Anybody regret getting more birds?

[SeaChick]

horsewishr-
I totally understand your concerns. We had 5 original girls we raised from chicks. After we had to rehome one girl who went a little loco when she started laying (and who's apparently being a prefectly good girl at her new home!) we were back to a really great flock dynamic. Then we adopted 2 older hens and things got a little skewed. It's worked out, and is OK now, just not as perfectly peaceful as it was originally. So--- while we dont REGRET it (we love the 2 new girls...) it certainly did shake up the flock dynamics.
Stacey

 

[LoneCowboy]

We bought 14-7 week old pullets. What I regret is that I didn't know much about breeds, I just took what I could get at the time. (I wanted them to lay ASAP) I ended up with good girls, but I'd like more mixed colors in my laying flock. But they are doing great. The other regret is that I have room in my coop for 16 heavy breeds. Most of my girls are light breeds, so I could have a few more. I wish I would have filled it up, cuz DH won't let me add any more to the main coop (may happen anyway.)

Egg demand is growing.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes and no. I adore my girls and guys. Keeping separate breeding pens is a real chore in the summer and in general bad weather. Last summer almost did me in with extreme heat for prolonged periods that we are not used to here in the mtns and trying to keep them all cool and in water was exhausting. I picked three girls to sell after that summer (rooster-red is enjoying them now) and Scout and one of his ladies, Silver, are sold and will go to their new home at the end of January. I'll be done with breeding Ameraucanas then, so will have the big main laying flock and the Blue Orp breeding flock.
In spite of being overwhelmed last summer, I am hatching more Barred Rocks and Blue Orpingtons to meet future needs. I keep thinking that I've never lost any of my girls to predators, but my time may be coming. Also, my original layers are now two years old and eventually, I will lose someone. I may once again be overwhelmed next summer, but for now, I feel better and love having my girls and hatching chicks. My moods do vary and on occasion, I think maybe I'll go back to a simpler time when I just had a bunch of girls for eggs and one rooster and sell off all the breeders. Surely, someone would want the Suede-inator and the Suedettes, right?

I'd sure miss the big guy, though, so right now, that is not in the plans.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I would say for the most part no regrets getting more birds. I suppose if I got up to a hundred birds I would have to take a step back and ask myself what the heck I am doing...lol. I like to "try" new breeds, it's fun, but sometimes I get a breed that I just don't like, but I've never had a problem selling. So I wouldn't say that I've regretting getting a bird, because I've been stuck with one that I couldn't find a new home for.

Probably the things I regret are doing stupid things like putting birds in an old not very well made tractor, making them an easy target for a mangy coon. Or not ordering more chicks of breeds that I find I really like!!

 

[pattycake]

I originally bought 30, and had to get rid of half of them because of space. I regret THAT! Now I wish I had room for all the chicks! I miss them...

 

[ksacres]

Nope, I have never regretting a purchase. Maybe it stings the pocketbook now and again, but that's all. I do regret my dogs killing $300+ worth of birds last year, but that's another story.

I have regretting selling birds from time to time.

 

[1acrefarm]

Only when its time to shovel litter out of coop and run.

 

[Arklady]

I don't truly regret even though times have been hard for me and when I bought my marans I was ready for the expensive birds in terms of experience. But... It has been a sacrifice having them. We are running on a tight ship here and I have to really watch my p's and q's because it could all go belly up. But I now have 30+ FCM's, 6 japanese, about 20 red dorkings, 9 rirs, oeg bbreds and a couple of projects I don't know if they will turn out or not so I won't mention those.

I have spent as much as 70 a week on feed for my birds and its hard at time. But now that I am ready to sell eggs, now that I finally have something I feel is worth selling I am going to see if it will support my birds. Then the other dollars can go somewhere else.

As far as coops go. I have one and I feel it is a huge waste of space so I am going to tear it down next summer and build something a lot smaller. I spent very little on my pens mostly wire. My coop I built out of scraps from various places that burn crates that they get machinery in. I have also made my chicken tractors out of those and I plan to use those becasue I can have trios or quads in them and they are easy to move. All free just added wire.

My best pen has only a 3x3x6 foot lean-to for the birds and I keep it full of fresh hay for the winter so when it rains they are off the dirt floor and I seven dust it in the summer to keep down mites. The rest of the pen is a 100ft 1x2 inch 6foot welded wire pen. The most expensive I have. The rest are chicken wire, and rabbit cages for some of the bantam pairs I have.

I will redo a couple of them this summer for the materials. But no I have not regretted the birds I have and I really don't miss the ones I sell because if I wanted them then I wouldn't sell them.

The way I see it if backyard poultry was to feed america we would need about 3 million breeders and flocks to provide that need. I don't plan to be a huge operation but I do plan to sell when I can. I like being able to help someone raise their own eggs for food... I know they are getting good stuff.

I feel good when I sell the best I have to offer to others.


Regret having so many.... NO! lol

Arklady