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

[Phage]

Mine are double stacked on trays that allow airflow. Should not be an issue.

LOVE double stacking - shows you are really serious ........ or a little CRAZY

 

[ozexpat]

LOVE double stacking - shows you are really serious ........ or a little CRAZY

if i add a shelf and double stack that, I could fit 576 more chicken eggs, 708 banties or 1440 quail...............

 

[ChickenFox]

if i add a shelf and double stack that, I could fit 576 more chicken eggs, 708 banties or 1440 quail...............

 

[ozexpat]

One of the things I did while I was at the farm was to convince Bernie to free range some chickens. We settled on trailing it with about 20 mutt chicks that were hatched 18 days ago. At 5 weeks they will get the boot from the brooder to join the 20+ native chickens that we now have roaming. It will be an interesting experiment.

We also discussed how to set up the 100 yards of 8 foot high net to create an area about 3000 sq ft of controlled free ranging to rotate the cooped chickens through.

 

[ozexpat]

So I think it is fair to say that Bernie has got this incubation thing down. We have another 28 chicks from 32 local eggs hatched today.

The next hatch will be quail due a week from Monday.

 

[ozexpat]

With the potential of several hundred birds arriving in the next 3 weeks, there has been considerable space planning going on.

I have a small building - 12 x 12 that is currently being used as for incubation, hatching and brooding. It has also housed the chuckar partridge and the quail.

With shipped eggs the number that hatch is always very unpredictable but even so, we need to plan for potentially 300 chicks. I doubt we will have such high numbers but one never knows.

We will extend the overhang of the egg house roof on the leeward side about 4 feet. That will give us a sheltered area that is 6 x 12 with the roof at the lowest point being 6'6" - tall enough not to scalp me. That area will house new cages for the quail, chukar and potential pheasant hatchlings. The idea is to build 3 levels of cages 10 feet long, 30 inches wide and 9 inches high, with an angled poop board between each.


We currently have a brooder that is 8x4, divides into one 4x4 and 2 4x2 sections. It will have the 28 chicks hatched yesterday in one section for the first week. I will shift those birds to a grow out before the turkey and guinea hatch. I figure I can jam about 100 chicks in the other 2 sections. Additionally we have a brooder that is on the concrete floor in the kitchen of the egg house. It is not ant proof but the ants are only a worry in the first week or two. After that the birds eat the ants. The 28 chicks that are currently in the incubator can graduate to the brooder in the kitchen.

I am not counting chicks before they hatch. I trying to not even think about what happens if we have more hatch. Worse case scenario, a new brooder could be built in a few hours.

But what to do with them all if they grow up.....

My next trip is not till thanksgiving. By then we will have around 90 adult hens plus roos.

Once we do a couple of test batches in the new incubator, we shall halt incubating until we can start with purebred lines.

 

[ozexpat]

Ok all you readers - lurkers included - I need help.

I have to start marketing my product and I need a name.

There has to be a reference to chickens/poultry and the beach/coast/sea.

All you clever people out there - drop a suggestion.

Example:

ChickensByTheSea

SandChooks

 

[kaybee123]

Flocking to the Sea
Chickens of the Sea (play on tunafish ad)
Beach Chicks

 

[Tara Black]

Sandy Palm Poultry

 

[Tara Black]

Island Escape Poultry
Beach Paradise Poultry
Sea Haven Chooks