Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[ozexpat]

I know it may not seem like it, but that's still an average of 40% viability (So far, not that anyone is actually counting chickens before they hatch or anything)

So, as you said, to get this far with 40% after what they have been through is much closer to your goal of 50% than 25%. well done to you, Bernie and the rest of the team.

If rates were to continue on this curve, would you do this kind of hatch again with different suppliers to have a 'fresh' breeding platform, (preventing in breeding) or are you stocks suitable to breed from without in breeding being a concern? I am just learning a bit about that side of thing so interested to see how it would effect your stock.

Either way, slow from stock or more golf bag runs, I will be attentively waiting and watching for your results. Great news with the little ones too, one step closer.

Dont get me wrong - I am very happy with the progress.

Realistically I will have to stop the madness of transporting this many eggs at once. If I cant get enough to breed from this batch I will reconsider the whole project.

I will do one more run of no more than 200 eggs in July then drop to 24 per trip to diversify gene pools a bit. Most heritage breeds here in the USA are pretty well in-bred and out breeding is frowned upon. Provided I try to breed to APA standards, it does not concern me too much.

I brought over Muscovy duck eggs for a friend to boost his inbred bunch. My guess is the millions of Muscovy in the Philippines all came from a few dozen birds. His bird size is smallish. The drakes from my eggs should give a new set of DNA to the mix.

The turkey, geese guinea fowl and peafowl are more whimsical than anything and not part of the master plan. It would be nice if they could be self sustaining. Most of the larger eggs hatch at 28 days so I took them all at one to actually keep it simpler in the long run. I can buy geese there but I want to be able to hatch them - even if they skew my percentages.

Christmas run will just be emu

 

[piglett]

X3 fellow chook lovers!!

thanks everyone

 

[piglett]

Dont get me wrong - I am very happy with the progress.

Realistically I will have to stop the madness of transporting this many eggs at once. If I cant get enough to breed from this batch I will reconsider the whole project.

I will do one more run of no more than 200 eggs in July then drop to 24 per trip to diversify gene pools a bit. Most heritage breeds here in the USA are pretty well in-bred and out breeding is frowned upon. Provided I try to breed to APA standards, it does not concern me too much.

I brought over Muscovy duck eggs for a friend to boost his inbred bunch. My guess is the millions of Muscovy in the Philippines all came from a few dozen birds. His bird size is smallish. The drakes from my eggs should give a new set of DNA to the mix.

The turkey, geese guinea fowl and peafowl are more whimsical than anything and not part of the master plan. It would be nice if they could be self sustaining. Most of the larger eggs hatch at 28 days so I took them all at one to actually keep it simpler in the long run. I can buy geese there but I want to be able to hatch them - even if they skew my percentages.

Christmas run will just be emu

i think once you get some breeding pairs set up you are on easy street
my birds here are from 4 or 5 different groups
hell i even have a britt lemon roo adding his DNA at the moment
he & a few pullets might go off to the side later on for a lemon project
(breed his daughters back to him)
but time will tell
maybe i get a pair of great looking buffs that end up taking over the breeding of my main flock
i do like to add a new roo each year to keep things mixed up a little
but a pair of brother or cousins are better
they keep each other in check & 2 roos must be better at looking out for the flock than just 1

if my muscovys hatch out i'll have some eggs for ya next spring if you like
our 4 turkey babies will be arriving next week....not sure we will keep a pair all winter though
we will have to see on that one.

ok kids
time for this little piggy to bed down
see ya tomorrow

 

[ozexpat]

awesome story oz, I am so happy to see and partially witness your achievements along with Bernies and your Wifes. You can be very proud of them and yourself! Your kids are extremely lucky to have you! as well as all of those chickens ducks geese, well you know those fowl things! I am so glad you had some time to spend with them. I am sure the kids were ecstatic to see you! I don't know what I would have done without being able to fall asleep cuddled on daddos belly every night! He was my main man! I wish I could come with you over the week of the 4th and help with those coops! DH work always has Mandatory shut down that week! LOL he says he wont go anywhere "unsafe" with his kids, I said oz wouldn't take us anywhere not safe, and if we needed to go through anyplace unsafe you would protect us through it! He shook his head and said he will take us to the aquarium. uggggg yippy fish tanks yay

the aquarium is a good substitute at this time of year. the basic economy airfare is $2200 leaving early July.

and that's from LAX.

Seriously its safe where we are,

We have tourist resorts 30 mins away full of clever Europeans who know its safe.

The problem people are a long way south with lots of sea in between.

Tell him you are coming next spring break with or without him. Perhaps we could get 6-10 bycers over at once.

 

[Bens-Hens]

Christmas run will just be emu

I really hope you get a couple of trio's so you can begin. I was not sure if you wanted a bigger 'start' to your flocks, as long as you got a couple of each you should be able to grow, maybe just one egg run a year.

Am I right in thinking that the bread and butter of the project will come from the chickens, and you are already off on a flying start with those, and potentially 100-200 more currently as warehouse stock, expected delivery in about 9 days lol.

Emu, I did get a number for a guy here for you, but I think it would take a bit of leg work to get them out. At least you have an incubator big enough hahahahaha

 

[piglett]

the aquarium is a good substitute at this time of year. the basic economy airfare is $2200 leaving early July.

and that's from LAX.

Seriously its safe where we are,

We have tourist resorts 30 mins away full of clever Europeans who know its safe.

The problem people are a long way south with lots of sea in between.

Tell him you are coming next spring break with or without him. Perhaps we could get 6-10 bycers over at once.

i havn't been down where your at but i have been to the Philippines & it was safe when i was there if i remember rite.
later in the year the prices drop, i was checking for the end of the year & came up with $1837 round trip per person.
i could probably do even better than that if i used my low airfare trick.


piggy

 

[ozexpat]

i havn't been down where your at but i have been to the Philippines & it was safe when i was there if i remember rite.
later in the year the prices drop, i was checking for the end of the year & came up with $1837 round trip per person.
i could probably do even better than that if i used my low airfare trick.


piggy

low season is 900-1100 round trip from LAX. SEPT - NOV AND FEB - MARCH

 

[ozexpat]

so what does it cost for construction in the Philippines

The following is the bulk of the materials for a 400ft fence. The fence will have 8x8 concrete posts every 10ft. there will be a 2ft high cinder block wall with a 4ft high paling fence on top of the cinder blocks. the palings will be construction bamboo. the rails will be local coconut lumber.

Qty Description EA PHP EXT PHP USD

120​

8mm substandard deformed bar

48​

5760​

$137
30​

6mm substandard deformed bar

42​

1260​

$30
10​

KG tie wire

70​

700​

$17
100​

sack cement 40kg

229​

22900​

$545
1000​

hollow blocks

9​

9000​

$214
8​

cubic yards gravel

450​

3600​

$86
8​

cubic yards sand

350​

2800​

$67
1​

2 workers to drive load and unload

699​

699​

$17
1​

truck diesel

1377​

1377​

$33​

48096​

$1,145​

 

[piglett]

low season is 900-1100 round trip from LAX. SEPT - NOV AND FEB - MARCH

i would not want to be there durring the christmas season which starts in Sept

but rite after christmas would not be too bad

 

[Bens-Hens]

Construction bamboo, get's me every time!

I know it's a very fast growing, strong and a cheap Chinese export, but that term makes me think of the crazy high rise bamboo scaffolding pictures we see in safety movies. Wouldn't dream of that here.

Solid readily available material though.