Excited to Join the Backyard Herds Community!

[featheredhomestead]

Hi everyone,


I’m Umair, and I’m really glad to join the Backyard Herds community. I’ve always had an interest in poultry and small livestock, especially chickens and quail. Over the years, I’ve been learning more about incubation, poultry care, and different approaches people take to raising healthy flocks.


What I love most about communities like this is the chance to hear real experiences from others – whether it’s success stories, troubleshooting advice, or just sharing the ups and downs of farm life. I’m hoping to both learn and contribute here.


Outside of my own small-scale poultry interests, I also work with a U.S.-based company that focuses on poultry equipment and innovative solutions for keepers of all sizes. But my main reason for joining is to connect with people who share the same enthusiasm for raising animals and to be part of a community where knowledge and experiences are shared so freely.


Looking forward to meeting you all, learning from your journeys, and hopefully sharing a few helpful insights along the way.


Best,
Umair

 

[farmerjan]

Hello Umair... Welcome to our group.

For general reference... please go to your name top right, down to account details and down to location, and put your location... it will pop up under your avatar pic and so many replies are based on area... You can put just your state, or general area (like east TX or west TX since the climates are so different).. or if you are in another country, just the country... we have a few members from other countries that pop in and out and it is always interesting to learn of different animals or climates they deal with.

As you can see, I am in the western part of VA in the Shenandoah Valley.. We have beef cattle, a few milk cows, chickens , some sheep, a garden and other farming stuff. Have raised most all other types of farm animals except goats....
I work with dairy farmers, and many have commercial poultry houses.. some for broilers, some for turkeys, and others have laying flocks producing fertile eggs for hatching of the broiler chicks. Good or bad, commercial poultry farmers are very concerned with their birds health as it is their livelihood... and disease going through a house of 4-8-10,000 birds can be disastrous...
We use poultry litter on our hayfields and the 15-20 acres of corn that we grow to feed some of our feeder cattle at weaning time.

As for the Polish chickens... I have not personally raised them but there were a couple of friends that had them in our poultry club... Yes, they do have some trouble seeing, and therefore are more susceptible to predators also. Every one that I know that has had them, keeps them in coops/runs, so confined and protected. They do not make a good bird for "free ranging"... but are quite pretty out on grass if they are contained and in a protected yard... They do manage to get around pretty well. One of the friends would pluck a few of the feathers right in front of the eyes so they could see a little better... if they weren't going to show them or anything.
I never heard them say anything much about laying... pro or con... everyone gets too many eggs in the spring, and not enough eggs in the winter in the colder climates... some of us raise some up to try to get them to start producing in Oct/Nov so they will be more likely to lay in the winter, use lights and other ways to help keep production going...
I have some purebred show chickens, and have had a small commercial layer flock of free range hens of about 150 for a couple years until the eagles decided to invade... can't shoot them like normal predators......

 

[Mini Horses]

knowledge and experiences are shared so freely.

That's here! . Good, bad & ugly -- we learn from it.

Most any & all livestock is either currently or has been raised by many of us. Right now my concentration is a herd of goats -- dairy & meat breeds. Yes, I milk, use it in many ways. Some are sold, occasionally one is freezer fill. Chickens a plenty. Most are free range. Some are contained for purebred chick production. Once in a while a couple piglets show up--strictly for pork on a plate.

Read thru various posts. Lot of good info, fun and some sadness. But always a concerned and sharing group.

Welcome to BYH!

 

[fuzzi]

Hi everyone,


I’m Umair, and I’m really glad to join the Backyard Herds community. I’ve always had an interest in poultry and small livestock, especially chickens and quail. Over the years, I’ve been learning more about incubation, poultry care, and different approaches people take to raising healthy flocks.


What I love most about communities like this is the chance to hear real experiences from others – whether it’s success stories, troubleshooting advice, or just sharing the ups and downs of farm life. I’m hoping to both learn and contribute here.


Outside of my own small-scale poultry interests, I also work with a U.S.-based company that focuses on poultry equipment and innovative solutions for keepers of all sizes. But my main reason for joining is to connect with people who share the same enthusiasm for raising animals and to be part of a community where knowledge and experiences are shared so freely.


Looking forward to meeting you all, learning from your journeys, and hopefully sharing a few helpful insights along the way.


Best,
Umair

Glad to have you with us.

I have bantams that I raise for pleasure, and eggs. Right now they're molting, so egg counts are way down.

 

[SageHill]

Hi and Welcome from Southern Cal. I've got sheep mostly for the freezer. Typically 2 (now maybe 3 rams) and about 15 ewes plus however many lambs at any one moment. I do things a little differently than most as I graze my sheep in a transhumant type of style part of the day and put them up at the barn and turn out or in a fenced pasture for the rest of the day.
I've got chickens, but just for eggs for the family. I'm not sure where the discussion of Polish chickens started - but I've had two. They are small and cute. Mine were quite friendly they laid small eggs - perfect size for a fried egg on toast .
Sounds like you've got the perfect job to match up with your flock! Tell us more if you can.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I’ve always had an interest in poultry and small livestock, especially chickens and quail.

Do you raise quail? I've got a few - mostly classic brown coturnix, a few Pearls and a few Celadon. Love the eggs and love the meat. I may or may not have put a "few" eggs in the incubator a couple of days ago.

Welcome to BYH!