WOW I need help fast.
I hatched 24 chcicks this W/E and was extremely happy, (Some may already be sold) Thurs I set 39 more I had seperated breeders for, so I knew what I would get, for the most part. These are due the 30th. Last this morning I oops and order 35
ebay eggs (Cheaper to combine shipping) 18 Barred rocks and 17 White leghorn. These will find a place in my hatching order when I get them. So I'm happily be bopping along doing some spring cleaning and I stumble on....... ALOT of guinea eggs behind the coop. All told we found 57 in a nest (Have 6 hens 2 males) GRRRR can't waste those so I scooped em up and in the bator they went. Due June 10th.
Ok chicken math I get a little sweaty thats ALOT of eggs around a 2 week period. I have 96 cooking now 35 coming soon thats 131. WOW tahts alot for me.... then I check the coop, which by the way has a broody Black Australorp which has 5 eggs at the moment, prolly get more before she sets for good. Maybe 4-5 and she will cook em for me. Being my 1st broody ever to sit in 6 years of birds I CAN'T bring myself to break her.
Anyway back to the oh no's (Like I needed more) when I went to the coop I do a head count. All birds except.... a white guinea. She here during day and not now. So I think she protecting another nest somewhere, last year she hatch a batch of 18 herself. So however many she has.... this could be The Great Poultry Take over of 2013. And its only May.
I pretty sure I can sell most layers I get, some people already looking for guineas and layers (Undefined when they want them though) and roos I will pack to the freezer or CL them.
I need to figure out when the Farmers market opens this summer if its not already. I need to find the guy in my area that test for NPIP flocks and get my birds checked so I can sell hatching eggs and birds out of state, being only 20 miles from IA its a real possibiilty I will have people hopping line for birds, they do for cigs/tobacco.
And none of this is counting the 65 pullets I bought this year for layers/breeders and 50 CornishX I got at a steal price of $1.05 ea at 10 days old. Good thing I live out in the sticks and I have a great relationship with my neighbors (They stop before my yard and check the poultry crossing for which I have no sign for) Alot of coop space and 1/2 my barn to convert to a complex for all my birds. I prolly will cull some. I know of 1 at least that will never be a breeder. And more males than I'll ever need unless I try to trio everything.
Anyway this is what Poultry Math is.
BTW if anyone round Kirksville area (I live north aways in Unionville Mo) would like some birds in a few weeks gimme a shout I will prolly have more than I can count, even using chicken math.
. I'm supposed to be getting a bunch of guinea eggs to hatch for a friend. Apparently her hens smash the eggs when they try to sit on them. I've never hatched them so I'm super excited
