Idaho?

[La Casa de Pollo]

Is there a reason the hatching season ends now? Why not all year round? 

For me, I want to get my girls to lay their first eggs well before winter. OR they wait all winter and don't start until Spring. Also, I want them to be nice and big before the cold sets in...5 months plus.

I mostly do not want to be integrating/babysitting chicks year round, 4 months of hatching, brooding, and changing pine shavings out of waterers and I am pretty burned out lol

 

[Desert Springs]

Is there a reason the hatching season ends now? Why not all year round?

There's a lot of reasons...Some breeders do produce year round when they have the space and orders to fill, however a lot of breeders do not have the room/space for chicks after a certain age. Usually the market wants chicks in the spring, when the frost is off so as to have as little financial output as possible. Most of the people don't want to pay for heat on chicks during the winter and many hens don't produce well during that time of year. Breeders cannot afford unneeded expenses (feed, supplies, utilities and manual labor) needed plus selling those chickens as juveniles is risky due to the much higher purchase price. Granted, some people like buying a coop-ready pullet or young laying hen but the expense is much higher and the leftover cockerels present a problem to the breeder, which must be financially covered in the sell of pullets. Plus the fact a lot of people already rid themselves (sometimes for FREE or for next to nothing) in the fall of their spring purchase of chicks because 1) they are new to chickens and realize chicken are actual work, 2) they get ways too many and must downsize, 3) they bought them for their children and the kids have lost interest, 4) they sell or give away each fall and start fresh each spring; etc. The breeder cannot compete with FREE chickens.

Me being a new breeder with a lot of space (and building runs like crazy to accommodate the breeds, and sizes I already have, will be getting, and growing) will be offering dual purpose birds throughout the winter. My BO and BA will be the only ones for sell this coming winter just to see how it goes. This past spring I almost folded my business before it got started (due to step-relative drama) and had an outpouring of interest. Maybe it's the location or the fact people wanted to know where their laying hens and cooking chickens came from.... I don't know. This winter will tell.... it may do well or I'll be having a lot of 'cluck clucks' going to freezer camp!!

 

[annewandering]

Thanks for the information. So what do you do with extra roosters? I am thinking mine will always, or most always, go into the freezer. Might be coldblooded but love or not they are in our place for food.

 

[MeAndTheBoyz]

Thanks for the information. So what do you do with extra roosters? I am thinking mine will always, or most always, go into the freezer. Might be coldblooded but love or not they are in our place for food.

Just wanted to chime in to say "Same Here"

That has been our plan all along - we are keeping a few bantams as pets for my son, the rest of our chickens will get cycled through and fulfill the "dual purpose" function. Roosters a bit earlier then the hens, lol.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

So my bantam cochins have turned out to be barred. Is it safe to say that they are girls since they have more black than white and no comb or wattle development at 5.5ish weeks old?
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae298/squeakymcmurdo/image_zps2dd149f7.jpg

The SLW are so sweet. All 3 of them will jump onto whomever's hand is in the brooder. I hope they stay so dang friendly. They were sold as pullets so hopefully no surprise boys either.

And just because I know all of you like pictures
I changed over to sand in the brooder so everybody was loaded in a box
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae298/squeakymcmurdo/image_zpsa8c4e2ca.jpg
Sweet Gyspy Jane. I was trying to take a picture of the pretty white-tipped feathers on her back...she had other ideas.
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae298/squeakymcmurdo/image_zpsef578b4b.jpg
I took about a dozen of those before I finally got this one
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae298/squeakymcmurdo/image_zps5c090e0e.jpg
And this is Moxie who still thinks she needs to fly. She's limping a bit since she flew up there, not too much. I hope she'll be ok. She's my favourite. The pictures don't do her justice, she's mostly a fiery orange!
http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae298/squeakymcmurdo/image_zps2c52a6fb.jpg

And this is a video of them playing with a baby toy

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[annewandering]

Does anyone around southern Idaho sell white cochins? I havent heard any of you talking about them.

 

[Desert Springs]

Thanks for the information. So what do you do with extra roosters? I am thinking mine will always, or most always, go into the freezer. Might be coldblooded but love or not they are in our place for food.

In my breeding program I keep a main rooster, a back up rooster and if space allows have an unrelated rooster to keep the gene pool diversified. Any extras who show undesired traits or who are duplicates of my program, will be going to freezer camp if unwanted by a fellow breeder or friend.

 

[annewandering]

My gosh I feel like I have a newborn baby again! Waking up to check if the chicks have water and if the temp is right! Checking their poopy bottoms! Babies were easier since they slept with us!
So does anyone have the white cochins? I need a rooster about the time my cochins start laying. Or before to raise.
My gosh it would be great if I could find a frizzled white cochin rooster regular sized.

 

[pawtraitart]

My gosh I feel like I have a newborn baby again! Waking up to check if the chicks have water and if the temp is right! Checking their poopy bottoms! Babies were easier since they slept with us!
So does anyone have the white cochins? I need a rooster about the time my cochins start laying. Or before to raise.
My gosh it would be great if I could find a frizzled white cochin rooster regular sized.

I don't know of anybody local who has white cochins. Sorry! I hope you find what you are looking for.

 

[annewandering]

I don't know of anybody local who has white cochins. Sorry! I hope you find what you are looking for.

That is what I figured from the chat here. Oh well. I will find one somewhere. lol.