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

[scflock]

You didn't have to out yourself...I was just applauding your correctedness (it's a word, because I made it so.)  Not my fault you can't just accept a thumbs up and bow. I would have. 

Correctedness? Now you're just daring me to pull your tail

 

[dan26552]

Correctedness? Now you're just daring me to pull your tail

Do it!

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Do it!

 

[sideWing]

I personally debated between getting BCMs or silkies. But I'm out numbered by kids so they won the vote. There's someone by me with Wade Jean bird lines. As a customer I would want the egg color over standards or SQ. The birds are beautiful, to me, even if not SQ. But those dark eggs are amazing. They sell for $5 a chick by me.

There are not a whole lot of them in Utah either. I have seen them for $6 to $8 a chick and they seem to be moving.

Nice to know! Thanks!

Wow, alot of posting since I left work lol. We might be back to #2 today! Haha

Ameraucana or whichever spelling you prefer.. I heard they were mean. Maybe it was just the couple of people that had them. I dont know.

I have my birds for the pleasure of watching them and having something else to occupy my time. Ok so it has turned out to occupy alot more of my time now! And money!
The other benefit for me is land tax. We will be able to file our property tax as farm land this year and pay alot less. Like half I think. So I call that my feed money

Now if they will ever lay me some eggs!!!

I have had chickens before but we moved a few times and started over this time. We are still waiting for our first eggs from this batch too. Scheduled for July 20th. I hope the pullets can read the schedule!

birds
i have Wade Jeanne birds. They are a little taller than David birds, and have pretty eggs, but Davis eggs are generally darker. Some Jeanne lines have been mixed, too, depending on where you get them from. If you are after egg color, I would buy based on the breeders eggs. As far as keeping them, both of my breeds of marans are the best birds I have. Great dispositions, even the roosters, and they will go broody

I have one Davis BCM. I have a blue roo that does not fit my breeding program that someone threw in for free. The problem is he is beautiful and the longer I keep him the more likely he is to stay. He has cream in his hackles though and I have heard that is a bad sign in a blue cockerel Marans. He also has heavy feathering on his shanks and some on the feet. That will help me let him go. Maybe.

 

[scflock]

Do it!

Don't you have some emojis you should be posting somewhere?

 

[FridayYet]

I have had a lot of good luck selling roosters and I have noticed the same pattern except mine have all been under 2lbs. Maybe because I'm in a city more folks are willing to get a juvy? My daughter often makes the exchange for me if I'm gone and she has noticed the same pattern of customers. I don't care what they do with them, but many of them have wanted them for breeding. Well I mostly don't care. I would not sell a cockerel to someone if I knew they were using it for dog training. That's too much for this kid.

There is a poultry swap about 45 minutes away where I could get rid of roosters. My juvies will be my first ones so we'll see how long they stick around.

My problem is I don't raise crosses. I'm raising hybrids and heritage breeds, so butcher weight for me is 17-22 weeks. 10 ten week old cuckoo marans roosters will eat a 50lb bag of food/week. I sold them for $2 each just to keep from feeding them

That's also the problem with Russian Orloff. They get a nice size, but it takes forever.

I buy bulk feed at half the feed store cost and we can get a non-cornish bird to butcher weight for less than $5. They are small, but inexpensive. If they are a bi-product of breeding then they are free to me. We also want to develop a good cadence of non-hormone, non-antibiotic, free range chicken.

Another "when I get more land" plan. I want to get a nice Delaware roo or 2 over a group of 8-12 New Hampshire girls. We could sell eggs and extra pullets and keep the boys for healthy meat. I'm trying to devise a steady chicken meat plan that will pay for itself.

I have no problem processing a chicken so that makes it easy and keeps the price down.

What part of the state are you in? Utah has some absolutely stunning country, my parents used to live in Ogden.

I'm hoping I can learn to process my own chickens. No, I could definitely learn to clean and prepare them, I need to learn to kill them. I've never been good at killing things, my dad even had to twist apart my lobster for me when I'd bring them home. Fish can't be flopping when I clean them. I have two 9 week olds that I need to cull for crossbeak. One soon. Will probably steel myself up for it this weekend. I'll be a mess.

 

[FridayYet]

Don't you have some emojis you should be posting somewhere?

 

[scflock]

There is a poultry swap about 45 minutes away where I could get rid of roosters.  My juvies will be my first ones so we'll see how long they stick around.  


That's also the problem with Russian Orloff.  They get a nice size, but it takes forever.


What part of the state are you in?  Utah has some absolutely stunning country, my parents used to live in Ogden.

 I'm hoping I can learn to process my own chickens.  No, I could definitely learn to clean and prepare them, I need to learn to kill them.  I've never been good at killing things, my dad even had to twist apart my lobster for me when I'd bring them home.  Fish can't be flopping when I clean them.  I have two 9 week olds that I need to cull for crossbeak.  One soon.  Will probably steel myself up for it this weekend.  I'll be a mess.

pellet gun. Quick and painless, and the shot to the brain actually helps relax the muscles, making plucking easier. I read it, tried it, it works

 

[WVduckchick]

Pellet gun reminds me... I have 2 squirrels that have decided that my ducks' feeder belongs to them too. These squirrels are getting very brave and are starting to not even run when I get close. I sprayed one with a water hose one day! I'm tempted to take the pellet gun out there! The ducks don't seem to mind though.

 

[RubyNala97]

How are those babies coming?? Are they all out yet??? 

Thanks for asking, Amy! These babies are so beautiful! They are all passed out from their debut! Here's some questions that are killing me. 12 shipped eggs made it to lockdown, 7 have hatched. The other 5 have no pips, internal or external. Why??? They were all moving at lockdown. 9pm tonight will be the end of day 21. I think the hatch is over. I'll keep the incubator on for a couple more days. But I just have a feeling they are not going to pip. My see through egg is one of those 5. It was just alive a couple days ago! Ugh! Also one of the babies, the first to hatch actually, has a slight deformity on her foot. One foot has five toes and the other foot as 4 toes, 2 toes started to seperate and then came back together into one. Is that a genetic defect? Incubation related? I'm thinking its genetic because the skin color on the feet is pink and not black (they are silkies). Basically if you are trying to breed that would be a bird you would cull from breeding, right? It's doesnt seem to be affecting her in any kind of negative way. She's actually the leader of the pack. The kids are picking out all the names...Chewbaca is on the list...gotta love boys.