Fire Ant Farm
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The Aloha Chicken Project
- Thread starter alohachickens
- Start date
Yea, there are sine around that area, but I didn't realize if was that far. I guess I've ever been there
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- Thread starter
- #2,423
Blog Updates! Please click to check them out:
http://alohachickens.blogspot.com/
Took tons of new photos lately! Sharing a couple here.
http://alohachickens.blogspot.com/
Took tons of new photos lately! Sharing a couple here.
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Man I am in love with these chickens. Is there any way of getting some fertile eggs to be able to incubate or even better some chicks ? I know its getting closer to winter but i have the facilities to incubate and keep the chicks warm til spring.
- Thread starter
- #2,425
I haven't sold many shipped eggs, because it's so hard to get a "new breed" going when so often (on the hatched eggs I've tried to incubate) the hatch rates are so dismal. Of the maybe 6 dozen shipped eggs I've purchased from various chicken people through the years, including 2 batches of Serama eggs, Buff Orp / NHR cross eggs, 3 different Speckled Sussex batches, and the Cinnamon Sussex eggs, the best hatch rate I ever had was 5 or 6 of the Cinnamon Sussex and I think 5 chicks on one batch of Seramas. The Buff / NHR cross, I think I got 3 chicks. My very recent Speckled dozens were 0 chicks on the first batch (box had serious damage) and 3 chicks from the same source on the second batch, which showed no damage to the box.
These were eggs sent from all kinds of breeders in all different states.
When I shipped out eggs to other people, they had similar lack of success, although this past Spring both Draye and Deerfield had some respectable hatch rates, which is encouraging.
However, to get a serious start on an Aloha breeding project using shipped eggs, you'd need to probably look to collecting some "outside" hens of the right breeds, and hoping to hatch maybe one really colorful Aloha rooster to put over them. Like go and buy some Speckled Sussex and New Hampshire Red sexed females from your local feed store, to make sure you'd have at least 5 hens, and then that way even if you only had one Aloha hen and one Aloha rooster hatch, you'd be able to get something going, and could always add to it later.
Shipped eggs have been hit or miss, but Live chicks have done great! Zero losses. However, living in Phoenix makes shipping a challenge, because it needs to be no colder than 40 degrees and no hotter than 85 on any part of the trip. Right now, we qualify to ship out, today - just barely as we're right at 40 degrees this morning. But if I was shipping out to Colorado, obviously they wouldn't let that happen, lows are in the 20's there right now. It all depends on what temps are on the day of shipping. So I have to call on the day they are supposed to ship, and ask approval from the manager of Live shipments in Phoenix. She has the final say. It takes three weeks to incubate a batch of chicks, so there is no way of knowing if temps will be right on that particular day, when they hatch? Usually I have a "back up" tray of eggs in then incubator for the following week, so if temps are too hot or cold there is one more shot to try the next week.
Shipping to southern climates with similar temps would not be difficult at all! I could ship to Florida or probably South Texas even in winter. But for any "cold" areas, that is where things get challenging. Typically a few weeks in March or April are about the only weeks that temps are in the right range in both areas. By late April, Phoenix is already in the 90's, and they shut live shipping down. So when temps are perfect to ship in other areas, Phoenix is often already too hot.
I also don't make any money off of shipping Live chicks so the only reason I do it is to try and set up new breeders. I charge $100 for a box of chicks, but the cost of chick box is $7 plus shipping to me, or about $12 total. Shipping (Express One Day) runs $35-$45. Gas is about $8 as I take the time to drive them downtown to the "main" post office near the airport. I try to wait until the last minute to drive them there, to minimize time they spend in the box, so while it's only 20 minutes each way with no traffic, it usually takes me 90 minutes total in the afternoon. Plus waiting in line. It's about 2 hours total to take the chicks there and drive back.
I ship the buyer as many chicks as I can hatch and fit in the box, to give them the best chance at getting a good breeding flock going. Typically 35 to 60 chicks depending on how many the buyer wants to raise. Price is the same either way. So if someone gets 50 chicks, by the time expenses are factored in, it's less than $1 per chick to me, and it eats up pretty much my whole day. I only do that if I think someone might actually be serious about raising Alohas, because it is a colossal pain in the hiney.
I can put chicks on Craigslist for $1 each and sell them in an hour, and not have to drive across town, or order boxes, or coordinate shipping times. So there is really zero financial incentive to sell chicks, at the price I am currently charging. I'd have to charge $150 per box to make it worthwhile, as I feel $50 profit would be totally adequate compensation for a day of messing around with the drive and post office shenanigans. LOL!
I could send them Priority mail, and make $20 by dropping the price of the postage, but I don't feel $20 is worth the risk to the babies. I'd rather ship fewer boxes and make sure none are lost. To date, there have been ZERO dead chicks out of I think four Live shipments of about 200 chicks.
I know some people just want a few Alohas in their flocks, and don't want to be breeders, so I may put some eggs on Ebay to sell in a month or two. The money raised would be helpful for covering feed costs here. The current "parent flock" is at about 50 chickens total right now. So maybe it would cover a little feed.
My hope is to one day get Alohas into a "commercial" hatchery in the Midwest so they could ship out to families all over the US. Phoenix is a great place to raise chicks (nice and warm) but a lousy place to ship out from! (Unless you are also in another hot Southern location like Florida.)
I would be thrilled to be able to receive an order of live shipped chicks and especially with the success that you have been achieving . I understand that your time is valuable and I would not want to take away neither your time or money as I feel you deserve to be compensated for everything you do . I'd be very interested in a shipment of chicks but was confused on what $ amount would make it worth your time, if I read your post correctly it was $150.I live just east of Jasper TX so I would be picking them up from jasper post office . Please lmk if it's possible for you to ship . I would love to help develops this chicken breed and I am very serious about it .
Sincerely,
Travis
Sincerely,
Travis
- Thread starter
- #2,427
You live in a great area, for shipping from Phoenix, looks like our temps are almost identical today. So shipping Lives should not be nearly as tricky to coordinate.
Now I just need to get the right breeder pens together, but I think we could shoot for February? Your area's average high and low in Feb. is 60 (high) and 42 (low). Phoenix average then is 72 (day) and 42 (night). I think it would be safe to say the Post Office would approve a shipment that month to your area.
I'd order the BIG chick box that fits 50 chicks. If you are OK with that many? Price would be the same. A lot of people only want 25-30 chicks though, because they don't have room to raise 50 peeps. Let me know what you can handle. If you can take on 50+ that's what I'd send you so you'd get the best selection for your flock. I prefer to send people as many chicks as they can handle. I prefer to keep only the very best for breeders and sell the rest. I raised over 100 peeps this summer but only kept 4 roosters and about 20 new hens! (But I'm super picky.)
It would be terrific to have a breeder in TX and if you wanted to sell Aloha hatching eggs or Live chicks, you'd be a lot closer to South and Midwest so customers in Florida (for example) would probably get much better hatch rates on eggs coming from your place vs. all the way from Arizona!
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- Thread starter
- #2,428
By the way, if anyone actually goes through the trouble of gathering up suitable local hens for starting a "project pen" to try and breed Aloha, then I would be happy to send a dozen Aloha eggs for just the cost of shipping. But you'd have to get the right compatible breeds of hens first - which could be nice New Hampshire Reds, Speckled Sussex, Buff Sussex, or Swedish Flower Hens (not crested, no blue, preferably Mille Fluer.)
With a mix of hens that included at least two types of these breeds, all you would need is one nice Aloha rooster and the desire to hatch chicks and keep the best. You would need to work at it for at least two to three years to see real results, since the Mottled gene is recessive. It requires a patient sort of person! LOL.
With a mix of hens that included at least two types of these breeds, all you would need is one nice Aloha rooster and the desire to hatch chicks and keep the best. You would need to work at it for at least two to three years to see real results, since the Mottled gene is recessive. It requires a patient sort of person! LOL.
February actually sounds great as that gives me the time to get my coops situated and finalized as I am building a new house on my 20acres . I could handle the 50 chicks and like you said this would allow a better selection of breeding stock to choose from . When would you prefer payment for the chicks ? I am looking forward to receiving your beautiful breed of alohas come this February .
Sincerely,
Travis
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- Thread starter
- #2,430
Because anything can go wrong during incubation (like the time I once bumped the dial while moving my incubator and the temps went up to 108 and cooked almost 300 eggs) I never ask for payment until the first chicks are starting to hatch and the Post Office clears the shipment. So basically, the day before they ship, whenever that ends up being!
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