California - Northern

[chiqita]

Yes, from what I understand it's a multiple generation cross to get to the Cornish X - and the "recipe" to make them is a closely guarded secret.  I've been reading Fast Food Nation, and it states that the Cornish X was originally created so McDonalds could offer the chicken mcnugget.  They needed a bird with more breast meat.

Ahh I used to sell the dickens out of that book back in the day.
I really wish someone would do a book about the environmental impact of the backyard movement to see what the benifit/issue raito is..

 

[AmyPaperlady]

The first 2 questions that come to my mind are How old you are & How much help do you have. I am definitely one that could have "sort of" been a pioneer woman capable of making do & roughing it. What is your water source? Will you be carrying water from the river for everything? What housing do you have & do you have the means & the manpower to build predator proof coops? Bears are a really big predator. Once established would everything stay there from season to season for your continued use when you went back or does it have to be portable & packed up & moved each time?
Please don't think I am trying to discourage you. That is not al all my intent. I love an adventure, but do try to plan everything out ahead of time.
I wish you all the best in figuring this out.

Editing....Sorry I didn't realize you would only be visiting back & forth for maintenance. I thought you were going to live there those months, but some of the questions still apply.....LOL

I'm 40 and in reasonably good health. Unlike when I converted an outbuilding here into a coop, I'd probably let my husband help me with the building. Water's a big issue, though we're also thinking of growing veggies there, as well, so would likely dig a well, since trucking in water for birds and veggies would be a bit much. Once established, I'm not entirely sure if we'd have a permanent structure or a glorified giant tractor--the soil's sandy, so doing deep litter for 6 months then setting up in a different spot the next year would be the easiest way to improve the soil.

I don't think you're trying to discourage me--I asked here to get some input from folks that've had chickens for awhile

The only thing I have heard of being sucessful for bear proofing is electric fences. Solar powered mebby?

I think the amount of wrork you are talking would not be worth the price point of a chicken.you would have to really enjoy it.

That's what I was thinking, once DH and I started discussing practicalities (and the fact that he was envisioning selling). If we could stay set up all year, I could breed and sell hatching eggs. If he didn't care about selling stuff, it'd be a bit more practical for raising our own meat--though, in the long run, being able to breed would be better for that, too.

 

[ronott1]

The hatching eggs I shipped made it in good shape!

Packing:

 

[chrissyr]

How many chicks can my Marans reasonably take care of?
It's so much easier when she does it, but I don't want to overload her. Hatching is no problem, I have my incubators, just taking care of them and keeping them warm.
I'm thinking probably 10, but it would be nice if she could do more than that

**Edited, she was a pretty good mom last time, and i think she's going broody again

 

[ronott1]

How many chicks can my Marans reasonably take care of?
It's so much easier when she does it, but I don't want to overload her. Hatching is no problem, I have my incubators, just taking care of them and keeping them warm.
I'm thinking probably 10, but it would be nice if she could do more than that

**Edited, she was a pretty good mom last time, and i think she's going broody again

Ten would be reasonable. Being a good mom, she may be able to take care of more but why push it?

 

[PetRock]

I'm 40 and in reasonably good health. Unlike when I converted an outbuilding here into a coop, I'd probably let my husband help me with the building. Water's a big issue, though we're also thinking of growing veggies there, as well, so would likely dig a well, since trucking in water for birds and veggies would be a bit much. Once established, I'm not entirely sure if we'd have a permanent structure or a glorified giant tractor--the soil's sandy, so doing deep litter for 6 months then setting up in a different spot the next year would be the easiest way to improve the soil.

I don't think you're trying to discourage me--I asked here to get some input from folks that've had chickens for awhile

That's what I was thinking, once DH and I started discussing practicalities (and the fact that he was envisioning selling). If we could stay set up all year, I could breed and sell hatching eggs. If he didn't care about selling stuff, it'd be a bit more practical for raising our own meat--though, in the long run, being able to breed would be better for that, too.

Maybe you could use an old horse trailer for a coop and set up the electric fencing around it. At the farm, we have our layer flock and roosters who are off duty housed in a long one that we modified for a coop. My friend moves it around their 10 acre property so the birds have access to new land to forage on and they in turn fertilize the area where they range. The birds almost always stay within an acre of the trailer coop.

 

[lawatt]

happy to report that all four of my staggered-hatch silver campine eggs have hatched successfully, and that the teeny babies are integrating right in to the brooder with the six two-week-old chicks (3 campines, 3 swedish crosses) that are already there. all ten of them are quite rambunctious!

and there are 12 eggs still in the incubator, set to hatch in a week (plus 7 under a broody girl out in the coops), AND one more bunch of isbar eggs being shipped -- the woman i'd gotten eggs from in San Diego has decided to give up her isbar flock (she's getting ducks instead!), so is sending me her remaining eggs for free, except for shipping -- so will attempt to hatch shipped eggs one more time!

 

[chiqita]

How many chicks can my Marans reasonably take care of?
It's so much easier when she does it, but I don't want to overload her. Hatching is no problem, I have my incubators, just taking care of them and keeping them warm.
I'm thinking probably 10, but it would be nice if she could do more than that   

**Edited, she was a pretty good mom last time, and i think she's going broody again

They can do 12 if you expect the weather to stay warm in 3 weeks. If you are selling a few as they age you can do more. The marans carry a wide load. The tricky point is making sure they are all warm at night from 2.5 -3.5 weeks.

happy to report that all four of my staggered-hatch silver campine eggs have hatched successfully, and that the teeny babies are integrating right in to the brooder with the six two-week-old chicks (3 campines, 3 swedish crosses) that are already there.  all ten of them are quite rambunctious!

and there are 12 eggs still in the incubator, set to hatch in a week (plus 7 under a broody girl out in the coops), AND one more bunch of isbar eggs being shipped -- the woman i'd gotten eggs from in San Diego has decided to give up her isbar flock (she's getting ducks instead!), so is sending me her remaining eggs for free, except for shipping -- so will attempt to hatch shipped eggs one more time!

Laura you might think about washing the eggs with an ecoli killer. Isbars are having the issue with carrying it in the ovaduct and the chicks die. Its been facinating watching people cope with and figure it out. Might help!

 

[lawatt]

Laura you might think about washing the eggs with an ecoli killer. Isbars are having the issue with carrying it in the ovaduct and the chicks die. Its been facinating watching people cope with and figure it out. Might help!

thanks for the suggestion, and i've read about the trouble that Rinda had with E. coli -- but i'm pretty sure i just have bad luck with shipped eggs, i've had about the same hatching success with shipped isbars as with shipped marans, and none of my shipped CL eggs hatched at all -- while eggs from my own flock are hatching like wildfire. so, will let the new eggs have a good rest when they arrive, and start them in the incubator with no turning, and keep my fingers crossed!

and i took a couple of pictures just now:


the two-week olds, peeking out from the ecoglow


one of the new babies (center) ventures out to explore with the big kids...

 

[sewandgrow]

Ten would be reasonable. Being a good mom, she may be able to take care of more but why push it?

I would be happy with 10. It seems like a solid number especially if she has done it before. My son's project hen hatches 12 or 13 (LF but small size) but end up losing some.