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jbenson said:
I'm hoping to start a rare breed chicken business in the next few years. I'm trying to figure out what breeds I'd like to breed and if the city doesn't go all crazy on regulation, we're going to build a new coop building with multiple pens indoors and separated runs for just this purpose. I started breeding my d'Uccles this year and have had pretty sizeable interest in the chicks from 4H families. If I had the proper facilities, I could hatch early enough to sell to them (they usually want chicks hatched before March 1 for that year's showing and currently my unheated coop causes too many frozen eggs to hatch that early and my basement brooders are too cold the way they are currently set up for babies that time of year).
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I find this super interesting and fun! I haven't read this entire thread but you just put the universe on notice for what you plan on doing! I can't wait to read what happens next! Sorry for all the explanation points but this is COOL.
 
jbenson said:
For now this is a fun hobby and DH is going to let me continue to do it as long as we don't get overrun by chicks.
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Images of those ladies who have hundreds and hundreds of cats flashed through my head. You could always let him know that at least it isn't cats?
 
RandomChicken said:
OMGOSH! I can't wait to see what happens! I know this might be old hat to some chicken people, but I'm already fascinated. Chicken Opera!
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Ok, here's the next results from my mini chicken opera. There are 2 more going into lockdown next week from this same pairing, but she has stopped laying again for a while, so we'll see if there will be further installations of this saga past these 4 and the next 2. They are so crazy adorable. Their cheeks are so fluffy and they appear to all be bearded. They all have pretty heavily feathered shanks and feet. And one has a little puff on the top of it's head which it clearly got from it's mother. I have affectionately nicknamed that one "chunk" because it is the roundest fluffiest of them all. I took several photos of each bird and one of each of their backs to show their coloring well. I can hardly wait for them to grow some wing feathers. Until I have an idea what they are going to look like, I'm not even thinking of selling any of these, so they will probably go in several weeks when they can be sexed, or maybe not at all if they are pullets. :) Considering how small both parents are, these chicks are sizeable - they would dwarf my pure d'Uccles at this same age.

Chick #1
This is "chunk". Chunk was the last of these to hatch and needed a tiny bit of assistance because (s)he was so big (s)he was wedged into the shell pretty tightly.





Chick #2



Chick #3



Chick #4

 
RandomChicken said:
Images of those ladies who have hundreds and hundreds of cats flashed through my head. You could always let him know that at least it isn't cats?
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He has already forbade me from having more than the one cat I already have and it's doubtful I will be allowed another when this one passes some day since I also have 3 bunnies, we have 2 dogs and I have chickens and he has tropical fish - saltwater and fresh (oh and I have guppies I convinced him to get that are in one of his tanks). Before we moved here and I got chickens, I had more bunnies and a gecko as well. And each summer I plant like 1/4 acre veggie garden (it's probably bigger than that now, he keeps expanding it for me).
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RandomChicken said:
I find this super interesting and fun! I haven't read this entire thread but you just put the universe on notice for what you plan on doing! I can't wait to read what happens next! Sorry for all the explanation points but this is COOL.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I am really excited about the prospect. I have a smallish flock right now, but I've been increasing my hatching skill and my chicken keeping skill and DH was pretty impressed that I sold my first spring hatch of over 40 chicks before they were 2 weeks old in March. He hasn't said a peep about how my 'bator keeps refilling itself every time there is any open space in it. I pull clears, and somehow there aren't any less eggs in there. I hatch and somehow, there aren't any less eggs.
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Right now there are 8 1-week old d'Uccle chicks in one brooder and the other brooder has yesterday's hatch in it (5 Ameraucana/Araucana banties, 2 Easter Egger banties - who I might keep, and 4 crosses of my d'Uccle roo with my fav backyard mix hen who is kind of a barred lavender - who I want to at least see feather out some to have an idea of what they will look like and might keep at least until they can be sexed and then decide who to keep, if any since they aren't pures so they won't fit my future plans, but they are a fun experiment). Starting to sell a few to thin the current laying flock of mixed hens a bit and make room for the pures I'd like to keep and maybe make room for one more variety (I'm coveting some bantie Wellsummers, but not sure if I will be able to find any locally and I'm not ready to shell out money for shipped eggs at this point).
 
Thanks all of you for the kind welcome!

Any thoughts on best ways to keep the coop cosy in our crazy winter months up here. Want to plan for next year by building a good coop now. Thanks for any thoughts!

Abbey
 

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