INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[kabhyper1]

IMO, silkie chicks go through an ugly stage and hard to get an idea of what they will look like. Include pics of your adults to show the quality and I dont think you will have troubles. Heck depending on color, id be interested in buying a few

Yea, i figured it was you by the alpacas lol.

HA! Yeah they usually give me away. I'm breeding whites to blue, and blue to blue. So white balck and splash will be what I get. Possibly paint if I figure out how to do that.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Pretty Birds!

Did you get it at TSC? They have a still air one for about that much.

no, i hardly ever go to TSC, they are genereally more expensive for the things I buy, plus I dont care much for the store. I got it at rural king. It was $42.99. It is probably the same one though it is a farm innovators I think model 2100

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

HA! Yeah they usually give me away. I'm breeding whites to blue, and blue to blue. So white balck and splash will be what I get. Possibly paint if I figure out how to do that.

I dont know if is the same with silkies as it is with ameraucanas. But when breeding blue to blue you get 50% blue, 25% black, and 25% splash offspring

 

[bradselig]

I want to make sure they are going to humane homes, I'm picky like that. That's why I have 5 dogs. lol But I think silkies usually go to certain people. They aren't much for eating. lol 
 That's awesome! I don't even kill bugs in my house. So I hope I wouldn't have "hatchers guilt" for killing off chicks lol.  I would love for my hens to do it themselves. There is not much cuter than babies following mama around and hiding in her fluff. 

IMO, since they are enclosed in the shell and you dont actually see the chick, I dont have an issue. While you can learn from it, I would suggest that you do not crack them open if they dont hatch. That is hard to see a fully developed chick dead in the egg. Anytime you are breed/hatching, you have to be prepared to loose some. Some will hatch but be weak and not live longer than 24hrs. Its all part of nature regardless how hard it is.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I am able to sell most of my hatched chicks in under a week and they are just the production reds or a barnyard mix. I used the money to pay for the chicken feed and some of my genesis incubator. I was hoping to be able to hatch a lot more but lost or re-homed all of my fertile roosters. I'm just now starting back up with the incubating. I'm thinking if a chick does not sell, I can raise it and sell it for more money on CL or eat it. Even the chicks I hatched in spring that did not sell right away still sold as started chicks before I could tell the roos from the hens.
Just list a touch high on CL and when people offer to barter or deal with you you will have wiggle room. For some reason many people think of CL more like an online garage sale than an out of your home business.
Ohh I do offer the option to bring any chickens back that turn out to be unwanted roos. I have not offered to buy them back, just to replace with a different chick if I have chicks. Then I try to arrange a drop off time when I have a young chick. So far I have only had 1 roo brought back. I understand not everyone butchers silkies but people like it if you offer to let them return the roos. It is a comfort thing as many newcomers are terrified by the idea of a rooster.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

IMO, since they are enclosed in the shell and you dont actually see the chick, I dont have an issue. While you can learn from it, I would suggest that you do not crack them open if they dont hatch. That is hard to see a fully developed chick dead in the egg. Anytime you are breed/hatching, you have to be prepared to loose some. Some will hatch but be weak and not live longer than 24hrs. Its all part of nature regardless how hard it is.

I usually crack open the ones that dont develop. Tosee how far it got and what went wrong. And sometimes it pays off as they might not be dead, just need asstiance

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I am able to sell most of my hatched chicks in under a week and they are just the production reds or a barnyard mix. I used the money to pay for the chicken feed and some of my genesis incubator. I was hoping to be able to hatch a lot more but lost or re-homed all of my fertile roosters. I'm just now starting back up with the incubating. I'm thinking if a chick does not sell, I can raise it and sell it for more money on CL or eat it. Even the chicks I hatched in spring that did not sell right away still sold as started chicks before I could tell the roos from the hens.
Just list a touch high on CL and when people offer to barter or deal with you you will have wiggle room. For some reason many people think of CL more like an online garage sale than an out of your home business.
Ohh I do offer the option to bring any chickens back that turn out to be unwanted roos. I have not offered to buy them back, just to replace with a different chick if I have chicks. Then I try to arrange a drop off time when I have a young chick. So far I have only had 1 roo brought back. I understand not everyone butchers silkies but people like it if you offer to let them return the roos. It is a comfort thing as many newcomers are terrified by the idea of a rooster.

I dont know why but I had the hardest time selling my barnyard mixes. I only asked $2 a chick

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: here are some listed on CL for cheaper than brand new:
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/4065220117.html
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/4052734745.html This one looks like a great deal since it comes with a turner. I gave it some thought.

 

[bradselig]

I usually crack open the ones that dont develop. Tosee how far it got and what went wrong. And sometimes it pays off as they might not be dead, just need asstiance

I agree, you can learn a lot from it. But for someone who doesnt want to deal with the death aspect of hatching, Id advise against it. If I have to assist, most of the chicks end up dying anyways so I pretty much just let them be.

 

[kabhyper1]

no, i hardly ever go to TSC, they are genereally more expensive for the things I buy, plus I dont care much for the store. I got it at rural king. It was $42.99. It is probably the same one though it is a farm innovators I think model 2100

I dont know if is the same with silkies as it is with ameraucanas. But when breeding blue to blue you get 50% blue, 25% black, and 25% splash offspring

I wish we had a rural king! They are all south of 24 it seems. True it's the same with silkies, but apparently mine have a dominant white gene, so they could produce white. It's so confusing it makes my head spin.

IMO, since they are enclosed in the shell and you dont actually see the chick, I dont have an issue. While you can learn from it, I would suggest that you do not crack them open if they dont hatch. That is hard to see a fully developed chick dead in the egg. Anytime you are breed/hatching, you have to be prepared to loose some. Some will hatch but be weak and not live longer than 24hrs. Its all part of nature regardless how hard it is.

That's true. I'm just ridiculously sensitive. I get teased about it regularly lol. Maybe I should just have other people hatch them for me. Ha!

I am able to sell most of my hatched chicks in under a week and they are just the production reds or a barnyard mix. I used the money to pay for the chicken feed and some of my genesis incubator. I was hoping to be able to hatch a lot more but lost or re-homed all of my fertile roosters. I'm just now starting back up with the incubating. I'm thinking if a chick does not sell, I can raise it and sell it for more money on CL or eat it. Even the chicks I hatched in spring that did not sell right away still sold as started chicks before I could tell the roos from the hens.
Just list a touch high on CL and when people offer to barter or deal with you you will have wiggle room. For some reason many people think of CL more like an online garage sale than an out of your home business.
Ohh I do offer the option to bring any chickens back that turn out to be unwanted roos. I have not offered to buy them back, just to replace with a different chick if I have chicks. Then I try to arrange a drop off time when I have a young chick. So far I have only had 1 roo brought back. I understand not everyone butchers silkies but people like it if you offer to let them return the roos. It is a comfort thing as many newcomers are terrified by the idea of a rooster.

Yes the rooster prospect is something I thought of. I would have to do the return policy thing for sure lol. Can't have fluffies being butchered.