Why You Should Keep Chickens

Buff Orpington Rooster. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Our ancestors knew that chickens are one of the greatest assets that a family can own. Prior to the 1950's, just about every rural family kept at least a few dozen chickens. Though their popularity has declined dramatically over the last fifty years, keeping a few chickens is very important if you wish to become more self reliant. They take up little room, require little food and give back a lot in return.

In addition to providing an abundance of fresh eggs and possibly even some meat for your family, chickens can also play an important role in your garden. In addition to devouring weeds and the insect pests that can damage your garden, chickens are also great miniature tractors and can even cultivate and fertilize your garden for you.

Breeds of Chickens: As if proof of their value, there are literally hundreds of breeds of chickens found throughout the world. Almost every country has at least one breed of it's own development, while most European countries are the home of dozens of breeds each. These breeds all differ not only in shapes and sizes, but also plumage color, in the shapes of their combs and other characteristics. Some breeds were developed mainly for their utilitarian purposes (ie. their ability to produce meat or eggs), while others were developed primarily for cosmetic purposes. As a general rule, chickens are split it into basic groups: Standard and Bantam. The standard breeds are full size and can weigh up to 15 lbs each, while the Bantams are chickens in miniature and may weigh as little as only a pound or so.

Some of the most popular standard breeds in the United States include: Rhode Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, White Lehgorns, Cornish Rocks, Americaunas and varying commercial crosses like the Buff Sex-Link and Red Star. Meanwhile, popular Bantams include Golden and Silver Sebrights, Cochins, Rosecomb Blacks, Old English Game Bantams and others.
 
 

Golden Sebright Rooster
Courtesy: Wikipedia
 

Heritage Breeds: Just like vegetables, there are also heritage or heirloom breeds of chickens. These are breeds which are rich in history and quite often are quite rare. Some of the rarer heritage chicken breeds include the Buckeye (which we keep ourselves), the Delaware, Redcap, Russian Orloff, Dorking, Sultan, Buttercup and many others. Heritage breeds are reknown for their abilities to produce quality eggs and meat that are blessed with an old fashioned flavor.

Picking a Breed: There are numerous things to consider when choosing which breed(s)
 
 
 
 
 

Chicken, Poultry & Hatchery Links
 

For only $39.99, you can receive 100 packets of our select heirloom vegetable seeds (a savings of over $175), which is enough to supply the average family with a ready supply of healthy fresh vegetables even during the hardest times. Vegetable seeds have a storage life of at least five seasons and this is a great opportunity to establish your own food security for a low price. Even if you have only a small garden area, it is possible to grow a good quantity of your own wholesome food for a cost that is much lower than you can buy it anywhere. Our seeds are non GMO and are 100% open pollinated, meaning that you can breed your own seeds for use year after year. Unlike others offering vegetable seeds at low prices, our seed is hand packaged and is hand selected from the freshest supplies on the market! Find out what's in our vegetable seed sets here. (To order, just click a button and then choose the option at the lower right to use your credit card).

There is actually a lot of variation in our seed sets on a weekly basis based on available supplies. Though the crops don't tend to change, the varieties change every few days.

As a general guideline, each 100 packet sets contain ALL major crops, including: Heirloom Tomatoes (including beefsteaks), Bell Peppers, Chiles, Eggplant, Beans of several types, Sweet Corn, Beets, Chard, Cabbage, Collards, Kale, Mustard Greens, Turnips, Carrots, Radishes,Cucumbers (slicing and pickling), Melons, Watermelons, Lettuce (several types), Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Okra, Peas, Parsnips, Spinach, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Pumpkins and a few culinary herbs. 

We try to make sure that ALL of the above crops are included and typically several varieties of each are included. Each packet is large enough to supply the average family with an abundance of food.

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Our 50 packet sets contain everything that our 100 sets include, with the exception of the less known crops and the fact that multiple varieties may not be included.

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