She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[rossfam06]

Fell for it?
I'll never understand your mafia humor...

I'm sorry...you are not meant to. That's why its code talk.

 

[lazy gardener]

You guys seem to be taking my last statement too seriously. I say that because I would be more trusting of those that sell on BYC than on Ebay, but I do worry about both site's sellers taking advantage of people like me just getting into chickens. But I feel there are sellers here I would trust more.

You've been the subject of a ribbing! You'll see that a lot of that goes on here. As far as trusting... when it comes to buying eggs, be sure you check the feed back, especially the feed back that comes after the hatch. If buying eggs from BYC members, it would also be a good idea to even do a few PM's to prior customers. Shipped eggs are more difficult to hatch. I think we'd all recommend that you start your first hatch with local eggs, even if it's a variety you don't necessarily want in your flock. I forget if you stated that you are just now starting out with your first flock, or have you been raising chickens for a while? If this is your first flock, you might even want to start with a barnyard mix before advancing to the more expensive breeds. Good to gain experience on birds that haven't broken the bank!

 

[firedragon1982]

So. Serious question about hatching so late in the year...

Living in the NW we have either hardly any winter, or winters that start in Sept/Oct. And my husband wants to hatch some babies rather than purchasing because... "experience" or something. I guess it's kind of like having a baby, getting to see the baby grow inside or some such... Of course if we set eggs for the Halloween hatch a long or before, they won't be feathered out until around Dec, which means it sounds like they'll be living in the garage until the weather starts warming up, or would we be able to handle the temps by the time they're ready for the coop? I am guessing it will all really depend on the weather.

I am wondering if my husband has thought that through far enough ahead lol... He and I are now in the planning/purchasing phase for building the coop. But running electricity to the coop won't be done until spring probably.

 

[kwhites634]

You guys seem to be taking my last statement too seriously. I say that because I would be more trusting of those that sell on BYC than on Ebay, but I do worry about both site's sellers taking advantage of people like me just getting into chickens. But I feel there are sellers here I would trust more.

If you stick around here long enuf, I believe you'll find that these folks comprise a pretty good bunch. Sure, we joke & jab a lot, and SC's knuckles are perpetually sore from

'ing people, but when a serious topic comes along, or someone needs help or advice, we're there. And, from what I've seen, I sure wouldn't worry about getting 'taken' by ANY of us. I haven't been around here all that long myself, but I know more now than when I first stumbled in.

 

[meganhundley]

Tomorrow is lockdown for me, I'm getting nervous! Lol

 

[scflock]

If you stick around here long enuf, I believe you'll find that these folks comprise a pretty good bunch. Sure, we joke & jab a lot, and SC's knuckles are perpetually sore from

'ing people, but when a serious topic comes along, or someone needs help or advice, we're there

Yes, even I will be serious when there's a question I can answer

So. Serious question about hatching so late in the year...

Living in the NW we have either hardly any winter, or winters that start in Sept/Oct. And my husband wants to hatch some babies rather than purchasing because... "experience" or something. I guess it's kind of like having a baby, getting to see the baby grow inside or some such... Of course if we set eggs for the Halloween hatch a long or before, they won't be feathered out until around Dec, which means it sounds like they'll be living in the garage until the weather starts warming up, or would we be able to handle the temps by the time they're ready for the coop? I am guessing it will all really depend on the weather.

I am wondering if my husband has thought that through far enough ahead lol... He and I are now in the planning/purchasing phase for building the coop. But running electricity to the coop won't be done until spring probably.

Like now. My busiest hatching time of the year is the dead of winter. 75% of my sales this year were from March-May. The heat of summer kills sales, so I need a lot of chicks, started chicks, and pullets ready to go by the spring. Last winter, I set up 3 brooders. I built removeable panels that I could hang on them when it was really cold to hold the heat and block the drafts. It doesn't get terribly cold for long snaps here, but I have reared chicks in the outside brooders during sub freezing temps. If you have the space, and an uninterrupted power supply, as long as you can keep them warm you can raise them in the winter. They also seem to feather faster in the winter.
By 8 weeks old, my chicks will handle the temps here just fine. I'm sure it gets colder where you are, but in my experience feathered chicks can handle the cold better than the heat

 

[scflock]

Tomorrow is lockdown for me, I'm getting nervous! Lol

You've been nervous since before you set them. You'll be fine

 

[OldMissionChick]

Like this?

SC is all about tough love. It's a cover to hide his softer side. Kind of like trying to cuddle a porcupine. 

 

[scflock]

 

[lazy gardener]

If you stick around here long enuf, I believe you'll find that these folks comprise a pretty good bunch. Sure, we joke & jab a lot, and SC's knuckles are perpetually sore from

'ing people, but when a serious topic comes along, or someone needs help or advice, we're there. And, from what I've seen, I sure wouldn't worry about getting 'taken' by ANY of us. I haven't been around here all that long myself, but I know more now than when I first stumbled in.

I'm not saying that FireDragon would get "taken" by any of us on this thread. I am saying that BYC is a huge forum, with LOTS of people on it, and there are those who have less than stellar standards or track records. In all cases, buyer beware. I've seen pics in the past, posted by BYC members that have made me cringe at the filth their birds were living in, and covered with.