Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

Pics
Date sort Score sort
dheltzel said:
Unfortunately, places selling female chicks have no way to verify the sexes and that hatcheries only "guarantee" 90% accuracy, some some of the alleged females will turn out to be males. The hatchery's guarantee is usually that they will refund the difference in price between the males and the females, not much money and not usually worth the hassle, which is what they are counting on. The whole system is designed to ensure profits for the hatcheries and they really don't care that some people can't deal with even 1 rooster. I make it clear about which chick and ducklings I can sex.
The only way to be sure (well, 99.99% sure) is to get breeds or hybrids that are sexable by color. Sexlink hybrids are perfect, as are any of the autosexing breeds, like Legbars, Welbars, Rhodebars, etc.
Click to expand...

Hi Dennis, what kind of autosex/sexlink chickens will you have next spring? I definitely want
Cream Legbar, Welbar, Olive Egger, Blue Egg Black Sexlink/Pennsylvinia Black (most important one). Do you still have the Barred sexlink?
 
TillyPeeps said:
Hi Dennis, what kind of autosex/sexlink chickens will you have next spring? I definitely want
Cream Legbar, Welbar, Olive Egger, Blue Egg Black Sexlink/Pennsylvinia Black (most important one). Do you still have the Barred sexlink?
Click to expand...
I will have Cream Legbars, Welbars and autosexing Olive Eggers (hybrid of those 2). Also black and lavender Ameraucanas. Black Copper Marans and Mille Fleur Leghorns. In bantams, Ameraucanas and Cochins, black and lavender in both. Working on Lavender Frizzle cochin bantams.
New breeds I hope to have next year:
Lavender Marans
Opals (isabel cream legbars)
Mottled Ameraucanas
Lavender Cuckoo Ameraucanas
American Dumpies (Scotts Dumpies with yellow legs)
Black Sumatras (maybe some frizzle)

I also have several new kinds of ducks growing out:
Golden Buff Cascades (great layers, hopefully friendlier than my Welsh Harlequins)
Dark and White Campbells (great layers like khaki'sm but hopefully friendlier)

I won't be producing any blue egg black sexlinks, you are the only person who still wants those. The rest of the breeds on your list should not be a problem. I am cutting back in general next year, hatching far fewer chicks. Every year I lose more money doing this and it is getting less fun to deal with all the cleaning and feeding. I'm tired of all the marketing and arranging appointments to meet customers, so next year it will be more word-of-mount and less ads and postings.
 
dheltzel said:
I will have Cream Legbars, Welbars and autosexing Olive Eggers (hybrid of those 2). Also black and lavender Ameraucanas. Black Copper Marans and Mille Fleur Leghorns. In bantams, Ameraucanas and Cochins, black and lavender in both. Working on Lavender Frizzle cochin bantams.
New breeds I hope to have next year:
Lavender Marans
Opals (isabel cream legbars)
Mottled Ameraucanas
Lavender Cuckoo Ameraucanas
American Dumpies (Scotts Dumpies with yellow legs)
Black Sumatras (maybe some frizzle)

I also have several new kinds of ducks growing out:
Golden Buff Cascades (great layers, hopefully friendlier than my Welsh Harlequins)
Dark and White Campbells (great layers like khaki'sm but hopefully friendlier)

I won't be producing any blue egg black sexlinks, you are the only person who still wants those. The rest of the breeds on your list should not be a problem. I am cutting back in general next year, hatching far fewer chicks. Every year I lose more money doing this and it is getting less fun to deal with all the cleaning and feeding. I'm tired of all the marketing and arranging appointments to meet customers, so next year it will be more word-of-mount and less ads and postings.
Click to expand...

Sadly, this is not a very fanacially rewarding business. I think you are right about cutting back the size of the business. I'm really suprised that blue egg black sexlink is not a big sell though. They are so beautiful, friendly, and great layers. So many breeds you have sounds fantastic! However, I cannot have unsexed chickens because I don't want to upset my neighbors. Maybe I need to consider adding ducks since they don't crow. A pond is really beyond my construction skill level though:barnie.
 
BullChick said:
I am currently at the number of hens that I want. However, the EE lays white eggs. Of course white and brown are possibilities with EE, but I miss blue/green. :lol: Though I miss white when I don’t have it too.
Click to expand...
When I have a trip to Dennis next year, do you want me to bring you some blue eggs? ;)
 
TillyPeeps said:
Sadly, this is not a very fanacially rewarding business. I think you are right about cutting back the size of the business. I'm really suprised that blue egg black sexlink is not a big sell though. They are so beautiful, friendly, and great layers. So many breeds you have sounds fantastic! However, I cannot have unsexed chickens because I don't want to upset my neighbors. Maybe I need to consider adding ducks since they don't crow. A pond is really beyond my construction skill level though:barnie.
Click to expand...
I don't have a pond. Ducks need to be able to stick their head into the water occasionally to wash out their sinuses. I use a rubber pan from TSC and put a fence of 2x4 wire around it so the ducks can stick their heads through the wire to drink and wash, but can't jump in to swim. Often they get a kiddie pool when the weather is nice and they love to swim, but it isn't really needed.
My bantam ducks lay green eggs. Some of the black breeds lay black eggs early in the season, then fade to white later.
 
TillyPeeps said:
Sadly, this is not a very fanacially rewarding business. I think you are right about cutting back the size of the business. I'm really suprised that blue egg black sexlink is not a big sell though. They are so beautiful, friendly, and great layers. So many breeds you have sounds fantastic! However, I cannot have unsexed chickens because I don't want to upset my neighbors. Maybe I need to consider adding ducks since they don't crow. A pond is really beyond my construction skill level though:barnie.
Click to expand...
My "pond" was a large stock tank with a stone and dirt ramp. Just cleaned out when it needed it and they were happy!
 
I spent the entire afternoon dipping every single one of the chickens in a permethrin dip for lice. It needed done but in the future, i don't think I'll do it again when I'm recovering from a pulled muscle. I pulled my shoulder/neck/chest out the other day (old work injury). I thought I was pretty much recovered since it wasn't really hurting anymore but I swear, I'm wearing out the heat pad this evening. At least the chickens are all dipped and lice free!
 
Got another question for you eggsperts. If I go away for 6 days and the chickens have the run of the yard with no one gathering eggs, when I return, should the eggs that get laid whilst I am gone be tossed, kept, or kept after float test only?
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom