Colorado

[wsmith]

At $1 apiece I don't see how you could even cover your cost. Hatcheries are in the $3-$4 range, as you said, and Urch, Albritton, and Sand Hill are more in the $7-$8 range, and that is for straight run. Can't remember about Sand Hill but Urch and Albritton don't sell anything but straight run. I could see charging a friend a lower price but not $1. I also noticed that the Ameraucana chicks are usually more $, along with some other less common breeds.

I keep meaning to ask, are you using ACV in your water? I read elsewhere that it supposedly increases the pullet to cockerel ratio in chicks when added to hens' water for some length of time before collecting eggs for hatching (think it was 8 weeks but not really sure). Or maybe it was hens' and roos' water, although that makes less sense since gender is determined by hen, I think.

Hoping to get to your place next week one day if you are available, to meet your Doms and will bring my flash drive. Monday is month-end close, hopefully the rest of the week will be smooth. If not, another time

I add ACV about once a month. I have heard that about ACV, but have also heard that it is a wives's tale. Who knows.

I used Urch and Sand hill in my averages. When I talked to him last night I resisted the urge to laugh at him and tell him he was crazy. I will be seeing him today at the Basketball game. BTW, the Lady Hornets beat Rocky Mnt Lutheran last night 51-47 in overtime. Very good game. My youngest, Hannah, is on the team.

Monday, Beth has Chemo. Tuesday My manager from headquarters is here in town until late afternoon. Wednesday is open, as is Thursday and Friday. Just let me know.

 

[Pozees]

I add ACV about once a month. I have heard that about ACV, but have also heard that it is a wive's tale. Who knows.

I used Urch and Sand hill in my averages. When I talked to him last night I resisted the urge to laugh at him and tell him he was crazy. I will be seeing him today at the Basketball game. BTW, the Lady Hornets beat Rocky Mnt Lutheran last night 51-47 in overtime. Very good game. My youngest, Hannah, is on the team.

Monday, Beth hasa Chemo. Tuesday My manager from headquarters is here in town until late afternoon. Wednesday is open, as is thursday and friday. Just let me know.

Woo hoo!!!

Oh - another thing I thought of after I sent last post was that the cost per chick does not include shipping.

 

[maggiemo]

$1 a chick is insane. Especially for your high quality birds. Don't undersell yourself. Also, if you do undersell yourself think about what that does to other people trying to sell birds in your area. It makes thier lives harder if you are selling cheap that sets the bar for 'cheap'.
You have a unique, healthy, NPIP, local, product. Please charge accordingly.
mo

 

[Pozees]

And I realize he wouldn't have to ship from you, but when comparing the available options, it does figure in.

On the ACV, I figure if it actually worked as well as reported everyone would be doing it - although I do add to my girls' water, but just for health benefits and seems to keep the surface of the waterer a bit cleaner.

 

[wsmith]

So I talked to the guy today. I asked him if I was correct in assuming he wanted inexpensive quick growing birds that he could grow cost effectively. He said yes. I then told him that for that goal, Dominiques weren't his best choice. I showed him my data, and what I had to have in order to break even. He understood. he still wants to purchase culled pullets if I have any.

On another note, the Hanover High School Girls Basketball team won the tournament today, and took the 1st place trophy for the first time in 5 years I think! One girl got her cheek split open during a rebound, and had to get taken off in the gurney. She will probably need stitches, and I'm sure she will have an EPIC bruise!

After getting home, I built most of the nest box attachment for what will be my primary breeding pen coop.

 

[Ashdoes]

We got our first egg!
The brown one is ours, the white one is a store bought extra-large.

Brown Egg laid by Lola 23-24 week old Golden Buff. I attribute the perfectness and size of this egg to the FF. My two red girls have been squatting anytime I get near them for a week or so now, so I've been walking around everyday checking to make sure they aren't laying eggs in odd places. This is for sure the very first egg. Our Boston, Waffle, was barking like a mad man in the barn, and when I ran out there there was Lola laying her egg on the cube of shavings. She didn't make it into the nest box, but maybe next time?

 

[wsmith]

VERY NICE!

 

[Pozees]

So I talked to the guy today. I asked him if I was correct in assuming he wanted inexpensive quick growing birds that he could grow cost effectively. He said yes. I then told him that for that goal, Dominiques weren't his best choice. I showed him my data, and what I had to have in order to break even. He understood. he still wants to purchase culled pullets if I have any.

On another note, the Hanover High School Girls Basketball team won the tournament today, and took the 1st place trophy for the first time in 5 years I think! One girl got her cheek split open during a rebound, and had to get taken off in the gurney. She will probably need stitches, and I'm sure she will have an EPIC bruise!

After getting home, I built most of the nest box attachment for what will be my primary breeding pen coop.

Hurray for the Hanover girls!!!

If your friend wants fast-growing egg layers, I'm putting in an order with McMurray for some chicks that I plan to start and sell as started pullets, but they won't be $1 My cost will be $3.50 per chick to purchase as day-olds, then the cost of raising them at least 4 weeks, so they will be $8 each. Getting Barred Rocks, Buff Orps, White Leghorns, and Ameraucanas. Ship date 1/28/13 (tentative). I can add to the order if anyone wants chicks. I haven't purchased from them for more than 10 years, but in the past they were reliable for home flock egg layers. I plan to place a second order for chicks to ship sometime in March as well. I thought long and hard about waiting until later in the year, but the last two springs have been so early and warm, I'm taking a chance and hoping I don't regret it.

I spent quite a long time deciding what to order, and considering I'm already getting 25 Speckled Sussex from Tony Albritton in March or April, decided not to order any hatchery SS, since I have 5 now and am not seeing earlier laying from them - the one SS egg I got on Thanksgiving is still the only one. Once they start laying they are pretty reliable, and I have 2 with really red combs and wattles and the other 3 or reddening daily, so any day now they will all break loose and start laying. I chose breeds I felt were those I won't mind having leftovers of - and even with that qualifier, could have doubled the order LOL. Can only raise so many at once. Really looking forward to having fuzzies again

 

[Pozees]

We got our first egg!
The brown one is ours, the white one is a store bought extra-large.

Brown Egg laid by Lola 23-24 week old Golden Buff. I attribute the perfectness and size of this egg to the FF. My two red girls have been squatting anytime I get near them for a week or so now, so I've been walking around everyday checking to make sure they aren't laying eggs in odd places. This is for sure the very first egg. Our Boston, Waffle, was barking like a mad man in the barn, and when I ran out there there was Lola laying her egg on the cube of shavings. She didn't make it into the nest box, but maybe next time?

Wow, that is a nice first egg!!

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Eeeeeeeeeewwwwwww!!! I just got home after a stressful day and now have mixed emotions. On one level, I am ESTATIC that my lazy house cats are doing their only job and killing any rodents that enter the house. On the other, looking at my beautiful Siamese and realizing her toy is the corpse of the latest errant rodent was a level 7 gross out. The cherry on top of a seriously stressed day.