I'm a true hatchohalic trying to kick the habit but the withdraws are getting to me and i haven't even quit yet.
Is there a 12 step program?
Seriously though I've been hatching chicks forever it seems. Its been over 3 years since I've had the incubators completely shut off. And my last set is due in 3 days.
I've broken down all but six breeding pens and have been struggling to break them down. Usually this time of year I'm hatching my next generation breeders and raise them through the winter. About 3 or 4 weeks ago we had a microburst take half the roof off our barn which houses some of my breeders and a lot of my grow out pens. I lost several of my keepers and most of the pens were destroyed. A lot of the breeders escaped to the yard so a lot of cross breeding with that. Since they all got together and so many of my pens were gone I decided to stop hatching and get ready for winter.
At first it wasn't a big deal but as I started putting eggs from the breeding pens that are still going into the fridge instead of the incubators its been getting to me and it has been a struggle. Crazy I know. I keep coming up with reasons I should keep hatching and ideas about needing to keep at least a few pairs or trios together.
We sell our extra birds at action once a month and that money goes right back into feed. So of course I'm telling myself if I'm not hatching I'm not going to have any excuses to go to the auctions and also there's money lost. In reality without hatching and raising chicks that's less mouths to feed and the money lost usually offsets the cost of feeding the chicks so that money lost really isn't gonna make any difference.
I'm also telling myself I'm low on the number of birds I'm gonna need to get through winter and into spring to start the breeding groups up again. That may be true with some varieties but when I took inventory the other day I'm around 600 birds counting all chicks to adults. I've still got probably 100 or 150 that will go. So I know 450 or more will be more then enough to work with in the spring. I've even thought if things get bad I could buy some discount hatchery chicks in a couple months to raise. Crazy because I don't need any hatchery chicks for anything just grasping to an idea to keep the chick habit going.
With all the excuses and reasoning I'm coming up with this sounds like a crack habit or something. Its so funny or is it? Idk just some rambling, ranting or insight in the world of an incubating addict.
Wish me luck its gonna be a long fall and winter.
Is there a 12 step program?
Seriously though I've been hatching chicks forever it seems. Its been over 3 years since I've had the incubators completely shut off. And my last set is due in 3 days.
I've broken down all but six breeding pens and have been struggling to break them down. Usually this time of year I'm hatching my next generation breeders and raise them through the winter. About 3 or 4 weeks ago we had a microburst take half the roof off our barn which houses some of my breeders and a lot of my grow out pens. I lost several of my keepers and most of the pens were destroyed. A lot of the breeders escaped to the yard so a lot of cross breeding with that. Since they all got together and so many of my pens were gone I decided to stop hatching and get ready for winter.
At first it wasn't a big deal but as I started putting eggs from the breeding pens that are still going into the fridge instead of the incubators its been getting to me and it has been a struggle. Crazy I know. I keep coming up with reasons I should keep hatching and ideas about needing to keep at least a few pairs or trios together.
We sell our extra birds at action once a month and that money goes right back into feed. So of course I'm telling myself if I'm not hatching I'm not going to have any excuses to go to the auctions and also there's money lost. In reality without hatching and raising chicks that's less mouths to feed and the money lost usually offsets the cost of feeding the chicks so that money lost really isn't gonna make any difference.
I'm also telling myself I'm low on the number of birds I'm gonna need to get through winter and into spring to start the breeding groups up again. That may be true with some varieties but when I took inventory the other day I'm around 600 birds counting all chicks to adults. I've still got probably 100 or 150 that will go. So I know 450 or more will be more then enough to work with in the spring. I've even thought if things get bad I could buy some discount hatchery chicks in a couple months to raise. Crazy because I don't need any hatchery chicks for anything just grasping to an idea to keep the chick habit going.
With all the excuses and reasoning I'm coming up with this sounds like a crack habit or something. Its so funny or is it? Idk just some rambling, ranting or insight in the world of an incubating addict.
Wish me luck its gonna be a long fall and winter.
