It all started with a bored Border Collie we rescued who needed a job. It seemed so innocent at the time, yanno?
So we got her a couple ducks to herd, but you have to experiment a bit to find out which breeds are right for your farm. So we tried Rouens, Swedes (Black and Blues), Runners, Khaki Campbells, Magpies and Anconas. Turns out KCs and Swedes are right for us, so we traded and sold, even processed a few to try it out. Turns out husband doesn't like the taste of duck. But he does love their eggs. Speaking of eggs, did you know that ducks are much better brooders than folks give them credit for? 30 ducklings this year! *faint*
And of course, we promised each other we'd never get chickens. But yanno, there was this nice elderly couple retiring to Florida and they needed to re-home a few chickens. Rhodies. Great birds, we adored them. But they were getting kind of old, so we figured - well, maybe we should get them a few young ones to keep them company. So I found a local gal who was ordering, too. Got me a bunch of different layer chickens, she ordered a bunch of fancies, so our order was around 35 total. No problem for McMurray. So I bought Cochins (which we kept), Brahmas, Orps and Ameraucanas for myself - she got Orps, Ameraucanas, Brahmas, Polish, Hamburgs, Andalusian, Dorking, etc. Then, sadly, she got a divorce and gave me all her chickens. *faint* But that's okay, I'm Jewish - I'm a great seller! And I sold chickens all summer - made $500! Hubby was thrilled.
Then I volunteered to work as a poultry attendant at the local Fair in the Poultry Barn and I just fell hard for the lonely old Frizzle hen. Only one there. So I promised the 4-H kiddos I'd breed them some gorgeous Frizzles for next year's Fair. So now we've built an incubator and bought a few Banties, because until the Standard sized Frizzle Cochin eggs, you can't really count them.
Then the ladies on the Washington forum talked me into going to the Swap - so now I've got a list of Wants and Haves (some of those fancies left over). My biggest problem is my little Mazda 5 isn't really big enough for a poultry swap. Maybe I need to drive hubby's pickup. Hmn.
Last count:
Chicks - 15
Ducks - 21
So we got her a couple ducks to herd, but you have to experiment a bit to find out which breeds are right for your farm. So we tried Rouens, Swedes (Black and Blues), Runners, Khaki Campbells, Magpies and Anconas. Turns out KCs and Swedes are right for us, so we traded and sold, even processed a few to try it out. Turns out husband doesn't like the taste of duck. But he does love their eggs. Speaking of eggs, did you know that ducks are much better brooders than folks give them credit for? 30 ducklings this year! *faint*
And of course, we promised each other we'd never get chickens. But yanno, there was this nice elderly couple retiring to Florida and they needed to re-home a few chickens. Rhodies. Great birds, we adored them. But they were getting kind of old, so we figured - well, maybe we should get them a few young ones to keep them company. So I found a local gal who was ordering, too. Got me a bunch of different layer chickens, she ordered a bunch of fancies, so our order was around 35 total. No problem for McMurray. So I bought Cochins (which we kept), Brahmas, Orps and Ameraucanas for myself - she got Orps, Ameraucanas, Brahmas, Polish, Hamburgs, Andalusian, Dorking, etc. Then, sadly, she got a divorce and gave me all her chickens. *faint* But that's okay, I'm Jewish - I'm a great seller! And I sold chickens all summer - made $500! Hubby was thrilled.
Then I volunteered to work as a poultry attendant at the local Fair in the Poultry Barn and I just fell hard for the lonely old Frizzle hen. Only one there. So I promised the 4-H kiddos I'd breed them some gorgeous Frizzles for next year's Fair. So now we've built an incubator and bought a few Banties, because until the Standard sized Frizzle Cochin eggs, you can't really count them.
Then the ladies on the Washington forum talked me into going to the Swap - so now I've got a list of Wants and Haves (some of those fancies left over). My biggest problem is my little Mazda 5 isn't really big enough for a poultry swap. Maybe I need to drive hubby's pickup. Hmn.
Last count:
Chicks - 15
Ducks - 21
