Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[al6517]

I think alot of folks do things differently and no one idea can work for everybody. most folks do it in such a way that works for them in their own minds and is workable for them. It can be as detailed as one likes or as complicated also, there are also many different aspects of record keeping depending on your goals.

I can only speak for the more experienced breeders who use what may seem like a complex matrics for some but not to those with lots and lots of birds and many different levels under many different programs and breeds. It is endless really.

 

[Fred's Hens]

We're a farm, so our financial records are kept carefully. We use a manual ledger to enter in all expenditures for feed, etc. These get entered into Quickbooks, at the end of each month. Receipts are kept in a folder during the year. All egg sales and live bird sales are also tracked and recorded. We do the same with our market gardens.

I keep records of what variety I planted and where. This allows me to not rely solely upon my memory as what was planted where. If I like a variety, I know what I planted, and if I didn't like it, I can look it up so as to reject it for future use. I also record dates of planting, both in starter trays and in the fields. Without writing stuff down, you really cannot evaluate honestly. Days to market is essential information.

Same with the birds. Records, by date, of birds, hatched, matched or dispatched.
Breeding records are also essential. I have a breeder's book. It is simply a spiral binder with my own information, in my own hand.

 

[LOVEIGEE]

Ah hah, gotcha' very useful. Thanx

Pullet Surprise......where in Moore County are you from? I'm originally from there too!
Susan

 

[delisha]

I am sure there is a better system Sue, but I have a note book in the coop and I am presently trying my hand at an excel spread sheet. I need some help with programing since my knowledge of computers and programs is next to nil. I do not have enough birds to worry about it at the moment. But after I am certified (NPIP) that needs to change. They have spread sheets you can copy on the websites that you use for testing. I am trying to make an excel sheet that uses something like that.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Pullet Surprise......where in Moore County are you from? I'm originally from there too!
Susan

We are in Eastwood ! Small world!

 

[Fred's Hens]

I don't know what Life lock buckets are, but these barrels are 55 gal super heavy duty plastic mainly used to transport a variety of things such as, Course industrial dry chemicals, food bulk ingredients such as syrups, and raw flavorings, solvents, just about anything factories use bulk materials for. They about an 1/8 thick and I cut out the openings myself, installed the doors and hasp's that I had laying around because I thought one day I'd use them LOL. I just washed them out real well and the few I couldn't use for birds I cut and use for trash cans around the ranch and in all my different barns and outbuildings. I stumbled on them from a friend who had them out back of his warehouse so I bought them.

Here? Those barrels are readily available. We pay $20 each for them. They mostly come from the pickle plants, so they reek of vinegar, garlic and pickling spice when you get them. We drill a hole and fit them with a hose bib faucet. We put en in the back of the pickup, fill with water and use them to take water up to the other property. They're handier than a pocket on a shirt and can be used in a myriad of ways.

 

[LOVEIGEE]

We are in Eastwood ! Small world!

Wow.......yes indeed small world! Wish I were back home......PM me sometime.....I'm from Pinehurst.....Don't want to socialize while people are busy learning...

 

[al6517]

Quote:


Yup handy dandy for sure, So many uses I can't count them. $ 20.00 dang that's high Fred, we can get them here for a song even a bad song LOL.

 

[aoxa]

We're a farm, so our financial records are kept carefully. We use a manual ledger to enter in all expenditures for feed, etc. These get entered into Quickbooks, at the end of each month. Receipts are kept in a folder during the year. All egg sales and live bird sales are also tracked and recorded. We do the same with our market gardens.

I keep records of what variety I planted and where. This allows me to not rely solely upon my memory as what was planted where. If I like a variety, I know what I planted, and if I didn't like it, I can look it up so as to reject it for future use. I also record dates of planting, both in starter trays and in the fields. Without writing stuff down, you really cannot evaluate honestly. Days to market is essential information.

Same with the birds. Records, by date, of birds, hatched, matched or dispatched.
Breeding records are also essential. I have a breeder's book. It is simply a spiral binder with my own information, in my own hand.

Fred, I do the same, but with Simply Accounting.

As an accountant, Quickbooks is not my favourite. You need to break everything down into certain categories. You are doing a great job by reading how you keep track. Keep it up!

How many years did it take you to break even, or to make a small profit?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup handy dandy for sure, So many uses I can't count them. $ 20.00 dang that's high Fred, we can get them here for a song even a bad song LOL.

Folks here are real smart and have figured out all their uses. IT's driven up the demand and thus the price. But? Just price a 50 gal water transport tank at any farm store and you'll see why $20 isn't all that bad, really. $35??? I'd think twice. There is a ceiling on this kind of stuff.