From: "Jim Walsh" <[log in to unmask]>
> it makes sense for me to keep them for eggs first, and look at the possibility
of meat later?)


I have chickens.  We're ex-city moved rural with 16 acres.  If you want breeds
not hybridized (much?), "Jungle Fowl" would be a good choice.

I personally raise "Jumbo Black Cornish".  They are the ones that are the
"cornish hens" at the groc store...and they are also good egg layers. (brown
eggs).  Most breeds that are best for meat are not good egg layers.

You probably need a MINIMUM of 10 sq. ft. per bird (floor space).  My husband
turned an old garage into the ckn house and built an attached "run".  The "run"
is treated lumber pole barn style walls with heavy dog kennel wire over it (fox
or coon can tear up ckn wire).  There are of course treated boards under the
soil line also for the walls to tie into. (He built the pen, then filled to
grade with sand.   The roof is metal.  Cold weather months they are not let out.
But we're northern Minnesota.   Other months they are.

You won't regret having your own source of ckn meat/ BROTH/ and eggs.
Your "meat" are:  old laying hens, extra roosters when they are yet young
(breeding makes them tougher), and just plain young ones you raise for meat.
Hens generally lay well for a year or two, then egg production slacks back each
year (although each egg gets bigger).  It becomes an economic thing to butcher
older hens for "stewing meat" and broth...and replace them with younger hens.
There is a rhythym to it so you are never without laying hens.

My chickens run loose on MY schedule.  Because they will scratch up a lot of
GOOD stuff, like vegetable and flower gardens and bushes and ferns, etc....I
usually let them out about two hours before dark each evening.  I'm out with
them to keep an eye on them so they don't tear up good stuff and they get to eat
wild things and take dust baths and run around.  They put themselves to bed in
their coop (newly acquired ckns may take 3-6 wks to get imprinted on where home
is).

They really are no less expensive than store bought meat/eggs, probably MORE
expensive.  The quality makes it worth it.

Mine get lots of treats.  I grow extra zucchini, cukes, raspberries, etc.etc.
You must chop everything up for them unless it is so soft they can rip out
pieces.
You must give them sand or dirt for dust baths, sand or oyster shell for grit,
vitamins with extra D3 in their water occasionally is good for them, DAILY green
stuff (in the winter its usually 1st cutting, real leafy green alfalfa, OR
chopped grain sprouts that you sprout for them...OR salad stuff chopped...but
mine get the latter rarely, usually they get  alfalfa.  Another tip is mount an
electric "bug zapper" in their "run".  This gives them a good supply of
electrocuted bugs to eat!

Mine get grain as part of their daily diet.  I know this list has a dim view on
that.
But I have no way to feed mine if I don't give them that.  Maybe someone has a
better suggestion, but until then, mine get their share of grain.  All I seem to
be able to do is give them as much "spoiling" as I can with letting them out as
often as I'm able and growing extra good things for them.

Good luck!
Katy