Crazy for Chickens!
Free Ranging
Soooo, this is my dream i'm working on. Saving money at the moment.....
But, here's the idea:
I've got the genetics worked out, but i'm still figuring out which breeds i want to use for sure. I know i want to use the Cream Legbar for the Female. Blue eggs plus the barring gene for the sexlinks. For the other half, I cant decide if i want use Marans, or Penedesenca.
Marans: Pros: Awesome dark egg layers; Easy to find
Cons: The Black Copper color......I don't know about you, but i find it kind of dull.....
Of course, there are the Blue Coppers, but i've heard that their egg color isn't quite as dark.
Penedesencas: Pros: Pretty colors; rare
Cons: Harder to find; Not sure if egg color is quite as dark as Marans.....
So the plan is:
Buy quality stock from a breeder.
Educate myself about breeding to the standard, and get better at it as time goes on.
Take my best/breeding birds to shows once or twice a year. Take notes on what to improve/change in my breeding lines.
Cross my breeds, to create sex-linked olive eggers. Breed for good egg color and pretty colors.
Use silkies to brood eggs, and raise them. (That way i can save money not having to run a heat lamp.)
Make money selling hatching eggs/chicks/full birds. Whatever is more popular.
Repeat process
Okay, so here's my housing plans:
Winter:
Build a chicken coop. I want to make just a long shed-like structure.
Divide it into 3 parts/3 different chicken coops.
Add ventilation on N and S walls, plus chicken accessories.
Make one big run, and divide it into 3 parts.
Spring:
For my broodies/chicks. Build small covered, predator proof pens with little houses for them to sit/raise the chicks in.
Summer:
Build 3 walk in chicken tractors, mainly out of wire with a wood frame with some tin for shelter if a storm arises.
Buy electric poultry netting to put around tractor so they can free range in the day.
So here are some questions:
1. Does anyone insulate their chicken coop? Does it work to keep the chickens warmer in the winter?
2. What about a plastic roof? Kind of a greenhouse affect so the sun could shine inside and warm it up.
3. Is electric poultry netting predator proof? Mainly talking about night. Would i need to make sure i had a super predator proof tractor, or save money and not worry about it.
Selling questions:
1. Do you think people would be more interested in fertile eggs, chicks, or young adults? Or do people just like to buy green eating eggs.....
2. Do you think having show quality/to the standard birds will make more people interested?
3. How to ship eggs/birds?
4. I know i have more questions but can't think of them at the moment....
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:
Would all this be pouring money down a drain, or would i even make money doing this? I really love interacting/having chickens, and would love to make money from them.
Thank you so much for looking at my post!
But, here's the idea:I've got the genetics worked out, but i'm still figuring out which breeds i want to use for sure. I know i want to use the Cream Legbar for the Female. Blue eggs plus the barring gene for the sexlinks. For the other half, I cant decide if i want use Marans, or Penedesenca.
Marans: Pros: Awesome dark egg layers; Easy to find
Cons: The Black Copper color......I don't know about you, but i find it kind of dull.....
Of course, there are the Blue Coppers, but i've heard that their egg color isn't quite as dark.
Penedesencas: Pros: Pretty colors; rare
Cons: Harder to find; Not sure if egg color is quite as dark as Marans.....
So the plan is:
Buy quality stock from a breeder.
Educate myself about breeding to the standard, and get better at it as time goes on.
Take my best/breeding birds to shows once or twice a year. Take notes on what to improve/change in my breeding lines.
Cross my breeds, to create sex-linked olive eggers. Breed for good egg color and pretty colors.
Use silkies to brood eggs, and raise them. (That way i can save money not having to run a heat lamp.)
Make money selling hatching eggs/chicks/full birds. Whatever is more popular.
Repeat process
Okay, so here's my housing plans:
Winter:
Build a chicken coop. I want to make just a long shed-like structure.
Divide it into 3 parts/3 different chicken coops.
Add ventilation on N and S walls, plus chicken accessories.
Make one big run, and divide it into 3 parts.
Spring:
For my broodies/chicks. Build small covered, predator proof pens with little houses for them to sit/raise the chicks in.
Summer:
Build 3 walk in chicken tractors, mainly out of wire with a wood frame with some tin for shelter if a storm arises.
Buy electric poultry netting to put around tractor so they can free range in the day.
So here are some questions:
1. Does anyone insulate their chicken coop? Does it work to keep the chickens warmer in the winter?
2. What about a plastic roof? Kind of a greenhouse affect so the sun could shine inside and warm it up.
3. Is electric poultry netting predator proof? Mainly talking about night. Would i need to make sure i had a super predator proof tractor, or save money and not worry about it.
Selling questions:
1. Do you think people would be more interested in fertile eggs, chicks, or young adults? Or do people just like to buy green eating eggs.....
2. Do you think having show quality/to the standard birds will make more people interested?
3. How to ship eggs/birds?
4. I know i have more questions but can't think of them at the moment....
MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:
Would all this be pouring money down a drain, or would i even make money doing this? I really love interacting/having chickens, and would love to make money from them.
Thank you so much for looking at my post!
