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

[BantyChooks]

In that case, you'll have to educate customers about the advantages of the breed. It is worth the extra effort.

I'll keep trying. Maybe writing up something about their history and whatnot and posting it at the general store might generate more interest than just me talking to those I meet. So far I have found that people just plain don't care. Chanteclers are not fancy, they are utility birds. They would rather pay 1.50 for a brown bird than $5 for another brown bird. That's how they see it, anyway.
Fancy bantams and rare colour patterns go for more because youth that enjoy poultry frequently want them over production-oriented breeds.
Maybe with time I will be able to build up a customer base. The buyers that I have gotten to bite often come back again and might be interested in future birds for sale.
If I find myself entirely unable to sell birds in the future, I'll be eating a lot of chicken, eh?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I put up 7 more rows of shingles today, actually. Had to sit there with a hair dryer to get them to bend over the edge. I had the shingles in the house but they went stiff wicked fast... sigh.

Applying asphalt shingles in cold weather requires care to avoid cracking them. Never fear, when the sun hits them in warmer weather, they'll lay down.

I hate this website. It takes forever to post. I give up again.

 

[BantyChooks]

Applying asphalt shingles in cold weather requires care to avoid cracking them. Never fear, when the sun hits them in warmer weather, they'll lay down.

I hate this website. It takes forever to post. I give up again.

Yes, it's quite a pain. I carried them out one at a time so they would be as warm as possible. I just want them bent enough that the snow load won't shatter them.

Wish I could help you.

 

[ronott1]

I got a preliminary report today talking to the pathologist. He still has a lot more work to do but the only thing he has seen is lots of crystals which would mean over mineralization.
With all my flocks having a variety of ages, I was mixing layer with grower/all flock. At 50:50, that would give about 2.5% calcium but I didn't do that continuously. The kidneys had some swelling but were still symmetrical. Severe kidney damage from excess calcium produce asymmetrical segments. I hope the rest of the tests will yield conclusive results.

Sometimes chickens just Die!

It is quite frustrating but happens.

 

[Faraday40]

The trick is having obscure breeds the feed stores don't carry, like your nice Chanteclers.

The jury is still out on whether or not they will sell. I doubt it but I can always hope. Next year I should have some to sell.

I have tried to sell good quality Svarthonas before for a low price. I didn't get any replies.

I'll keep trying. Maybe writing up something about their history and whatnot and posting it at the general store might generate more interest than just me talking to those I meet. So far I have found that people just plain don't care. Chanteclers are not fancy, they are utility birds. They would rather pay 1.50 for a brown bird than $5 for another brown bird. That's how they see it, anyway.
Fancy bantams and rare colour patterns go for more because youth that enjoy poultry frequently want them over production-oriented breeds.
Maybe with time I will be able to build up a customer base. The buyers that I have gotten to bite often come back again and might be interested in future birds for sale.
If I find myself entirely unable to sell birds in the future, I'll be eating a lot of chicken, eh?

I have English orps. People in my area want small backyard flocks as pets. After the get their $1.50 buff orp....and chicken math sets in.... they see my giant lav & black orps & want one. Even better is when they show their friends my orps & they want some too!


I agree that having a more unique chicken breed with fancy coloring helps. Many people contact me wanting bantams: cochins, seramas, & silkies are especially popular. I really can't breed more than one type, so I can either buy fertile eggs in hopes of selling chicks or turn them away. I do have 2 hens with the blue egg gene, so I can also make EEs - another popular fad in backyard flocks.

This isn't a business or even a farm. It's just a way for DD to make some $ from egg & chick sales, so she can pay for all her chicken feed. I really don't think there's much room to make a profit unless one is a breeder of winning show birds &/or ships across the country.

 

[kajira]

Babies!

 

[duluthralphie]

The trick is having obscure breeds the feed stores don't carry, like your nice Chanteclers.


That's for cutting PVC, no?

Yep, it is. I got it at Menards. I was told they even have replacement blades for under 5 bucks.

She does have nice Chanticlers, One has to wonder where she found a breeder on an ice floe that had such good stock,,,,,

 

[duluthralphie]

Sometimes chickens just Die!

It is quite frustrating but happens.

I think some chickens like to pretend they are goldfish...they die so fast and often..

 

[BullChick]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @heatherfeather7 !!!

 

[BantyChooks]

I have English orps. People in my area want small backyard flocks as pets. After the get their $1.50 buff orp....and chicken math sets in.... they see my giant lav & black orps & want one. Even better is when they show their friends my orps & they want some too!


I agree that having a more unique chicken breed with fancy coloring helps. Many people contact me wanting bantams: cochins, seramas, & silkies are especially popular. I really can't breed more than one type, so I can either buy fertile eggs in hopes of selling chicks or turn them away. I do have 2 hens with the blue egg gene, so I can also make EEs - another popular fad in backyard flocks.

This isn't a business or even a farm. It's just a way for DD to make some $ from egg & chick sales, so she can pay for all her chicken feed. I really don't think there's much room to make a profit unless one is a breeder of winning show birds &/or ships across the country.

Ha, what is this word called profit? As of now, it's costing me near $4 a dozen for eggs and that's not counting what I've shelled out for the coop.
Just getting my costs down a bit would be fantastic. I'm selling birds because I feel bad butchering them. I give them away because I want them to 'have another chance at life'. Can't do that any more... gotta pull my cowboy pants on and say that PC were bred to be 7--9 lbs for a reason.
Eggs, on the other hand, sell pretty well. If I go down to the city I can sell them for $2.50 a dozen, maybe $3. Duck eggs go for $4 per dozen and if they would just start laying already I could feed them and my chickens all summer just by selling the eggs they lay.

Yep, it is. I got it at Menards. I was told they even have replacement blades for under 5 bucks.

She does have nice Chanticlers, One has to wonder where she found a breeder on an ice floe that had such good stock,,,,,

Nice cockerels, anyway. If I didn't know otherwise I wouldn't be able to ID the pullets as PC.