The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[BlueMouse]

The more I read about these ecoglows the more I want one for my brooder. Maybe next year I can splurge on one.... Or maybe I'll sell a quilt... It would be perfect for my cabinet brooder.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The more I read about these ecoglows the more I want one for my brooder. Maybe next year I can splurge on one.... Or maybe I'll sell a quilt... It would be perfect for my cabinet brooder.

A quilt? You make quilts? I want to see them...send me a pm

Aoxa -
What would be your advice to me if I was going to buy a Brinsea?
-Buy a small one and add another later if I want a larger brooder?
-Buy the large one in the first place?

 

[aoxa]

My kids are almost all out of the house now too, so I can relate. I work from home and I have to remind myself to get back to work since the chickens and garden are so inviting.

I guess I am head of my flock too, it seems all of them are squatting now. I will be celebrating that first egg and showing off like the new chicken owner I am.

Thank you for your quick response. You're really going to fill up that new barn quick. That's a lot of birds!

A quilt? You make quilts? I want to see them...send me a pm

Aoxa -
What would be your advice to me if I was going to buy a Brinsea?
-Buy a small one and add another later if I want a larger brooder?
-Buy the large one in the first place?

Well for you I'd say buy a smaller one. I can't imagine you brooding more than 20 chicks at a time. The 50 chick one would take up a good amount of brooder space if you didn't plan on raising that many at a time.

I don't know why I only got four.. I should have ordered six, because I have six brooders. I didn't even think about the meaties and layers when I ordered them either.

 

[aoxa]

My kids are almost all out of the house now too, so I can relate. I work from home and I have to remind myself to get back to work since the chickens and garden are so inviting.

I guess I am head of my flock too, it seems all of them are squatting now. I will be celebrating that first egg and showing off like the new chicken owner I am.

Thank you for your quick response. You're really going to fill up that new barn quick. That's a lot of birds!

Well 30 of those 70 are meat kings. They won't be staying for long. 40 are layers. I need to be able to keep up with egg demands, and I had 20 before (plus heritage breeds and mutts) and I had to outsource for eggs.

I'll tell you, coloured eggs really seal the sale. Everyone wanted them. I have 15 Easter Eggers and some Naked Necks (who lay green eggs) to help meet demands. Looking forward to getting back in business. I'm getting roughly 5-7 eggs a day right now, and they are mostly small or medium in size - so we keep them to eat.

 

[Ashdoes]

So, last night after dinner we followed our normal routine...water the new tree, fill the pond, check chicken food and chickens....and check the broodies. So we're squatting down, me and hubby, chatting about who knows what and watching Cloud the Silkie when my husband goes "did you hear that!" And I'm like no, what? So we sit completely still and quiet, waiting for whatever he heard. And right as I'm about to rag on him for being practically deaf (thanks Marine Corp) I hear a peep! So we sit, more, and wait for something...and then we see it, a tiny Silkie baby pop it's little head out from Clouds wing. I can't even tell you how excited we were. We were out there for an hour, just watching. We saw two, but she was moving around like maybe more were hatching, every once in a while she were puff up and make noises.
We had to force ourselves to leave, and now I know how people mess up their incubator hatches, opening and closing the top. You just want "one little peek" to see what's going on. And of course, "If there's no picture, it didn't happen."

So we know there are two, and one is for sure one of her Silkies. But, she also has Cochins and Cochin mixes, so it'll be lots of fun figuring out the mommies.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Yah...the only reason would be if I got 30 meaties at a time. Which I AM contemplating... and there definitely would be no broody mamma for them. That's why I was wondering if I should get the larger one or 2 smaller ones.

 

[aoxa]

So, last night after dinner we followed our normal routine...water the new tree, fill the pond, check chicken food and chickens....and check the broodies. So we're squatting down, me and hubby, chatting about who knows what and watching Cloud the Silkie when my husband goes "did you hear that!" And I'm like no, what? So we sit completely still and quiet, waiting for whatever he heard. And right as I'm about to rag on him for being practically deaf (thanks Marine Corp) I hear a peep! So we sit, more, and wait for something...and then we see it, a tiny Silkie baby pop it's little head out from Clouds wing. I can't even tell you how excited we were. We were out there for an hour, just watching. We saw two, but she was moving around like maybe more were hatching, every once in a while she were puff up and make noises.
We had to force ourselves to leave, and now I know how people mess up their incubator hatches, opening and closing the top. You just want "one little peek" to see what's going on. And of course, "If there's no picture, it didn't happen."

So we know there are two, and one is for sure one of her Silkies. But, she also has Cochins and Cochin mixes, so it'll be lots of fun figuring out the mommies.

Very cool! Cute picture

Yah...the only reason would be if I got 30 meaties at a time. Which I AM contemplating... and there definitely would be no broody mamma for them. That's why I was wondering if I should get the larger one or 2 smaller ones.

You may be better off to get two smalls than one large. That way you can use it together or for a smaller batch.

 

[aoxa]

We just got our pair of geese! The female is so gorgeous. She's the fatter one.

Jamie said it's the best female he has ever sold. She is even better than the gander I got last winter.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Pretty exciting, Ash!!!

Aoxa -
Or maybe I should just do 20 meaties at a time

 

[aoxa]

Pretty exciting, Ash!!!

Aoxa -
Or maybe I should just do 20 meaties at a time

There is a good solution!

How many meaties do you think one two person family should need for year round meat?

I'm thinking 1 a week.. But we may not even do that much.. We only ordered ten for ourselves. Ten are for Dylan, and ten are for my parents. Don't worry, they are all paying for their feed and cost. Dylan is helping us slaughter all 30. My parents will pay market price for their birds.

Now question.. If one dies: who should take the loss? Should we mark them somehow when we bring them home?

This more for Dylan than my parents.