SageSmokeSurvival

I’m creating a new “landrace” chicken.
This hybrid chick that hatched today marks the start of this project, and it’s going to take years to stabilize genetics.🐣I’m specifically selecting for strong survival traits like intelligence, foraging ability, flight, athleticism, cold hardiness, and predator resistance, while still improving on egg laying ability.

A landrace is a local variety of domesticated plant or animal that has developed unique, hardy characteristics over years of adaptation to a specific region.

2 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 2,458

SageSmokeSurvival

These are Icelandic chickens. They are the result of presumably several kinds of chickens being brought to Iceland around 900 A.D. to provide eggs for the Viking settlements. These chickens did not have constant access to food from the farmers, so only the good foragers survived. The winters are brutal so only the cold hardy survived. The ones that quit laying in the winter were butchered and eaten, so only the winter layers survived. There was predator pressure, so only the flighty, hyperaware birds that could fly to the rooftops and into trees survived.
After 1000 years of this combination of artificial and natural selection, with no other chickens brought in, the resulting birds are beautiful small utilitarian chickens that lay strong all winter, range far to find food, survive the worst winters easily, brood their own chicks, and are both wary and adept at a flying to evade predators.
I just bought and traded for this flock of 17 chickens (13 hens 4 roosters) because of their remarkable story and these traits. I think they are among the best Homestead birds because of these, and particularly because they are so good at finding their own food. They can drop the feed bill quite a bit!
I’ll make some shorts about them soon!

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 month ago | [YT] | 3,143

SageSmokeSurvival

Well, despite having his spur caps removed, Randy the rooster decided to kill my two breeding roosters. He’s had a consistent problem starting fights and not ever backing down, so after this incident we made tacos from him. Skinning a chicken is a lot easier than plucking, and you get a beautiful feathered pelt!

1 month ago | [YT] | 6,701

SageSmokeSurvival

Learn how to make your own chicken feed with a longer shelf life than conventional feed! (with no preservatives, chemicals, or synthetic vitamins). Every ingredient is growable and it has 16.5% protein! Video coming out Monday!

Edit: it’s coming out Tuesday now. Got delayed preparing for my next Patreon class

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 1,274

SageSmokeSurvival

Caught a skunk today! It sprayed a bit. I’m gonna show you how I completely de-skunkify its fur!

1 month ago | [YT] | 2,301

SageSmokeSurvival

I got about 12 pounds of beautiful red meat packaged from that big beaver yesterday. That’s after giving some to the dogs, and saving the ribs and spine separate for bone broth. 🦫

Skip the Carousel

1 2

3 months ago | [YT] | 1,605

SageSmokeSurvival

I think I caught the culprit of yesterday’s footprints. Only had the trap set 1 night. He weighs 48 pounds!

Skip the Carousel

1 2

3 months ago | [YT] | 1,736

SageSmokeSurvival

Looking for Beaver sign in the fresh snow and found these huge prints from a large beaver, and the biggest beaver felled tree I’ve ever seen! Looks like I’m in a good spot🦫

Skip the Carousel

1 2

3 months ago | [YT] | 1,376

SageSmokeSurvival

Merry Christmas🐓🎄

3 months ago | [YT] | 2,084

SageSmokeSurvival

What do you want my next short to be?

4 months ago | [YT] | 394