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

[scflock]

I know, I deserve it!

That was the most deserved

I have ever seen from you

 

[WalnutHill]

At year 7, I am finally breaking even. I'm still thousands of dollars in the hole if you add years 1-6

I lost money when I had 5. 25 was break even with the equipment bought for 5. 100 meant all new equipment, 400 meant all new coops and much more equipment. But the birds paid of a $28,000 legal bill incurred to fight to keep them, and are profitable. Plus it's been about 17 years since I bought a grocery store egg.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

Well maybe if he was really little, like 3 or 4.....


I totally understand where you are coming from and I hope you do get a nice profit from your operation. Sounds like you have a good plan to scale back if things don't work out.

Would totally like to see you sitting on a nest!

When my husband asked how much all this chicken stuff was going to cost, I told him the first dozen eggs would be about $3,000 - but after that they are all free! He doesn't ask anymore.....

He was little like 2 or 3 if that. The only reason he knows is because he saw the pics when he got older...lol

This makes me so excited for when I get broodies. To see who can be a good mom and find surprise chicks!
So adorable!!
I think we've all dressed up a cousin or brother. I got in big trouble with my step dad for putting pink nail polish on my brother when he was little! I think you should post the pic on his FB!
In all seriousness, I would buy one if we lived closer. No doubt about it!

LOL

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.

If I take care of an animal I'm attached. Generally. Unless the animal is my nn roo, then not so much. Of course when they start attacking it's harder to like them....lol

At year 7, I am finally breaking even. I'm still thousands of dollars in the hole if you add years 1-6

 

[WVduckchick]

that falls under pets that's one thing that I understand people pay a lot for pets. the dozen I paid fifty for I drove a 160 miles round trip to get I would not trust shipping something so expensive . from a business point its hard to recover your investment you could end up with one or none. best case your marketing egg at $3.50 per dozen or organic at $7.50 which is hard to get. SC will back me up here I read his post. the money pit gets deeper and deeper .Walnuthill might be making a profit hope so I see a major investment there. Few people really make a profit on chickens. I must or they are gone . I will keep enough for eggs for the family .the chicken coops will be refitted for bottle calves . Btw no one on this thread is dumb except maybe me I thought how hard could it be if a chicken can hatch an egg so can I the hard part was getting my butt in the nest and it only got worse from there. I'm hoping for a three year turn around. this thread has helped me a lot I now use a incubator sorry didn't think once again how much people love their pets

I was thinking last night, since I got my first egg... $5000.00 - $0.10 .... $4999.90! Woohoo, climbing out of that hole at record pace!!

And btw, you like to pretend to be dumb, but I know better...

 

[WalnutHill]

If I take care of an animal I'm attached. Generally. Unless the animal is my nn roo, then not so much. Of course when they start attacking it's harder to like them....lol

I'm attached in one sense...I am responsible for their health, their well-being, their comfort, their very existence...but I can sell even my favorites if it makes sense. Today I sell my Narragansett tom and hen, both 3rd generation descendants of my original Narragansetts, they are the best of the best of the best. They are also only a year and a half old, so it's not like they are too old to be useful. I sold their parents last year while breeding season was winding down. I am VERY fond of them, the tom is a real sweetheart and loves to be petted and have his head rubbed. But he will be a breeder for someone else.

Not tying myself to a particular bird or two allows me to focus on the best characteristics rather than my personal favorites. And that same objectiveness allows me to keep birds that I personally find non-aesthetic if they can contribute needed traits to the gene pool. For instance, last year I had hatched some short-shanked Golden Narragansetts from a backyard flock's eggs. They grew to be big, beautiful birds, and were exactly what I wanted for color and conformation and temperament...but the short shanks meant that the toms wouldn't be able to breed. So they went to the processor, where short shanks were not an issue. I obtained new stock last winter and saved years in trying to breed out those short shanks.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

And btw, you like to pretend to be dumb, but I know better...

Me too! lol

 

[AmyLynn2374]

I'm attached in one sense...I am responsible for their health, their well-being, their comfort, their very existence...but I can sell even my favorites if it makes sense. Today I sell my Narragansett tom and hen, both 3rd generation descendants of my original Narragansetts, they are the best of the best of the best. They are also only a year and a half old, so it's not like they are too old to be useful. I sold their parents last year while breeding season was winding down. I am VERY fond of them, the tom is a real sweetheart and loves to be petted and have his head rubbed. But he will be a breeder for someone else.

Not tying myself to a particular bird or two allows me to focus on the best characteristics rather than my personal favorites. And that same objectiveness allows me to keep birds that I personally find non-aesthetic if they can contribute needed traits to the gene pool. For instance, last year I had hatched some short-shanked Golden Narragansetts from a backyard flock's eggs. They grew to be big, beautiful birds, and were exactly what I wanted for color and conformation and temperament...but the short shanks meant that the toms wouldn't be able to breed. So they went to the processor, where short shanks were not an issue. I obtained new stock last winter and saved years in trying to breed out those short shanks.

I'll be the first to admit I could never be successful in making money off raising animals. I'm not "tough enough" to look at things and act upon them from a business standpoint and not from the heart. I have grown to be able to come to terms with certain aspects such as selling the roos and knowing that most will be dinner. And I guess I don't get attached to every bird. If I sell them at a fairly young age it's not as hard, but I still get a "I feel bad" feeling when someone drives off with them. I'm a big anthropormorphic subscriber which opens a big can of worms...lol

 

[scflock]

I'll be the first to admit I could never be successful in making money off raising animals. I'm not "tough enough" to look at things and act upon them from a business standpoint and not from the heart. I have grown to be able to come to terms with certain aspects such as selling the roos and knowing that most will be dinner. And I guess I don't get attached to every bird. If I sell them at a fairly young age it's not as hard, but I still get a "I feel bad" feeling when someone drives off with them.  I'm a big anthropormorphic subscriber which opens a big can of worms...lol

For me, it's a hobby I would be doing anyway, so if I can supplement it with sales it's just a feather in the cap

 

[WalnutHill]

I'll be the first to admit I could never be successful in making money off raising animals. I'm not "tough enough" to look at things and act upon them from a business standpoint and not from the heart. I have grown to be able to come to terms with certain aspects such as selling the roos and knowing that most will be dinner. And I guess I don't get attached to every bird. If I sell them at a fairly young age it's not as hard, but I still get a "I feel bad" feeling when someone drives off with them. I'm a big anthropormorphic subscriber which opens a big can of worms...lol

When I sell babies I want to drive home with the buyers to be sure that they have a proper environment for them! I wish I could raise them all to adulthood, but I can't. I can sell juvenile chicks and poults, big enough to have been in the coop for a while yet young enough not to have become a real personality, with no issues. And at turkey processing time, if I did not personally participate in the processing, I'd have a hard time because I care if they are killed humanely. Vicious birds, though...no regrets.

 

[sjturner79]

Wow - I'm less than 1000 in for my chooks.
Free coop, 15$/25 kg (55 lbs) food, 45$ for silkie trio, $250 in fertile eggs. Currently approx 40 eggs a month, with 2 pullets due to start laying whenever the feel like it. (23 weeks old)