California - Northern

[debs_flock]

Roos are illegal here and they won't be big enough to butcher by the time they start crowing, right?

Well, they wouldn't be optimal for butchering. Basically you can eat anything, just have to decide if it's worthwhile for the trouble to butcher it.

You might be able to hook up with someone that's a raw feeder.

Also, when my son was showing rabbits, one of his breeds were Brittania Petites (a VERY small rabbit), he used to give his culls to the Wildlife Rescue for feeding to the raptors. They were thrilled, the rabbits were small but still took the place of about 30 mice each. With the rabbits at least they always wanted us to kill them, but then they picked them up whole, no cleaning involved.

 

[JDXX]

Hehehe...."I'm not planning on hatching many," she says, and everyone laughs. I guess that's how it starts, eh?

My chicks will be sold as straight run, and probably pretty cheap, but I'm just worried that I won't be able to sell them all and will be stuck with cockerels. Roos are illegal here and they won't be big enough to butcher by the time they start crowing, right?

Oh, but it is funny....

Of the roosters we have raised so far all have been pretty fair sized before crowing. We have not processed any yet but I think most LF would be a decent carcass by first crow. Otherwise we have sold quite a few roos to locals looking for meat birds.

 

[BCollie]

Quote:

Well, they wouldn't be optimal for butchering. Basically you can eat anything, just have to decide if it's worthwhile for the trouble to butcher it.

You might be able to hook up with someone that's a raw feeder.

Also, when my son was showing rabbits, one of his breeds were Brittania Petites (a VERY small rabbit), he used to give his culls to the Wildlife Rescue for feeding to the raptors. They were thrilled, the rabbits were small but still took the place of about 30 mice each. With the rabbits at least they always wanted us to kill them, but then they picked them up whole, no cleaning involved.

You know, I didn't really think about hooking up with a raw feeder. I'm a raw feeder myself, but can't do the killing.

Quote:
Really? How much do they usually weigh by the first crow?

 

[gander007]

Good morning All

Just set another 40 egg's in the brooder was planning on more but the Brooder I won on e-bay 2 weeks ago still has not arrived and the other brooders are set for duck & geese egg's ....



I SAID ABOUT FACE !!!!!!

Early gosling hatch on day 25

I am sorry I was just venting as I saved egg's all week and I
just put them in the water to boil for chick feed as the brooder
did not make it on time ..........

Have a poultry weekend all

gander007

 

[JDXX]

You know, I didn't really think about hooking up with a raw feeder. I'm a raw feeder myself, but can't do the killing.


Really? How much do they usually weigh by the first crow?

I havent made it that far yet but like deb said you can eat them at any size.

 

[tommysgirl]

Good morning All

Just set another 40 egg's in the brooder was planning on more but the Brooder I won on e-bay 2 weeks ago still has not arrived and the other brooders are set for duck & geese egg's ....



I SAID ABOUT FACE !!!!!!

Early gosling hatch on day 25

I am sorry I was just venting as I saved egg's all week and I
just put them in the water to boil for chick feed as the brooder
did not make it on time ..........

Have a poultry weekend all

gander007

Sorry about your ebay fiasco!
Not that I am obsessed or anything but what are you mottled babies???

 

[tommysgirl]

Has anyone had dealings with Catlin Pecu in Tombstone AZ? She has Houdans and Spitzhauben. She is on the rare breeds fb page and on ebay as well

 

[casportpony]

Good morning All

Just set another 40 egg's in the brooder was planning on more but the Brooder I won on e-bay 2 weeks ago still has not arrived and the other brooders are set for duck & geese egg's ....



I SAID ABOUT FACE !!!!!!

Early gosling hatch on day 25

I am sorry I was just venting as I saved egg's all week and I
just put them in the water to boil for chick feed as the brooder
did not make it on time ..........

Have a poultry weekend all

gander007

Congrats!

-Kathy

 

[gander007]

Quote:




Them are my Molted Houdan's and the reason they are in the
brooder is mom went to sleep after she hatched 16 of 23 egg's
and now I am down to a dozen chicks ....

Good eye

gander007

 

[Audio51]

I decided to do an experiment with the first two pea eggs of the season... Both eggs were weighed the day they were laid, the day they were set under the hen and then on day 7, 14, 21 and 24. By day 24, #1 had lost 18.7% of it's just laid weight, 16% since it was set and #2 was set on the day it was laid, so it's lost 15.7%. Both eggs pipped internally on day 25 (yesterday) and today, day 26 both have pipped externally. Depending on how they hatch I will use this weight loss data when I set the next 10 in the bator.

Here are the two eggs at 6:15pm. #1 on left, #2 on right. Both eggs are out of my hen I call spot.


-Kathy

I think that is so great you are soing all of this research for us! It will be great to have some solid info of the beneifits and risks of doing certain things for our hatches.

That being said....I now have 5 chicks from 12 Rock Island grocery store fertile eggs that were already 15 days old and had been refrigerated for 13 of those days when I set them. Funny...the gal from the far, that produces Rock Island eggs told me they use a Rhode Island Red cross to produce their eggs and the hens are brown.

I'm excited, after doing some more research I think I have finally decided that I'm going to get an incubator. The great thing is that if I don't like it or don't use it, I can always resell it. The one I want(the Genesis 1588 with automatic turner) is $200 including shipping, and I have $165 to my name right now...so unfortunately I need to wait until my camera lens sells!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=171333443770
My reserve is set at $275 but last time I put it up (long story as to why it didn't end up being sent to the buyer) the winning bid was over $300, so I have high hopes. Either way I'm very excited to get an incubator, I think incubating chicks will be a really fun experience. I'm probably going to start with just some cheap Craigslist eggs. Wish I could get it right now! Just don't have the money yet.

I think that is a great choice! I have one too and really like it

Scale training starts early!





-Kathy

So those of you that incubate, how do you make sure you are able to find homes for all the chicks you hatch? What's your back-up plan if you can't sell them?

Dinner. It have only had to rehome roos twice. Once was to a friend and the other one I posted it on CL, Ebay Classifieds and 530 Poultry. Now that I know I can do it, they would be dinner. In fact one of the 4 I still have from my first mottled AM and from BMC and OE from @Chickengirl1304 is lookig very Roo like. OF course he is the only bearded on and the only OE, but he has quite the beard and is standing very upright like a roo. He is also bigger that the other 3.

Quote: X100

Quote: I would thing the smaller ones would be great for making pulled chicken or other dishes that use pieces of meat.