Minnesota!

[Cearbhael]

That is the question, isn't it?  I think he was the father of the litter, so why he would have killed them, I don't know.  And she never chased him off at all.  She had a terrible case of tapeworm just before having them and I had treated her just 3 days before they were born.  Who knows?  If I suddenly see kittens climbing around in the next week, I will know they are alive, and if I don't, we will likely find them when we clean out the granary

If you don't fix him "NOW" it will be an endless cycle! Or your going to have to intervene and bring mom and babies into the house. The babies will have to be raised until you are sure they are in no danger from daddy and they can manage on their own.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Wrong way to ask that question...

Of course I want one. BUT I do not have room for one or need one. I need a cochin rooster, BUT I do not have a place for one yet. I need more coops.

I want lots of things... I am an chicken addicted, so I want all of them. I am trying to just be addicted a little and saying "no" some of the time and "yes" the rest of the time. BUT the thought of those dark eggs is tempting.

Does anyone else find egg customers to be a pain in the rear?

I got a call a few days ago, and had him call my DW. She said he wanted 10 dozen eggs, so she saved eggs and covered the sign on the road to get him his 10 dozen. He avoided her calls for a day, then yesterday wanted her to "deliver" the eggs. We refuse to drive 15 feet to sell someone $2.50 eggs (free range and fresh at that), but we will meet them somewhere if we happen to be going that way. She had a wake to go to last night, the guy wanted her to meet him in Rogers. When he found out the wake was in St. Paul he said that is closer I will meet you at the funereal home. He never showed.

His number is now on our refuse to sell too list. BTW @ 2.50 I am not even covering expenses, I am thinking of going to $3.00. As I told my wife I can boil and crush them and feed them back to the girls for that price.

See I can even vent about chicken, people or something from Florida.

I have to admit, I have forgotten to meet up with someone recently when I had an exchange planned, and I felt terrible and apologized profusely. To my defense, I had no less that 10 other things I was trying to do that night and walked out of the house without the item I was supposed to meet her with.
As for people not showing up? I learned a long time ago when I started selling things on craigslist, they come to you. If someone wants what you have bad enough, they will make the trip to get it. I am of the same mind though, if I am heading i the direction of the buyer, like in the case when you got the two fluffbutt incubators, I will arrange something with them. One time of standing me up though, and I won't even answer your call. In fact, I will extend that to people who call to buy birds and then try talking me down on from a price that is already dirt cheap. I had this one little old lady who used to call me every time I posted roosters for sale. I would ask $6 or $7 each and she would ask if I would take $2 or $3? SERIOUSLY?????? I have sold young roosters that were extras for less than it costs me just to get rid of them and it appalls me how cheap people are and how often they will try to bring me down even more.

I raised my prices to $3 per dozen this year. When I first had backed off the hatching, I had a 2-week deal for $2 to offload some eggs quick. I need to head to the farmer's market this next week and get rid of the ones I have now since they are building up quickly again.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Can we talk feed? How do you cut feed costs?

I attempted to sprout some oats the other day and it was a big fail! I followed the directions that I read, but it never sprouted and instead just molded. I'd love to raise some worms or something, but my DH told me you need beetles to get mealworms? I have quite the aversion to insects with many legs. I'm sorry, but anything more than four is just unnatural. Not sure how many Beetles have, but they fall in the creepy category. Ideas?

If you are worried about feed consumption and you have turkey poults coming....you better figure that one out quick. Once those turkeys get going, they are pigs!
The only sprouting we have done is for human consumption, and it is pretty easy, though it takes about 3-4 days to get them well sprouted.
I have noticed that my birds are eating less lately, and they aren't on pasture yet. I have to fix some gates and then they will all get out. I also need to downsize the adult flock, so that is on the list now that I am started to feel better from the last week of waking up like a truck hit me.

 

[Rhetts]

what should the targeted protein goal be for 13 weeks? And the only ones getting picked on the tail area making the feathers bleed are the polish (but repeatedly). Do they 'target' a breed like that? I am glad you mentioned that Minnie, about the protein/vitamins because we are using a different feed this time. Hmmm I am checking things out for sure. I didn't think of the brahma pulling a muscle either so thanks for that too. She is isolated with feed and water right there, no roost. I will hold out doing anything and try to let her heal up. I am so glad to have you guys here to bounce ideas and questions off of. A really big help for sure!!

 

[nordicacres]

Thanks! The turkey poults are here already. I think they are three or four weeks old already. And huge! They aren't much smaller than our 10-11 week old chicks. In the next week or two I will turn them out to free range. I want them to be large enough to hold their own with the others.

Is there a way to encourage poultry to forage more? Should I just take away their feed for part of the day? Or do set feeding times?

 

[nordicacres]

what should the targeted protein goal be for 13 weeks?  And the only ones getting picked on the tail area making the feathers bleed are the polish (but repeatedly).  Do they 'target' a breed like that?  I am glad you mentioned that Minnie, about the protein/vitamins because we are using a different feed this time.  Hmmm I am checking things out for sure.  I didn't think of the brahma pulling a muscle either so thanks for that too.  She is isolated with feed and water right there, no roost.  I will hold out doing anything and try to let her heal up.  I am so glad to have you guys here to bounce ideas and questions off of.  A really big help for sure!!

I had this problem in the beginning. I was brooding my layers and meat birds together. The layers would only pick at the CornishX and make them bleed. They never picked on another layer! It resolved itself when they started to free range.

 

[nordicacres]

Have you considered fermented feed?

I missed your post! I hadn't heard of this until you mentioned it. I researched it a little bit. Can I just use any feed from the store? I think they are currently on Nutrena chick food. Would that work?

 

[FoxyChicken]

I missed your post! I hadn't heard of this until you mentioned it. I researched it a little bit. Can I just use any feed from the store? I think they are currently on Nutrena chick food. Would that work?

Yup, you can use whatever feed you currently use. There are some great threads on BYC all about it, some people might make it seem more complicated than it needs to be but it's really just food and water mixed and I've used a splash of raw apple cider vinegar (with the mother) just to get it started.

 

[Cluckies]

Lots of cheeping coming from the bator and 1 pip!!! I lost the first chick I that pipped it pipped through the side of the egg and popped a vein and drown in its own blood

. Its the first chick I lost that I have hatched.

Sorry to hear that

 

[Cluckies]

Can we talk feed? How do you cut feed costs?

I attempted to sprout some oats the other day and it was a big fail! I followed the directions that I read, but it never sprouted and instead just molded. I'd love to raise some worms or something, but my DH told me you need beetles to get mealworms? I have quite the aversion to insects with many legs. I'm sorry, but anything more than four is just unnatural. Not sure how many Beetles have, but they fall in the creepy category. Ideas?

I have a meal worm farm, the beetles cannot fly, so they just crawl around if that helps?