Downsizing can be most difficult

[Cuban Longtails]

I'm downsizing too, currently I'm near 100 birds or so. I'd like to cut that in half to be at a count of 50 or less. Sometimes it's easy to decide who goes and sometimes it's not...

 

[DawnSuiter]

Downsizing? Wow.. well.. I guess you could call what I have to do just that... my first year and over 70% of my stock are cockerels.. so I guess in a way, I'll be downsizing... I just ordered 10 more pullets from Ideal... hopefully then I might have a dozen girls to my 30-ish boys

 

[hinkjc]

Ah, Julie - I can certainly relate. The buff silkies are just about gone. My white araucana, Blizzard, flew off to his new home this week (he's my avatar for right now).

I miss him so much. Any many more changes to come.

Jody

 

[halo]

Im doing the same, tho I dont know if Id call it down sizeing or rearranging. I sold my blue/black/splash orps last month, then decided to sell my buff orps, and a gal is taking all of them. She is so happy! So that makes me happy. So that way I can concentrate on my rocks, my wellies, and my EE's. In fact I have mothergoose's Wellies in the incubator now, as well as some blue/barred rocks. So Im down sizing, but Im afraid its only temporary. At least its much easier having fewer breeds to separate them out.

 

[hinkjc]

Yeah, I gues you could say that's what we're doing too halo. lol I am eliminating some birds, but building more coops to organize and focus on others. So, not necessarily downsizing..just changing things up a bit.

Jody

 

[Anne]

I can commiserate!

I'm trying to get rid of ALL the birds I'm not going to use for breeding, in preparation for next spring's hatch. I simply do not have the housing to keep them all. I am giving away cockerels and selling hens left and right. I am giving some of my most beloved birds away to a good home tomorrow -- I'm so sad! They are just not useful to me any more, but they may be useful to someone else, and I need to be smart about my breeding plan if I'm to better my flock.

 

[coffeemama]

I have been downsizing so that I have room to focus on other animals too. I have sold about 15-18 birds in the past few weeks. Right now I am down to 7

which just seems like way to few! I had to make an agreement with dh to keep it under 10 for a while so I can have more rabbits. Hopefully by next spring he'll forget about the agreement!

 

[tazcat70]

I have 2 broodies right now that I keep stealing their eggs because I don't want anymore OE bantams mutts. They sure are cute, but they are so flighty. I have about 4 baby mutt roos that I will be taking to the auction next week. So that is my downsizing.

 

[EweSheep]

I've did a bit of downsizing myself....wittling down to two Spitzhaubens (the best ones of course), two Welsummers, one Amercuana and one EE. Two bantams, one Amercuana and one SSHB. Five Wellie cockerals and two Wellie pullets are the last chicks I've gotten since June.

At my friends farm, we are trying to increase the size of Blue and Black Orpingtons, LF and BF and Spitzhaubens but the predators keep getting at it (they live next door to a large park and coyotes are numberous this year). So we just keep trying and hope not too many losses. I've sent my best Orpingtons and Spitzhaubens to my friends farm and her kids did well in 4H shows with them. Proud of them and hopefully babies by late fall or early spring.

So yes its hard to downsize but I only need to keep what I need to feed my family and yet keep some going for breeding purposes. If any chick or youngster dont fit my needs, then they would either go to be sold or butchered.

 

[BamaChicken]

It's hard but we sure are having fun. Jody, Dh and I rearranged pens today. I have all the black Orps in one breeding pen. Blues and splashes in another. Bama and that color in another. Opened the door between two juvie pens and combined all the standards under four months in their. Wow, less watering and feeding. All splash silkies in one pen for now. As soon as my neighbor gets the Roo I am putting the hens in with Blue Roo.

I have to say I am very excited about the possiblilties of what I might produce for this next year. I had some great offspring this year.
Less breeds are easier to me. We made that decision last year but still I have three breeds with various colors. If only I could give up the RIR's