FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[cmom]

Quote:
I'm thankful every morning that I wake up. My family mostly died in their 70's which is where I'm at now. My Husbands mother was almost 95 (three weeks short) when she passed.

 

[flocking nuts]

I'm thankful every morning that I wake up. My family mostly died in their 70's which is where I'm at now. My Husbands mother was almost 95 (three weeks short) when she passed.

I've been trying to celebrate every day instead of just survive them. I'm working of the last year of a special education degree with a 4 year old.
My response to when can I be the mommy is always after you finish college, because I'll be 33 in a month. It seems I'm always trying to get things done, and not enjoying them. Grandma was right, time goes by faster when you get older.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Your Grandma was correct, time does seem to go faster the older you get. In reality it doesn't but it sure does seem to. My husband is reminding me that I need to downsize my flock as I'm not getting any younger. He has Parkinson's so all of the care of the birds is on me, which I don't mind but it a lot of work and currently with this years hatch we're back to over 400 birds again so I go through a lot of feed and I'm not going to feed the birds the 15% basic layer feed here that costs $10.99 a bag. I show the birds at poultry shows so they get a good show feed.

 

[flocking nuts]

Your Grandma was correct, time does seem to go faster the older you get. In reality it doesn't but it sure does seem to. My husband is reminding me that I need to downsize my flock as I'm not getting any younger. He has Parkinson's so all of the care of the birds is on me, which I don't mind but it a lot of work and currently with this years hatch we're back to over 400 birds again so I go through a lot of feed and I'm not going to feed the birds the 15% basic layer feed here that costs $10.99 a bag. I show the birds at poultry shows so they get a good show feed.

So what do you do with them all? Do you have "pet chickens" and livestock? If you sell them for meat do you sell them alive, or do you have to butcher them all first? How do you sell all of the eggs, and for how much? What do you feed your chickens? Our flock is only 2 months old, so they eat starter feed and free range all day. We have fruit trees, so they are a lot of mangos when they were falling, and are eating longans (related to leeches) and star fruit now plus all the bugs in the fertile soil. I do worry maybe all the fruit in the yard is making it so they're not getting enough protein. Will they be smart enough to leave the avocados that fall off the tree alone?

 

[cmom]

Quote:
I have a few birds that are like pets but mostly I raise them for showing. I grow them out and select the birds that will show the best as well as for breeding. I sell the ones I don't want to keep but many of them are potential show quality and some I sell to people, as I call it for yard candy, as these birds are PURE Rhode Island Reds and Rhode Island Whites. I do let them out but not all at once as I have certain groups as breeders and I don't want to mix them up. I do band my birds so I know who is who. Some of the males do get processed but not by me. I have an egg customer that is a retired butcher and he processes them. Some do go into my freezer. I feed my birds FRM Show Gold. The chicks get the Show Gold starter (26% protein), the older chicks get the Show Gold grower (20% protein) and the older birds get grower, maintenance and breeder feed. I sell hatching eggs in the spring to people who want to get a start on raising Pure Heritage birds. I do not mix them as I want to keep them pure. I have won some champions with them and some people who have bought birds from me have won. I take great pride in raising my birds. Not all of the birds even from my best breeders are show quality but some will be. It is a lot of work. It is a labor of love.

 

[flocking nuts]

I have a few birds that are like pets but mostly I raise them for showing. I grow them out and select the birds that will show the best as well as for breeding. I sell the ones I don't want to keep but many of them are potential show quality and some I sell to people, as I call it for yard candy, as these birds are PURE Rhode Island Reds and Rhode Island Whites. I do let them out but not all at once as I have certain groups as breeders and I don't want to mix them up. I do band my birds so I know who is who. Some of the males do get processed but not by me. I have an egg customer that is a retired butcher and he processes them. Some do go into my freezer. I feed my birds FRM Show Gold. The chicks get the Show Gold starter (26% protein), the older chicks get the Show Gold grower (20% protein) and the older birds get grower, maintenance and breeder feed. I sell hatching eggs in the spring to people who want to get a start on raising Pure Heritage birds. I do not mix them as I want to keep them pure. I have won some champions with them and some people who have bought birds from me have won. I take great pride in raising my birds. Not all of the birds even from my best breeders are show quality but some will be. It is a lot of work. It is a labor of love.

I thought about letting D, my lil human, show some but then thought of them being cooped up in a cage for weeks at the fair. I love gardening and animals, and I'm really starting to consider trying to make it profitable. I have no clue where to start. Eventually I would like to have a farm and an alternative school program for at-risk youth. It would be a ways down the road.

 

[Shawneegyrl]

I need a little guidance on building my coop. I'm down at the tip of the state in Homestead, so we have the heat like the rest of the state, but not much cold. Our chickens have been doing things like trying to roost in trees at night, or up high on stacked crates that we have for building the coop. All of the places they have been trying to sleep besides their little coop are totally exposed to breeze and open. They don't go in the carport that is in closed on 2 sides or anything like that.

My understanding is a draft is air that blows on chickens, and drafts are bad. We live somewhere very hot though, and it seems like they like the breeze from where they've been going. I know I want to keep the coop dry. What should I do about windows and ventilation? With the heat and humidity I'm worried many things I see would just steam the chicks.

Oh, almost forgot, the coop is going to be 8'x5' the roof will be 7' at the front and 6' at the back. We plan on only siding 6' up around and having the top above that for ventilation. It's 3'6" off the ground (the floor has been framed, legs on, and in the ground 6".) any openings will be covered with wire mesh, and have panels that can be put over them for tropical storms or the few weeks of cold.

Thanks
Wendy

I think the draft that people refer to as a problem is the winter cold draft. Not a problem in Florida. I have a raised coop with a wire bottom and then the top foot or so is open but covered with 2x4 welded wire. I usually put frozen water jugs out on hot days but forgot to freeze some a couple weeks ago. Felt so bad I took a fan from the house and set it on the ground to blow across the run. Silly girls lined up in front of it and enjoyed the breeze. Tarps always collect water and collapse on me so I took sheets of cotton fabric, added grommets and pulled it across the top of the run, makes a huge difference by adding additional shade

 

[cmom]

Quote: A couple of my chick grow-out coop pens has limited shade provided by shade/rain tables and no shade tree like my pens. The pens are covered with netting so hawks can't get the chicks. I stretched a couple of old sheets across in places of each pen and it does provide some additional shade and the chicks love to get under them.

 

[Shawneegyrl]

cmom, I am getting a little interested in showing some chickens I have and don't have a clue how to prepare and go about it. Would love to talk with you, pick you brain and get some guidance

 

[cmom]

cmom, I am getting a little interested in showing some chickens I have and don't have a clue how to prepare and go about it. Would love to talk with you, pick you brain and get some guidance

The next show I'll be showing at will be in Inverness, Saturday, October 22nd, 2016.