Our Smallholding: Our Chicken Breeding Plan & Breeds

[@jmc8577]

Love the egg colour differences to ensure your breeding what you want. I think its fantastic

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you!

[@bgtrev]

Enjoyable video and sound logic behind your choices and methods, both well explained, thanks.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much! That's really kind of you. It has been a lot of work but worth it.

[@alanmuddypaws3865]

A fascinating insight into the world of your chickens. Thanks for sharing.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Alan :-)

[@t.dawson7979]

Fiona, I can't thank you enough for making these videos! They have helped me tremendously. I've really enjoyed each one so far. You have a wonderful way of teaching and explaining that I appreciate so much. What a brilliant plan, I'm stealing this one for sure. God bless you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much 🙂

[@syedalishanzaidi1]

What an excellent video, full of information and thankfully without any loud wretched music or shaking trembling zooming camera. And yes, when I have a chicken coop, I will look to doing the same with my chickens, namely breeding them for eggs and the table.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Fantastic! I'm really glad you liked it and found it helpful

[@trevorseidel4536]

Very enjoyable video. Thank you for sharing.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Trevor

[@elainesarchet3979]

Great video and I love that you had such a precise plan and you've made it happen. And the birds are lovely.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks. It's taken a lot of time but it's been well worth it.

[@kevinbane3588]

The U shaped back of the hen after the 12:00 mark shows that you have some good genetics and excellent selection.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you. We are very careful with our genetics & do not inbreed or back breed

[@dimitriosteodoros6101]

Wawww...beauty house and garden...cheken

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks 👍

[@vangiefich]

Very interesting! I love chickens. We are just starting our flock. Thank you for the info.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

[@hedgecomber]

Another great video guys! Beautiful chickens and your runs always look so immaculate. Very lucky chooks 😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're making me blush! I'm a little jealous of your new coop. It's lovely!

[@summerwat7846]

Thanks for all the useful information. I am just getting started and to be honest. I don't know what I am doing yet. So I find myself watching your videos a couple different times to make sure I am doing things the proper way. I just wanted to make sure and thank you for taking the time to help new comers. Thanks again.. Much love to you and yours.... P.S. Your chickens are beautiful.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much! Enjoy your chickens!

[@kellyandsam07]

Thank you for the wonderful explanation!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're welcome Kelly

[@mn4056933]

Your very knowledgeable and I can understand clearly. When I was about 9 yrs our rooters were very aggressive and would attack me! I needed a stick to fight them off.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Unfortunately cockerels will attempt to become dominant. We breed our own and they learn very quickly that we are dominant (plus the Orpingtons are a gentle breed). A more aggressive breed that aren't taught from hatch to be subordinate to people can be a real issue

[@staffylover1950]

Another wonderful video, thank you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So nice of you

[@mishkabrownley5039]

This is extremely helpful and enjoyable content. Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So glad that it was useful!

[@jerireid6651]

Excellent! Thank you for sharing your in-depth knowledge on this subject.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm glad it was helpful 😊

[@nevernever7709]

Excellent information. Thank you 🙂

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So glad that you liked it 😊

[@jasonward6723]

love your videos new subscriber

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Welcome!! Thank you very much!!! :-)

[@swissmaid]

I love that tyre! Such a great idea!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you!! 😊

[@seth2854]

Hello! I originally asked Hedgecombers (here on youtube) which chicken breeds would be the best for both eggs and meat, while also not destroying the eggs as I personally would love to raise my own meat birds. :) Then she sent me here and I found the video quite informative. Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Oh, that's lovely to know. Hedgecombers is a sweetie and I must say thank you to her for sending you over. Any questions, just let me know!

[@LittleCarol]

Thank you for such a great video. I have learnt so much while relaxing in your garden with you. I would like to know, how do you calculate how many chickens you need to keep in your flock to keep you supplied with eggs and meat all year? If you had a single or couple person household, how many chickens would you need to keep altogether, and do chickens need lots of space or could you keep three or four hens in a small garden? Thank you Fiona, you explain things so well.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Great questions! For the space question I'm going to link you to my series "Chicken Keeping for beginners" kzbin.info/aero/PLDluIIoNPsldJo1GHNzIyHupbMBgQue-p OK, let's look at a couple keeping chickens for eggs and meat. If you go down the broody hen route with Orpingtons approx 2 out of 3 hens will go broody. If you live in an area with neighbours you won't need a cockerel but buy in eggs for each bird. I would hope from postal eggs to have 50% hatch rate so for every 3 birds you keep, you'll get 12 chicks to grow on. 6 will be cockerels for the table and 6 hens. The question is how many chickens do you want for the table during the year? You can expect 1 out of the 3 Orpingtons (average) to brood again autumn giving you another 6 chicks. If you want eggs you need to consider how many you eat and that while they brood you won't get any so essentially only 1 egg laying hen in spring/summer from your 3 hens. Does that help?

[@thandekaskosana7143]

From South Africa beautiful roosters thank you❤

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you 🙂👍

[@wordswritteninred7171]

"breeding year" is BRILLIANT info! Thank you! Just found your channel. really enjoying. thank you

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much! That's really kind of you

[@sankaranarayanan4648]

All ur videos r more entertaining during this locked down..1 of my friends recommended ur channel ..looking forward some egg recipes from ur

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much 😀 I'll add that to our list of possible future videos. Thanks for the idea!

[@dccarpetcleaningserviceuk86]

Love the Orpingtons. But have to say the Copper Black Marans are a stunning bird. Great content as always. Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks. The Marans really are so chilled out and docile. They do lay really good sized eggs too

[@dccarpetcleaningserviceuk86]

@@EnglishCountryLife I may have to buy a couple if i can find any local ish to us.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You may end up having to wait until the end of the restrictions unfortunately but you never know....there might be a local breeder. Try preloved.com

[@SunshineCountryChickens]

@@EnglishCountryLife Beautiful birds they look like mine lol new sub and I hope you enjoy my chickens too ☺️

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@SunshineCountryChickens Thank you, will take a look!

[@jeanettecook1088]

Good video. Actually explains it, instead of just referring to it. Thanks! 👏

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So pleased that you liked it 🙂

[@lynnlamont3485]

No Speckled Sussex? I'm really admiring that breed.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Unfortunately the eggs aren't sufficiently distinguishable from Orpingtons so we would end up with hybrids

[@jacobnewell113]

I think it would be great if you guys could look into possibly getting some live cameras, would be lovely to watch your hens going about their daily business and observe the broody hens rearing their chicks from start to finish.... Just a thought! :) .... Love your videos btw :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Buying new equipment right now isn't a possibility but it's a good thought.

[@nadiasnow3889]

The grass is beautiful! Can you give me the type and/or mixture of different seeds?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Nadia, it's honestly just tough utility grass with a fairly high rye proportion from our local feed merchants - nothing fancy!

[@marissamills]

Thank you so much for going into detail! This is basically what my breeding goals are but you gave me a couple new ideas too! 😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You are so welcome!

[@larrylewis3573]

Dear English Country Life Friends, I enjoy your thoughtful videos very much. This video on your breeding of Buff Orpingtons was very good. The level of sustainability you have achieved is commendable and perfect for emulation. I have one question. You sustain your flock of Buff Orpingtons. What about the the other two breeds you have? Do you simply buy replacements? Sincerely, Larry Lewis London, Ontario, Canada.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

For the other breeds we buy in fertilised eggs and hatch them under a broody Buff Orpington. It reduces the risks of bringing in pests and diseases by doing it this way.

[@patricedeavila4771]

Your videos are all really wonderful, thank you for sharing your beautiful land and chickens with us. This breeding plan is really smart! I live in a more urban area and I love not only that you refresh the bloodline yearly but this is amazing to try to keep the neighbors happy. Thank you for these tips. it is a mystery to me how you keep your coops utterly spotless though. I also live in an area with frequent rain and even though I clean them there is still mud tracked about.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Patrice - the shavings really help with coop cleaning. Happy New Year!

[@katelynfromOz]

Very informative thank you! I love the orpingtons however they seem to be hard to get hold of where I am in Australia. I am enjoying my pekin bantams for now :)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you. That's lovely of you to say. Enjoy your bantams; pekins are gorgeous.

[@reubenmcloughlin423]

Where in aus are you KW? we were given some buff orp roosters near Geelong Vic. Kept 1 to breed from.

[@jennytaylor3409]

Thank You!!!!!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Are you thinking of doing something similar?

[@jennytaylor3409]

Yes. We are. Most of our tiny town has hens, so there isn't really a local market for eggs or hens. We just want to sustain our own flock the most natural way we can. And, I love dotting on them. What are your thoughts on domesticated cats? We have four sweetie cats. They are around the hens alot. In and out of our house. It's always been fine. We did get a few chicks this year (the others we got as adults) and we, for sure had to protect them from the cats. I've been told that a momma hen who hatched her clutch with or around the rest of the flock will protect the chicks from the other hens. Will she show that cat what's what? Protecting the chicks from the cats. One of our cats once tryed to go in the coop to get out of the rain and wind. The hens pretty much attacked her. She was hurt on her back but recovered nicely. Now she seems to stay clear of the coop. But that is just one of our four. Anyways, what are your thoughts on this? Should I have an enclosed coop and run for the momma and chicks? :(

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@jennytaylor3409 We don't have domestic cats but we do have feral cats around the property which are avid hunters. They avoid the Orpingtons completely particularly those with chicks as they are ferocious. I would say provided you have a large breed of chicken on the scale of Orpingtons I think you will be fine 😁

[@jennytaylor3409]

Awesome! Thank you so much! I love hearing andearning from your experience! I'm learning to trust my instinct and listen to the hens. With your experience and careful observation of your own flock I'm super reassured.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@jennytaylor3409 You're making me blush ☺

[@scarletpeate]

Very interesting thankyou.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@jasonhatfield4747]

The Cream Legbars available here in the US don't have the collar/bearded feathers yours show. We're in desperate need of some better/more diverse genetics with that breed over here. Hope someone does some importing soon.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

They are lovely birds, we try to always have some

[@Christi840]

Amazing video ! Thank you .

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kylemorehouse6878]

I live in New York and have a purely buff orpington flock. You have beautiful birds that carry true buff orpington characteristics. It is difficult to find those characteristics in the US. Is it possible to purchase fertilized eggs from you after all of the dust settles from this global pandemic?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Unfortunately they wouldn't get to you intact. The eggs won't cope with reduced pressure in the air and it would kill them. The non-air post way would leave them open to lots and lots of people jostling the eggs during transit and the eggs potentially going past their viable time window. I would love to think of our Orpingtons in the US, but sadly I can't think how to get the to you.

[@mamunkhandakarkhandakar6389]

very nice

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you

[@gallopingg1]

THUMBS UP BEFORE THE VID EVEN STARTS, GREAT VID, MICK FROM SURREY

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you so much!

[@katherinepatton3608]

Thank you for the in-depth explanation of your breeding program. Very, very informative! To clarify, is the Orp rooster that you show in this video "this year's rooster?" Because he is named (I think he's named?), I got the idea that he is an old pet, like Gannet. I specifically selected this tutorial to answer my questions about refreshing the bloodline, so I am very satisfied with the content shared! Thanks for all your videos; I love them.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Katherine. We only name our breeding cockerels and only keep them for one breeding season. We do enjoy them and treat them well but, to avoid inbreeding, can't keep them beyond one full breeding cycle

[@katherinepatton3608]

@@EnglishCountryLife I totally get it. My most burning questions have been about how to refresh the bloodline and avoid inbreeding. You have answered! One more question: how do you insure the breeding cockerels that you bring in are not from same bloodline? Do you alternate the source from year to year? I imagine that you have to be good at record-keeping, too.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@katherinepatton3608 Hi Katherine. We keep hens from our bloodline and buy in a batch of eggs from another reputable breeder each year, selecting the best cockerel & keeping none of the hens. We won't use that breeder again for a minimum of 5 years (up to now, we haven't used the same breeder twice). Hope that helps?

[@katherinepatton3608]

@@EnglishCountryLife Exactly what I need to know! Thank you so much. Bloodlines seem oddly limited here in the US. More homework for me... Thanks again and keep up the good work. You are really providing useful and sometimes life-changing information and encouragement.

[@charlesjulyan7043]

Hi Fiona. Great video and informative. You mention two reputable suppliers that you use for hatching eggs - are you able to share that information for copper Maran eggs please? Thanks, Charlie

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Charles. The two suppliers we recommend are for Cream Legbars and Buff Orpingtons. We have only hatched Copper Black Marans once to date and unfortunately that seller no longer sells eggs. I am so sorry. I would like to be cheeky and say if you find someone you think is good, can you let us know please? We were thinking of hatching some more next year.

[@charlesjulyan7043]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks for the reply, not to worry. I'm finding a trusted supplier with what looks like a good breed of chicken to be quite tricky. The Buff Orpingtons look lovely so may think about some next year thanks to your video. The Maran eggs are currently in the incubator but I'll let you know how they turn out if they're any good! I'd like another 12 from somewhere else so I can start breeding with a fresh unrelated blood line. I'm following the videos with interest as I'd like to cover costs at the very least with selling POL Hens or hatching eggs eventually.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Good luck! I hope it works for you. The one thing I should have put in the video is that at the end of the year you might break even or a profit but earlier in the year it's a lot of cost. Ebbs and flows but it all works out in the end.

[@MiddleEastMilli]

Very helpful! Thank you!!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Great that you enjoyed it Milli 🙂

[@ukhotrods]

Hi new to your channel do you have a Web site or blog that lists suppliers and recommendations, also got to say it's a brilliant channel

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm sorry we don't but if you look at me series "Chickenkeeping for Beginners" you'll see most of the equipment we use and we do talk about the suppliers. The web addresses are in the video descriptions. I hope that helps. kzbin.info/aero/PLDluIIoNPsldJo1GHNzIyHupbMBgQue-p

[@pedrolg]

I'm sold! It would be nice if you sell fertilized eggs from your nicely selected lineages. Thanks for your videos!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We sometimes do sell fertilised eggs from our flock but very infrequently. That's because for a lot of the year the hens are off lay either because they're brooding and raising chicks or they're moulting. It's also dependent on us having obtained 2 high fertility rate tests for each cockerel. We get a lot of requests for eggs from overseas but we only sell in the UK as eggs don't cope well with the air pressure changes and temperatures in the cargo holds of aircraft.

[@Stu2366593]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Do you have any issues with predators?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We live in a very rural area so most of the homes in our surrounding area keep chickens. We are the only home not to have lost any chickens at all to predators. I think it's because we make them a gar target with Hotline electric fencing and Chickguard auto openers/closers on the coop doors. There are more details in my series "Chicken Keeping for Beginners" in the Security video if you would like to see both in action kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX3NkpednreietU

[@khanfancybirds6990]

you have very beautiful buff orpington chickens specially roaster. maam do you sell their eggs?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We do sell fertilised eggs (inside the UK only as they don't do well in aircraft etc.) when we have spare. Hugh

[@khanfancybirds6990]

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks for your reply ,If I had lived in England, I would have come to get it from you, but I would have stayed in Pakistan, I have buff orpington and light sussex chickens.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@khanfancybirds6990 No problem 😊

[@shanubbk]

@@khanfancybirds6990 do you have buff orpingtons?

[@khanfancybirds6990]

@@shanubbk yes i have buff orpington.

[@Coxeysbodgering]

Great video and information, what are the things on some of the girls backs? Are they to stop flying or breeding markers? Take care, Mike.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Great question. They're actually chicken saddles....yes, saddles. Some cockerels are more active than others and they can cause featherwear to the chickens backs if they are mounting them often. If the area is not protected the hens can end up with bald spots and with a lovely summer coming up a chicken with a bald spot is no funny!!!! I made a video about them last year when we first started making KZbin films. It shows what they look like and how to fit them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKCvkIWCZrame9k

[@Coxeysbodgering]

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you.

[@poet.alhashimi]

Great video. I absolutely love your Buff Orpingtons - spectacular looking birds. What pure breed or hybrid breed would you recommend for purely laying high numbers of large eggs? And what is your opinion on Buff Sussexs as egg layers?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you Al. In terms of basic egg layers it's hard to wrong with Warrens...but....they aren't the most exciting breed. For just eggs I would think about Australorps. Beautiful birds, prolific layers. We've kept many breeds but never Buff Sussex

[@poet.alhashimi]

You are absolutely right about Warrens not being the most exciting. Lol. I am definitely going to be looking into getting some quality Australorp POL Pullets. Is the egg size of an Australorp similar to a Buff Orpington, i.e. large to extra large?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@poet.alhashimi Yes indeed

[@poet.alhashimi]

I have been looking for point of lay Black Australorps since your suggestion. I really like the way they look. However, no ones seems to breed them or have them around here and I even have looked further afield without any luck. Do you anyone that breeds them in South Yorkshire/Derbyshire area?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@poet.alhashimi I'm sorry I don't in that area

[@amandarobertson8863]

How old are the cockerels when you harvest them? How many do you usually hatch out and harvest in a year? How many females do you sell in a year, and how old are they when you sell them? I love the sustainability of your system and want to do something similar here. I would love to have "free" meat, but I have found this year that raising the cockerels is expensive. We ended up harvesting some at 3 months and selling the rest (at a loss) because we just had too many to keep up with and house.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Good question! We stay below 50 total at any one time every year so because we have a spring and an autumn brood we we will have between 20 and 30 cockerels to harvest each year. We try where possible to harvest at 20 weeks but in year when our spring hatch is high we will harvest from 15 weeks as the cockerels will start to act in a mature way early. For the health of the flock it's better to harvest earlier. The reason we can be self supporting is that we are selling pure breed stock of a breed that is in high demand so hens at 17 weeks are sold at a high price point. This covers all of our feed costs. Does that help?

[@amandarobertson8863]

@@EnglishCountryLife OK so you don't sell any chicks as babies? Are you/your chickens registered? (I'm in the US, I don't know how it works in the UK). How many chickens do you usually harvest at a time (do you do all 20/30 or in batches of 5 over time)

[@amandarobertson8863]

@@EnglishCountryLife When you harvest the 15-20 week old BO cockerels, how much do they weigh generally (after butchering)? Do you feed them any special meat bird food to get them to a good weight?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@amandarobertson8863 We have been selectively breeding for size so our dressed out weights might be more than the standard. At 15 weeks we would expect around 2kg after dressing out. If we harvest a 26 week cockerel we would expect 3-3.5kg after dressing. Two weeks before harvest we switch all the chickens to either a Finishers pellet which is uneducated and designed for meat birds, or if we have chicks in the flock that can't cope with large pellets we switch to Heygates uneducated Quail food. They are tiny pellets that chicks can eat from day 1 and the large cockerels get the right food for harvesting.

[@amandarobertson8863]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you for all of your replies to me :). How many buff orpington hens do you keep on? How many broody coops do you need for spring?

[@jonathanhatton9107]

Great video. Really interesting. Where do you source your fertile eggs ?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Jonathan, we know a number of fellow smallholders who breed quality poultry and also some specialist vets who can make suggestions. We have also sourced through eBay etc. for unusual breeds.

[@livinginthenow]

I just stumbled onto your channel and am really enjoying the content. Can you tell me what the purpose is of the little capes or jackets are that some of your hens are wearing?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! They are chicken saddles and protect hens from excessive feather wear when they are with an active co cockerel. We made a short video about them kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIPbnIuNn69ghNU

[@livinginthenow]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thanks! That video explained it quite well. Marvelous little invention.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@livinginthenow Very handy when they are confined because of Avian Influenza. Shen free ranging the hens can get away from the cockerel more easily so he doesn't tread them as frequently

[@ray330]

Great information. How many breeding hens do you maintain in your flock and when do you replace them? Ty

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Ray - we generally maintain 8 breeding hens, replacing half each year

[@ray330]

@@EnglishCountryLife may I ask how many meat birds those end up providing on a yearly basis? Thanks!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@ray330 8 hens hatch about 75 chicks. Generally we keep the best hens as replacement breeding stock, sell surplus hens & a few breeding cockerels. Remaining cockerels are processed as table birds when mature

[@ray330]

@@EnglishCountryLife you are very kind, thank you very much. It's a great plan you have and so much easier with an open flock. Do you think you might ever want or need to close the flock?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@ray330 When you say close the flock do you mean enclose them?

[@ianclayton8252]

What is it I see on the back of some of the chickens, including Gannet, that looks a bit like a saddle?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's exactly what it is 😁 Well spotted! The cockerel can have favourites in the flock and this can cause featherwear when he mounts them a lot. We fit the saddle at the first sign of featherwear to prevent bald patches developing. A chicken with a bald spot in their back in a hot summer brings problems of its own so best to avoid it!

[@ferydounfareed6930]

I have one question but first Thank you Fiona for another wonderful video ! Did you say if the hen is not going to be broody in the first year it's not a good candidate ?? I couldn't recognize the word you used by playing it back & forward !!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi, what we are saying is that we want our hens to go broody. lf they don't brood in the first year, it is unlikely that they will brood in the future. These birds we usually sell as garden pets to people who don't want to breed. That way we increase the number of chicks that we get and also breed from the genetics that tend to broodiness

[@ferydounfareed6930]

@@EnglishCountryLife thank you.

[@xoxonian9207]

Thank you so much for such an informative video! I do have a question: we have 10 hens and a cockerel, a mix of breeds but a couple are buffs which we learned to be broody (thanks to your videos and seeing for ourselves!) and hope they will sit on some eggs this summer. They have such a lovely area to live in and we also keep geese which have started laying. My main concern is what we do with any cockerels, we don't eat meat but would make sure they weren't wasted if we had to harvest (we don't want to keep any for the time being). I know they're also hard to sell. If it were your scenario, would you harvest them when grown? Or try to rehome if pos? Thank you!!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi, we grow our cockerels on. A few go to other breeders, but this is only possible because we have pure breed Orpingtons & a good reputation. The rest we process for the table ourselves. It's one of the reasons why we wanted a traditional utility (dual purpose) breed. We don't like the fact that commercial breeders usually dispatch cockerels at hatch. This is why we breed & hatch our own birds. They all get a life and serve a purpose.

[@xoxonian9207]

​@@EnglishCountryLife thanks for your reply. I totally agree with you on dispatching make chicks, I think its cruel. Which is why I'm reconsidering hatching chicks!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@xoxonian9207 We grow them on for the table , is that an option for you?

[@susanpiper4041]

Thank you Fiona, this looks a lovely set up. Am I correct in thinking you only keep each stud cockerel for 1 season / year then? Do you separate the other cockerels you hatch and raise as meat birds?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Yes that's right. We keep 1 stud cockerel for 1 year only. Otherwise we would be diluting the strength of the genetics by the cockerel mating with his own daughters. We buy in eggs from another breeder in autumn to raise another cockerel for breeding in the following year so we maintain a strong genetic pool. Yes again that we raise the cockerels hatched for meat but we don't separate them. We have enough room that we can grow them with the flock to maturity or at least until they become combative, at which point they become table birds. Does that help?

[@susanpiper4041]

English Country Life Thank you Fiona that is very helpful yes as I’m planning my set up for egg layers and meat birds at the moment.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@susanpiper4041 Any questions just drop me a comment and I'll do my best to help 😀

[@susanpiper4041]

Thank you, that’s very kind of you.

[@Deus_Ex_Malcontent]

My wife and I are looking to start keeping chickens and your videos have been an indispensable resource of information, thank you so much! I was wondering, so each spring you keep one cockerel on to breed and then use him for meat once the job is done, then get a new one the following spring?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! Pretty close. We hatch some Cockerels in the Summer from bought in, unrelated, eggs from different reputable breeders. We select the best 2 and keep them. Any extras become table birds. A few of our own cockerels are sold to other breeders. The rest are grown on and become table birds. That way, come February, we have two mature, unrelated, breeding cockerels to fertility test. Once all the hens are either broody on eggs or raising chicks, the current breeding cockerel is dispatched as a meat bird and we start again

[@Deus_Ex_Malcontent]

Brilliant, thank you so much. A quick follow-up, if you had ONE type of chicken to raise what would it be? We're leaning towards Barred Plymouth Rocks, Blue Ameraucanas, or Black Copper Marans but are open to suggestions. We're looking to start off with one breed to make breeding easier and not having to worry about cross breeding. @@EnglishCountryLife

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Deus_Ex_Malcontent That's an easy one. Buff Orpingtons. Good eggs, good meat, naturally broody, excellent at rearing their chicks, placid temperament, hardy and good sized birds. We have a video on just this subject kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXi5g3yqq9F_o6M

[@Deus_Ex_Malcontent]

Thank you so much! All the best! @@EnglishCountryLife

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Deus_Ex_Malcontent You are very welcome, that's what we're here for 😉

[@KaiDoods]

(Sorry for writing a ton, I tend to do that. ) Hi there! I was wondering about any tips on how I can make sure a hen stays broody? I've had a silkie hen for about 2 years now, and she's on and off about how good at being broody she is.. right now, she's separated from the flock (although, I let her run around every day with them for at least 30 mins while watching her) while sitting on eggs inside, because two of my other hens like to bully her and I'm letting her heal right now.. Last year, she started to be broody, but she gave up after 14-ish days while it was cold and rainy. Another time, she'd be broody in the day and stay under the coop but get off the eggs during night to roost. I'm in the process of building her her own area to incubate her eggs outside without the worry of being stressed out by the other hens pecking out her feathers, but I'm not sure if she'll want to get off the eggs to be with the rooster? She loves hanging out with the rooster and one of the hens she grew up with, so if she's in any enclosure by herself, she suddenly starts hitting herself on the fencing and trying to get to them, even if they're less than a foot away (hence why she's inside.. they hurt her head, so I don't want her to be hitting her head!). I don't know if she'd stop being broody to try and visit with her pals, or if she'd stay on the eggs.. I don't have an incubator, and I really want to try for chicks this year! If you have any advice, I'd love your help! Thank you so much!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! OK, I think this video might help you kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqPNaGR_gsiFj80 It does deal with "Can I makeshift hen broody?". The video will also take you through the tests to confirm broodiness. The ond which is the dead giveaway is plucking the feathers from the breast. Your silkie clearly has the broody tendencies and separating her in a coop and run if she's bring bullied off the nest is the right thing. If she's getting upset in the tun when she comes out to eat, drink and poop, can you put up a temporary barrier to prevent her seeing the other chickens? If she still won't stick you may have to wait a few more weeks until the weather warms up more and the prolactin hormone levels are triggered to a higher level (the video goes through this) Good luck.

[@KaiDoods]

Thank you for linking that video, it was very interesting! I didn't know about the prolactin hormones, since I'm a very new chicken keeper.. that makes a lot of sense! I'll have to see if I can drape a tarp over her mini-coop/run so she won't freak out when she sees the other chickens. I may wait a few more weeks, because she laid an egg yesterday and today, which makes me think she is in fact not broody.. plus, she doesn't seem to want to sit on the eggs all the time, only occasionally, which is leading to the eggs getting very cold (so I'm assuming they're no longer viable). I'm not sure if she's just inexperienced or what, because she keeps laying on eggs and she actually made a nest in her crate with pineneedles! She had all of the eggs tucked under her for a few days, was getting aggressive/puffed up, making broody noises, etc. but suddenly wanted nothing to do with the eggs for half of the day, even after/before I let her outside. Patience is key, I guess! It just gives me more time to make her run nice! :D

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@KaiDoods If the eggs are cold for extended periods they won't be viable unfortunately. Some hens never go fully broody for long enough but she may sit better as she matures. - time will tell.

[@KaiDoods]

@@EnglishCountryLife That's what I assumed! I hope she does get broody enough soon, but at least I have once again confirmed that the eggs are being fertilized! She wouldn't even sit near them, so we're going to try using an incubator instead. Wish us luck for some silkie-mixed chicks! (Note: the other hen who's friendly to my silkie hen is a blue-laced red wyandotte! I just remembered!)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@KaiDoods Good luck!

[@huntersbackyard2314]

Hows update your buffs?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi , I'm sorry we don't understand?

[@Sarithbnair]

Nice

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks

[@poet.alhashimi]

Would you say the Black Copper Maran eggs are bigger than any other breed like a Buff Orpington or a hybrid Warren?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

A little larger yes but it does depend on the hen

[@Ekaterinamail]

Need the same color rooster for each color of hens?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We only hatch eggs from one breed - Buff Orpingtons, but the cockerel happily mates with all the hens and the eggs of all breeds will hatch if we let them.

[@Ekaterinamail]

Thank you for your answer. And you identify these eggs by color only? Sorry but my English is not good enough to understand from the video. But I'm very interested ☺️

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Ekaterinamail Yes, each type of hen lays a different colour egg

[@Ekaterinamail]

Your chickens are very beautiful.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Ekaterinamail Thank you!

[@TheBuckskinner15]

I'm a little confused on breeding chickens with different breeds of chickens. I thought the same breed (ie Buff Orpingtons) was required to avoid sterilization perhaps? But in my reading last night someone mentioned having a 'diverse' breeding flock with many breeds (Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, etc). Thank you!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi both! Its perfectly possible to "cross' chicken breeds. Many commercial hens are hybrids (e.g. a RIR cockerel crossed with z different breed of hen like a Legbar). All blue egg layers have, for example some Araucana in them. However what you might be thinking of is that the hybrid offspring of such a crossing, whilst fertile, will not "breed true" (its uncertain how they will look or what characteristics they will have) . This first generation cross is called an F1 hybrid. Breeding within a breed type gives reasonable assurance of the type of bird you will get after the first cross.

[@Damselfly54315]

I'm new here so what are those things on the chickens backs???

[@EnglishCountryLife]

They are chicken saddles - a welfare item. We explain them here kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIPbnIuNn69ghNU

[@WMHhomestead]

Exactly the info I was looking for!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm really glad. If you've got any questions just let me know 👍

[@ripplemoon249]

Whereabouts in the UK are you based? I love your flock, and currently have six mix breed bantams

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We are based in Lincolnshire

[@ripplemoon249]

@@EnglishCountryLife Okay, good to know thanks

[@arjenparas514]

How to avail your buff orphington . From Phillipines

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Arjen! Are you asking how to purchase some? 🙂

[@juliebriggs8165]

Thank you so much for all the advise , I have found all of your chicken videos amazing, very informative and easy to follow, I've invested in some pekin bantums on my quest to find orpingtons, I am still looking for some, I would be interested in purchasing some fertilised eggs from you? Is that something you do? And do you have a website?😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Julie, we don't have a website because we only sell excess rather than being commercial. If you had asked about 3 weeks ago we could have supplied some fertilised eggs but all of our Orpington hens are now with chicks so are not in lay. So sorry!!!!

[@juliebriggs8165]

@@EnglishCountryLife awww that's ok, maybe next year 😊 keep up the good work Fiona, your videos are excellently put together and easy to follow, can't wait to see more from the chicken pen, oh and glad Frankie is doing well 😊

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's really kind of you to say. Thank you. I'm publishing another chicken video tonight on the language of chickens so I hope you enjoy it. Frankie is doing tremendously well. Her chicks are now 2 weeks old and very, very confident. She's teaching them well :-)

[@juliebriggs8165]

@@EnglishCountryLife I'm just watching your chicken videos again, and I was wondering is your fencing around the chicken pen is an electric fence?

[@sajadkhan2040]

Hello there do you have eggs for hatching now pls let me know I need them

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Sorry, we are completely sold out for this year

[@amerryatheist]

Why do some of the hens wear aprons? :D They're adorable! Loved listening to your explanation on chicken breed choices.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

They are chicken saddles & prevent feather wear from amorous cockerels. We explain them in this video 🙂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mIPbnIuNn69ghNU

[@amerryatheist]

@@EnglishCountryLife Ah I see, thank you! :)

[@barbsdee3831]

I live in Lincolnshire (Sleaford) I would love copper black marans, do you sell POL? I’m a complete beginner! X

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Barb. We breed Buff Orpingtons but occasionally hatch fertilised eggs for other breeds when we want more egg layers. We do sell PoL when we have excess hens but unfortunately we have no available excess hens from 2020. We're not a commercial operation so our next available poL hens will be approx August 2021 from our spring 2021 hatch. Sorry.

[@oisinfogarty6669]

Where did you get the fencing ? And how do you get the opringtons so big ?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We buy Hotline poultry fencing which you can buy from a number of online retailers. If you're thinking of setting up electric fencing we have a video explaining what you'll need if that helps kzbin.info/www/bejne/faq5fmSEaNGnmKs The Orpingtons are so big because we select the largest every year to go into the breeding flock the following year :-)

[@jennytaylor3409]

Hi! I have a question about cockerals. At what age do you harvest the cockerals that were hatched in the current year? About 6 mths?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Normally between 17 and 20 weeks. They're griwth rate really slows down at this point and they start to reach maturity so to avoid any territorial fights it's a good time to harvest. Does that help?

[@jennytaylor3409]

@@EnglishCountryLife Yes, this helps alot! Thank you!

[@katiesimcock7161]

What is that on the hens back

[@EnglishCountryLife]

It's a chicken saddle. Cockerels can have their favourite hens which risks the feathers on their backs being worn away when they mount them. The saddle protects those feathers. Does that help?

[@galkuyum9514]

Hi Fiona, I have a question. In all your videos I noticed that your birds a free ranged. How you are protecting them from predators, mainly foxes.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! We have 3 things that help us portect from predators. 1) The entire enclosure is surrounded by an electric fence 2) We have auto openers/closers on all of the coops so the chickens are closed in at night 3) We have security cameras to protect from thieves and to check for foxes scanning the perimeter of the fencing. You can see all 3 in detail in this video that I made in the Chicken Keeping for Beginners series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hX3NkpednreietU In all of the years we have had chickens we have never lost a chicken to an animal predator however we have had chickens stolen hence the security cameras which have prevented it happening again.

[@victorwhittlesea8174]

What do you end up doing with the hens born in October?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We usually sell any surplus hens

[@sadiqsafi1465]

How i find this eggs for hatching I love this hens please info me wait your reply best regards

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm sorry but we don't have any eggs for sale at this time of year. You may be able to find hatching eggs on trading websites like Ebay.

[@joannecrofts3794]

Hi Fiona. I am new to your channel. My family and are I looking to buy a small holding and move from city life to a life in the country once lock down is over. I am currently doing as much research as I can into the possible routes we can take to be self sufficient. Your videos are so informative and enjoyable to watch. I am learning so much from you, so thanks for that. One quick question, if I may? Do you harvest your own chickens or do you send them away?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Welcome! Lovely to have you onboard :-) Yes, we choose to harvest the chickens ourselves. We want to ensure that they are not traumatised by travel and a strange environment with strange people. Chickens react very badly to strangers. We've spent a lot of time making sure the chickens have a quality life so to change that as their life is ended didn't match what we wanted to achieve. It is different for everyone and it only reflects our choice. Does that help?

[@joannecrofts3794]

Thank you Fiona, yes that definitely helps and makes sense. To be honest that is my only concern about your new venture. We are not afraid of hard work, we are no strangers to just scraping by and not having a lot of material things and we have had many an unexpected problem to overcome. We want to create a better life for our family and we are 100% sure that this is the way to do that. I am just not sure I could do the end bit. Do you mind me asking if this was ever a problem for you, and if so how did you overcome it?

[@Adnancorner]

have you tried cross breeeding the two breed @2:50 ?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We only breed pure breeds as we want to keep rare breeds going

[@emperorhirohito3676]

I need a buff orpington

[@EnglishCountryLife]

One would get lonely. You need a flock 😉

[@ayoubismael4504]

❤

[@Paelorian]

Hello. I think it would be appealing and fun to have one blue egg or dark egg in every carton, and for that reason to have several breeds of hens in my flock, but I'm still concerned about unwanted crossbreeding. I would choose breeds with reliably different colored eggs to distinguish them as you do, but I'm worried I wouldn't be able to tell them apart 100% of the time. I could get an unusually colored egg from one of the hens I don't want to reproduce. If artificially incubating you can choose which eggs to incubate, but if relying on hens to incubate, how do you make sure your hens only sit on the correctly colored eggs? Wouldn't you have to check under broody hens all the time to make sure they're not sitting on a blue egg or dark Maran egg? Or perhaps set up cameras in the nesting boxes! Seems like a lot of work, disturbing to the broody hens, and not foolproof. Sometimes free-ranging hens don't go broody in the coop or provided areas you intend them to. They may have a clutch in some hidden corner of the farm or yard that you don't know about right away, if at all. They may even seem to disappear for a while until the chicks hatch. I'd be worried about an Orpington hen sitting on a blue or dark egg from another breed, or perhaps one of the other breed hens going broody herself and not being discovered until they hatch. If one of the mixed-breed eggs does slip by my efforts to harvest them and ends up incubated by a hen until hatching, I'd have to get rid of the mixed-breed chick if I don't want their genetics in the flock. I could be willing to do this, but I'd worry that I wouldn't he able to identify the mixed-breed chick because it would look more like the cock than the hen! Mixed-breed doesn't always show, and if I miss it then I'll have introduced unwanted genetics into my flock. Do you have any solutions to these concerns, or do you just figure that between checking the egg color and the feathers of chicks you do enough to minimize unwanted mixed-breed chickens, even if the risk of unnoticed unintended cross-breeding is greater than 0%? I also wonder what size flock one would need to not have to worry about inbreeding and seeking outside genetics (although that would likely always still be helpful). I'm guessing quite large, bigger than most "backyard" flocks. Hundreds of breeding chickens, at least.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Such a lot there! OK, I'll deal with each question one by one. Our hens are chosen so that their eggs are consistent and always distinguishable prior to incubation. We only keep 1 cockerel, an Orpington cockerel so we are sure that the Orpington eggs are not fertilised by another breed to result in cross-breeds. Eggs are collected daily and only Orpington eggs are given to broody hens and each broody hen is given it's own coop with run so that no other hens can access it to lay more eggs. Ours free-range but in a secured field surrounded by electric fencing. They have shade from trees but have no hedges they can create a nest under. We check coops, shelters and hides for broodies but we have yet to find a hen brooding outside of one of the many coops because these are the most sheltered structures they are provided with. If you cannot provided a ranging area so that you can monitor them to find nest sites the ways you can ensure no cross-breeds is to: 1) Have one breed only, or 2) Only keep hens, buy in eggs and artificially incubate using a brooder to hatch and raise chicks I understand that the scientific evidence is that at least 150 individuals are needed within a chicken flock to ensure a self sustaining flock. I hope that helps

[@Paelorian]

@@EnglishCountryLife Thank you so much for your detailed response to all my questions! It's very helpful. I hadn't thought to collect and redistribute all the hatching eggs. That carton of fertilized eggs you have in your kitchen waiting for the next hen to go broody makes perfect sense to me now. Yes, your chicken area is so well maintained that I can see you are able to know that you've observed each chicken daily. It is encouraging to know that it can be done. If I eventually go for a larger, self-sustaining flock or elect a somewhat more casual approach with chickens potentially wandering off, you point out two very workable solutions: pick a non-broody breed and hatch chicks myself, or stick with a single breed. 150 chickens: I may never get there myself, but it's good to have a general idea of the size of a self-sustaining flock. Unless I have hundreds of breeding chickens, I'll make a real effort to regularly introduce outside genetics to the flock to keep them healthy. So when you notice a hen is broody, do you replace all the eggs she's sitting on or add to them until she's got a full clutch? And I suppose since you know she hasn't been sitting for days, the eggs you place under her will hatch at roughly the same time.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Paelorian We collect eggs four times a day. Each broody is moved to her own coop (often on pottery eggs). Once she's settled, we put the collected fertile eggs under her

[@Paelorian]

@@EnglishCountryLife So the broody hen will sit more than 21 days, until her eggs hatch? (Within reason.) Why collect eggs four times daily?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@Paelorian Because after a few hours incubation begins & cannot be halted without killing the foetus. Most hens will sit for 25 - 28 days. There's a period if them "flirting" with broodiness too.

[@laaberxim1091]

Hello! Do you maybe know what type of chicken mine is? She’s the one in my profile picture, she’s brown-ish and I also had a male one and he looked a lot like her but had smaller eyes, I also want to thank you for the amazing content you upload ♥️

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm sorry we don't, chickens interbreed and there are many hybrids

[@sarahl500]

Thanks for sharing that info, you have lovely birds. I have a small backyard flock and a broody atm. She is just about to hatch out her first chicks 😁 I've been reading about vaccinating vs not. Do you vaccinate your chicks?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Good question. We don't vaccinate but we take biosecurity very seriously. We never bring new live birds into the flock. If we want new chickens, we hatch them. Visitors are never allowed to handle the birds unless they have bought them and that delays takes place in our barns and not in the field. We also have a routine of disinfecting our boots and asking others to if they have been around other poultry. We have not yet to have any serious disease or even common problems like mites or scaly leg. That's our way, but it may not be right for you.

[@sarahl500]

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks so much for replying. its great to know what other people are doing. My birds including the one sitting are all hybrid birds that have been vaccinated (they were bought as point of lay). She shouldn't have gone broody but did :) We have had a few hatch out today. it seems pretty hard for backyard breeders to vaccinate, i've heard the vaccine come in large quantities. So i'll leave them unvaccinated and hope for the best. I do regularly disinfect and sanitise the run and coop.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@sarahl500 If you are risk averse or have regular contact with other poultry flocks you can contact your vet to vaccinate the new hatches. If your practise is suburban you may find that they do not provide this service but any practise that supports commercial chicken farmers should be able to help you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@sarahl500 Can I apologise for the appalling auto corrections to my typing that made some of my sentences nonsense? I really should have checked it before posting 🤣🤣🤣

[@nashwaran473]

Hi can I buy fertile eggs from you.I am in harrow Middlesex

[@EnglishCountryLife]

We occasionally have fertile eggs for sale Nash, I listed 6 this morning. We sell through our eBay store. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-Buff-Orpington-Large-Fowl-Hatching-Eggs-Excellent-Fertility/393244506556?pageci=0fa24b89-0e65-4575-9913-1fb12aa4fbb2

[@nashwaran473]

@@EnglishCountryLife thànks a lot Could i buy 12 eggs through e bay mix of color full friendly breed mostly buff opington 4-6 eggs and rest of other variety

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@nashwaran473 Hi Nash, we only sell Buff Orpington eggs I'm afraid, we don't keep cockerels for other breeds

[@nashwaran473]

@@EnglishCountryLife thanks a lot I will order 6 then Btw I loved ur channel. Keep it going .

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@nashwaran473 Thank you!

[@H2Dwoat]

Hi, I’m hopefully going to get an allotment in the near future and I am considering keeping chickens on the allotment. I am trying get informed ahead of taking on the allotment, is there a minimum number of hens you should keep for socialisation reasons and is a cockerel required? I live in an urban area so I am concerned about a cockerel crowing.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi! Great questions. Chickens are flock/social birds do don't flourish as well on their own. As a minimum, two should be kept but I would recommend 3 for a reasonable social group. For your 2nd question you only need a cockerel if you intend to breed. Hens lay eggs with or without a cockerel being present. My series "Chicken Keeping for Beginners" may be useful m.kzbin.info/aero/PLDluIIoNPsldJo1GHNzIyHupbMBgQue-p

[@H2Dwoat]

@@EnglishCountryLife: Cheers.

[@amandabuckley167]

have you got a Facebook page?

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I'm afraid not. Is there any particular reason you were thinking would be useful either to you or me? If there is, we may well open one :-)

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Amanda. I've just seen your other comment so I'll post on Twitter tomorrow. I hope that;s OK? If not, let me know.

[@edwardthomas9671]

Try finding a buff orpington that not in breeding with your stock they have been around for nr 200 years lol

[@EnglishCountryLife]

You're right but the breeding cycle in chickens is a fast and fairly high volume one so 200 years is a long time. The breed has spread far enough and been diluted with genes from other breeds that it's pretty safe that deformities are much less likely than breeding sibling to sibling, but I do take your point.

[@SM-ce1uy]

Buffies are real borbs

[@EnglishCountryLife]

That's a new word that we had to look up 🙂

[@abdulabdullah5928]

Thank u very much this video was very enjoyable and I learnt something new to, do u have any spare hens of that breed if so let me know ur contact number and let me know if ur city is close to mine, Manchester

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Hi Abdul! Unfortunately our hens sell very quickly and all this year's hatch sold months ago. Sorry 😟

[@abdulabdullah5928]

Thank you very much

[@dailyprayer436]

the music at the start a bit sad and lonely

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So sorry you feel that way. We find it calm and restful which we feel represents our way of life outside of the frenetic modern world.

[@BlackWolf6420]

We kill chickens to eat them. Just say it lol

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Any sensible breeding plan involves those choices. Surely that's obvious?

[@BlackWolf6420]

@@EnglishCountryLife yes 👍🏻 I just meant the semantics 😉. Have a great day!