Alaska Chicken Lover's Soup for the Cold!!

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I can see a little bit of red leakage in the feathers. Doesn't that mean it has to be one of the red girls? There should be nothing in either a BR or WCB Polish to cause any red at all.

Now that I'm on the big computer (i-phones are not good for picture viewing!) I can see the red y'all are seeing... so yeah, it is more likely one of the red girls, though which one...??

Freakin' owls are hanging around, and freaking out our rabbits and bobwhites...

 

[Wolfwoman]

I would be safe to say it's my RIR because I'm pretty sure my NHR wasn't laying at that time. But, it would be really difficult to tell for sure.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Dear Alaskan Chickens,

If you decide to molt in October, you will, and I repeat, YOU WILL freeze!!!
And no, we will not bring you in the house and give you cozy box by the wood stove!
Its your own fault for not taking care of this business back in July,
when you would have had ample time to grow back your feathers prior to freezing weather.
Any and all repeat offenses will result in the housekeeping staff preparing large vats of soup.

Signed,
The Coop Maid

 

[Mrs MIA]

Yours aren't the only ones... all of my breeders are pin-feathers right now, too...

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

All mine are blowing feathers everywhere too.

Even my rabbits are molting! I have so many funny looking nekkid critters running around this place.....

Ok, Edited to say that actually, my adult Dels aren't molting, but all my younger birds are.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Certainly not the time of year you want a neighbor to report you for nuisance chickens.
Can you imagine having an uninformed inspector out to check up on the flock, and seeing them in the mess they are in right now?
I am thankful we have neighbors who understand

Speaking of neighbors....we are boarding my sister in laws rooster right now, because a neighbor has decided that he is going to call the Borough every time he hears a chicken noise from one of the three families that have flocks.
Did you know that even though its legal to have chickens, that if a neighbor complains enough, you have to pay a $75 fine, and risk also losing your flock, even though its fully legal?
All because people are idiots, and so removed form the real world, that they have no clue!

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
Maybe she could pay them off with eggs?

My problem isn't neighbors, it's the landlord. I have just under 20 birds and she's cut me off, even though we have about 35 acres here!

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Get a load of this from our co-op.......

Eggs, Eggs, EGGS! We are looking for an USDA Certified Local farm, with free range/ and or organic eggs.. legally to resell *third party, chicken /duck eggs they need to be coming from an certified farm (graded and certified).

For inquiring minds.. Last year with only 150 members and average 50 orders every other week we had interest in 50 doz bi weekly. Now with over 400 members and average 120 orders bi weekly... Within two months time we will be moving into our store front where we will then be open 5 days a week. We expect the interest for Local Organic chicken & duck eggs to increase!

If someone wants to go through the hoops to raise all natural or organic chicken and duck eggs and then continue by getting the AK Dept of Ag stamp of approval to sell third party their poultry eggs.

PLEASE let us know!

As we are very interested in hooking up with them! If we do not find a willing farmer or group of farmers interested in jumping through the hoops to provide WLW with all natural/ organic eggs that are certified for third party sales, then sadly we will look to out of State certified organic/natural eggs to sell.

My wheels are turning....
You would need about 400 active layers, with 400 up and coming layers.
Minimum of 10 acres.
at least 10 Coops with large "covered porches" for winter space. ( absolutely NO commercial setup allowed)
Preferably several breeds to get variety on colors.

I wonder if its possible to get a special grant to get one going???????

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Thinking out loud......it would not be lucrative for sure. 400 dozen eggs to the retailer, who will sell them at $5 per dozen, which means the farmer sells them at $4 to the retailer........
$1,800 a month.
With grain prices the way they are!
I know our dairy farmer would have to sell his eggs at $10 per dozen if he were to buy local grains for his chickens.

ETA
I think this would work so much better if it were whole bunch of farmers banded together, with one of them being a certified inspector.......

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Quote:
There are grants available to help with the costs of getting the Organic certification, but not for the start-up costs alone.

I have someone that will pay $4+ a dozen for all the eggs I can supply, no organic certification required and I can raise my birds however I want. My bet is that these guys (WLW?) would not be able to pay more than that.

I do think co-operative work is the way to make commercial poultry raising feasible for us in AK. Combining orders for bulk feed, possibly putting together a large commercial incubator for our own use, and getting a USDA Mobile Processing Unit so we can sell meat birds to restaurants and people like this is the way to go. Still, profit margins will be slim, but it will make it more feasible.

I wonder if Glacier Valley Farm co-op would have the same organic cert requirements? They have offered to buy rabbits, but I have to get them USDA inspected! Argh!