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  1. TwinWillowAcres

    How to turn a shed into a brooder

    I have a shed that is going to be my chicken's house, however, I would like to start them in there as well (I will have 140 chicks and the baby playpen in the garage isn't going to cut it for that many!). Only problem is we have lots of cats that would love to have an easy live dinner despite...
  2. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    I will be breeding my hens and culling non layers. My plan is to have 14 hrs of light available to them all the time so I will be checking when production drops which hens are laying or not. im on my phone but when I get home I will give a more detailed answer.
  3. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    Looking at my budget I do have $10 for maintenance every year. After 10 years that may pay for a new roof for the building :P
  4. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    I wouldn't need a loan, I would be paying for everything out of my own pocket. I work full time so it will be a couple months before I save up enough to start (I'm also paying for my full time tuition for community college). My parents wouldn't contribute anything, except a small tract of land...
  5. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    Sorry I haven't gotten back to you guys sooner, I've been preparing for a poultry swap :) As far as your questions... @enola - I figure 30 minutes a day to feed and water, collect eggs, check incubation, etc x $10/hour (above minimum wage) = $35/week = $1,820 a year. I don't usually like...
  6. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    Here's my budget. Let me know if you think this is feasible or not. Receipts Chicks - 25 hens x 70% lay rate x 7 days x 32 weeks [Feb-Sept] x 90% hatch rate x 75% sale rate = 2650 x $2.40 each = $6360.00 Chick mortality/cull = 15%; remaining 10% sold at auction for $1 each = 350 chicks =...
  7. TwinWillowAcres

    Starting a Hatchery

    How feasible do you think it would be to start a hatchery? I figured 10-15 popular breeds plus up to 5 rare breeds. Then expanding from there. I can build an 18x20 barn for around $800, so I can start small with 1-2 of those for different pens and then expanding it to one barn per breed. Maybe...
  8. TwinWillowAcres

    Ended Contest #7 Cutest Baby Fowl - 6th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong

    and they were break dancing, too, when they were a week younger...
  9. TwinWillowAcres

    keeping chickens confined- housing advise

    My birds have about 1.6 sq ft each. They are 12 weeks old. They do not have access to the outside. They are completely happy, still doing chicken-type things--dust bathing in the pine shavings, running, flapping their wings, etc. They have always been tightly confined. There are about 50 here in...
  10. TwinWillowAcres

    Help me with logistics, please

    I will be selecting desirable eggs -- good brown color, good weight, and candled to see if they're fertile. I was thinking about using the Styrofoam incubators -- how do you feel about those? Right now I am raising started pullets, I make about $9/head off of each one. So I was thinking I...
  11. TwinWillowAcres

    Help me with logistics, please

    I want to have 10-20 hens laying eggs for hatching. My plan was to hatch chicks February through June (22 weeks), setting eggs every week. I have been wanting to raise Rhode Island Red hens and cross them with a White Leghorn rooster. According to a publication titled "Crossbred Poultry"...
  12. TwinWillowAcres

    Sheep Chat Thread

    Okay so far. Feb 22 - 2 year old ewe had twin ewe lambs Feb 25 - 2 year old ewe had single ewe lamb Feb 26 - 9 year old ewe had single ewe lamb (she had trips the past two years) Mar 2 - 3 year old twin to each other ewes had one single ram lamb and twin ewe lambs. Single ram lamb was born...
  13. TwinWillowAcres

    Chicks died

    lazy gardener, no I don't have a thermometer. They have cardboard around the playpen so they can't see outside. When someone walks up to the playpen, they freak out a bit and huddle in the corner, but nobody gets smothered. They all stand alert. But once food or fresh water gets put in they calm...
  14. TwinWillowAcres

    Chicks died

    I finally measured the playpen. It is 28x41 inches. And thanks AmyLynn2374
  15. TwinWillowAcres

    Chicks died

    Quote: I don't think it's 2 x 3 actually. It's a baby playpen from the 1990s. So whatever the average size is. When I googled it, mattresses are 27 x 29 which is about 7.3 sq ft. At 3.5 weeks old, they are growing into it fast, but they still huddle under the heat lamps (there is space that...
  16. TwinWillowAcres

    Chicks died

    The chicks were 3-4 days old. I have cats, dogs, sheep, and adult chickens. The chicks are brooded in the garage away from the cats and they don't have access to the big chickens. My dogs go out to see them, but they only look through the brooder (a mesh playpen). They are on Pen Pals medicated...
  17. TwinWillowAcres

    Chicks died

    I had 3 out of 57 chicks die. One was found buried under shavings and two were found lethargic and passed shortly after finding them. I never saw the symptoms, just going on what my dad told me. Happened while I was at work. What could have been the cause? 2 were red sex link 1 was buff...
  18. TwinWillowAcres

    New Chicks

    Thanks! I weighed and wing banded them yesterday. Definitely a lot easier than I thought. They peeped more when I picked them up than when I banded them. Range of weights, 1.6 oz to 3.1 oz.
  19. TwinWillowAcres

    New Chicks

    I had 57 baby chicks delivered in the mail four days ago. 16 barred rocks, 15 buff orpingtons, and 26 red sex links. I'm wanting to wing band them, but I don't feel the web of skin that instructions are talking about? The part I feel feels too small to be able to have a wing band. But as an...
  20. TwinWillowAcres

    Can my week old chicks go on wood shavings?

    I paid $5.82/bale of fine shavings at TSC. It expands to I think 7 or 8 cu ft? Maybe more. However that store sells chick feed for $15+/50 lbs, but I got it from a smaller, local feed store for $13.20/50 lbs. I'm sure if they have pine shavings they would be cheaper, too.
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