Over the past two years my husband and I have done a lot of reading on self sufficient living. We have chosen to farm simply to be more self sufficient and not to try to garner an income, however in one instance we do hope to at least sell enough of our excess to cover our own costs. Therefore, we have chosen to go with dual purpose breeds on our homestead. Some of the breeds we have chosen are also in danger of becoming extinct which has also become a driving force in our breed choices. We hope to not only feed our family but also keep some of our rare breeds going for future generations.

For poultry we have chosen two breeds that have the hardiness we require here in the South plus the temperment, egg size, color and production we require. Our first choice is the Delaware (listed as Critical) our second choice is the New Hampshire Red. Both of these breeds are heat & cold tolerant, very good layers of large brown eggs, broody (necessary for breeding without incubation) and have a nice growth rate for broilers. We have chosen those the Delaware to breed for our broilers that we will raise on pasture and we are going to try with the New Hampshire Reds as well but will probably end up with just the Delaware. For our laying hens we are also chosing a few other breeds that are also more cold hardy so that we will have eggs all year long but we will not breed these. We are going to get a few Polish too but they are mostly for eye candy and for the kids since they are so easy going.

For our beef and dairy we have chosen to go with the Irish Dexter. My husbands family is mostly Scotch Irish so that had a little to do with our choice of this breed but after a lot of research we have found that  even without the sentiment we would have chosen this breed. The Dexter breed is a miniature breed and therefore easily added to a small acerage like ours. They are also very hardy so they will not require a great deal of shelter. This dual purpose breed good both for meat and milk is perfect for our family. With a family of five we hope the higher fat content of this breeds milk with garner us enough to have enough milk and cream to provide skimmed milk, butter and possibly cheese for our needs. The only trouble we are having with this breed is finding one we can afford!

We also plan to add Nigerian Dwarf goats to our homestead in the future as well if the Dexter does not meet our needs for milk production. This miniature dairy breed should produce just enough to make up any gaps and being miniature easier to handle as well. They are simply adorable and that does not hurt either.

As for pork, we are still on the fence about having any at all but I am leaning toward adding them as well since they are fairly easy to care for. So if we do choose to add them we will either go with the Tamworth or Berkshire. The Berkshire is a very very lean pork and the Tamworth is very tasty. Fortunatly both would be fairly easy to obtain in our area as well.

So for us these dual purpose breeds are just the ticket to helping us along the way to becoming self sufficient. They may lay a little slower and grow out a little slower, but they are breeds that should not be overlooked. The world needs more than Rhode Island Reds, Cornish Rocks and Angus Cattle.

Take care!

Hope

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Posted by fultoncountymommie

Round here in Central Illinois the Amish folks are raising hog on pure corn and getting pretty high dollar for their meat In big cities. Fancy restaurants are wanting a higher fat ratio than they used too.

Love your pick of chicks. I am very fond of Delawares myself. I also really like Buff Orpington's. A good heavy bird the dresses out nice and great mothers and egg layers. A true multitasker.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

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