Originally Posted by jaoneill (Post 1774475)

The Rhode Island Reds are my actually my favorite; great duel purpose breed, XX large brown eggs (and unbelievable double yolkers on occasion), look good scratching around the yard. Grew up with them but when it comes down to economy of egg production I would have to believe that the leghorns are the better choice.

Jim

Originally Posted by Botnst (Post 1774544)

Guineas mean no alarm necessary and no bugs need apply.

Originally Posted by jaoneill (Post 1774551)

Hope you don't have any close neighbors :D

Originally Posted by Botnst (Post 1774416)

Forget it. Your cost basis is between you and industrial agriculture. Your overhead per bird is much larger than industrial ag's overhead. That is why chicken-and-egg farmers no longer exist.

Feed costs are ... chickenfeed.

You major cost will be energy. Cold chickens don't produce and soon sicken.

Back in my honeybee, goats and chickens days I also had a year-round garden.

Pick your veggies early in the morning after you milk the goats and before you let the chickens out.

With free-range chickens on a small farm you let the chickens into the garden when seeds have germinated and leave them in until flowers open. Then exclude the chickens because you don't want them pecking fruit & eating bees. After your fruit is all harvested and before you replant, let the chickens & goats in to snack on the gleanings. Chickens will also eat bugs and both will poop everywhere. Then you till & start another garden.

Chickens stay in the coup until after you milk the goats. Feed the milk goats on the milk stand just enough to keep them interested while you milk but feed most of their food in the pen. Then let the chickens into the goat yard and they'll scrap-up spilt food (goats will not eat food off the ground, they are remarkably fastidious animals). Let the goats out into your woodlot to browse until evening. Then call them back and feed them a little food with the chickens scrapping-up. Then open throw some hen scratch into the chicken yard and the chickens will haul-ass into the yard where you close them up for the night.

You and the missus can do it all in about an hour to 2 hours in the morning and about an hour in the evening (unless you milk twice a day, I didn't). A 4 year-old can be taught how to harvest & weed and veggie garden. They're just slow. But heck, you've got time. Enjoy it.

Buy an old book entitled, "5 Acres & Independence." Take from it what looks fun and forget the rest. Get a subscription to "Mother Earth News". When my last kid leaves I'm moving out of town to resume the good life after a 25 year pause....

---chris

Originally Posted by Whiskeydan (Post 1774677)

Permaculture?

Originally Posted by Botnst (Post 1774678)

Hippie culture.

Originally Posted by Matt SD300 (Post 1774685)

Chickens are very cool....my neighbor has 7 chickens....they lay brown eggs...is been along time since we have eaten a white egg!!....:D

Originally Posted by Botnst (Post 1774423)

I'm a Rhode Island Red man, myself!