Hello all, from Belchertown, MA

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travelintaxman

travelintaxman

Hatching
Jul 24, 2015
9
0
7
My name is Ray, and about 4 years ago my family decided to jump into chicken raising for eggs. My 13 year old daughter was going through dozens of eggs a week, and the price of eggs were going through the roof. So we headed down to our local Tractor Supply and started our flock. We started with 6, being the minimum for Massachusetts. We didn't know anything about them except that they laid eggs. We still are learning. Each year we bought a few more. Last Christmas, my wife and daughters decided that selling eggs was too much work. Don't ask me why. They almost sell themselves. I ended up caring for the hens. All they had to do was sell the eggs. I built a coop a year ago April, cleaned up after them, bought the food and supplies, washed the eggs. Anyway, mid-March, my wife comes home with 20 more chicks! A few weeks ago, just before they start laying, they say "I think we went a little overboard." So, up on craigslist they went. We sold off most of them. I am really starting to enjoy the whole endeavor. I am considering starting to breed and incubate for our own chicks. Am I crazy? That question is still out for debate. lol

So, here I am looking for info and camaraderie. Hope to find both.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Chickens are so much fun to keep! And inevitably it does lead to breeding and hatching eggs. It is much easier to let the broodies hatch and brood the chicks, however learning to use an incubator is a very valuable experience all poultry keepers should become practiced at. There are benefits to hatching and brooding your own chicks or letting a broody take care of the entire process.

You have certainly come to the right place for all the fun and learning however. If you have any questions about anything, including hatching or breeding, we do have sections in our forums for that. We also have a nice learning center with all kinds of great articles on all the aspects of keeping poultry. There is a tab at the top of this page next to the tab that says Forum.

Good luck with all your poultry adventures and welcome to our flock!
 
Hi Ray, very nice to meet you. Glad you joined the BYC flock. Think you and the family have to come together on the same page, since you do all the chicken work etc. I'm sure you would appreciate some' volunteers' to help you.

Love the name of your town, I met everyone smiles when they hear you say it.
 
Hi Ray, welcome to BYC!

Chicken math can be a challenge as it sounds like you've discovered, lol. Raising poultry is a wonderful family project, everyone benefits. If you would like to connect with other members from MA, you can find some of them on your state thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/50058/byc-members-in-massachusetts

Enjoy your chickens, it's nice you joined us!
 

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