The chickies have landed, and boy do I have some questions!

[Jaguaress]

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

backwoodsman,

I'm not sure I can talk my husband into another 14 chicks. He's already pretty nervous about the quantity we have right now. He had bad experiences with chickens when he was growing up, so he was adamantly opposed to having chickens when I first broached the subject. I'd pretty much hung up my dreams of chicken ownership, and then one day out of the blue he said I could get them, and he'd actually been online looking at coop plans. Once I recovered from the shock of it all, I quickly placed my pullet order before he could change his mind!

Maybe once we get the girls laying, and I know for sure he can tolerate being a chicken farmer, and we find that the girls can't keep up with demand, I can talk him into getting some more, but for now I don't think I'm gonna push it.

Plus I want to be sure that this whole chicken thing doesn't turn out to be so much work that it's not fun anymore.

Rachel

 

[cracked_egg]

Well, I've always picked up my chicks from the hatchery, BUT I did have fish shipped in once from WA... Well I called the day they were due to arrive and THANK GOD I did, for some reason they didn't go on the truck like they were supposed to so they had to send a special currier to go pick them up... I was upset because they were gorgeous ornamental fish, and very fragile!!

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

Well my sickly Delaware is still hanging on. She is still gasping, but she seems less lethargic and perhaps a little less weak when she is standing. And she must be eating because her crop looked pooched out a little while ago, and earlier today it was not. I've separated her and the other dels from the pesty RIR's that kept pecking at her. I had heard that RIR's could be more aggressive, but I didn't realize they would be so at three days old! If ther's someone peeping bloody murder I can guarantee an RIR is the culprit. But I digress.

I'm cautiously optimistic the del might make it, but her continued gasping still has me concerned. Here's hoping.

Rachel

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Depends on breed and age: In my experience 25 chickens can produce at least 20 eggs a day that's 140 a week for first year with good laying breeds. Second year they will slow down a bit.

 

[Arcane Araucana]

Quote:
Depends on breed and age: In my experience 25 chickens can produce at least 20 eggs a day that's 140 a week for first year with good laying breeds. Second year they will slow down a bit.

must be that chicken math again!

 

[Ceilismom]

Quote:
That sounds exactly like my husband! Pecked by chickens when collecting eggs, and attacked by mean roosters. FIL couldn't be bothered with livestock, and MIL was simply ignorant and had no mentor. So many bad experiences that could have been avoided.

I'm so glad I have BYC to allay some of his fears, and a neighbor to mentor me.

 

[CompostQueen]

Quote:
Beautiful eggs!!