Our Smallholding: Our Chicken Breeding Plan & Breeds 

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

From South Africa beautiful roosters thank you❤

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is extremely helpful and enjoyable content. Thank you!

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

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! 😊

Very enjoyable video. Thank you for sharing.

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.

Thank you for the wonderful explanation!

Another wonderful video, thank you.

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.

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

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.

I love that tyre! Such a great idea!

Amazing video ! Thank you .

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

Excellent information. Thank you 🙂

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

Exactly the info I was looking for!

Very helpful! Thank you!!!

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.

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

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

love your videos new subscriber

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.

Very interesting thankyou.

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!

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 :)

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 :)

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.

very nice

Nice

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

Thank You!!!!!!

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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?

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.

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

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.

❤

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

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 !!

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?

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?😊

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

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!!

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?

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 ♥️

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!

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.

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?

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?

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

(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!

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

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?

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?

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

What is that on the hens back

Hows update your buffs?

How to avail your buff orphington . From Phillipines

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

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

I need a buff orpington

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.

Need the same color rooster for each color of hens?

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

have you got a Facebook page?

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.

Buffies are real borbs

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

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

the music at the start a bit sad and lonely

We kill chickens to eat them. Just say it lol