Hi, welcome to BYC!
Hi, welcome to BYC!
Are you running a dry hatch? It is my understanding they are a little harder to hatch than some others.
I hatched some recently. At 5 weeks I can tell 7 out of 9 are boys! It is nice to be able to tell so young. I have had a surprise late bloomer (like 2 weeks)... I select against late bloomers though. Hopefully the last two will stay girls!
Me too! Someone is driving 7 hours each way in May to get those 2 hopefully girls...7 out of 9?Hope the other 2 are girls!
Hi, welcome to BYC!
Are you running a dry hatch? It is my understanding they are a little harder to hatch than some others.
I hatched some recently. At 5 weeks I can tell 7 out of 9 are boys! It is nice to be able to tell so young. I have had a surprise late bloomer (like 2 weeks)... I select against late bloomers though. Hopefully the last two will stay girls!
Me too! Someone is driving 7 hours each way in May to get those 2 hopefully girls...
I don't have hard intentions to sell, it is just working out that way. Though because they are driving so far and even staying at a motel, I am not planning to charge. My market is very small here. So I mostly hatch for myself. I posted pics of my birds, maybe the 3rd post on the thread. They are a lot of fun. But trying to make $ or worrying about it throws me off a bit. It would be nice to cover some of my expenses. But my hobby doesn't cost more than hubbies hobby yet, even though I spend $100/ month on chicken feed, $60/mo on dog feed, and at least $20/mo on hay for the goaties. Never mind fencing and housing and such.
I don't have hard intentions to sell, it is just working out that way. Though because they are driving so far and even staying at a motel, I am not planning to charge. My market is very small here. So I mostly hatch for myself. I posted pics of my birds, maybe the 3rd post on the thread. They are a lot of fun. But trying to make $ or worrying about it throws me off a bit. It would be nice to cover some of my expenses. But my hobby doesn't cost more than hubbies hobby yet, even though I spend $100/ month on chicken feed, $60/mo on dog feed, and at least $20/mo on hay for the goaties. Never mind fencing and housing and such.
They were hatched from my own birds. And this was my first ever hatch.
We make back our feed (the chickens pay for the goats too LOL) our goats I switched to orchard/alfalfa so their hay is costing like $80 a month plus I provide coastal all the time. Our feed is about $200 a month which isn't much considering how many I have (we go to a local feed mill which is nice) I try not to figure in my other costs LOL. My friend keeps a record of everything but I'm horrible about that I say if I know how much they really cost I dunno if I'd want them so much.
Yes, I keep track to... But it's still cheaper than going to the gym, and a therapist. So the effects it has on my mental and physical health, plus the connection it brought with the kid far out way my expenses!Oh that works
Yes, I keep track to... But it's still cheaper than going to the gym, and a therapist. So the effects it has on my mental and physical health, plus the connection it brought with the kid far out way my expenses!
That could change if I had major flock issues, I would imagine.
Plus the dog feed is what we spend on security after being burglarized once! More benefit than those alarm companies that send cops after the fact.
Oh, and I got a quote to clear brush... was $50/hr per man.Made it easy to decide to get goats to help with the chores. So when you add my time saved on yard work and instead I get watch animal antics which is free entertainment... oh I don't pay for cable TV either... So many ways to justify my expenses!
