California - Northern

[CackleJoy]

Thanks. My only concern is price, right now I have $5 to my name lol...

Something I've learned after spending a LOT of money. I have 2 pullets - BBS Ameraucana's from eggs that came from Ohio. They cost me almost $30 each the day they hatched. This is how that happened.

If you shipped eggs that were $1 each and had 20 arrive safely, you are only out $35. But when 3 hatch, that makes your chicks almost $12 each. So, if you are interested in saving $$ - start cruising through CL and find sources. Then find friends who travel through those town on a regular basis. You can also ask the sellers if they know of anyone traveling your area. Buying hand delivered eggs will significantly increase your hatch rates! You'll be surprised at who drives where and where you find interesting chickens!

Shipping cheap eggs is the most expensive way to go. I don't know where you are located. If you are anywhere near Redding, Papa's Poultry (google that and his website will come up) has a lot of choices and he's having egg sales right now. His EE's recently went for $1 each and there are pure BBS AM in the pen. That was a SMOKING deal!

Also, for your first hatch - fertile barnyard mutts are the way to go. You don't want to spend a lot of money while testing equipment. Remember - your first hatch is an equipment test. You don't know if that incubator has a flaw or not. I had one that was OKAY, it hatched. But 3rd time I set eggs the heater thingy failed and the temps spiked to 114. If you spent a lot of money on eggs that would be devastating.

See if there are any local chicken people who would be willing to sell you fertile eggs for a low price. Barnyard mutts may not be what you want but you can always raise them up a little and sell them as started egg layers or meat birds. If they are sold at 3 or 4 weeks and sexable (many times the mutts are sexable early) then you could sell them for $4 or $5 each. That will allow you to buy better eggs

 

[BCollie]

Quote:
Thank you. I set my first eggs last night - a dozen Trader Joe's eggs just for fun($3 - we'll see if they even develop) and just over a dozen eggs bought from someone local for only $15. I also have two Tolbunt Polish eggs in there - I had been planning on driving them to someone in Chico for her to incubate them for me, but I didn't get enough eggs from the hen to make the drive worthwhile, only two, so I'm really hoping they develop/hatch for me. So far the incubator has been working flawlessly!
I hope Jeff (Papa's Poultry) still has a sale going on three weeks from now. I'd love to get eggs from him, I just can't afford it normally! But if this first hatch goes even just okay, and I get 50% hatched out(not expecting much from the TJ's eggs) I can still make about $25. Now if both the Tolbunt's hatch(

) that's a different story, I'd probably ask around $100 for both, $50 each.
I'm happy with my last experience with Papa's Poultry, so hopefully he'll still have a sale going two or three weeks from now so I can buy eggs from him.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote: Egg swap would be great. I think much of our stock may have come from the same breeder, but you have so many now you must have got more from other lines.
We only have 2 more nests of 5 eggs each to hatch this year. Too many travel plans for more babies, but next year we should have a lot more eggs to choose from. Right now, only one of my hens is not broody and providing the occasional egg. (Poor girl is very fertile.

)

I think all chicks are cute, but something about the tiny little ones just melt your heart!

 

[chickee]

Not sure yet will try with my crele too

Projects are fun! The only one I have going right now is hatching from only the one golden cuckoo Marans hen that lays the darkest eggs and the color on them has not faded over her laying cycle.

 

[liz9910]

Quote:
Your chicks are very different colors than mine. Those red/brown ones are adorable!!!

 

[debs_flock]

@debs_flock Speaking of dream chickens, how are the black AC doing?

The chicks they hatched with all got kicked out to the brooder in the garage. The AC are still living in the house, I was afraid something might happen to them. I'll probably keep them indoors until they are ready to move into their own run outside. They are growing like weeds, quite inquisitive and active. I'll need to update their pictures, but they are certainly going through a yucky chick feather stage, LOL

That sounds fun!! I guess I'm just a homebody. I'd rather be at home hatching chicks than being in Hawaii...I guess I'm crazy.

Well you couldn't get a way with it with Hawaii, but I took a vacation to Oregon and brought an incubator with me in the back seat of the car. I wanted to monitor the eggs and was going to be gone a week.

Quote:
The tray I just set was in my 380 egg Brinsea cabinet................it's not the only tray in there, LOL

Now if both the Tolbunt's hatch(

) that's a different story, I'd probably ask around $100 for both, $50 each.

Wow, I don't even sell them for that much, maybe I'm underselling myself.

 

[BCollie]

Quote:

Wow, I don't even sell them for that much, maybe I'm underselling myself.

Didn't you tell me you sell them for $50 each? That's what I'm going to be asking if they hatch, it's $30 less than Greenfire charges.
& LOL Bringing an incubator in the back seat....that's funny!

 

[AmyPaperlady]

Quote:
Sorry for infecting you with the incubating bug. (not sorry)
Ehh, I guess. I have IBS so going places is hard for me. I also have anxiety caused by the IBS every time I'm away from home, so I just don't know how fun a trip would be!


The infecting bug's better than this stupid cold (and at least I know who to "blame" ;-))

Ah, yes, that would suck!

Amy, we are a little further away and I don't have their schedule but the Grange is still receiving chicks. Is there a certain breed you are looking for. I can pick them up and hold them for awhile for you. It is probably to late to special order but Andy could try.

Whoops, read your post wrong.

We are still waiting to see about our judge situation for fair this year. Shows are much shorter stays for the birds but entering them in your fair is another option.

Thanks for the offer, but I can wait Can't really get anything that requires extra care until after fireworks selling season's over--everyone should be integrated by then, and I can set up the feeder and waterer so that whoever comes over to babysit for me can just send the girls out to check eggs (waterer'll last more than the whole week, and I can take a light in and check the feeder after dark and top off if needed).

That's weird--I couldn't delete that chick schedule completely *shrugs*

I'm in Crescent City. I think Fort Bragg's about 5 hours away...

 

[debs_flock]

Quote:

Wow, I don't even sell them for that much, maybe I'm underselling myself.

Didn't you tell me you sell them for $50 each? That's what I'm going to be asking if they hatch, it's $30 less than Greenfire charges.
& LOL Bringing an incubator in the back seat....that's funny!

No, I sell them for less for an unsexed chick. I don't think the prices that GFF charge are real world prices. They charge $5,000 for a juvenile pair of the Ayam Cemani I have, I realize that some people have paid that, but I don't think it's realistic.

I guess I've always been a buy high, sell low person. I don't believe in milking every penny out of the birds. I like to share the birds I have with people that will appreciate them. That's how I got started in many of my rare breeds, from people that wanted to share with me. I guess I'm just paying it forward.

But I guess my perspective is different in that my birds don't need to pay for themselves. It's a hobby for me even if I never sold a single bird.

And don't take this as a judgment on your intended asking price, it isn't in the least. Just a comment on what I do. If I was going for money, they'd all be in the incubators. We eat Tolbunt eggs for breakfast most mornings, they are very reliable layers, LOL

 

[sewandgrow]

Jason @Hangtown Farms You are so right. That auto sexing was one of the things I liked about them. I have been to zinged lately & not focused enough. I have been researching too many things at once with not enough sleep........LOL We shall see when & if they hatch what I can determine.