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Our garden is rapidly turning into a farmyard. We now have an additional silkie hen and a silkie cockerel to go with the silkie we picked up the previous day. Bring the total to 2 roosters and 4 hens. Still want a couple more, but in rented accommodation they get a bit grumpy if you have too many. Not going to get too many eggs off the silkies, but I'm planning on adding another 2 or 4 POL birds in the next couple of weeks.

The silkies are weird little things, look like Fraggles. Didn't realise they have black skin and black(ish) meat, and blue ears - apparently. Seem nice and tame though, and this cockerel hasn't tried to eat Sid yet, so that's always a bonus.

Now I just need to convince the landlord to let me get in a little pygmy goat or a micro pig and we're all set Big Grin
Ours is on its way. Finishing the run at the weekend for 4 chickens.
The other half is firmly anti pig but I am going to sneak in some goats when we next move house. But that's a while away.
Can,t do much more on the animal front until i hear from the planning department....should hear this week, if its good news goats and a couple of pigs will follow ... the plan is log cabin,workshop, garden , animals ...can,t come quick enough for me.
Kune Kune pigs are great, hardy, friendly, and they eat grass. I have 8 of them.
They sound ideal for us Steve will check them out...what do you feed them through winter and or supplements through the year.
(18 March 2015, 22:44)Straight Shooter Wrote: [ -> ]They sound ideal for us Steve will check them out...what do you feed them through winter and or supplements through the year.

When they were young I fed them Farm Feeds Sow & Weaner, now they eat mostly grass and hay with a few Pig Finisher pellets to keep them used to coming into the barn when I call them. This will make it easier when it's "freezer time".

They have a good sized sty in the barn, but prefer to sleep on a big pile of hay in their paddock unless it's raining hard.

I looked at the economics of keeping pigs, and unless you can either grow their food or get it cheaply from a brewery / bakers / other then it's not really worth doing on a monetary basis. Of course, you can still do it for the skills and knowledge that you are eating humanely raised, pure meat.
What about raising rabbits for meat? I'm sure they'd slip under the Planners' radar. Just pass them off as pet bunnies!

Quote:I am going to sneak in some goats when we next move house.

Stealth goat-herding. That should be worth seeing!
(18 March 2015, 11:57)BeardyMan Wrote: [ -> ]Our garden is rapidly turning into a farmyard. We now have an additional silkie hen and a silkie cockerel to go with the silkie we picked up the previous day. Bring the total to 2 roosters and 4 hens. Still want a couple more, but in rented accommodation they get a bit grumpy if you have too many. Not going to get too many eggs off the silkies, but I'm planning on adding another 2 or 4 POL birds in the next couple of weeks.
You DO know you don't need a cockerel just for eggs don't you?
The silkies are weird little things, look like Fraggles. Didn't realise they have black skin and black(ish) meat, and blue ears - apparently. Seem nice and tame though, and this cockerel hasn't tried to eat Sid yet, so that's always a bonus.

Now I just need to convince the landlord to let me get in a little pygmy goat or a micro pig and we're all set Big Grin

You DO know you don't need a cockerel just for eggs don't you??
(20 March 2015, 09:44)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]You DO know you don't need a cockerel just for eggs don't you??

Yup, but it was either we take them or they get culled, so we thought we can give them a reprise Angel

Plus the silkies get really broody apparently, so you can use them to incubate eggs from other chickens.
(20 March 2015, 10:11)BeardyMan Wrote: [ -> ]
(20 March 2015, 09:44)bigpaul Wrote: [ -> ]You DO know you don't need a cockerel just for eggs don't you??

Yup, but it was either we take them or they get culled, so we thought we can give them a reprise Angel

Plus the silkies get really broody apparently, so you can use them to incubate eggs from other chickens.

watch out for neighbours (incomers) complaining about the cockerels crowing!!!
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