New Mommy Advice Please

[missnu01]

I decided out of nowhere to start keeping chickens and was instantly hooked. Started withh 4, then got a set of mom and 8 babies then it was the 2 babies. I picked up 30 something peeps from the feed store. 14 Ducks, and 7 turkeys. Then ordered another 25 chicks...and hatched 18. All my original chickens disappeared one by one, except 2 hens from the set of babies all ducks, and turkeys never went missing or became ill...had 14 of the 18 I hatched taken in the middle of the night by some varmint. Well whatever it was took 12 and left 2 with broken necks in the coop. I'm thinking raccoon... last year I didn't hatch or buy any except 9 easter eggers. I sold everything last year except for 8. Now I'm using that 8 to bring me back to my former glory and numbers. So I can sell most of them again and then start hatching them again. So on and so forth. I did buy quite a few this year though, 22 chickens and 10 turkeys...The rest I'm hatching. And hatching, and hatching. I have lots of space and a huge coop. And well they are chickens and sometimes crap happens, so what you start with is often not what you end with. I do take a really lax approach to the whole thing though too. I'm notorious for coming home late and forgetting to close the coop. So I mean less stuff could happen maybe if I tried a little harder, but I almost feel like in nature some animals just aren't as smart as others. Some chickens know how to dodge dip dive duck and dodge, and some don't. I only need the ones that are. So basically natural selection makes my breeding choice for me, and I'm hoping eventually I will have the most perfect chickens for my specific spot of land and I'll be set.

 

[Aban]

I decided out of nowhere to start keeping chickens and was instantly hooked. Started withh 4, then got a set of mom and 8 babies then it was the 2 babies. I picked up 30 something peeps from the feed store. 14 Ducks, and 7 turkeys. Then ordered another 25 chicks...and hatched 18. All my original chickens disappeared one by one, except 2 hens from the set of babies all ducks, and turkeys never went missing or became ill...had 14 of the 18 I hatched taken in the middle of the night by some varmint. Well whatever it was took 12 and left 2 with broken necks in the coop. I'm thinking raccoon... last year I didn't hatch or buy any except 9 easter eggers. I sold everything last year except for 8. Now I'm using that 8 to bring me back to my former glory and numbers. So I can sell most of them again and then start hatching them again. So on and so forth. I did buy quite a few this year though, 22 chickens and 10 turkeys...The rest I'm hatching. And hatching, and hatching. I have lots of space and a huge coop. And well they are chickens and sometimes crap happens, so what you start with is often not what you end with. I do take a really lax approach to the whole thing though too. I'm notorious for coming home late and forgetting to close the coop. So I mean less stuff could happen maybe if I tried a little harder, but I almost feel like in nature some animals just aren't as smart as others. Some chickens know how to dodge dip dive duck and dodge, and some don't. I only need the ones that are. So basically natural selection makes my breeding choice for me, and I'm hoping eventually I will have the most perfect chickens for my specific spot of land and I'll be set.

wow you had a lot of animals....my beloved wants me to sell eggs and/or babies. Not sure i could sell them once i get attached to them. I have a tendiousy of over worring a situation. we are adding a "play pin' to our temp coop tomorrow for our new mommy and her 4 babies to be able to explore. but I look forward to getting our big coop done and having some more space to get more feathered freinds!!

 

[missnu01]

I get them now to sell. I can't afford to feed them all in the winter.

 

[Aban]

wow..do you do good selling them all like that?

 

[missnu01]

I do pretty well. A lot of people prefer to get adult chickens. And they sell themselves. I post pictures and the calls roll in. I don't know if I break even, but I feel like I just might. I don't feed the poultry very much through the warm months so that saves me a good bit. But they sell very very well. Which is why I hatch my behind off all through the warm months, that way I have a little spending money come winter. Ducks and turkeys sell for more than chickens. Really for the money ducks are the poultry to keep. They lay the most eggs so even though they sell for less than turkeys you can manufacture more ducks than turkeys. But I just can't stand ducks. they are too gross. Just disgusting smelly mud creatures. And all my ducks have always hated me. No matter how much time I spend with them they never get used to seeing you the way the chickens and turkeys do. My chickens and turkeys run to meet me when I come out the door or when I get home in the car. The ducks always became terrified and ran away. I felt like some sort of nazi killer. And above all they are gross. I sold every duck I had last year. I want to build a pen far far from my house and pen some there to get them going for sale. Because you can't beat the money. But again... they are so gross...