Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[wingstone]

When I talk about free range, I mean it's in the 0.25 acre with electric fence. The fox that got all my neighbors' chickens was never able to get in there. I didn't think that bantam ducks can fly that high though! My chickens never tried to get over a 2ft fence to eat their favorite strawberries. I guess I should get some heavy ducks or clip their wings regularly.

Mine cleared 7ft deer fencing and now live at a campground a mile away

 

[fangedknight]

People free range ducks, but they are less able to escape predators than chickens. But these bantam ducks can fly like a mallard if spooked. I've seen mine fly over a 2 story building like they were heading south for the winter - then they circled around and landed close to where they took off. I can't guarantee yours won't fly off and get tempted by some other place to live.
You could clip their wings, but then they are just "sitting ducks" (sorry!) for predators.
I prefer to keep them in raised hutches, like you use for rabbits. I sink a mortar tub into their wire floor and put a drain in the tub so I can easily clean and refill the pool. On super cold days, I remove the pool and put a piece of wire over the hole, but most of the time they get fresh water in their pools once a day. Very entertaining to watch them jump in the cold water in January like kids on an August afternoon. Their little down coats are amazing insulation.

We had (Keword Had...) 6 Rouen youngsters and they literally flew the coop. They cleared the 6 ft. fences that we have up with no issue and they were constantly flying around like nut jobs. Then one day we went out and they and all of our other ducks just disappeared! It was ridiculous.

Welcome back! I remember seeing you around though my name may have been different back then (Auroradream26). That's crazy that everywhere is sold out. I will be pairing a RSL x polish roo with my leghorn to hatch out some chicks that I think will be great layers. I already have turkey poults and Ameraucana chicks hatching weekly.

Aurora!!! Omg yes I was hoping you'd still be here! And yeah anything that's remotely a good egg layer is sold out. I managed to order my barred rock chicks for the sex link project, but RIRs, Leghorns, Sex Links of any kind, Wyandottes, everything's just sold out. Even the Easter Eggers!

My mom called up Moyer's Hatchery because they also sell Sex Link pullets and they said they were sold out for the entire year!

I got a pair of Pilgrim geese in the Fall of '21 and hatched 36 goslings last spring! I like to hatch eggs and goose eggs are a real challenge (as are Muscovies and Peafowl). I have 3 Sebastopol eggs incubating now, and should be putting more of them and some Embden eggs in next Saturday. Still waiting for the Pilgrims to start laying, but I put in nest boxes yesterday and one of the yearling females was trying one out for size.
I will be hatching ducks this year also, if you want to add some comic relief to your goose pen.
I would not recommend red sexlinks, even if you can find them. I can get you Welbars, Legbars and Olive Eggers, and if you want to sell eggs or chicks, all those are gonna get you more money.
Or Copper Marans if you want to grow some out and sell the pullets. I have so many people that want Copper Marans pullets. I just tell people no, I don't do that, but maybe I should offer them at a very high price to make the chicks seem like a better deal.
Anyway, I expect to have plenty of chicks in a few weeks. I just set 544 chicken eggs last night!

Dennis

I'm hoping we get some more goslings this year, it would be nice to have some variety, though I know I'm going to have to start selling geese. I have no idea what the market looks like for them even though I have a rare coloration of a rare breed.

Honestly Dennis I would give the people what they want and sell the started Copper Marans at a high price, then maybe they'll quit bugging you about it. Or they'll actually pay the premium. Also... 544 eggs?!?!?! GOOD GRIEF! @feliciadawn is right, you probably should quit your day job at this rate!

 

[dheltzel]

Aurora!!! Omg yes I was hoping you'd still be here! And yeah anything that's remotely a good egg layer is sold out. I managed to order my barred rock chicks for the sex link project, but RIRs, Leghorns, Sex Links of any kind, Wyandottes, everything's just sold out. Even the Easter Eggers!

My mom called up Moyer's Hatchery because they also sell Sex Link pullets and they said they were sold out for the entire year!

I'm hoping we get some more goslings this year, it would be nice to have some variety, though I know I'm going to have to start selling geese. I have no idea what the market looks like for them even though I have a rare coloration of a rare breed.

Honestly Dennis I would give the people what they want and sell the started Copper Marans at a high price, then maybe they'll quit bugging you about it. Or they'll actually pay the premium. Also... 544 eggs?!?!?! GOOD GRIEF! @feliciadawn is right, you probably should quit your day job at this rate!

Every other year I have had lots, as in hundreds, of extra pullet chicks that I usually gave away. I will try to overrun the demand again this year, but maybe not. This could be the year that chick sales pays the feed bill for the whole year! Probably not, feed went up in price also.

I've been trying to find some homesteading family with an entrepreneurial kid to buy up all my extra Marans chicks for cheap, raise them up, sell of the pullets for high prices, then finish the cockerels for meat. Marans meat is very highly prized in France, second only to Breese that are finished in a particular way. For a homestead looking for dual purpose chickens, Copper Marans are about the ultimate, because they are really triple purpose - eggs, meat and chicks to sell. Welbars or Bielefelders would be close and you could sell more chicks as pullet chicks.

I am always scrambling for room and time to grow out my own replacement breeders. I tend to keep those chicks I know will make good breeders, so if I do get someone insistent that they want pullets, I will set the price high enough that if they say yes, I won't regret it.

 

[dheltzel]

Moved 192 chicken eggs and 169 quail eggs into the hatchers tonight!
And set 290 quail eggs.

 

[fangedknight]

Every other year I have had lots, as in hundreds, of extra pullet chicks that I usually gave away. I will try to overrun the demand again this year, but maybe not. This could be the year that chick sales pays the feed bill for the whole year! Probably not, feed went up in price also.

I've been trying to find some homesteading family with an entrepreneurial kid to buy up all my extra Marans chicks for cheap, raise them up, sell of the pullets for high prices, then finish the cockerels for meat. Marans meat is very highly prized in France, second only to Breese that are finished in a particular way. For a homestead looking for dual purpose chickens, Copper Marans are about the ultimate, because they are really triple purpose - eggs, meat and chicks to sell. Welbars or Bielefelders would be close and you could sell more chicks as pullet chicks.

I am always scrambling for room and time to grow out my own replacement breeders. I tend to keep those chicks I know will make good breeders, so if I do get someone insistent that they want pullets, I will set the price high enough that if they say yes, I won't regret it.

I hope they cover the feed bill and then some! Though I did mention to my mom what you were saying about the Copper Marans and apparently she wouldn't mind having some so I'll see what she wants to do. (It's kind of come to be that mom is now the one who's dealing with most of the chicken shenanigans and I manage the geese).

Oh yes, let me go dig up those gosling pictures... where are they -digs around a bit-

 

[KRack]

Update - I've heard small amounts of the chemicals were identified already in the Ohio River which spans several states and there was a rather large fish and other wildlife die off around the area where the wreck occurred. That's not good if you live near the Ohio or any of it's tributaries.

I’m wondering how long I should wait before getting my own water tested. Hopefully we start hearing some more reliable information about how much these chemicals have already spread, and their best guess on the distance of impact.

There’s a post I’ve been following on this subject, in case you haven’t seen it and are interested.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ohio-train-wreck.1564532/

 

[TillyPeeps]

You probably want Buff ducks, I've heard they are the friendliest and still good layers. Most geese won't try to fly over a fence, but many probably could. I don't think that Sebastopols can fly, and they would be fun.

I don't need good layers. I have no use for duck eggs other than giving them away. But a heavy friendly duck breed are ideal. I like goose, but I'm seriously allergic to them.

 

[TillyPeeps]

Every other year I have had lots, as in hundreds, of extra pullet chicks that I usually gave away. I will try to overrun the demand again this year, but maybe not. This could be the year that chick sales pays the feed bill for the whole year! Probably not, feed went up in price also.

I've been trying to find some homesteading family with an entrepreneurial kid to buy up all my extra Marans chicks for cheap, raise them up, sell of the pullets for high prices, then finish the cockerels for meat. Marans meat is very highly prized in France, second only to Breese that are finished in a particular way. For a homestead looking for dual purpose chickens, Copper Marans are about the ultimate, because they are really triple purpose - eggs, meat and chicks to sell. Welbars or Bielefelders would be close and you could sell more chicks as pullet chicks.

I am always scrambling for room and time to grow out my own replacement breeders. I tend to keep those chicks I know will make good breeders, so if I do get someone insistent that they want pullets, I will set the price high enough that if they say yes, I won't regret it.

With the high price of eggs, I do think this will be a year that people wants more chicks. My MIL has been asked for eggs every week, but I only have two chickens laying now.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Aurora!!! Omg yes I was hoping you'd still be here! And yeah anything that's remotely a good egg layer is sold out. I managed to order my barred rock chicks for the sex link project, but RIRs, Leghorns, Sex Links of any kind, Wyandottes, everything's just sold out. Even the Easter Eggers!

My mom called up Moyer's Hatchery because they also sell Sex Link pullets and they said they were sold out for the entire year!

Yep, I'm still here lol. I'm just not as active as I used to be. Making hen saddles for my Etsy shop keeps me rather busy lol. I can't believe so many chicks are sold out! That's crazy! I did try to cross that one rooster (RSL x Polish) with the leghorn but he's a wimp and is hiding from her so I guess that's not going to happen lol. I have my legbar roo covering the majority of the flock now (legbars, barred rocks, leghorn and a couple other random hens) so I'll have plenty of easter egger chicks in a couple weeks. By the sounds of it, I'm assuming they'll sell well.

I'm having trouble finding people that want turkey poults right now...I think it's because they're not traditional breeds like royal palm, blue slate and Bourbon red. I have like rusty blacks, Rusty slates and penciled fall fire lol.

 

[fangedknight]

Yep, I'm still here lol. I'm just not as active as I used to be. Making hen saddles for my Etsy shop keeps me rather busy lol. I can't believe so many chicks are sold out! That's crazy! I did try to cross that one rooster (RSL x Polish) with the leghorn but he's a wimp and is hiding from her so I guess that's not going to happen lol. I have my legbar roo covering the majority of the flock now (legbars, barred rocks, leghorn and a couple other random hens) so I'll have plenty of easter egger chicks in a couple weeks. By the sounds of it, I'm assuming they'll sell well.

I'm having trouble finding people that want turkey poults right now...I think it's because they're not traditional breeds like royal palm, blue slate and Bourbon red. I have like rusty blacks, Rusty slates and penciled fall fire lol.

Well, I'm glad you're still here! Yeah, I'm kinda not surprised with the way the egg prices in the grocery stores have been. Also, I've noticed a trend in more and more people getting into chickens over the years. I think this year has just hit people more so than the others. Here's hoping they do sell well!

Do you have pictures of what they'd look like when they're grown? (Not saying I'm gonna jump into turkeys but hey it doesn't hurt to look).

I don't need good layers. I have no use for duck eggs other than giving them away. But a heavy friendly duck breed are ideal. I like goose, but I'm seriously allergic to them.

Aww that sucks that you're allergic to geese, they're awesome. Plus if everything works out this season I should have more goslings this spring. And I'm going to have to start selling them. Thankfully I should be able to get them away from their parents at around 8-10 weeks old, so they'd be started birds at that rate. I'm just not sure what to charge for them since they'd be straight run.

I lucked out last spring, out of the 8 that hatched, 1 died, 3 vanished, and 4 survived. And those 4 were all girls Idk how I got those odds to work in my favor but I did! But I'm up to 9 geese total and I really don't have room for anymore after this unless I get some goslings that look fantastic then I might either make room or sell one of my older ones.

Speaking of, any ideas on what to charge? I know years ago when I bought Sophie she was $50 and I wanna say she was around... eh 2 years old? I honestly don't remember, she was about the same age as Klaus then. My younger geese are going on their second spring so I'm hoping that I have more babies than I did last year.

Lemme grab those gosling pictures now that I've found them! Might make a separate post for that since this one's been long enough.