OMG!! I think I messed up!! IKES!!

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome back to BYC We're so happy you've decided to re-join us

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome back to BYC! Nice to meet you.
If you have that kind of dog problem, I would suggest an electric fence or poultry netting. It works well for my flock.
You might want to seriously consider finding a CA meeting location in your area and attend twice a week. Maybe more. CA = Chickens-Aholic Anonymous.

 

[sourland]

Well maybe you will get lucky and half the lot will be cockerels - leghorn cockerels make great fryers.

 

[fldiver97]

Welcome! You’re going to have a very busy spring

 

[Melky]

Oh my that's a lot of chicks. I made the mistake of going in TSC, several times, just to LOOK. With a 4 chick minimum each trip it doesn't take long to have a pretty pot of posies, er, chicks. I'm not planning on selling my eggs but rather donating them each week to a local food pantry. There is always a need for donations and fresh eggs are always a treat. Contact your local United Way to find your local food pantries. Sometimes there are small pantries in very rural areas that are overlooked and need donations of all kinds.

Don’t forget about soup kitchens. They need some too.

 

[Melky]

Welcome to BYC!​

 

[MrPaw]

Don’t forget about soup kitchens. They need some too.

Thank you for opening up another option.

 

[couponsaver47]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC! Wow, chicken math hit you where you live! Good luck with your ever expanding flock!

Thanks for joining our community!

Hey Sean. I'm curious. What is that bird in your avatar? I've seen it b4 but I don't remember what it is. A partridge?

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

OK, I don't normally say much here. I just like reading the articles.
First off, this is not my first time raising chickens. As a matter of fact, my first time was in 2007. I bought 5 4Y.O. Red Sex Links. Had no clue exactly what I was doing, as I was 6y.o. the last time I had played with my friends chickens, at his farm. I'm 56 now lol.

Since then, I have bought 25 at a time, EACH YEAR, of Buff Orpingtons, Americanas, Cukoo Marans,(I loved those eggs. So chocolately colored, they looked like chocolate eggs.), & my wife calls them Franken chickens,(Rock x cornish game hens.) Those were monsters!!

The reason I bought 25 per yr, was I let my ladies free range on my 1 1/2acres. Every year in winter time, some idiots let their dogs out or just drop them off.. GRRRR! Hence, I run out of chickens. GRRR!! I absolutely hate people that get animals & then can't take care of them, then drop them off at somebody elses home. I'd much rather take these ppl & hang by their toes or whatever part of their anatomy U choose.. I know what I would choose.. Just trying to keep this PG rated folks. Let's just say some Roos would be culled!! Not the poor animals fault.

I went the last 2yrs without getting anymore. I had a 12 bird flock, counting the 3 babies hatched naturally, by a Maran momma that was also hatched naturally, this last winter. I kept out the dogs, or killed them. I'm still down to 2 Cukoos & 1 Buff Orp. & 1 Cukoo Roo. Damn hawk got momma & babies b4 I could do anything.

This year I decided to take up my chicken addiction AGAIN!!
I decided on 10, only 10, Sapphire Gems from TSC online. B4 they even got here through USPS, wife & I go to TSC for chick feed. (BIG MISTAKE!!)

Of course TSC had tubs full of babies. Wife is looking at them, say oh how cute. UHG!! so I already decided on 10 more babies. About then the manager comes by & hears my wife. He says half price on all chicks. Any chicks!! The guy won't even look at me..Only looks at the gleam in wife's eyes. He tells wife ( NOT ME), "take the whole tub & they are $1 a piece." Wife yells at me, " Get the whole tub"!! You all help me here when I say UHG!!! Thank GOD for TSC credit cards, ( I guess??).
So I tell the guy, "go for it, only 30 or so in there". Somebody please shoot me, PLEASE!!
Half an hour later, I am the proud pappa of 71 White Leghorn pullets & 1 Wyndotte of some sort. This & I'm still waiting on my 10 Sapphire Gem pullets from USPS!!

Now I have all 82 very healthy chicks in a 7ft x 5ft something. not sure it was here when I bought the place. Plastic or something. Heavy, I know that!!
It's amazing how fast they grow!! Had enough room a week ago.. Now getting crowded. These are in my back bedroom!! UGH!! Still getting into 40s at night here. I still have to build a pen for all these birds!! With 82 birds, I figure my whole acre & half!! That's counting my 1/3acre garden.

I'm sorry for the long rant ppl!! I will give more update soon & as soon as I figure out what the wife did to her tablet, I will post picks.

meanwhile, please continue with your post & pics.. much insperation & ideas coming from all of you. I love reading the ppls stories of when they first start. I still feel like a beginner myself & always enjoy reading all experiences.

Godd luck to all who enjoy this addiction as much as I do & keep CROWING!!

it's called chick fever. My daughter works for TSC!!!!

 

[couponsaver47]

I am looking forward to going to Bomgaars Saturday during one of the big everything's-on-sale day. However, their poultry person, Jody, told me she will have 600 chicks, ducklings and goslings in the store by then.

Clearly, there are stores out there that prey on our well-known addictions. I really want to stock up and buy feed on sale, but I JUST figured out yesterday how to house all the new chicks before I get another coop built.

I don't even know what to say about your influx of chicks. Except that, I think you'll love your Sapphire Gems; I love mine.

And, good luck with housing, feeding and selling eggs. In Iowa, it's pretty easy to sell them. I have a "route" of people in town who will buy eggs weekly, so I don't have to set up at the flea market/farmers market. I'm still not making money on my poultry -- which was never the goal, I just wanted to offset some of the costs of my hobby.