***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[BScott03]

teee heee your addicted

I am! It's BAD! Lol

 

[lonnyandrinda]

This is a really cool website for identifying Oklahoma snakes, I know some people have posted with pics wondering what they caught. Maybe this will help you!

http://www.oksnakes.org/index.cfm?id=1

 

[Ginger Assassin]

So I don't have any chickens yet and I am thinking about getting a small breeder. I am going to get 8 breeds of chicken 30 birds each breed. Also 2 breeds of duck 30 birds each. I was wondering if this is even a good idea, and how much feed will one chicken eat per year? Also how much feed will a duck eat per year, and the same with batam chickens?


If you can help me I would be greatful.

Thank you

Just didn't want to write it out again I am lazy and on summer vacation don't criticize me!

 

[our 5acre farm]

Have you had chickens before? If it was me. I would start small. And work your way up to what you can handle.

 

[TipihlowLadies]

Just didn't want to write it out again I am lazy and on summer vacation don't criticize me!

whoa that's 300 birds how much land is available to free range tractor range . If you house and feed all they get look out feed bill and depends on age of chicken and breed . depending what you are going to do with them not enough info.

 

[Ginger Assassin]

Have you had chickens before? If it was me. I would start small. And work your way up to what you can handle.

I am but I am only 13 and trying to calculate how much it will cost and I want to make a big coop with sections so I don't have to work as much.

 

[KHaws]

that is a huge amount of birds to start with. we will probably have roughly 30 at all times, we are getting dual purpose birds. our birds will have a larger run, as they will not be able to free range where i am at.

 

[Ginger Assassin]

whoa that's 300 birds how much land is available to free range tractor range . If you house and feed all they get look out feed bill and depends on age of chicken and breed . depending what you are going to do with them not enough info.

I am going to sell eggs and chicks. I could tell you all the breeds and you can pick out the best one because I am not that experienced because my parents said I can't have chickens. So I don't know just teach me.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I am going to sell eggs and chicks. I could tell you all the breeds and you can pick out the best one because I am not that experienced because my parents said I can't have chickens. So I don't know just teach me.

This is going to take some research on your part. My advice is to start with one or two breeds first while you learn the ropes and get your setup working smoothly. Look around and breed something you love that has appeal to YOU. Also keep an eye out locally (craigslist, auctions, friends, etc) and don't breed what everyone else has a million of. This is important: if you seriously want to breed, do it right with good stock, don't just settle for whatever you can get and be a chick factory. High quality birds lead to happy and repeat customers and also referrals to new customers. If it is an APA approved breed, study the Standard of Perfection for that breed and be familiar with general disqualifications you want to avoid in your breeding stock. Also be aware good stock doesn't just appear, you have to search out the good sources and sometimes wait for them to have some birds available.

As for feed, we have 4 breeds and about 40 adult birds and go through about 2 bags of feed per week, with all our growers and babies we go through about 2 bags of chick feed per week. It adds up FAST so think it through, our feed bill is about $230 per month. This includes that we allow one or two breeds to free range almost every day. Chickens take up a lot more room than you might think if you are taking proper care of them, so take that into account. Between your breeding pens, two grower pens (one for younger and one for older growers), a chick brooder, feed and supplies, a quarantine pen, and a sick pen, it takes a lot of time and materials and space. It's not impossible just don't get in over your head to start with.

 

[Ksane]

On Sunday my oldest and most revered, wonderful flock rooster, Rooty Roo didnt act right. Since we were up at the barn anyway I monitored him throughout the day and he just laid around a lot but was watching his hens and eating and drinking fine. That evening I picked him up and told him what a wonderful rooster he was and that we loved him and his beautiful babies. I said goodnight to him and the girls and closed the coop. I am so glad I got to hold him that night because during the night he died. That rooster was the very best rooster I have ever had the pleasure of owning or being around. Gentle amd sweet to people, considerate towards his hens...he was a great dancer for his ladies and always gave them any food he found. I bought him as part of a buff cochin trio years and years ago. One of the best purchases I have ever made. He was fully mature when I bought him so we arent sure exactly how old he was but he was no less than 7 years old which in chicken years is probably over 100 years old. And wouldnt you know it I didnt collect eggs to hatch this year...and now I am kicking myself for it. I have collected eggs from his girls the last few days hoping they will be viable.
Sorry for the long post but my feelings were hurt so bad because he died that I couldnt post yesterday...I was too sad about it.

I feel for you

I lost so many favorites last year and it just did me in. Reading your post brought back so many sad memories.
Kass, you just crack me up still. You have no idea how many times I've read a few pages of this thread and closed my laptop still giggling at something you said
I promised no more babies. I get way too attached. I'm one of those people who'd rather not love something at all if I might lose it. I thought I was keeping up so well picking up eggs, I have to go around to the backside of the hinged coop door to pick up Bantam Faverolles eggs and got distracted longer than I'd realized by other things and didn't pick them up. There was the cutest tiny baby 5 toed Bantam Fav baby out there last weekend lol Oh I just love this baby

. He was probably a day old, thankfully we found him/her soon enough. No other eggs were pipped but they went into the freezer anyway. I just couldn't bear the thought of a batch of roos hatching. Seriously-I can't bring myself to part with them once they're here if I hatched them. I had just seen some darling naked necks at the feed store that morning so sent my husband back up there for chick feed and 2 NN pullet babies to keep this tiny Fav company so he or she woudn't be alone. So now we have Ed, Ed and Eddie here in a tub in the livingroom. I guess that's my chick quota for the year-way different than all my chicks last year. If I get really lucky the little Fav baby is a girl.
I do love reading over you all's posts when I have time to read them. I miss everyone. But I don't figure I'm a very good "chicken-keeper" because I get too attached :-/