Homesteading with Dragon Way Farm
Homesteading with Dragon Way Farm
Some people have a mid-life crisis…I have a mid-life homestead. It’s never too late to take control of your food security and in my mid-forty’s, I’m learning how to grow food, raise livestock, start a business and become more self-sufficient. Tune in to see what it’s like to start a homestead when you’re no longer a spring chicken.
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After over 50 years of having chickens , my favorites are sussex , orpington , wyandottes , golden comets and americaunas . The ones I would never had again are black australorp .
The Rhode Island Reds may be popular, but my experience with them wasn't good. They were mean. I mean they were monsters ! Especially the roosters. They would attack you for no reason, even the hens would peck you, and they were not gentle. No joke...had to get rid of the monsters. I have Americana, Black Asians, Golden Comets, and New Jersey Giants. I like their gentleness, and have no problems with them. The Black Asian roosters will attack you, if they think the hens are in danger.
@@straightupandforward7494 oh wow! Thank you for your comment. I have Jersey Giants coming in a couple weeks actually! I’m very excited to try this new (for me) breed. My research into them indicated that the breed was actually created just a couple towns away from mine here in NJ!
@@straightupandforward7494 oh wow! Thank you for your comment. I have Jersey Giants coming in a couple weeks actually! I’m very excited to try this new (for me) breed. My research into them indicated that the breed was actually created just a couple towns away from mine here in NJ!
If someone who is a beginner...and they are planning to free range their chickens...I recommend they DO NOT get any breed of chickens that are white. That is a signal to predators (Hawks, Eagles), that screams out, "Hey come and get me...want a free chicken dinner ?" ! Get a breed of chickens that blend with the environment. Especially chickens that are black. Hawks will associate them with Crows. And they do not like Crows. They will stay away.
I'm starting to agree about the silkies. I have three that were impulse buys from the agricultural flea market. I don't know yet if they are roosters or hens! but they have not laid any eggs. I've had them for two months. I do have a low roosting bar and they do like to stand on it, and they finally learned how to walk down the ramp from there chicken coop they are in a large contained area. But I really liked the five that you put on your A list and that's what I think I would get next time around.😂
Our poultry farmers in Pakistan , around 70 % raise white leg horn for eggs , & 30 % of the farners raise Golden Misri for both eggs & meat # i love Buff Orpington & RIR # ❤️🇵🇰
I’ve never heard of the Golden Misri. I’ll have to look that one up! Thank you for your comment!
if you are planning on raising meat birds silkies are not your choice. the black skin on them or anything crossed with silkie doesnt look good on the BBQ! a silkie will try and hatch a doorknob if you let them. they have been known to die on a nest of eggs cuz they will sit there on the eggs and never get off to eat or drink water. great pets if its all you have. and popular as showbirds!
rhode island red males are not used by any serious cockfighter . they do have a habit of being a little aggressive!
if you are just getting them to run around look pretty and lay lots of eggs, the hybid layers like comets are great. great layers. rhode island red is good. black sex links are also a high production. leghorns tend to fly and be kinda wild. ameraucanas cn be good layers . pronounced leg-horn! barred rocks tend to be great layers the first year and tend to be poor layers after.
orpingtons are great pets. but the feed conversion rate feed/egg ratio is kinda poor. being a big bird they eat a lot.
Roughly how old are these. I was given 5 chicks and I never confirmed how old they are. It's been about a month and I'm still trying to figure how old my chickens are. I just assumed they were week old when I got them.
I think at the time of this particular video these guys were like 3 weeks.
I love my leghorns. It always breaks my heart that they are never listed in these top chicken videos, so thank you for including them ❤
You are most welcome! They have always held a special place in my heart which is why they made my list!!!
I free range and it's impossible to be right all the time, people forget or don't know about chickens there's on every predator menu . Remember you have to get it right every time the predator just has to get lucky once.
It’s so easy to underestimate predators that you don’t see on a regular basis. I was raised to believe that wildlife is “more afraid of you than you are of it” & as a result always figured spaces near where we are frequently would be avoided. Nope. I’ve seen foxes (that are not overly afraid) in the morning when I have people over and outside. Having chickens has definitely raised my respect level for the tenacity and ability of wildlife to take what they want!
Absolutely at the moment I have a nice size coyote patrolling my homestead just waiting for me to slip up one day. LoL
If you build a coop that doesn't exclude rodents mice n rats You are creating an ongoing chore for yourself and breeding rodents as well as chickens ultimately costing you more along the way
Very good point and I’m currently dealing with mice that were in this garage structure when I first moved in. Adding chickens definitely increased the rodent population! It is an ongoing battle and challenging when not using poison, but I’m making a dent!
@@dragonwayfarm it's frustrating they just never give up I used 5mm mice and snake mesh And totally encapsulated the coop including an underground layer It cost me a grand to build that coop which could hold about 20 ...I only run 4 in it though Hi from Australia
Buff Orpington are great and really good layers with gentle temperament RIR roosters in my experience are jerks. Have had good luck Ameracauna’s as well. They are a little slight though. Barred Rocks are tough and laid back.
I would suggest putting a large sheet of plastic sheeting or construction film, which are relatively cheap, on top of the concrete floor, and then add the bedding material on top of that, this way the concrete floor of the garage will be protected from stains that will inevitably happen with the chicken manure, plus when it comes time to clean, manure will not stick to the plastic sheeting or construction film as it does to concrete, a simple sweep of the bedding material will be all you need to do to collect it and dispose of it. You can use stones or blocks around the perimeter of the plastic sheeting or construction film, so it will remain in place when sweeping it.
Great idea!! Thank you so much!!!
My RIR is a lap chicken 💖
Glad to hear that!!! The few we had wanted no part of being a pet! Lol!
I just finished my animal watering system and its working perfect, no watering chickens, no watering rabbits, no watering sheep...I also hate cleaning the food forest, but i have to find new things to hate to solve more homesteading problems...Im automating as much as i can.
That’s fantastic!! Automation saves so much time and as someone who struggles to fit all my tasks into the 24hrs we’re given each day, I can definitely appreciate what you’re doing!!
@dragonwayfarm I have been super busy lately with other work, so time gets limited, but building automation infrastructure helps in preventing homesteading burnout, once I get my roof garden project started, I'm adding automatic watering that will be fully sustainable.
LOL.. I love the chicken footage.. they are so funny. I really appreciate your honesty.. it is refreshing to see someone being real. My confession is I dislike cleaning chicken poop out of the coop. Why do they have to poop so much in their sleep? LOL
Thank you so much for your comment & your confession. 😄
Texan here and we had 2 Silkies we adored ❤. A white one named Snow White and a black one named Malificiant. Great layers and joyful to watch. Lovely addition to our flock. Ours never once went broody.
Thank you for your comment!
The foxes were doing you a favor, that watering the ducks was hard to watch 😂, I was working for the past two weeks, I have a huge mess... you already know what I hate doing 😂
Such a hater…🤣 watering is my zen time!
@@dragonwayfarm the third time filling up that kiddie pool, I would drown myself in it lol
@@MosaicHomestead lmao! Glad you don’t have ducks anymore then!
That’s very sweet of you ❤
My least favorite job, but harder 😂
Not all chickens like those swings, but will attempt some entertainment gadgets 😂, next month my run build continues.
I think if you’re going to keep chickens confined, it’s a must to have something to keep them entertained. I’m planning a mini obstacle course for the girls this summer! 🤣
@@dragonwayfarm I'm going to build the gadgets to keep myself entertained, coming up with crazy stuff is entertaining 😜
@@MosaicHomestead I wholeheartedly agree with that!!!
LOVE IT! ❤ I'm going to have to try this with my girls
I am genuinely surprised with how often I find my ladies just swinging along!! This is just a sturdy branch I found laying around and some chain. Don’t need anything fancy!!
Omg i used to have chickens and i loved when they had their first egg.. it was so cool and their eggs were so good😋😋
You did 🤯
The first eggs are so cute and tiny!!!
Mind if I have a ride?
I have been around chickens all my life and I'm OLD! I don't know anyone that has chickens that hasn't lost some. Don't let the grumpy folks make you feel bad!!😉
Muscovy's prefer a raised area? Thank you for bringing this up as I am going to be getting some Muscovy hens to add in with my Cayuga Drake and Welsh Harlequin hen 😊 I am looking to build a hoop coop for them all as the hutch I currently have for the 2 won't be big enough for 6. I have had the ducks for about 6 months and my biggest problem is my chickens constantly eat the ducks egg! I tried putting a ceramic egg in there to discourage it, with no luck.
Ooh, that’s tough dealing with egg eaters. I wish I had some advice for that one, but sadly the only thing that really works once they start is to get rid of them. ☹️ And yes, Muscovy ducks fly very well and prefer to roost up high at night. Ours actually took to sleeping ON TOP of the coop at night when my Dad kept some years ago! Muscovy a are ducks…but different. Good luck!!
The water issue is my biggest complaint, Ducks make a huge mess, and I hate watering the animals 😂, I don't mind feeding, but watering isn't a fun chore. I have gone through a huge expense to get rid of this chore, don't mind a weekly maintenance, but would love never to worry about water 😂
This is the main reason that I am really looking into installing a duck pond in their run (with a filter system of some kind of that’s even possible). Right now, it’s almost impossible to keep the water clean due to the freezing temps. I manage to chip out ice and dump fresh water on top. It’s disgusting. But I wouldn’t ever get rid of my ducks. Love ‘em too much. Lol!!
@dragonwayfarm Water won't freeze if it's moving, if you have a slope, build there and install a drain pipe for maintenance, if it's really big, you probably won't have to clean it, I had a koi pond years ago.
@@MosaicHomestead drain pipe…good call & something I would not have thought of! Thank you!!
So sorry for your loss. It is really unfortunate when people feel the need to make someone feel worse for mistakes. We are all human and we can’t be perfect. There’s only one perfect human that ever lived and He hasn’t come back yet. ✝️ Don’t let the haters get you down and don’t blame yourself too much. You’re doing a good job and you’re working as hard as you can. God Bless and take care. ❤️
Thank you 🙏
I was against having them too. However when I could not get satins I figured I could make my own polskis.silkies are very useful for incubation. And you also have to be very careful what chickens you put silkies in with. I love my two however you really do have to watch the other birds around them because they really are delicate. Very very sweet though and also if well bred smarter than one would think.they are quiet but very verbal.
I honestly think they are wonderful, but just definitely not for me. At least not at this time in my life. Silkies are incredibly popular in my area though. But definitely more pets than livestock. Lol
@@dragonwayfarm I do feel you I love my Americana Izzy and my polish Shiloh and Finn and I have this really nice Arucana/ayam cemani/ cochin olive egger mixture that is an irradecent black and lays beautiful olive eggs named Maya. But my advice is stick to your guns if you want to not keep silkies because if you buy them for incubators or to improve the temperament of your polish you will have no choice but to love them. I was so against getting them I tried so hard to get satins which have real feathers. However I could not get satins for love or money at the time so I got Gizmo and Wicket this last fall and those two had me wrapped around their five little toes within a week.
I got nothing lol
Lol! I likely won’t either. Stupid commercial day that means nothing. Lol! You have my respect. There, now you got something. 🤣
We made our coop out of free pallets, had a old house door, had left over metal roofing from an project. Bought a used metal chicken near box costs little over a 100 dollars.
I LOVE this!!! Thank you for sharing. I have a pallet chicken coop and run that I’m currently designing. Glad to know it’s not a crazy idea!!!
Can you potty train a chicken?
That’s a great question & to be honest, I have no idea. I haven’t tried. But I do know some people do keep chickens in their house for various reasons. I’ve seen diapers used on some chickens for that reason.
Good job, besides scabbing stuff up is fun, got some Hessian bags I water down for cool air flow. 😊
I agree….nooo snow
It's eternal summer in the tropics 😂
Got room? I’ll be right over! Lol!!
The plantings have done gone with Jesus 😂
Lol! Nah, they’ll be fine. Snow didn’t even stick
My husband and I had Araucanas in the 1970s. They're more like game hens. Some will roost in the trees. We also had the White Leghorns. It was a good mix. 😊
Interesting. I have never had any experience with the Araucanas. Thank you for sharing that!!
Sneaky hawk. Don't beat yourself up anymore. You recognized what happened and took responsibility and are acting to fix the problem. You also warned others to look around for unexpected security risks--thanks! We are all learning and adapting.
Thank you for that! 💕 It really surprised me how smart, agile and I afraid the hawk was. They were always concerning predators, now I know just how terrifying they are!! Thanks for watching and commenting!!
We have a bunch of buff orpingtons {24} we get a lot of eggs { typically about 17 per day }.... and this is during the winter time... we have around 2500 feet of raised garden beds , and this year we are putting up a greenhouse ... and putting in a feed lot for our birds
It sounds like you have an amazing set up!! Thank you so much for your lovely comment!! I still get a kick out of the fact that Buff Orpington is both a breed of duck and chicken!!
I have those runs for my guinea and chicken coops. They go up in a few minutes but that chicken wire is _endless_ when you're by yourself. I've put up 4 of them and it never got faster or easier 😆
Lol! I’ve only done two so far and the first one took me a day and a half by myself. The second was about 4ish hours. I found a system with the chicken wire and I’m definitely not a perfectionist, so that helped. I think if I had the run outside and was counting on it to be predator proof by itself, it would have taken MUCH longer as I would have been much more particular about the wire being perfect, and probably reinforcing it with hardware cloth!
Look at them quackers
I was wonderinf if the curled tail feather was a thing! My drake has it but my hen does not 😊 I agree ducks are SOOO messy, but I love them anyway!
Yup, the curled tail feather is most definitely a thing! Unfortunately it doesn’t show up until the duck is an adult in most cases. The sound is hands down the most accurate way (aside from the presence of eggs) to tell the difference and probably the earliest indicator.
WE DEFINITELY AGREE ON ONE THING.. BUFF ORPINGTONS ARE THE BEST.. THEY GIVEA KOT OF LOVE AND COMPANIONSHIP. I AM A 70 YR OLD POST STROKE WOMAN WITH NO KIDS.. I WAS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO INSPIRE ME TO KEEP LIVING A HAPPY MEANINGFUL LIFE..MY BUFFIES ARE AFFECTIONATE..LOVES UNCONDITIONALLY...FOLLOWS ME AROUND SO THEY PROVIDE THAT COMPANIONSHIP..NOT NOISY..ANG PROVIDES ME EGGS CONSISTENTLY.. AND JUST A JOY TO WATCH..I DONT TAKE ANY ANTI DEPRESSANT..HARDLY GETS LONESOME.. MY ORPIES MAKES ME WANNA GET UP IN THE MORNING.. AND BE UP AND ABOUT..😅
I m so glad you have your Buff Orpingtons! My father had a stoke at 69yrs old and it was his desire to get back home to his chickens that made him work so hard in therapy and get out of the hospital quickly! Chickens really are good for the soul!
They have so much personality, and their eggs are delicious! I don't have them but my friends who do, are big fans. ❤
I feel like people don’t talk up ducks enough (or maybe I’m just not seeing it)! They really are awesome. Unless you’re a nest freak. They are messy, but aside from that teeny, tiny fact, ducks are just the best!!
@@dragonwayfarm I am about to buy/create a mini homestead so still deciding about what birds I want, lots of research. Plus I had a boss who dislikes all animals, including her own dog, but she was obsessed with her ducks 😂
@@AylaGrassrootGardens lol! That’s fantastic!! Hey, good luck with the homestead start-up!! It’s sooo much work, but so worth it!
@@dragonwayfarm thank you, I am a single mom and work full time so trying to keep things simple. I moved to a new climate so I have to relearn everything I thought I knew 😂
@@AylaGrassrootGardens massive respect for you! I can’t imagine being a single parent and trying to do it all. Thankfully I’m only responsible for my animals. So you go girl! You’re a super hero in my book!!
I had ducks, not low maintenance, changing the water is one of the jobs i hate most, water wont stay clean 5 minutes 😂
I Guess I’ve just accepted the fact that they won’t have clean water 100% of the time. When I free ranged them, I had zero water to clean since they found puddles and ditches to play in. Now that they are in a run I change the water every morning and that’s it. Yes, it would be a full time job keeping the water crystal clean all day, but I already have a full time job, so the ducks just have to deal with it.
Thanks for posting the vid, that is a good idea using the run! I agree it probably wouldn't stop much as a primary structure, but works well inside your garage! I lucked out and the previous owners of my property left a big coop here, but chicken math has made it time to look for a bigger option for my guineas and chickens. I may try the one you did inside my shed, as I don't want them to have full run of it, and this will keep them and the mess contained. Look forward to other videos, your channel name sums up my journey as well 😁
Lol! Chicken math gets us every time!! Thanks for watching and I wish you the best of luck with the expansion project!
I got rid of my ducks, they make a mess 😂
Lol! I love my ducks. Yes, they are messy, but they really cut my misquito load in half and we get them bad here. Last year was the first summer I could sit outside in my yard and not get completely eaten alive!
I think you went over $100 lol
Lol! These are for my main garden, not the $100 garden. Lol!!
Nice job😊
Thank you for the kind words!!