OHio ~ Come on Buckeyes, let me know your out there!

[loveourbirds]

i know vet bills are high on horses, but with as many chickens as we have here- they are high on chickens too. just a guess i could probably raise 10 horses on what we spend on our chickens. but, i have no desire to have horses myself; i think they are beautiful animals but im scared to death of them. if i ever have to resort to horses for transportation, ill have to have a carriage.

 

[minihorse927]

i know vet bills are high on horses, but with as many chickens as we have here- they are high on chickens too. just a guess i could probably raise 10 horses on what we spend on our chickens. but, i have no desire to have horses myself; i think they are beautiful animals but im scared to death of them. if i ever have to resort to horses for transportation, ill have to have a carriage.

Awwww, my minis are not scary! How can you be terrified of a 300lb mini horse who wants cookies? They pull carts and carriages. I could just see you riding from waverly to peebles now with 2 miniature horses dragging the wagon with a ton of feed behind them.

On the other hand I am thinking of buying some black silkie eggs. They are EXPENSIVE but these are some of the nicest black silkies I have seen in a while. What to do, what to do... I'm not talking my normal expensive but 2X's what I normally consider expensive. I guess I will have to make a decision by the end of the day!

 

[minihorse927]

i know vet bills are high on horses, but with as many chickens as we have here- they are high on chickens too. just a guess i could probably raise 10 horses on what we spend on our chickens. but, i have no desire to have horses myself; i think they are beautiful animals but im scared to death of them. if i ever have to resort to horses for transportation, ill have to have a carriage.

Typically my vet bills are not that bad. Get a coggins done yearly at $20 for each horse. Health papers when we travel out of state at $15per horse and they are good for 30 days. I typically have the knowledge to care for most problems within my own horses unless it is serious or something I have never dealt with before. That is when I get the vet out. Getting stallions gelded at $220 each. $175 farrier bill every 6-8 weeks. Feed and supplements are about $150 a month. We bale our own hay so I do not have that expense. $15,000 barn for the horses. Pastures that cost about $500 to put up when we cut our own posts. Liability insurance in case someone gets kicked or bit by one of your horses. Water bill. The list goes on...

 

[loveourbirds]

vet bills here vary im guessing about $1200 for last year. the health certificates are covered in the NPIP and thats $50 a year. we dont have all the storage fees and such, the only "barn" we have here is nearing $17,000 including cages and electric. electric cost for incubation and brooding in the summer are about $150 a month, in the winter closer to $350 a month. feed cost for us is about $210 every 2 weeks.

in the past 3 years, im gonna guess we have spent $50,000 to $60,000 in feed, acquiring breeding stock, electricity, medical care, incubators, and housing for our little chicken venture.

 

[loveourbirds]

Quote: 3 minihorses pulling a 280ish pound man, a carriage and ton of feed?? i feel for those horses

never spend more than you can afford to lose on eggs, to many things can go wrong. of course i have spent nearly $50 for one egg, so you dont have to take my advice LOL. i do have a nice pair of blue/black split silkies that i will probably bring some eggs for when i come to the swap. thats the only pair i have that would be worth showing.

 

[minihorse927]

3 minihorses pulling a 280ish pound man, a carriage and ton of feed?? i feel for those horses

never spend more than you can afford to lose on eggs, to many things can go wrong. of course i have spent nearly $50 for one egg, so you dont have to take my advice LOL. i do have a nice pair of blue/black split silkies that i will probably bring some eggs for when i come to the swap. thats the only pair i have that would be worth showing.

$80 for a dozen plus extras. Guaranteed to hatch 2 chicks or they'll replace for shipping cost. These are NICE! Still debating...

 

[loveourbirds]

im assuming for that price they are showing pictures of the actual parents. if they are excellent quality they can be worth that and even more. on the other hand, this is the time of year people get rid of their extra breeders. you can probably pick up and excellent pair at a show or swap for $40. but if you have a dozen hatch, you'll be ahead in the long run.

 

[minihorse927]

Yes they are showing pictures of the actual parents plus pictures of this years hatch from those birds. I'm very impressed with this breeder.

 

[minihorse927]

$102.37 later I have my horse feed and part of my chicken feed for the next 2 weeks. I still need to go buy some scratch and oats for the ducks. Thinking of just having a feed mill mix my feed. This mixing myself is starting to suck!

 

[loveourbirds]

im very happy with what im having mixed, i do add alfalfa cubes and meal worms on the side. i started fermenting on monday, feeding it to just the chickens in the barn. its to early to know if its making much of a difference.