The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

It's such a simple thing to do and it brings a lot of fun to them. Once they are dried up or eaten down quite a bit, I'll put it back where I duck it originally and dig another one. That way I don't have holes all over. They seem to grow back really quickly.

That's funny! I do the same thing!

 

[chickmama1662]

lalaland, there is an add for buckeye chicks in the buy,sell,trade section from a guy in Missouri. I believe he shows his birds.

 

[delisha]

Quote:

Silkies do not roost unless shown how to by a parent in my experience. The silkies I have roosting can either see really well (my rooster roosts on the top of the ladder - as does 1 of my hens and the two cockerels I kept) The girls all pile on the floor (also known as the silkie pile) they keep one another warm by snuggling close together. Hopefully they aren't making their pile under the standard fowl's roost. That makes a mess.. Been there.. done that.. They still do it. So do my ducks.

However, my cochin has taught all 3 of her chicks to roost.



Silkie chick learning to roost.

You need to conduct a market survey. Go to your local poultry sales, barn auctions and find out why the market is so saturated. If eggs are $2 a dozen and you find them on every corner it would be tough. Have you asked your local feed store about selling your eggs? I drop off eggs in exchange for feed. See if that is an option. Run an add on Craig's list and track your responses. Find places you can sell your poultry before you make any plans. Selling shipped chicks is a huge endeavor, do some leg work on what is necessary for Local, Federal, and State laws. You will have to be tested, your birds all banded, all records sent in from every sale. Taxes paid on the sales if you do not acquire a farm sales license. Many things to look into before you even think about selling poultry. If you have good stock you might consider selling fertile eggs on here.
If you don't eat your own poultry, how do you propose to sell them? As pets?

I sell meat birds, both chickens and ducks. I occasionally will sell a POL or laying pullet. I ask serious money for my POL's $18.00 My birds are huge and healthy.

Chickens sell for good here as well. I sell POL pullets for $15 mixed breed or non-show quality pure. My silkies go for $25+ depending on quality for mature birds. Boys are not sold mixed, and pure (non-show quality) boys go for $10 and $15+ for silkie boys depending on quality.

There is definitely a year round market around here. I was building stock this year, so I did not make a profit. Won't make a profit next year either. I hope to get close to breaking even though.

I have to be happy with being in the hole $300.00. I usually break even, however this year we put up fence, and I purchased those Imported English Orpingtons. I am grateful it was not worse.

 

[delisha]

Here's the coop, in the barn. I changed the blue side just for the silkies, even though it was meant for the nest boxes. We'll take the coop out, and put roosting bars across right there. Just seems like it would make everything much easier, for DL and cleaning.

I really like these. you have lucky spoiled chickens..look at that ramp!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks. I wonder if 2 x 2s with small sticks across would work.

Funny thing I used for baby roosts... I work for a company that has, as one of it's businesses, a store-front paint store. I brought home some of the LARGE paint stirers - not the 1 gal size but the ones that are about 24" long. Used 2 small boxes that stood about 4-5" high and taped 2 paint stir sticks side by side on the boxes to make a roost that was double-wide of the paint sticks. They loved that thing!

Here is a (poor) photo of the first one where I only had the stick single wide. When they were a little bigger I added the second stick. They'd all get on it faithfully every night!

 

[Miss Lydia]

So moral of the Silkie roosting on it's own is get another breed of chicken to hatch it and raise it will learn to roost. unless of course you trim it's hair so it can see where all the other chickens go at night when they go into roost. Other wise it will just follow it's own feet and stay on the floor.

 

[aoxa]

Funny thing I used for baby roosts... I work for a company that has, as one of it's businesses, a store-front paint store. I brought home some of the LARGE paint stirers - not the 1 gal size but the ones that are about 24" long. Used 2 small boxes that stood about 4-5" high and taped 2 paint stir sticks side by side on the boxes to make a roost that was double-wide of the paint sticks. They loved that thing!

Here is a (poor) photo of the first one where I only had the stick single wide. When they were a little bigger I added the second stick. They'd all get on it faithfully every night!

So cute!!

Good idea!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Funny thing I used for baby roosts... I work for a company that has, as one of it's businesses, a store-front paint store. I brought home some of the LARGE paint stirers - not the 1 gal size but the ones that are about 24" long. Used 2 small boxes that stood about 4-5" high and taped 2 paint stir sticks side by side on the boxes to make a roost that was double-wide of the paint sticks. They loved that thing!

Here is a (poor) photo of the first one where I only had the stick single wide. When they were a little bigger I added the second stick. They'd all get on it faithfully every night!

Thats a good idea.

 

[aoxa]

So moral of the Silkie roosting on it's own is get another breed of chicken to hatch it and raise it will learn to roost. unless of course you trim it's hair so it can see where all the other chickens go at night when they go into roost. Other wise it will just follow it's own feet and stay on the floor.

Yep.

and if some can see, it may still stick with the ones who cozy up on the floor. They like to do what their brood mates do for the most part. My silkies like to stick together.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:

AND PAINT STICKS ARE USUALLY FREE at your local paint store....just ask for the big ones (I think used for 5 gal pails if I'm not mistaken).