South Carolina

[coywade]

Quote:
coywade,

I live near Pickens. I will have hatching eggs in the spring. B/B/Splash orpingtons and hopefully silkies.

Anyway I can help, just let me know.

Mary

Mary,

I would love to connect with you anytime! I am not terribly familiar with either of those breeds. I have heard of both but thats about it. I don't know the rules on here yet...can I give you a phone number for you to call me when yours are ready?

 

[coywade]

Quote:
We are making enough profit for my four year old to understand what profit means...nothing to write home about by any means. As far as a rooster goes, I would love that. I have white leghorns, ameracaunas, RIR, and barred rocks currently. I would love to expand to other breeds but would be more than willing to start with a white leghorn rooster since that's one that I have hens for now. If I go with multiple roosters, how would I keep them for "interbreeding"? I don't know if that's a word or not but it gets my point across I think.

A white leghorn roo would be a good start for you. You could breed pure leghorns and the others (even though mixed breed) should still be good layers. If you want to keep multiple breeds and breed them pure you must keep them penned separately. I have some of my breeder flocks free ranging right now as I'm not collecting their eggs or they're molting and not laying etc. It's funny to see the roosters claim a certain part of the yard and keep their hens separated from the others. The roosters will accept any hen into their flock but they try to keep their hens away from the other roos. I do enjoy watching these birds. And in my opinion, if you're making any profit at all selling eggs then you are doing GREAT!

Some of us never get there.

I told my wife tonight about the possibility of a rooster and she is thrilled! I would love to see what you have sometime if you're nearby.

 

[coywade]

Quote:
It sounds like you have your own little piece of heaven right there! What can be better than a wonderful family and a nice piece of land? How great that you all put up some stuff out of the garden. It always tastes better and I am convinced it is much better than store bought. And fresh eggs to go with it! Yum, yum!

Sounds like you are doing everything so well. Getting 10 eggs a day from 10 hens is fabulous. So many folks are saying they aren't getting eggs right now and it is a nice change to hear someone that is. Mine have certainly picked back up and it is a good thing since sales are way up, too.
I love how well you are teaching your son by using "his" egg business. Fantastic! You really know you are raising them right when you see this type of stuff.

The R-Com 20 is a great 'bator! You are really going to enjoy it! It is an easy set and go kind of machine.

Are you planning on raising the extra roosters for table meat? I use my big Marans and extra ducks to put in my freezer. But I also put some other breeds in the freezer, too. Home raised meat is so much healthier than the processed stuff from the store. Just like the garden.

Speaking of Dacusville, I used to show horses over that way. I know it is nice country and love it when I go back over in that area.

Yes on the meat birds! That is one of the reasons I wanted the incubator. I wanted to go from start to finish with our food. We love all of our hens and could never eat one of them but I would be very open to doing that with some extra roosters. I don't know much about that either though...just what I have read on here. What breeds are both good layers and meat birds? I would love to have a rooster and several hens of one of those varieties.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:
Oh Heidi, I'm sorry. I was worried about fertility since the laying had slowed and now they've quit. No worries though, as soon as they start laying again I will get you more eggs. It was worth a shot.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:
I agree - looks like you've got a pair.

 

[Joycats]

Quote:
A white leghorn roo would be a good start for you. You could breed pure leghorns and the others (even though mixed breed) should still be good layers. If you want to keep multiple breeds and breed them pure you must keep them penned separately. I have some of my breeder flocks free ranging right now as I'm not collecting their eggs or they're molting and not laying etc. It's funny to see the roosters claim a certain part of the yard and keep their hens separated from the others. The roosters will accept any hen into their flock but they try to keep their hens away from the other roos. I do enjoy watching these birds. And in my opinion, if you're making any profit at all selling eggs then you are doing GREAT!

Some of us never get there.

I told my wife tonight about the possibility of a rooster and she is thrilled! I would love to see what you have sometime if you're nearby.

I'm actually in Duncan (Spartanburg County), near the airport. Not sure if you consider that close or not. I will be back over near you again next week if you decide you want me to bring a rooster with me.

 

[RedBugPoultry]

Quote:
Oh Heidi, I'm sorry. I was worried about fertility since the laying had slowed and now they've quit. No worries though, as soon as they start laying again I will get you more eggs. It was worth a shot.

It is always worth a shot! And I am still holding out for that Wyandotte! And I have not taken them out so there might be hope in there somewhere....

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Quote:
The best chicken I have ever eaten are the Marans. They lay a wonderful dark brown egg, the meat tastes awesome and they are very easy going birds, not flighty or mean. I have been raising them for several years and have 3 pens of them now with a good many growing up.

I have a pair for sale right now. I have a blue copper Marans roo with a black copper Marans pullet. They came from 2 separate breeding pens. I also have an extra black copper roo that is nice. Most people do not want the black copper roos and we wind up eating those. Hard to do to such a gorgeous bird but the meat is so flavorful. I guess pretty is as pretty does in this way.

The batteries are dead in my camera (gee, I would not know why!) or I would get some shots of them. I needed to put more on my For Sale page anyhow but I take so many other photos to put on my web site that I haven't had a chance to get to them, too. I have plenty of photos, just not the most recent ones.

Here he is last month. He has grown a good bit since this photo though.

 

[Larkspur88]

I need to stay away from this forum. *hides* I may be getting /more/ chickens shipped. I have four coming next week and someone offered me a nice tricolored serama cockerel for just the price of shipping. I wonder if my husband will let me...

 

[Kenneth Flippen]

Quote:
The best chicken I have ever eaten are the Marans. They lay a wonderful dark brown egg, the meat tastes awesome and they are very easy going birds, not flighty or mean. I have been raising them for several years and have 3 pens of them now with a good many growing up.

I have a pair for sale right now. I have a blue copper Marans roo with a black copper Marans pullet. They came from 2 separate breeding pens. I also have an extra black copper roo that is nice. Most people do not want the black copper roos and we wind up eating those. Hard to do to such a gorgeous bird but the meat is so flavorful. I guess pretty is as pretty does in this way.

The batteries are dead in my camera (gee, I would not know why!) or I would get some shots of them. I needed to put more on my For Sale page anyhow but I take so many other photos to put on my web site that I haven't had a chance to get to them, too. I have plenty of photos, just not the most recent ones.

Here he is last month. He has grown a good bit since this photo though.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/9332_blu_c_marans_roo_10-11.jpg

How far are you from NC state line at I-77?

Kenneth