Hatching Eggs / Paypal CHAT Thread

[madamwlf]

BTW I have lost about 12 birds during this cold snap. Everyone said get them outside, I did, they died

It is warming up some so maybe they will be ok now.

So sorry to hear that. I'm reluctant to put any birds outside anytime soon. Not sure what I'm going to do once the chicks are grown some.

 

[DMRippy]

I can keep them in the shop longer but it is not heated, but it is out of the wind for sure.

 

[Arielle]

Sorry to hear of so many losses due to the cold weather. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop to 25--I really need to double check. That seems too low for us this time of year.

 

[madamwlf]

I'm just afraid this winter will be more brutal then we are use to. If need be, I'll decide which ones I really want and set up a temp coop in the basement. Once they are big enough to keep out of the big girls way, I'll put them in the adult pens. It's better protected for winter.

 

[coldupnorth]

Sorry to hear of so many losses due to the cold weather. Tonight the temps are supposed to drop to 25--I really need to double check. That seems too low for us this time of year.

We've had the cold weather here for awhile. 30-40s for highs and teens-20s for lows for over a month now. I've lost a few, most of them chicks that were in the garage and my ecoglow quit working.

 

[RedBrush Farm]

After our daughter passed away (at 14) I did not handle it well. My husband came home one day with a dozen barnyard bantams and told me it was time for me to care fornsomething. (I had raised "bannies" as a kid. Well, little did he know what he was starting!
To date he has remodeled a small barn into a chicken haven.. All my cages are hung from the ceiling so I have easy access to all my feathered friends. He made sure to build all pens so each breed would have adequate room for a Roo and 5 hens. I have 4 Serama pens, 4 Sebright pens, 6 Silkie pens, 6 breeding pens (where I place specific pairs I want eggs from) 3 OEGB pens, and 4 pens for various ages of chicks, 2 brooders 2 large "houses" on each end for the outside chickens to come into each night and 12 rabbit pens. My outside pens are 50ft x 100ft. He also installed automatic water system so each cage has full time fresh water and timed lights so they all have the appropriate amount of light each day.
Today he finished up 8 "Silkie runs" with small houses on each so they could get more time outside when I'm not home. This wonderful man also constructed a 50ft. X 75ft. Peafowl aviary so I could just go in, set and relax with my peas.
He has worked so hard to make me happy that I just wanted to brag in him. We have been married 27 years and I have loved every one - even the hard ones.

Wayne - you must tell us all what we need to do to break even. I spend more on the chickens than I do us. I go to chicken swaps here is SE Missouri and if I ask more than $2.50 for a chick, they look at me like I have lost my mind. I make much more by selling hatching eggs. My question is what breeds do I need to concentrate on that will sell best? You seem so knowledgeable - I for one appreciate your candor and advice.

 

[cluckitall]

Everyone, first I wanted to say thank you so much for having this conversation! I pretty much stumbled into having chickens -- picked up a "mini-flock" of nine from a lady who was paring out some of hers (she had probably 150+ chickens) for $30. Of course they came with leg mites

but were otherwise sturdy, healthy, if unremarkable birds -- except for the white rock hen (smallest of the bunch who lays just ENORMOUS eggs -- I don't know how she does it, I really don't) and a really rather spectacular CM roo who, having lived with him a while, I can confidently state was being sold off because he was a brat. He isn't now Mostly because I kept humiliating him until he started behaving.

I still have five of the original hens (mostly because till my others grow, they're my only layers (once my babies start in I'll probably sell them off), and bought two CM girls for my roo. Then I went on a "how many breeds can I get?" rampage, picking up one or two of over a dozen breeds and varieties. So I'm slowly learning differences of temperament and type, and discovering which ones I like the best. (Who said Brahmas are calm and sedate? My 4 week old buff is a fuzzy-footed kangaroo! Think superball: Boing! Boing! Boing!)

I had no idea I would enjoy these little feathered beasties so much -- I was just looking for a daily supply of fresh eggs!

I think I'm pretty well stuck owning chickens for the rest of my life (aw bummer

). But I either have to smarten up, pare it back down to a self-supplying backyard flock of ten or a dozen (NOOOOOOO!), or I have to essentially break even on owning them. So I really, really appreciate hearing those with years of experience talk about some of the things they've learned in the process of making chicken-ownership pay, or at least be a not-too-hideously expensive hobby.

Second, aw man!!!! I'm so sorry to hear about your chicken losses!

That sucks!!!

 

[cluckitall]

Oh, RedBrush Farm, I'm so sorry. There are no adequate words, there really aren't. I'm am SO glad you have such a wonderful, loving man by your side!

(In fact, okay, forget the seramas, tell me where you get one of them! LOL!)

 

[madamwlf]

Another way to make money is if you have a large incubator and your using it to incubate your own eggs, you can offer incubation services as well. I mean, the incubator is already running, it's not hurting your power bill any.

I also have others looking for specific breeds. I can usually find them at a decent price, incubate them and charge them a price for the chicks.

So sorry about your loss RedBrush Farm

 

[DMRippy]

Another way to make money is if you have a large incubator and your using it to incubate your own eggs, you can offer incubation services as well. I mean, the incubator is already running, it's not hurting your power bill any.

I also have others looking for specific breeds. I can usually find them at a decent price, incubate them and charge them a price for the chicks.

So sorry about your loss RedBrush Farm

I did try that but I don't think many people around me want to breed their birds

BTW the birds I lost were about 3 months old. Not the older birds.