EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Lazy Farmer]

 

[Cynthia12]

If they were progressing, 92 for a short period shouldn't be a big problem.

X's 2.

 

[Cynthia12]

Maybe here?

See..no pun intended..well maybe..anyway, I can hear it, but I just see a black screen.

 

[Cynthia12]

Hi Sally. Haven't been on this thread for a while until the last few days. It's been good to catch up with some hellos. Hope you are doing well.

 

[BantyChooks]

Maybe here?

 

[kwhites634]

Hello, Darlin'
How y'all is?

 

[daxigait]

We usually talk health, the cause of global warming and weather but since the start of this thread is incubating, I'll report that I have eggs opening like popcorn. I don't know how many but I had 1 hatch under a broody hen that got herself killed because she couldn't get the chick to go in at night. She was eaten but the chick escaped. 3 more eggs hatched 2 days later so it has friends. Another egg she was sitting on hatched 2 days ago and now about 30 eggs are hatching.
I have to clean a building out for them.

I have missed you!

 

[daxigait]

I lost my original answer. I'll try this again...lol.

Likely Connie/Mike will have a better answer since they have goats. I'm not as familiar with their markets and their growth pattern. How is your market prices vs your feed prices? This is our approximate market prices right now. This would only be approx for Sask and Manitoba. Alberta has there own prices as do Ontario.
View attachment 1152216

If it's a good time for prices for goats and if you'll make enough to warrant keeping them for another month it might be worthwhile. However you have so much on your plate right now and you're having issues with you shoulders and such (I got that right I hope?) I might be inclined to sell them if it can make things easier for you.

I can tell you what I did if it helps. Sheep run in a cycle here. Most people lamb in the spring, feed and push them to ship in the fall starting about September as feeder lambs.

I lambed in my off season when I had more time (Jan-April) and the flock would go out on grass until later. At about 3 months I select replacements which stay with the flock and the slaughter lambs were separated. They were grassed until fall die off and fed out to slaughter weight of 95-100 pounds. Lamb is scarce from Dec-Feb so they bring a better dollar. I shipped about January.

We had our own hay but I bought grain from our employers. At the time it paid me to feed out my lambs to slaughter weight. To not feed them out meant I'd lose too much money. I would've been averaging about 150-170 lambs/year or so. I pail fed the sheep so there was zero wastage.

At that time we were feeding approx 420 head of cattle; we fed out the our feeder calves to short keep the next summer so we did enough bales and grain for two years worth of feed (it was drier years.) 70 breeding ewes with feeder lambs and 5-7 rams don't even make a dent compared to what the cattle required...lol. View attachment 1152269

Now we switched to shipping the calves right off the cows in January as well...it's a better market. They are almost weaned already and there's zero fuss. SO much easier!! Our cows get fed well enough they have no issues calving in march. We have machines now to help with feeding too, thank goodness. We used to pail feed the cattle and feed by individual round bales that were hand spread.Omg...I had forgot about all that stuff. No wonder I'm worn out.

I was going for thorough. Did I over shoot a bit??
Unless you are going to lose a lot of money, if it was me, I'd probably sell them if it makes things easier for you. You can always keep the next ones and feed them out when you have less going on.

That was more than I expected but good information. I usually just sell them as feeders so it's not a big deal they were born out of season or should I just say late and I'm not sure I want to keep them till the January or February market for the cost difference considering I have to provide all their feed in the small pen which is usually just for weaning. I am taking them after work. My only debate now is if I keep the one spotted Boer buckling in hopes of him selling well enough later to justify the cost.

 

[daxigait]

Hi! Glad you could stop in.

 

[daxigait]

I missed @Sally Sunshine and @ChickenCanoe