Virginia

[VA Raptor]

I am in Augusta County. Thought maybe I could adopt a couple of your chickens.if we aren't too far apart.

I'll be travelling today, but will try to PM you at some point. Either today or tomorrow.

 

[vpatt]

Ok

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Hi VA Raptor,
I think it admirable you want to rehome some of your stock.

I decided to change streams sort of speak. I am getting out of the exotic bantams that were expensive to start up. They would do better in the foothills to the coast and not way up in the mountains on the west side of the Parkway towards the Smokey Mountains with the harsher winters in favor of English Orpingtons, Bresse & Marans.

I started off selling, then greatly discounting and then,..I have been giving them away. As winter is about here giving them away has become difficult. I am going towards Martinsville to give a man a total of 20, 10 Roos, & 10 Hens mated and laying, these are young breeding stock. He lives in an area that is better suited to the Phoenix Bantams, Phoenix and Ohiki, every night 10 to 20 or more degrees warmer there than here where I am and really the temp does matter.

I refuse to send live Roos & Hens through the mail. So selling them on live auctions is out of the question, yes I am attached to them but must let them go.


I am truly taking a beating financially giving them away and driving one way over an hour to meet someone half way, but, the Phoenix Bantams get to live and not be eatten. Rehoming is the humane thing to do.

The warmer they are the more eggs they lay and when they are warm these hens lay eggs. Huge eggs considering their own size. Phoenix Bantams start laying before they are even 20 weeks/5 months and they live a long time, laying eggs for many years. They are friendly, take up little space, eat little and love to forage. They are perfect front porch pets BUT up here that is not what my neighbors want. They want darkest eggs (Marans), they want great meat birds (Bresse), and if they buy a chicken to keep a few chickens they want big, hardy, colorful birds(English Orpingtons). That is why my farm is switching over.

I do believe it is a show of your character that you are respecting these birds, that you are trying to rehome them as it seems they too have become pets and you dont want to eat them.

I refuse to send them thur the mail SO, I will not be selling, I am giving away.

I love fried chicken, and I use eggs in many different ways, but I chose not to make stew out of my beautiful birds and would rather give them away.

So, I do understand your position. I have been in your shoes. I know how you feel and I appreciate the work it is to give them away. It is work, it is not easy to do. You may feel your spinning your wheels, I felt that way. Hang in there. I think it is admirable that you are rehoming. But then again it is chicken soup weather,LOL. For me, you are just too far a drive to pick up a bird or two. Good luck in finding homes for them.

 

[cubalaya]

as long as you are npip tested, you can ship. this allows you to get back some of the cost of raising chickens. because of the rareness of my birds, they don't really sell at the smaller chicken swaps. I go to gilmanor twice a year and sell some there. I also ship a few birds in the spring and fall when the weather is good for the birds. I have gifted birds to people who were interested in the breed. that being said, I feel there are too many multipliers in the chicken world of Virginia. they have ideas of making all this money selling chickens at local swaps. when they can't sell they reduce the prices or give them away for nothing making the value of real breeders chickens come down. I don't have any $5 roosters or $8 hens. would eat mine before selling at that price. they also spread disease and unhealthy birds because they don't know how to select for health and they have not been working with the breed they are selling very long. I see posts all the time about them injecting their sick birds with tylan or some antibiotic or some other health problem that they are having. imo these birds are culls. not to sell to someone else but killed for the good of the flock.

 

[VA Raptor]

Hi VA Raptor,
I think it admirable you want to rehome some of your stock.

Sadly, you're giving me way to much credit.

We're getting ready to do some processing today. But at least these are the ones that were always destined to end up on the table. Trying to hold off and see what life brings, but things aren't looking so hot at the moment.

 

[VA Raptor]

I don't have any $5 roosters or $8 hens. would eat mine before selling at that price. they also spread disease and unhealthy birds because they don't know how to select for health and they have not been working with the breed they are selling very long.

Not sure if you're commenting on my situation, but I didn't get these birds to sell or make a quick buck. I thought I placed an order for 10 chicks for our new homestead and ended up with almost 30 (and like a sucker, I took in four that needed a home). I have invested a lot of time and care into them and have not lost one. I care for them completely by myself despite a lot of pain and some fractured joints. I feel they are worth more and originally felt the same way as you (I'd rather give them a good life and eat them). Had I known 6 months ago that things would get worse so fast, I'd not have bought this property or any animals. But sometimes you can't plan for these things.

Sorry if this is TMI and you weren't taking a shot at me. But it kind of felt like it.

 

[cubalaya]

no, not at you and no one in particular.

 

[finnfur]

Not sure if you're commenting on my situation, but I didn't get these birds to sell or make a quick buck. I thought I placed an order for 10 chicks for our new homestead and ended up with almost 30 (and like a sucker, I took in four that needed a home). I have invested a lot of time and care into them and have not lost one. I care for them completely by myself despite a lot of pain and some fractured joints. I feel they are worth more and originally felt the same way as you (I'd rather give them a good life and eat them). Had I known 6 months ago that things would get worse so fast, I'd not have bought this property or any animals. But sometimes you can't plan for these things.

Sorry if this is TMI and you weren't taking a shot at me. But it kind of felt like it.

I don't think Cubayaya was attacking any one individual its just a repeat story on BYC.

And I feel your pain " life is what happens while you are busy making plans" I believe John Lennon said that so don't want to take credit.

 

[ApiaryandAviary]

Hello everyone,
Oh, I did not take offense to anything.
I know my situation better than all but if anyone has followed me they will know,...My son's big dogs ran up from behind me and knocked me down from the top of the stairs while I was carrying a basket of laundry. First I flew over the basket on to my knees going down the stairs as I gave myself whiplash. Then I tumbled the rest of the way. I am in my 60's but not yet on Medicare, and I did not bounce back up. When They got home and took me to the hospital I was told I had crushed my knees and needed total knee replacement on both. I had also given myself whiplash and if that was not bad enough I had injured my back and neck with each step I hit rolling down the rest of the stairs. The Spine Doctor said I should have kept the basket infront of me going down the stairs. Really?!

The good news is I did not injure my brain and my neck and back should recover in time. The nerve damage in neck and back will take time, not recommended surgery.

The bad news is my husband told me he saw my MRI with contrast for my head and neck and it was $10,000. The other bad news was my Doctors visits, special equipment, Physical Therapy and the total knee replacement for one knee has come to about $100,000. The surgery for the replacement knee was only $63,000+ But the other doctors and all else has brought one knee to $100,000. Now I have my date set for right after Christmas for the other knee because, remember both knees were destroyed.

There is no way I am going to continue putting all this off on my older husband.

My plans changed because my neighbors requested me to raise certain breeds, SO, I added the babies to my flocks then all this happened, so I must sell off, then traded off and now giving away those types that the neighbors are not interested in and in the process thining my flocks. Lessing the burdeon on my husband as I am not able to get around as well as I used to.

My scooter beats me up jerking and bouncing me around when I go down to take care of them myself and my walker and cane are not stable on such uneven ground that is a slope, a hillside.

So If I must give away valuable birds I will. The thing is I must down size and have less breeds and less of the breeds that I am going to keep. It is that simple. It is easier to critisize or make scathing statements when you have no understanding of others situations.
Next time, think, there may be a reason Some one is sharing their valuable birds that have become pets to them and at great finacial losses they give away.

So, this summer I started out selling, later reducing prices, trading and bartering and finally, NOW, giving away. It is the time of the year that hurts the most and the fact that some of the birds I tried to hang on to and finally realized they had to go also. And maybe next week A few more will go down on to the list to find homes for.

My birds are part of my farm business, my hobby and my love. I am happy to share the joy of chickens with others.

So your comment was to no one in particular?
Very harsh comments and sweeping assumptions is the regular? Assume? I do
Not assume, I learned way back in my 20's not to assume.

 

[ki4got]

A&A. you didn't happen to have any Serama did you? or do you? got a friend (closer to you) who's wanting to add a few for her kids to have hands on for the shows (tabletop Serama thing LOL)