howdyitsmia
Songster
Howdy guys! This isn’t to ask for help or anything, I just thought I’d share what I’ve been up to lately.
After two months of preparation, on October 1st, I received 400 chicks in the mail. I worked on a farm this summer and I found out that they wanted to start a chicken egg selling operation. I offered to help and ended up helping manage it. Everything came together so well I couldn’t believe my luck, we got a huge chicken trailer for free, along with feeders and brooder boxes.
Here’s a picture of the trailer and what it looks like on the inside.
My dad helped me fix up the brooders and make them no longer a fire hazard, and he wired them up as well. There are three ceramic heaters in each one, as well as a red light. Here’s what they look like on the inside.
Alright now for the cute part, the 400 chicks in the trailer! They are two weeks old at the moment. We got Barred Rocks, White Leghorns, Black Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers, and 3 Sapphire gems. (because they were at the feed store and I thought they were pretty.)
Here’s some crappy pictures from when they were a few days old :
And here’s some from today:
Now for the sad part, I’ve been looking around the coop and cleaning any poopy butts I’ve seen to try and prevent deaths, and I’ve been adding probiotics to the water, but unfortunately we’ve lost a few. Three were dead upon arrival, and so far we’ve had four that died from various causes. One we had to cull because of a leg deformity, and three others died from unknown causes. Although we’ve had deaths, I’m glad that the mortality rate is still fairly low. We started a little chick graveyard, where we bury the chicks and then place stumps over the holes so that nothing digs them up.
And now that I’ve made you sad, here’s a picture of Cookie, my light brahma, to cheer you up.
I’m so grateful for all of the people that have worked to make this happen. My dad, my boss, and my aunt especially. It’s insane that I have an opportunity to help with something like this at this age.
I’ll probably post again as the chicks get older, or edit this post to keep anybody who is interested updated.
Also, if you live in Northern Utah, I’m doing this with Better Foods Farm. You can buy fresh produce from them at the farmers markets in Ogden, Park City, and Salt Lake City, and you can preorder and pick up from the farm too! eventually we’ll be selling eggs as well in March!
After two months of preparation, on October 1st, I received 400 chicks in the mail. I worked on a farm this summer and I found out that they wanted to start a chicken egg selling operation. I offered to help and ended up helping manage it. Everything came together so well I couldn’t believe my luck, we got a huge chicken trailer for free, along with feeders and brooder boxes.
Here’s a picture of the trailer and what it looks like on the inside.
My dad helped me fix up the brooders and make them no longer a fire hazard, and he wired them up as well. There are three ceramic heaters in each one, as well as a red light. Here’s what they look like on the inside.
Alright now for the cute part, the 400 chicks in the trailer! They are two weeks old at the moment. We got Barred Rocks, White Leghorns, Black Australorps, Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers, and 3 Sapphire gems. (because they were at the feed store and I thought they were pretty.)
Here’s some crappy pictures from when they were a few days old :
And here’s some from today:
Now for the sad part, I’ve been looking around the coop and cleaning any poopy butts I’ve seen to try and prevent deaths, and I’ve been adding probiotics to the water, but unfortunately we’ve lost a few. Three were dead upon arrival, and so far we’ve had four that died from various causes. One we had to cull because of a leg deformity, and three others died from unknown causes. Although we’ve had deaths, I’m glad that the mortality rate is still fairly low. We started a little chick graveyard, where we bury the chicks and then place stumps over the holes so that nothing digs them up.
And now that I’ve made you sad, here’s a picture of Cookie, my light brahma, to cheer you up.
I’m so grateful for all of the people that have worked to make this happen. My dad, my boss, and my aunt especially. It’s insane that I have an opportunity to help with something like this at this age.
I’ll probably post again as the chicks get older, or edit this post to keep anybody who is interested updated.
Also, if you live in Northern Utah, I’m doing this with Better Foods Farm. You can buy fresh produce from them at the farmers markets in Ogden, Park City, and Salt Lake City, and you can preorder and pick up from the farm too! eventually we’ll be selling eggs as well in March!
