Great Egg-spectations

Today we want to take the time to talk about different kinds of poultry you can have on your homestead. Each of these birds have their own special care plans and provide many different benefits for your farm. We’re no experts but we’ve learned a few things since working here at O’Hara!

Starting small on the homestead is a good way to go, pick one type of livestock and get into a rhythm with their care before introducing another kind. Overwhelming yourself is not what you want to do. Many journals and articles that we have read suggest starting your farm with some kind of poultry, this term can include; chickens, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, geese, and various game birds. Some articles even referred to rabbits as poultry! We know rabbits are not birds, but apparently this was the category of livestock they fit best into.

The first question you should ask yourself when looking to get farm birds is, “why do I want poultry on my farm?”. The answer to this question really determines what kind of bird you want to keep.

Eggs

Egg-layers are perfect for farms and homestead that want to sell, unless you eat half a dozen eggs for breakfast every day you’re going to have a lot of leftovers. The Rhode Island Red is the most popular egglaying breed and is the depiction of a chicken you often see in home décor. Its gentle disposition makes it an excellent breed for first time chicken farmers. Be aware that this breed lays brown eggs, so don’t let that surprise you! There is generally no nutritional difference between white and brown eggs, unless they have been enhanced with something like omega-3. The White Leghorn used to be the most common breed of layer, but it’s been found to be less docile than its previously mentioned counterpart. Having egglayers on your farm won’t save you a whole lot of money until further down the line, so don’t just get egglayers because it’s cheaper than buying eggs at the store (because it’s really not).

If you want something “funkier” try Araucana chickens; they can lay blue, green, pink, and even gold-looking eggs!

A Rhode Island Red

Meat

The Cornish Cross is hands down the most popular breed of chicken for raising to butcher. They have an exceptional growth rate, which comes at the expense of them being big eaters. It only takes about 4-6 weeks for the birds to be big enough to butcher, making them a small commitment for a first time farmer. The benefits of having meat chickens as opposed to egglayers is you don’t have to give them special treatment over the winter… If you want a chicken for the purpose of meat and eggs, try an Orpington. They don’t get as big as other breeds but they can lay up to 200 eggs a year, a balance of both butchered and egglaying breeds.

Show

Possibly one of my (Mia’s) most favourite things at the agricultural fair every year are the show chickens! Silkie chickens are so fun to look at! A fun fact I learned about them is that they actually have black bones!! Orpingtons are also a fun show breed. I like to think it looks like they’re wearing pants. Raising show chickens can be quite daunting as they require lots of special attention when aiming for the 1st place ribbon. Casually showing chickens can be fun too, and an easy way to start to get involved with other hobby famers and homesteaders.

Other…

We couldn’t write a blog about poultry if we talked exclusively about chickens! Guinea hens are some of the coolest birds to have on your homestead. As long as they imprint on you and your family, they can be some of the best “guard dogs” ever. Many people complain about their loud noise, I assure you it does take some getting used to, but unless they’re right under your window the noise is hardly noticeable. Guinea hens can also eat thousands of ticks every year, which is especially helpful if you live in the woods and brushy areas. A word of caution though; if you don’t provide them with ample space to roost they will most certainly roost at the tippy top of your barn (coming from personal experience….). Guinea hens are a wonderful addition to the homestead as they provide many benefits and are relatively low-maintenance.

Not an excellent picture because it needed to be cropped a bit, but these are my Guinea Hens (Mia’s) roosting up near the top of my barn! It’s always fun hearing their call and trying to figure out what heights they got themselves into this time!

Another suggestion for your farm I would like to personally suggest is ducks. If you have a nice pond on your property, why not introduce some ducks? They can be used as both egglayers and meat birds (although the taste is more gamey). Ducks are honestly just a joy to look at, and not every part of your farm has to serve a purpose.

We hope today’s blog has been enjoyable and you maybe even start to research getting your own poultry!

𝓟𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓜𝓲𝓪