The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[The Moonshiner]

27 this week
8
19 Maticoopx
191 this season
M 8th hatch

 

[The Moonshiner]

26 this week
13
13 Brinsea
217 this season
T 9th hatch

 

[Amer]

@The Moonshiner
Do you have any white Leghorns or is that too basic for you?

 

[The Moonshiner]

@The Moonshiner
Do you have any white Leghorns or is that too basic for you?

I do have a few White Leghorns but they are genetically splash not white.

 

[The Moonshiner]

20 this week
20
237 this season
T 10th hatch

 

[The Moonshiner]

Lots of old friends and looks like some new ones reacted to that post. Probably should update since I've not posted much here lately.

Not been the best year for chickening here this year. Life had me pulled in a few directions and this economy has limited my chicken funds.
Sucks but less time and less $$$ made me make some changes. I knew early on unfortunately I'd have to hatch quite a bit less this year. I started the season with 78 hatches with my Pepsi bator. Goal was 22 hatches this year then give it a break at an even 100 hatches and 5 years of service.
Switch over to more experimenting and reviewing different incubators and then eventually picking back up with making a few out of unlikely sources. I still have an old popcorn machine setting around.
I'm back to setting eggs but still limited numbers. Still hoping to get to 22 hatches with the big incubator but it may be only setting 20 or so eggs at a time in it.
Also trying to get some hatches in some of my incubators I bought over the winter to see how they do. Luckily most are small capacity so I can go through them one at a time.

Started the season with probably just about the most adults that I've had. With the limited hatching I got selective with what pens and varieties to set up. Some varieties I expected to just set on what I had for the year.
That's been super tough on me. I love the genetics and expanding varieties. It entertains my brain and creating is super rewarding for me. If you know me you know all this foolishness is my own selfishishness. I do it for me.
With that attitude it's not something that pays for itself or funds itself.
Our local auction and the next closest one have completely shut down on poultry selling. Craigslist, etc. is dead for selling birds for the most part. The backyard chicken bubble has burst here. No one is hardly buying and many are selling.
To cut feed costs I decided to let go of quit a few adults and just maintain and put the funds into feeding chicks so I could keep hatching. One of those damned if I do damned if I don't deals.
Figured cut to the bone and get through then hope to rebuild in the next few years. Hopes and dreams.
Figured I'd lose some projects but that's not actually a new thing. It happens. Can't maintain them all and usually I hang on to some of what I'd need to recreate later if I wanted.
Nothing was selling and I found a family that was truly struggling to put food on the table. We met, we talked and I loaded them up with extra or not needed cockerels I had.
Then I found another family. And then another that was looking for meat and a few hens for eggs. I gave away probably 250 birds over the last few weeks.
Helping others felt good. Cutting my feed to half or better was great. Pretty much ran out of cockerels and roosters I didn't absolutely need. So odd not to see so many of them running around free ranging around the barn.
Got into cutting out extra hens next. Gave away few at a time. Nickeled and dimed them down to people still wanting to get eggs at home but couldn't afford to buy grown hens or feed chicks for a summer first.
That all got depressing watching my numbers drop and I figured I've done my good deeds for a year or two. Back to hatching now. May be only 12, 15, 20 chicks a week but I'm looking forwards to getting back at it for the rest of the season.
I'm looking into switching up some pens and switching up to what I'm hatching as we speak.
Been a tough year but winter isn't here yet. Excited to get through the remainder of this year and through winter to see what next spring brings. Hopefully I can hang on and build back up soon.

 

[member 655102]

View attachment 3896815View attachment 3896816View attachment 3896817

Lots of old friends and looks like some new ones reacted to that post. Probably should update since I've not posted much here lately.

Not been the best year for chickening here this year. Life had me pulled in a few directions and this economy has limited my chicken funds.
Sucks but less time and less $$$ made me make some changes. I knew early on unfortunately I'd have to hatch quite a bit less this year. I started the season with 78 hatches with my Pepsi bator. Goal was 22 hatches this year then give it a break at an even 100 hatches and 5 years of service.
Switch over to more experimenting and reviewing different incubators and then eventually picking back up with making a few out of unlikely sources. I still have an old popcorn machine setting around.
I'm back to setting eggs but still limited numbers. Still hoping to get to 22 hatches with the big incubator but it may be only setting 20 or so eggs at a time in it.
Also trying to get some hatches in some of my incubators I bought over the winter to see how they do. Luckily most are small capacity so I can go through them one at a time.

Started the season with probably just about the most adults that I've had. With the limited hatching I got selective with what pens and varieties to set up. Some varieties I expected to just set on what I had for the year.
That's been super tough on me. I love the genetics and expanding varieties. It entertains my brain and creating is super rewarding for me. If you know me you know all this foolishness is my own selfishishness. I do it for me.
With that attitude it's not something that pays for itself or funds itself.
Our local auction and the next closest one have completely shut down on poultry selling. Craigslist, etc. is dead for selling birds for the most part. The backyard chicken bubble has burst here. No one is hardly buying and many are selling.
To cut feed costs I decided to let go of quit a few adults and just maintain and put the funds into feeding chicks so I could keep hatching. One of those damned if I do damned if I don't deals.
Figured cut to the bone and get through then hope to rebuild in the next few years. Hopes and dreams.
Figured I'd lose some projects but that's not actually a new thing. It happens. Can't maintain them all and usually I hang on to some of what I'd need to recreate later if I wanted.
Nothing was selling and I found a family that was truly struggling to put food on the table. We met, we talked and I loaded them up with extra or not needed cockerels I had.
Then I found another family. And then another that was looking for meat and a few hens for eggs. I gave away probably 250 birds over the last few weeks.
Helping others felt good. Cutting my feed to half or better was great. Pretty much ran out of cockerels and roosters I didn't absolutely need. So odd not to see so many of them running around free ranging around the barn.
Got into cutting out extra hens next. Gave away few at a time. Nickeled and dimed them down to people still wanting to get eggs at home but couldn't afford to buy grown hens or feed chicks for a summer first.
That all got depressing watching my numbers drop and I figured I've done my good deeds for a year or two. Back to hatching now. May be only 12, 15, 20 chicks a week but I'm looking forwards to getting back at it for the rest of the season.
I'm looking into switching up some pens and switching up to what I'm hatching as we speak.
Been a tough year but winter isn't here yet. Excited to get through the remainder of this year and through winter to see what next spring brings. Hopefully I can hang on and build back up soon.

I feel your pain, man. I had over 50+ birds last year and finally managed to downsize my entire flock to 20 ‘cos not enough people were buying them and I really didn’t need all the extra mouths to feed anymore. It’s been quite different not seeing my whole yard overrun by chickens but also way easier for me to manage what I have left. Gotta look on the bright side…Now you can go on holiday!

 

[Amer]

View attachment 3896815View attachment 3896816View attachment 3896817

Lots of old friends and looks like some new ones reacted to that post. Probably should update since I've not posted much here lately.

Not been the best year for chickening here this year. Life had me pulled in a few directions and this economy has limited my chicken funds.
Sucks but less time and less $$$ made me make some changes. I knew early on unfortunately I'd have to hatch quite a bit less this year. I started the season with 78 hatches with my Pepsi bator. Goal was 22 hatches this year then give it a break at an even 100 hatches and 5 years of service.
Switch over to more experimenting and reviewing different incubators and then eventually picking back up with making a few out of unlikely sources. I still have an old popcorn machine setting around.
I'm back to setting eggs but still limited numbers. Still hoping to get to 22 hatches with the big incubator but it may be only setting 20 or so eggs at a time in it.
Also trying to get some hatches in some of my incubators I bought over the winter to see how they do. Luckily most are small capacity so I can go through them one at a time.

Started the season with probably just about the most adults that I've had. With the limited hatching I got selective with what pens and varieties to set up. Some varieties I expected to just set on what I had for the year.
That's been super tough on me. I love the genetics and expanding varieties. It entertains my brain and creating is super rewarding for me. If you know me you know all this foolishness is my own selfishishness. I do it for me.
With that attitude it's not something that pays for itself or funds itself.
Our local auction and the next closest one have completely shut down on poultry selling. Craigslist, etc. is dead for selling birds for the most part. The backyard chicken bubble has burst here. No one is hardly buying and many are selling.
To cut feed costs I decided to let go of quit a few adults and just maintain and put the funds into feeding chicks so I could keep hatching. One of those damned if I do damned if I don't deals.
Figured cut to the bone and get through then hope to rebuild in the next few years. Hopes and dreams.
Figured I'd lose some projects but that's not actually a new thing. It happens. Can't maintain them all and usually I hang on to some of what I'd need to recreate later if I wanted.
Nothing was selling and I found a family that was truly struggling to put food on the table. We met, we talked and I loaded them up with extra or not needed cockerels I had.
Then I found another family. And then another that was looking for meat and a few hens for eggs. I gave away probably 250 birds over the last few weeks.
Helping others felt good. Cutting my feed to half or better was great. Pretty much ran out of cockerels and roosters I didn't absolutely need. So odd not to see so many of them running around free ranging around the barn.
Got into cutting out extra hens next. Gave away few at a time. Nickeled and dimed them down to people still wanting to get eggs at home but couldn't afford to buy grown hens or feed chicks for a summer first.
That all got depressing watching my numbers drop and I figured I've done my good deeds for a year or two. Back to hatching now. May be only 12, 15, 20 chicks a week but I'm looking forwards to getting back at it for the rest of the season.
I'm looking into switching up some pens and switching up to what I'm hatching as we speak.
Been a tough year but winter isn't here yet. Excited to get through the remainder of this year and through winter to see what next spring brings. Hopefully I can hang on and build back up soon.

Wow
You did good, man.

I feel your pain, man. I had over 50+ birds last year and finally managed to downsize my entire flock to 20 ‘cos not enough people were buying them and I really didn’t need all the extra mouths to feed anymore. It’s been quite different not seeing my whole yard overrun by chickens but also way easier for me to manage what I have left. Gotta look on the bright side…Now you can go on holiday!

50? That’s rookie numbers!
I’m just kidding, we can’t all devote that much to the birds.
The very idea of a vacation makes me anxious.
With all the babies out there it takes an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon in order to do the chores. And my very roughly estimated 200 is not even close to Moony.
At least it’s my family working together. I feel because at college and when I’m at work they’re always doing on it.

 

[member 655102]

50? That’s rookie numbers!
I’m just kidding, we can’t all devote that much to the birds.
The very idea of a vacation makes me anxious.
With all the babies out there it takes an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon in order to do the chores. And my very roughly estimated 200 is not even close to Moony.
At least it’s my family working together. I feel because at college and when I’m at work they’re always doing on it.

I know under 100 birds at any given time is rookie #’s in comparison to some but yep…It’s still no easy task caring for so many birds by yourself and can be a bit overwhelming at times when you have 15-20 young meat cockerels or so locked away in a coop crowing all the time waiting to be slaughtered.

And the feed bills…Oof. I don’t even wanna ask y’all how much you’ve spent over the past few years…

 

[NagemTX]

View attachment 3896815View attachment 3896816View attachment 3896817

Lots of old friends and looks like some new ones reacted to that post. Probably should update since I've not posted much here lately.

Not been the best year for chickening here this year. Life had me pulled in a few directions and this economy has limited my chicken funds.
Sucks but less time and less $$$ made me make some changes. I knew early on unfortunately I'd have to hatch quite a bit less this year. I started the season with 78 hatches with my Pepsi bator. Goal was 22 hatches this year then give it a break at an even 100 hatches and 5 years of service.
Switch over to more experimenting and reviewing different incubators and then eventually picking back up with making a few out of unlikely sources. I still have an old popcorn machine setting around.
I'm back to setting eggs but still limited numbers. Still hoping to get to 22 hatches with the big incubator but it may be only setting 20 or so eggs at a time in it.
Also trying to get some hatches in some of my incubators I bought over the winter to see how they do. Luckily most are small capacity so I can go through them one at a time.

Started the season with probably just about the most adults that I've had. With the limited hatching I got selective with what pens and varieties to set up. Some varieties I expected to just set on what I had for the year.
That's been super tough on me. I love the genetics and expanding varieties. It entertains my brain and creating is super rewarding for me. If you know me you know all this foolishness is my own selfishishness. I do it for me.
With that attitude it's not something that pays for itself or funds itself.
Our local auction and the next closest one have completely shut down on poultry selling. Craigslist, etc. is dead for selling birds for the most part. The backyard chicken bubble has burst here. No one is hardly buying and many are selling.
To cut feed costs I decided to let go of quit a few adults and just maintain and put the funds into feeding chicks so I could keep hatching. One of those damned if I do damned if I don't deals.
Figured cut to the bone and get through then hope to rebuild in the next few years. Hopes and dreams.
Figured I'd lose some projects but that's not actually a new thing. It happens. Can't maintain them all and usually I hang on to some of what I'd need to recreate later if I wanted.
Nothing was selling and I found a family that was truly struggling to put food on the table. We met, we talked and I loaded them up with extra or not needed cockerels I had.
Then I found another family. And then another that was looking for meat and a few hens for eggs. I gave away probably 250 birds over the last few weeks.
Helping others felt good. Cutting my feed to half or better was great. Pretty much ran out of cockerels and roosters I didn't absolutely need. So odd not to see so many of them running around free ranging around the barn.
Got into cutting out extra hens next. Gave away few at a time. Nickeled and dimed them down to people still wanting to get eggs at home but couldn't afford to buy grown hens or feed chicks for a summer first.
That all got depressing watching my numbers drop and I figured I've done my good deeds for a year or two. Back to hatching now. May be only 12, 15, 20 chicks a week but I'm looking forwards to getting back at it for the rest of the season.
I'm looking into switching up some pens and switching up to what I'm hatching as we speak.
Been a tough year but winter isn't here yet. Excited to get through the remainder of this year and through winter to see what next spring brings. Hopefully I can hang on and build back up soon.

I'm hitting this now my self. My brother and a friend help out but this year it's been harder than most. My brother is dropping hints I need to be more in the 50 to 60ish range than where I'm at now. My feed bill is telling me this as well. So did Beryl. I don't have the space to move everyone into the garage or an actual barn for another hurricane.

I lost most of my grow outs I had moved out side about two th three weeks before Beryl hit. Only saved 8 or 9 of them the Monday morning when I went to check on them because the tarps on the two outer most pens got ripped off. The ones I saved where hyperthermic so had to use my own body temp to bring them up because of no power.

I'll be slowing down my hatching and limiting it to maybe 60ish for the year. Only setting at most 24 at a time. I'm also narrowing down what I'm doing now that I have silver Ameraucanas. They will be my focus along with my two EE projects. Everything else is going on the selling block or if it's unwanted cockerels they will be cat food or our food.