Maine

[CoopChick719]

I'm soon to have electricity to the coop thanks to hubby installing an outdoor outlet last weekend. He also came up with a brain storm for a portable gate for the winter run. This will be great b/c I can use it any where a gate is needed. I'm planting more seeds. Saw an 8 x 8 garden shed at Lowes for $600. Just happened to mention that it would make a great chicken coop... Stick built would be cheaper!

Congrats on the electricity!! I'm so glad DH ran some out to ours. It does make life easier. I had to dig the trench by hand until he borrowed a friends Kubota w/a bucket. Thank god!!

I had a unique Thanksgiving (for me). For the first time, I ate at a restaurant rather than in a private home. But that was a small thing compared to the big item, ..... I became a grandfather for the first time in my life. My daughter had a beautiful baby boy. What a gift!!!

striperon!! That's wonderful news!!

Thanks for the info, much appreciated !

Anytime...that's what we are all here for!

 

[MEMama3]

Was this for ONE chick?

yup. Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get an SOP of those breeds, guaranteed pullet at that price? Why spent money like that on a fragile chick that may or may not be female?

 

[buckabucka]

I think cream legbars are autosexing. I don't know anything about rhodebars, but I wouldn't want to spend that much on a chick, either. People do though. And if you were to order just a few hatchery chicks and pay the shipping, it doesn't look so bad.

 

[lazy gardener]

All of the "something" bars are auto sexing, which means that they will breed true to the original parentage and remain auto sexing as long as they are not mixed with any other breeds. Now, they are expensive, and it would be nice to be able to tell at hatch which ones are pullets, however, what is one to ethically do with that information? Cull the roos at hatch? Grow them out separately? Give them away, or sell them? Also, the genetics of breeding your own stock don't seem to be that difficult... unless I'm missing some critical information here. Option #1 seems to be no more ethical than what the hatcheries do with the excess roos. Option #2 doesn't seem to be any advantage over waiting for a straight run batch of chicks to start showing their sexual characteristics. Option #3 would work, as long as the recipient knew exactly what they were getting. It would be awful easy for a breeder to take advantage of a newbie with this method of disposing of the males... How many stories do you hear of folks buying a pullet from a BY flock only to find out that it's a male???

 

[anyasmifya]

Oh happy Day!

I found an egg!!!!!!!!! Yay! I believe it's from my RIR! I love RIRs such sweet birds and good layers! It is a small brown egg. Finally!

 

[lazy gardener]

congrats!

 

[ashandvine]

I was hearing the egg cackle in the barn again today. I sure hope so.
CCL are auto sexing and they lay blue eggs. Double your pleasure. My geese, the culls and pet quality ones go for 75$ each. Its a matter of how common and how desirable or useful they are plus who you are selling to and where your birds came from or who you are, as in are you a known top breeder. Common birds go for common prices. With that said, you can legbars for cheaper than that ad if all you want is a blue egg layer. If not... pay more. Greenfire makes a living off folks who want fancy birds at fancy prices. I don't buy it, period. I don't schnoodles or oodles or punkles or whatever else is fashionable out there either though.

I had a man stop by today and inquire about the kind if geese I keep and if I would sell him eggs in spring. He only wanted the 'fluffy' ones for his wife. Fluffy meaning my show quality Sebastopols. He sure can have some eggs if he doesn't mind paying the going price for them. He also had three mammoth jacks at his house. I like these rare animals and their history. It made me want to offer to trade a few geese for one but dh would have a seizure and die if I had something on the farm that laid that big a pile for him to step in. He'd never go out back!

 

[buckabucka]

 

[yankeehill]

yup. Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get an SOP of those breeds, guaranteed pullet at that price? Why spent money like that on a fragile chick that may or may not be female?

Umm...yeah, I wouldn't spend that money...but then again, if it were something I really wanted to have...I would. I spent $165 on 2 rabbits out of PA last year....would do it again too! They were Chocolate carriers of the Silver Foxes. At the time, no one else in Maine had Silver Fox Rabbits that carry the chocolate genes...I bought a breeding pair, and we brought another breeder from southern Maine a rabbit as a favor. Now I have chocolate Silver Foxes...I REALLY wanted those things!

 

[CoopChick719]

Oh happy Day!

I found an egg!!!!!!!!! Yay! I believe it's from my RIR! I love RIRs such sweet birds and good layers! It is a small brown egg. Finally!

Congrats on the egg!!