HELP

[keesmom]

For starters, do you already have appropriate predator proof enclosures for these birds? Breeder pens and growout pens set up already? Do you know your state's regulations to become NPIP tested? Have you read up on what other states require (I'm assuming you intend to ship)?

 

[apryl29]

They need a lot of care, esp in the beginning. We got chick in March and for the first several months they needed to be checked, fed, water dish cleaned, temp monitored frequently. Their pen needs cleaned frequently. If you're getting different kinds of birds you'll either need to keep them separated by breed to ensure the breeds don't cross. If you don't have the space for something like that then you might want to focus on one breed and expand once you have that one settled in. My boys have been mating my girls since June and we have fertilized eggs. We got our chicks in March so you will have about 3 months where you can have them all together. You could keep your cockerels separate and put them w/ their same breed females periodically for mating, but you'd still need 2 separate homes for the 2 sexes. If you're looking into incubating eggs I would invest in a good quality incubator and read up on the process. I've read a lot of post here from novices and seasoned hatchers alike having issues where they lose entire sets of eggs. I haven't hatched eggs so I'm not sure if there's a waiting period after they start laying to ensure better quality / viability. There's a lot of resources you can look into about hatching. Also, look around in your area to see if there are any vets who deal with chickens. If you're going to be serious about breeding it's good to know about that ahead of time for emergencies and illnesses. One sick bird can wipe out a whole flock. Good luck! I hope your adventure works out for you.

 

[bobbi-j]

Maybe before you jump in with both feet, how about if you post some pictures of your coop, brooder... the whole setup. That way we can give some pointers if we see something that might need tweaking.

 

[jonservidio]

the asil may not be a good choice for you at this time.
they take longer to mature, don't lay many eggs and are more challenging husbandry wise.

get some Cornish rocks, they grow out quick and people always want nice meat birds.

 

[YdogsflY]

Poultry is the wrong place to make money when you're new to the game. It takes a lot of knowledge and infrastructure to just produce nice birds from one breed. Multiple breeds to start off, new to chickens, most likely lacking the infrastructure, you're not going to make money. You're going to produce terrible fowl.