Good evening yall!
Well i havent been very active here of late, but I wanted to share about my current shift in poultry.
I sold most of my Americanas, Cochins, Orphingtons, etc, to make room for my new plans:
I want to try breeds that are cold hardy, and hopefully can take heat with shade.
I got new chicks, here in my snake proof cage:
Here are the breeds I am mooving to try, they all are in need of preservation and are good homestead types:
*Buff Chantecler.
Very cold hardy, according to midwest owners should be similar to your average Heavy Breed brown egg layer for heat hardines will need shade. Decent layer year round, great heritage breed for meat and cold climates.
*Buckeye
Great forager, the best mouse catcher ever!!.
Very cold hardy, at least as heat hardy as Chantecler with shade. Decent layer year round, great heritage breed for meat.
Here is a video:
*Whiting True Blue.
A cross between Americana and Leghorn. Perfected for blue eggs, very high production layer, pea comb, otherwise still needs perfecting, sort of like a Leghorn but the pea comb gives better cold hardiness. Great forager. Hardy.
*Icelandics
Very heat and cold hardy.
Good forager. Good setter and mother.
Decent layer year around. Decent small meat bird. Thrifty on feed if allowed to forage, or moved in a chicken tractor.
Very old homestead landrace breed, brought to Iceland in 900ad by the Vikings.
*Kraienkoppe
The one I am most excited about!
I put in an order for next summer from Sand Hill Preservation Center.
Very rare.
High immunity like Egyptian Fayoumi and some other old breeds.
The best on this list for foraging bugs, avoiding predators, etc, but does not eat mice.
Heat and cold hardy.
The one I expect to put the most preservation work into.
The rarest on this list.
From Holland.
Good layer, good setter, pretty.
I ordered 2 colors, the Black Breasted Red Kraienkoppe and the Golden Kraienkoppe which is in this video:
*Also I got a nice batch of Guineas for bug control around here. They are a bit harder for training, and more apt to fly away if not transitioned properly, but are more gentle on the garden than chickens since they do not scratch so much.
