Pizza Night and a Plan
First - this pizza crust was incredible and is ready in about 30 minutes. I'll link the recipe below. Secondly, we did a thing. We have a plan. We are moving forward. We are excited. We are crazy. We ordered chickens!
We are expecting our chicks to arrive around the first of March. We ordered two different varieties. We ordered 10 of the Freedom Ranger (pic below) - which will be exclusively for meat. We also ordered 15 straight run American White Bress chickens. Straight run means they are not sexed - we'll get a combo of boys and girls. The girls will become our laying flock - we are hoping for at least 6 girls, and the boys (save one) will go live with the Freedom Rangers as meat chickens. The best boy will get to live with the layers, and help us to create a larger flock.
Some of you may be a bit taken aback by the fact that we purchased some chickens with to sole intention of eating them, but to us, it's better to know that they have a large yard, with room to roam and forage, quality food, no weirdo injections or medications, and just live a happy, care free life, until it's time to "do the deed". We will dispose of them humanely and will thank them for their sacrifice to our dinner table. I don't know many people who don't eat chicken, and unless you are raising them yourself, you can't imagine the conditions they are raised in for your dining pleasure.
I'm excited about both breeds, but mostly the American Bress - they are a more expensive bird, but they can breed, and have good genes. They produce a quality egg count, while also being a good meat bird. I'm excited about growing our flock.
I'm going to try and let them grow out their own chicks (meaning I won't take the fertilized eggs and put them in an incubator) so that we can see if the flock can be self sustaining. Everything I've read about them indicates we should be able to just let them be chickens, and they'll do the rest.
I love the rich color of the Freedom Rangers, but also like the "Foghorn Leghorn" look of the American Bress. They are supposed to both have a good disposition, so hopefully they'll get along well with us.
I'm also researching what to plant around the hen house. I know I'm definitely planting cumfrey and I'm going to order some Cuca melon seeds. Anything that will grow over the top of the coop with a fruit so the chickens have some yummy treats.
That's about it for now - and no I didn't forget - here's your link to the delicious pizza crust recipe I found. Here it is!
Try it!
Best wishes!
