Colorado

[maggiemo]

I have raised lots of meat birds. I usually split an order of meat birds with a friend of mine. We get between 25 and 40. I work at a farm and we have raised 100 meat birds 2 X at the Farm for the Farmers Market, just to see how they sold and if it is worth doing (it isn't, you can't make money raising organic meat birds for profit, or we can't at least).
I have only raised Freedom Rangers and red broilers. They are about the same growing out and size wise. Pretty much what Margie said.

Long Shadow Farm processes birds for $3 a bird if you stay and help, $5 a bird if you have them do all the work. They have a plucker and a scalder and killing cones and everything you need. You just show up with birds. Oh, and they deal with the mess too.
I know some people think that is a lot of $$. I think it is a deal. I can take 30 birds up and with the two of the people at Long Shadow Farm and me and my friend slaughtering and cleaning and plucking, we can be done in about 2 hours. The $3 a bird includes the shrink wrap bags too.

I have done the slaughtering here too. Setting up equipment, slaughtering, cleaning, breaking down the equipment would take all of one day and some of the next day to clean up and put everything away. Certainly doable.

I'm sure others will have more to add.

3 degrees here right now....

 

[COChix]

Great info on the packing / venting material.  Thanks!

X2 and might take one of the plastics covers off the south side of them coop and put that up.

The big question is what are everyone's predictions for winter continuing heavily into March. I know it can be one of our snowiest months. I gue heard Feb could be our snowiest Feb on record.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Cold here too sitting at about 20 according to the thermometer. It sure feels colder. My hens still refuse to come out of the coop. Door is open for them but they have opted out. I guess if they are happy staying in I should not force them.

DH has said that with this cold we are NOT brooding in the coop when I get the littles in 2 weeks. He has decided my office is the place we will be brooding.
He also found out I had 26 reserved.

That was squashed pretty quickly with a "Good God woman. No polish and no wellsummers but you can get the BO and the rest."
That takes it down to 18 unless I get more BO than the 3 on reserve. He is rather fond of the BO's.

I agree that the price is fine with what Long shadow charges. I am letting my existing gals keep eating and not producing much for a while longer then will be taking them to be processed.

With the gals staying in for days the coop is in need of a solid cleaning today. I hope it warms up some so I don't freeze while cleaning it.

 

[samsr]

It got up to 28 here at my place today. After a low of -4 over night. My chickens finally decided to come out about 2:00. My Toulouse goose has finally decided to start squatting and is mating now with the gander. I have six of the mixed tufted and Toulouse eggs in my incubator. My neighbor has an additional 5 of these also. Hers are two weeks along and are veining nicely. It looks like the gander is doing his job. Now If I can just get some of these to hatch. I may have some of these sold already. My neighbor sold 20 of the 35 chicks that hatched last weekend also.
We Have set another 65 or so in the larger wine-o-bator that I just got done with for my neighbor down the street. This will be the test hatch for this incubator. One of my other neighbors has decided to have me build him an incubator also. Since he saw what a good job mine did.
Yet another project. I am getting better at building these however

Just to keep myself updated with hatch activities.

5 goose eggs due to hatch in 16 days or so. I will get these back Wednesday as she has 200 chicken eggs due to hatch next weekend. hatch day for these 5 will be around the 16th
6 goose eggs in my incubator due to hatch 28 days from now. 27th or so.
30 chicken eggs due to hatch on the 18th
35 chicken eggs due to hatch on the .20th
and one broody with 5 eggs under her. One of my silkie americaunas went broody. hers are due on the 16th
This staggard hatch should make it interesting. I better get my neighbors incubator ready for some of these eggs.LOL
That's going to be one heck of a hatch around mid month. Should be fun.
I hope everyone is staying warm and dry.

I installed some more insulation in the greenhouse today also. I have little sapling trees starting to leaf out in there. Talk about extending the growing season. My wife and I are going to start some cold weather crops tomorrow in there and see how they turn out. I think my issue will be cooling it during the summer.
The coldest it has been in there this winter is 22 and that is when it was -15 outside. I should be able to grow cold weather crops in there during the winter pretty easily. Maybe I will stick the brooder in there as well. It an idea and it should keep my house a little less dusty.

 

[21hens-incharge]

WOW you have been busy Sam. That sure will be a lot of chicks. Neat idea about the brooder in the greenhouse.
I am just hanging in a holding pattern for my littles in about 2 weeks.

 

[ddiaz922]

Guess I did it the lazy way. Went and picked up five new chicks.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Cuttie pattuties there. I am avoiding getting any since I have some coming in 2 weeks. I am getting all excited to get them. I was at the feed store today and it is hard to walk away from the bin of "assorted Marans" and the little EE with the puffy cheeks.

 

[Ashdoes]

It's funny, we have 50 eggs in an incubator, and my kids saw the "Chick Days!" sign at Big R and started begging for babies. I pointed out the fact that we were hatching babies, and ordered cinnamon queens, and they said, but can't we get more? Chicken math seems to get everyone in the end.

 

[ddiaz922]

Cuttie pattuties there. I am avoiding getting any since I have some coming in 2 weeks. I am getting all excited to get them. I was at the feed store today and it is hard to walk away from the bin of "assorted Marans" and the little EE with the puffy cheeks.

Ha! That is exactly what happened! We went to Elizabeth and walked into there feed store and came home with 5 chicks! Two Jeresy Giants, RSL, EE, and a Light Bramaha

 

[Bill1st]

It got up to 28 here at my place today. After a low of -4 over night. My chickens finally decided to come out about 2:00. My Toulouse goose has finally decided to start squatting and is mating now with the gander. I have six of the mixed tufted and Toulouse eggs in my incubator. My neighbor has an additional 5 of these also. Hers are two weeks along and are veining nicely. It looks like the gander is doing his job. Now If I can just get some of these to hatch. I may have some of these sold already. My neighbor sold 20 of the 35 chicks that hatched last weekend also.
We Have set another 65 or so in the larger wine-o-bator that I just got done with for my neighbor down the street. This will be the test hatch for this incubator. One of my other neighbors has decided to have me build him an incubator also. Since he saw what a good job mine did.
Yet another project. I am getting better at building these however

Just to keep myself updated with hatch activities.

5 goose eggs due to hatch in 16 days or so. I will get these back Wednesday as she has 200 chicken eggs due to hatch next weekend. hatch day for these 5 will be around the 16th
6 goose eggs in my incubator due to hatch 28 days from now. 27th or so.
30 chicken eggs due to hatch on the 18th
35 chicken eggs due to hatch on the .20th
and one broody with 5 eggs under her. One of my silkie americaunas went broody. hers are due on the 16th
This staggard hatch should make it interesting. I better get my neighbors incubator ready for some of these eggs.LOL
That's going to be one heck of a hatch around mid month. Should be fun.
I hope everyone is staying warm and dry.

I installed some more insulation in the greenhouse today also. I have little sapling trees starting to leaf out in there. Talk about extending the growing season. My wife and I are going to start some cold weather crops tomorrow in there and see how they turn out. I think my issue will be cooling it during the summer.
The coldest it has been in there this winter is 22 and that is when it was -15 outside. I should be able to grow cold weather crops in there during the winter pretty easily. Maybe I will stick the brooder in there as well. It an idea and it should keep my house a little less dusty.

WOW… I sat on the coach all day.