Yet another reason I need some BCMs in my life.All of my breeds are separated all the time. I have too many breeds and predators to free range, but I have very large pens. One of my cuckoo marans is an excellent broody, she has raised 3 clutches. I have 2 others that have attempted, but one jumped off the nest as soon as the eggs started pipping. That drove me nuts, she put in 3 weeks of hard work, then the chicks scared her away. The broody that started hatching yesterday is on her first clutch, and there were 4 more eggs under her, so hopefully there will be a few more today.
I bought 4 older BCM to put with Tate and his girls, and I can't keep them off the nests. I have been having to remove eggs, because Tate was so young that they weren't hatching, but I had been leaving some to see if they ever started developing. One crushed a couple of eggs a few weeks ago that had chicks in them, so that's when I decided to set a batch. From what I have seen so far, these BCM have a strong broody instinct, so much so that I will have to break them when I start serious incubation next year
Awww. . . ain't you just a bundle of softness? Bird's sweet too.
Here she is! Fairly certain she's a she, too. Cuckoos are pretty easy to guess at a day old
You really should! That would be soooo funnyI dressed one of my nephews up in a dress when he was little and took pics. I think I still have them somewhere. Hey I think he turns 30 this year. I should find them and post them on his fb for his bday....lol
THANK YOU for that mental image!
I think keeping animals as pets is harder than keeping them for commercial production. It's not just the tendency to buy better feed, better treats, better bedding, better shelter than is done for commercial birds, but also the intimate connection with life, death, and personalities.
That's not to say that my birds are just little change machines out in the coop that cumulatively spit out dollars. But it does mean that hand feeding is reserved for just a couple of birds that are my special favorites, that most of the birds I hatch and raise are sold, many of them directly for the table, and it doesn't pay to get too attached. Shelter, equipment, everything is functional but minimal. If I had beautiful coops like those I see on these threads, I'd never be able to afford to house my birds.
I do make money at it...but I am one infection away from being decimated. I don't, and can't, live where I live and make a living off the birds, but they do make life easier. If I moved farther out, I could keep them much more cheaply, but I'd have no market to sell them except to virtually give them away.
No one on this thread is dumb, that's for sure. Everyone may have different reasons for doing what they do and how they do it, and like the title of the thread says, no one is wrong.
I don't even want to visualize you sitting your butt on a nest of eggs.
Apparently I did.
We just look at it as a hobby. Any money we can make will deduct from the negative balance and make our hobby less expensive.
At year 7, I am finally breaking even. I'm still thousands of dollars in the hole if you add years 1-6
rofl That first egg was expensive.
Sounds like you'd have made a very healthy profit if it weren't for chicken poop bureaucrats.
Also sounds like I need MOAR CHIKINZ!!
Same.
Also same. Eggs I can trust also plays a big part in this. We have two roos that will be dinner soon. I should just give them away, but I really want to toughen up and be sensible. Hubbs says, "It isn't the killing or the gutting that bothers me, it's just that--" Me: "I know, the feather plucking! ME too." Him, annoyed: "No. . . I just don't want to go through all that and then not be able to eat them." Me: "I won't tell you then."
I think if I can find the free time, I am just going to do it while he is at work. . . how long does it take to process two birds without a plucker? How long have I been reading this thread again(this session)?
I demand you get a bill from them.I've spent maybe $100 on my chickens, and then $20 for my pigeon pair. And then I've made $80+ dollars off selling chickens and eggs. I haven't spent a dollar on coop or feed or feeders or waters. Parents and grandparents rock.Plus, my pigeons are multiplying through breeding and I can use them to "buy" other pigeons or rabbits from my neighbor.
Somebody certainly is spoiled.Wow. $10k? Your poor wife.
I do see what you mean about labor. I have definitely toiled and labored over my chicks and chickens. Spoiled lil thangs.
We will be doing meat chickens soon for ourselves for the first time. I would like to eventually get more serious into selling chicks and eggs, and maybe meat. Of course I won't do any of the actually killing!
I caught a shot of one of my silkies this morning. It likes its spot, on the fork of the roost branch, just barely off the ground.
Somebody tell me it is either going to lay and egg or crow very soon??? LOL
It is somewhere between 18-22 weeks old.
Like a baws!
Pullet for sure
Thank goodness my wife is along for the ride with me. She enjoys it as much as I do, and I had a serious chicken math malfunction. I said no more breeds this year. That was before the BCM and Ameraucana. Now I'm trying to figure out where I will build the olive egger coop. And the coop for the second line of BCM. And the coop for the second line of Ameraucanas...
Someone help me, please
Well, it could be worse... At least my addiction is chickens. The rest of the men in my family like meth
I hope they are laying by November, so I will probably be incubating by January/February. Given that, I would say I will be ready to start selling fertile eggs by March. You and sideWing will probably get yours a little earlier for the experiment
I'm curious to see how they respond to a shorter flight vs sending them to Utah
Ga is even closer. . .
Looks pullets to me!!! It would have more polish like top hat for a roo.
My 3 year old bounces lIke a flea too!!!! She is so busy. That sounds typical for a 4 year old. My 9 year is much easier to deal with until she gives me attitude.
Yep...my hubby is getting sick of all my chicken talk.. So I told him I didn't want to hear about his fishing.
Chicken addiction is better than a lot of addictions out there!!!! Lol#!!
We thought our 7 yr old son was full of energy. Then we had our little girl. . . She's one and is already giving him a run for his money! I swear, she has recently decided to pull every piece of molding from our walls. When I get the power tools out, she can't keep her hands still or get to me fast enough. She even tries fixing the vacuum after seeing me do it. She's either going to keep me young or drive me straight to the grave without passing go or collecting 200 bucks.
This is for shattering my illusions:
You're very welcome. I seem to be good at that. lol
I'll take it!! She's one of the most beautiful women ever.
This is me, though, before the beard
You wish!
Congratulations!!
I don't see how that's possible with the pic u just posted.
I realllly hope to find some of these rocks in our area when we start breeding.
So it runs in the family. . .
Quote:
I ran numbers one time and that would be a very expensive turkey dinner. Granted, I am not the best with the maths, but I definitely feel better for what I give at the grocer.
Either that, or they have a great deal of disposable income that would be a lot happier in my care!
If you ever start posting at 3am regularly, we'll know to worry.
