Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[LittleMissPurdy]

We have over 100 hens, maybe closer to 120 with the young ones that will get to POL in the spring, so hopefully we will be getting a lot more eggs per day when spring comes around.

My niece is in charge of prepping and selling the eggs, with all the proceeds going to her college fund. I like hatching chicks and selling them, and all that money is hers also. Her dad and I pay for the feed and other costs. I'm not sure we are at a break even point yet, even will all the labor "free". but I hope the sale of chicks and started pullets will mean she is saving more for college than the money spent for food and such. If not, at least it's fun.

that is so awesome!..win-win for everyone

..anything towards the education fund is always a good thing!!

i got an ecoglow 50! It was much larger than I thought!

..sounds like your enabling intervention is going rather well!

....

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

This IS the best Christmas present ever! Congrats. And....pics or it didn't happen.

Merry Christmas my BYC peeps! Love you guys.

Right on!! I get a lot of satisfaction out of helping others learn to be self sustaining, not that I know a whole lot about it myself, but at least I had the privilege of growing up on a farm. I can teach what I know and I'm constantly learning. For example this thread has been a great blessing to me in getting other's point of view on a lot of different subjects... I want us to continue sharing what we know. Knowledge is an advantage to all of us.

Here is a 6 month old Sumatra cockerel.

Beautiful!!..

It is great to be able to teach others and also to take advantage of the personal experiences of others. Before the internet and forums like this, learning was a lot more work. Books about chickens existed (probably written at a faster pace than now), but they were limited in scope and detail. Two of my uncles were big into showing chickens and I loved to go help take care of them and listen to them talk about buying and selling their birds. They would, at times, pay enormous amounts of money for champion stock - more than I could have afforded as a kid, but I could go look at these expensive birds and even collect their eggs to be put in his incubator.

Sumatras are on my "some day" list. I love the look, even if they are not as practical for egg production as some other breeds. I would like to raise a bunch and free range them, I think a Sumatra cock guarding his harem in the sun would be awesome to see!

and I totally agree on the pass & share knowledge!! Wouldn't be were we are now without the help and mentor-ship of others!!

...glad to hear you enjoyed your Christmas turkey!

 

[LadyBehir]

today's egg in the caddy I got yesterday.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

This is the first that has hatched. I removed the divider from the nestbox area and put up some mesh so she would not be disturbed. You can see her sister in the backround upset that she can't lay an egg in there. I think we have 2 chicks successfully hatched, and one still drying and rolling around, but this is a guess. . One of the chicks didn't make it, I think it rolled away from Ma and got cold or dry.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

This is the first that has hatched. I removed the divider from the nestbox area and put up some mesh so she would not be disturbed. You can see her sister in the backround upset that she can't lay an egg in there. I think we have 2 chicks successfully hatched, and one still drying and rolling around, but this is a guess. . One of the chicks didn't make it, I think it rolled away from Ma and got cold or dry.

Awwww!.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Making some rough decisions to depopulate..
We all eventually settle into a breed that we want to work with, and I will be going with all Rocks, I figure I have a good start with the whites and the barred, will add other colors as I go that way I still have the color variety and still have the brown eggs that the customer demands..
If I have breeds that you would be interested in let me know I would prefer to part with some as a small flck instead of single birds.
Will be doing the same with the ducks, downsizing to just Muscovy breed, will be getting away from the french white and going with some color in that pen, east indie's will not be staying, if anyone wants to work with them let me know, I only have 1 little girl to offer but you could choose a boy or 2 to go with her.

Time to have direction instead of a mixed flock.

Smart thinking. Not an easy task. I always think we'd be better off concentrating on just one breed, but am never able to give up on the diversity. Hope your feeling better.

 

[chippysmom327]

 
We have over 100 hens, maybe closer to 120 with the young ones that will get to POL in the spring, so hopefully we will be getting a lot more eggs per day when spring comes around.

My niece is in charge of prepping and selling the eggs, with all the proceeds going to her college fund. I like hatching chicks and selling them, and all that money is hers also. Her dad and I pay for the feed and other costs. I'm not sure we are at a break even point yet, even will all the labor "free". but I hope the sale of chicks and started pullets will mean she is saving more for college than the money spent for food and such. If not, at least it's fun.

that is so awesome!..win-win for everyone ..anything towards the education fund is always a good thing!!

i got an ecoglow 50! It was much larger than I thought!

..sounds like your enabling intervention is going rather well! ....

I can totally enable come Spring! The parents said the guineas have to go in spring because the windows will be open and the neighbors will complain... they're all acres away but they're still loud enough for them to be mad. We'll see...

 

[stake]

Making some rough decisions to depopulate..
We all eventually settle into a breed that we want to work with, and I will be going with all Rocks, I figure I have a good start with the whites and the barred, will add other colors as I go that way I still have the color variety and still have the brown eggs that the customer demands..
If I have breeds that you would be interested in let me know I would prefer to part with some as a small flck instead of single birds.
Will be doing the same with the ducks, downsizing to just Muscovy breed, will be getting away from the french white and going with some color in that pen, east indie's will not be staying, if anyone wants to work with them let me know, I only have 1 little girl to offer but you could choose a boy or 2 to go with her.

Time to have direction instead of a mixed flock.

Wing:

I always think there is a natural attrition on a flock over the winter....in my backyard game (15 birds max) I'd like to get some dorks in the mix,,,,your white Bresse are real interesting but, my CCLs are my focus...I have a bunch of girls from Flowerfarey.....hanging. out.....they are really nice chooks..which way I go depends on who doesen't make it through the cold....

 

[wingstone]

Need some help from the plant people on here
I attempted to move a pile of leaves that have accumulated on a flower bed and found a bunch of the normally spring flowers poking up, do I cover them back upor not... wonder if this weather is messing with the tree's also, this seems to be perfect weather for sap flow.

I covered eeverything back up since they are calling for snow next week

 

[chiques chicks]

Need some help from the plant people on here
I attempted to move a pile of leaves that have accumulated on a flower bed and found a bunch of the normally spring flowers poking up, do I cover them back upor not... wonder if this weather is messing with the tree's also, this seems to be perfect weather for sap flow.

I covered eeverything back up since they are calling for snow next week

Read an article about this last week. It said they leaves may die, but it should still flower in spring, just may not look as per without leaves. Or leave them covered. Either should work.