i have a great plan...i think?

[Cassandra]

Haha. When I was little, I lived with my mamaw and she had 100 RIR hens and 3 roosters. Those roosters were as mean as snakes!

But we children were taught a healthy respect for them and managed to stay out of their way for the most part. But one of my young cousins (probably when she was about five) got spurred on the forehead by one of them. Nasty little buggers.

A prominent memory for me is when I was about 10 I was playing with a fishing pole in the yard, just swinging it around. A RIR rooster walked from behind a bush and saw me doing this and it made him angry. It was one of those funny slow motion moments. He saw me and I saw him at the same time and we realized we were in each others way.

He jumped up with his spurs out at the same time I dropped my pole, turned around and ran. I ran about two hundred yards, mostly uphill and didn't stop until I got to the porch. When I turned around he was gone.

This should not deter you. I only tell this story as a caution. Many of us children survived in a RIR family. It can be done... if you are very careful.

Good luck!

Cassandra

 

[Cheekon]

Try BR or DOMs that way you can learn to sex them and you can sell "sexed" chicks at a higher price. I think the ROOs of those breeds are friendlier too.

 

[thechickman04]

i know it would be easier to get a breed that doesnt have mean roosters or that are easier to sex...but i have a free ranging RIR rooster right now and use to he would chase me all over the yard...but one good kick got rid of that problem ,he wont dare chase me now

 

[patandchickens]

I would think that for virtually all breeds, if you're selling chicks and you are not a giant hatchery company you would make more money selling them UNsexed.

Why? Because if you sell them sexed, people will predominantly want just pullets, and you will find yourself having to hatch almost twice as many eggs to sell X number of chicks, and then you have to figure out how to 'dispose of' the cockerels. Unless you sell pullets for almost twice as much as cockerels, this is likely to put a dent in your profit. And if you try to sell pullets for almost twice as much as cockerels, people will complain and get their chicks elsewhere.

I think it works for big hatcheries because they are moving in a rather different universe than backyard people are... a hatchery that sold only straight run would lose a lot of business to others that do sex their chicks. People buy from small operations for different reasons than they buy from big hatcheries.

Basically, you need to sit down and talk with the feed store people you're hoping to sell your chicks to. See what they want -- that matters a LOT more than what YOU want

Good luck and have fun,

Pat

 

[thechickman04]

thank you patandchickens it will be much easier on me if i dont sex the chicks

 

[Cheep Mama]

Best of luck with your plans!!!!! Go for it!! You sound a lot more motivated than a lot of other kids your age.

 

[snowydiamonds]

How long do RIR's live anyway? And how long do people keep them for backyard eggs and then at what age do you NOT want them for the pot? This is assuming you are meeting their heat, light and feed requirements and keep a clean coop/yard. I have at least one hen I plan to keep for as long as possible, no matter what!

 

[thechickman04]

thanks cheep mama my hatching eggs for these Rhode island reds should be here before long

 

[bluerose]

BO's are also very popular... and the roos are supposedly very nice.

I will say though- are your parents going to be up for taking over (or you for disbanding your flock) if, in 3 years, you go to college away from home?.... (says she who would love to get more hens, but is off to college in the fall, and parents say 3 is plenty)

May want to consider that.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Before you start selling chicks through a retail outlet, check with your State Department of Agriculture to determine what testing or regulations you must follow. More than likely selling via retail rather than off farms changes the level of testing needed. Don't be surprised if you have to be Pullorum Free or NPIP enrolled to sell retail.

Jim