to get my hands on some to hatch. I bought 24 eggs for $94. It is amazing the power a hundred dollar bill still has.
3 Likes
I have one Dekalb Amberlink that was given as an extra in a Rural King buy. Great layer. Wants to be a lap chicken though.
One of my complaints about Rural King and their Hoover Hatchery suppliers. You can never get what you want. Never saw another Amberlink or the Bantam Rhode Island Reds I want.
2 Likes
Have you checked Rural King? There is a store in Muscle Shoals Alabama that has maybe 50 breeds of chickens and turkeys every year.
3 Likes
I had not checked with rural king, the closest one to me is in Wentzville Mo. I have been there. That is near St. Louis.
Rural King in my area has had quite a few different varieties over the years.
2 Likes
I have a couple of Dekalbs along with many other breeds. My favorite ones are Buckeyes.
Mine are fearless and are the first out the door to greet me. When i turn over a rock or log they are the first to get the bugs or worms. When i toss in a bucket of compost or spoiled fruits or vegs..they are the first to attack.
The description says that they are avid mice hunters as well… i have no mice so maybe they are doing the job.
Mine look like Rhode Island Reds but much more refined and stronger and larger.
Mine were from TSC..
Not the best egg layers but a standout if you are like me and enjoy the hobby of having chickens as well as orchard free rangers.
6 Likes
That all sounds good to me. In spite of being more interested for years in free range ducks (despite having spent the last week caring for 150 ducks while the farmer was away on vacation), your description of these chickens makes me consider checking the nearby TSC to see if they have any chicks in order to raise some now.
2 Likes
It took me awhile to obtain them.. so YMMV on your local TSCs… i am not sure if Rural King carries them or not.. i think i have 20 sum different breeds and they are a standout. They also sing in the evenings.
this reddit confirms my observations and there are many similar reviews of them online.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BackYardChickens/comments/1jws8qb/buckeye_chickens_are_the_best/
If you want friendly smart little dinosaurs they are about as close as you can get to that. (mine lay the largest eggs as well.. much larger than the others). Jumbo i would guess.
2 Likes
I kind of want to get a few chickens. Backyard eggs would be nice. Having an animal I can feed basically garbage and eat bugs (and hopefully mice!) sounds even better. The local regulation is that the coop (I think?) can only take up like 1% of the property or something though. And you’re not allowed to stink up the neighborhood, but that part is reasonable. The adults are large enough I don’t think my cats would bother them, but there’s plenty of local foxes. I’ve heard people say they had problems with their chickens scratching up tree trunks though?
1 Like
It sounds like these are a vastly different creature from the murderbirds that a friend has experienced in the past. His adult son still bears at least one scar from those distempered, foul creatures.
3 Likes
36 chickens in my fenced in orchard block that is attached to the run… removed just about every blade of grass in the whole orchard.. removed every bit of compost and woodchips from about 100 trees. On some newly planted apples and plums they really did a number on the bark.. may have killed them.. i will know more in the spring.
Way too many chickens.. my mistake on that.
I didnt have adequate tree guards… my mistake on that also.
Hardware cloth and PVC tubes will go on all trees up to a couple of feet going forward.
6 months in a football field sized block.. looked like a barren wasteland.. however it did give me a nice canvas to sew more white clover..which i am going to keep chicken free this year…
4 Likes
I had never before considered that it might be an effective way to accomplish this, but I imagine that there will be significantly less likelihood of unwanted plants germinating from the previously existing seedbank of whatever was deposited by wildlife or which had blown in on the wind. Great gains!
3 Likes
Chickens rarely bothered our garden or trees. That is what the ducks did.
3 Likes