Okies in the BYC The Original

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pine pellets huh? What do they run?? I will have to see if the tractor supply has them.....I haven't noticed them anywhere, but I wasn't looking either. How long do the pellets last before you have to do a complete change out?
 
I have also used Alfalfa pellets as bedding for brooders. If the chicks eat it so what? It does get dusty though so if you have bad allergies or Asthma don't use it.

Makes a very good soil builder in the garden too.
 
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I can get them at Atwwods, but the price varies. Sometimes they have a 40# bag for $6. But usually its the 30# bag for $7.49. They are different brands but usually work about the same. The length of time it takes to change, depends on how messy the birds are. They are activated by moisture. And if there is no water spillage they tend to last a long time. At first I didn't realize that the longer you leave them , the better they work. They have to be activated to absorb odors. They are actually manufactured for horse stalls but work well in coops also. I think several people on here use them. I usually don't have to change them until I get another batch of chicks. I don't dicard the used one if they aren't too bad. I just put them in the coop outside to help build up their litter. It made it a lot easier to get the litter deep enough for the babies outside when it turned cold. I had baies without any feathers, only fuzz, outside in the coop last week.
 
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Boy you sure are a go getter, working all the time. Do you find time to relax at all??.

AL
 
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I'm not a go-getter. I'm paying for past stupidity... i.e. purchasing things on credit (i.e. a car and a motorcycle). Can't sell either for what I owe on them, so had to take a second job to make the payments/pay them down so I can get rid of the bike without owing money on it. I also am paying off the deductible for my health insurance, which I had racked up by the end of May with a phantom illness that turned out to be NOT a figment of my imagination.

It's just darned hard to make it on one income when even 1 kid costs an arm & a leg and the other parent have to be forced to do even the smallest things (including having to go through the state of Texas to collect child support). Add to that my stupidity regarding money management (which at almost 30 I'm *just now* starting to learn) and you have a recipe for debt that HAS to be paid, and no other way to pay it.

I work Mon-Friday at one job, then a second job Mon-Wed-Friday evening, and between 4-8 hours on Sundays. I refuse to work Saturdays.
 
Well the hatch is over, here are the final numbers.

From egg supplier #1 the following have hatched

Spangle #1, #2, #3
Self Blue #1, #2
Silver Duckwing #1, #2
Belgian Quail D'Anvers #1, #2
Crele #1, #2
Partridge Cochin #1, #2
Red Cochin #1, #2, #3
Self Blue dUccle #1, #2, #3
Black Breasted Red #1
Mille Fluer #1
Buff Cochin #1
Birchen #1, #2

Out of 36 eggs from this supplier 1 egg was found to be cracked when moving it to the hatching tray, so 35 made it to the hatcher. Today I candled all the remaining eggs and found that 5 never started, the rest stopped developing for unknown reasons at various stages of incubation. So the numbers are -

36 total purchased & shipped to me at a cost of $32
24 Hatched
Hatch Rate = 67%
Cost Per Hatched Chick = $1.33 each not including cost to run incubator.

From egg supplier #2 the following have hatched

BB Red #1, #2
Crele #1, #2, #3

Out of 12 eggs from this supplier all 12 made it into the hatching tray. Here are the numbers -

12 eggs total purchased and shipped to me at a cost of $17
5 Hatched
Hatch Rate = 42%
Cost Per Hatched Chick = $3.40 each not including cost to run incubator.
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Put it all together and here's the final tally

48 eggs purchased & shipped at a cost of $49
29 Hatched
Hatch Rate = 60.4%
Cost per hatched chick = $1.69 each not including cost to run incubator.

Overall I would consider this to be a success. The hatch rate is a little above average for what I would expect from shipped eggs purchased on eBay this late in the year. Many of the hatched chicks came from brood stock that are either active or retired show birds, so I hope they passed good traits to the chicks!
 
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I'm not a go-getter. I'm paying for past stupidity... i.e. purchasing things on credit (i.e. a car and a motorcycle). Can't sell either for what I owe on them, so had to take a second job to make the payments/pay them down so I can get rid of the bike without owing money on it. I also am paying off the deductible for my health insurance, which I had racked up by the end of May with a phantom illness that turned out to be NOT a figment of my imagination.

It's just darned hard to make it on one income when even 1 kid costs an arm & a leg and the other parent have to be forced to do even the smallest things (including having to go through the state of Texas to collect child support). Add to that my stupidity regarding money management (which at almost 30 I'm *just now* starting to learn) and you have a recipe for debt that HAS to be paid, and no other way to pay it.

I work Mon-Friday at one job, then a second job Mon-Wed-Friday evening, and between 4-8 hours on Sundays. I refuse to work Saturdays.

WOW I had no idea, at least you have the foritude to try and get it handled, I applaud your diligence.

AL
 
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I'm not a go-getter. I'm paying for past stupidity... i.e. purchasing things on credit (i.e. a car and a motorcycle). Can't sell either for what I owe on them, so had to take a second job to make the payments/pay them down so I can get rid of the bike without owing money on it. I also am paying off the deductible for my health insurance, which I had racked up by the end of May with a phantom illness that turned out to be NOT a figment of my imagination.

It's just darned hard to make it on one income when even 1 kid costs an arm & a leg and the other parent have to be forced to do even the smallest things (including having to go through the state of Texas to collect child support). Add to that my stupidity regarding money management (which at almost 30 I'm *just now* starting to learn) and you have a recipe for debt that HAS to be paid, and no other way to pay it.

I work Mon-Friday at one job, then a second job Mon-Wed-Friday evening, and between 4-8 hours on Sundays. I refuse to work Saturdays.

you sound so inspiring to me! took me alot longer to just grit my teeth and start getting things under control- you should be proud of yourself!!

well, niters all.... am always up early- with the chickens!
 
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