Washingtonians

[Illia]

Quote:
E/E extended black and lav/lav - Nothing more. It's like blue, honestly - You need a solid colored bird, no duckwing or partridge or wheaten or such, and the lavender gene (both) in there. It's recessive. You can indeed use black for your lavenders, that will make lavender splits (blacks with the lavender gene) But to actually create more Lavenders, you'll need a pure Lavender or Lavender splits. (black birds with the Lavender gene)

 

[Greg Richardson]

Illia.

There are very few people interested in the thought of chickens, even fewer who have them - And the people who do only want hens who lay enough eggs to keep them out of the pot. Also, I doubt people here want to pay much over $3 per chick. Now, in Port Angeles and Seqium, yes, I can count on buyers - But this is just a logging and Twilight town.

OK, this is my thoughts what I'd do in your shoes.

There are very few people interested in the thought of chickens

I can only assume you feel this way by past advertising or word of mouth in town and the response came back lack of interest or why they can't at this time raise chickens.

So what stops most people?
Money?

Could be, but with education and planning they'd find out if they are serious and coop money was the biggest factor they could scrounge enough wood till their expense is very small to build a coop.
My last coop expense was down 95% in expense compared to the first because I planned ahead of time instead of just saying HD here I come.

You will find after questioning process it isn't so much they are dis interested, just there are so called barriers they believe are stopping them from buying from you.

Your job is to discover those barriers and remove them.

Barriers such as........
Money being one, - planning removes it.
Not knowing the benefits of REAL HEALTHY EGG'S is the other.
By educating them about what most hatchery conditions exist and they are feeding their families that food that in it's self can be a turning point from their excuse.
I posted an article about that hatchery on here you could copy to hand out proving what goes on.
Or just google hatchery conditions for number of articles you could quote from, have these on one page hand out. Three to four articles should convince them they need real eggs and how much healthier they are for them with more omega and other vitamins.

I doubt people here want to pay much over $3 per chick

In order to command top dollar you need to show them top value.

But this is just a logging and Twilight town.

You can change that. Every town needs to eat. Every town has kids that need to be taught responsibilities that raising chickens entails.

You could go place bulletins announcing a Saturday open farm day to come discover the joy of raising chickens for health and quality of life.
Make it a bullet type of bulletins.
Listing what you will show them things such as coop building, bedding, feeding, anything to do with the care of chickens to take the fear out of raising chickens, those barriers thrown away.

Make sure when designing the bulletins you list some of the conditions that the eggs they are currently eating.
Do a color one with a picture of your egg next to a store bought egg.
Show picture of your color assortment.
Great way to add responsibility for your kid, or make this a bonding project with your kid selling factor.

You have a market there. I guarantee it.
You just got to sit down throw all this down on paper till you get the pictures and subjects put together in such a way it makes the reader think they'd be stupid to miss out on someone giving me all this info with no obligation to buy.

You might say on bulletins one carton of eggs to go home with each family so you can taste and see the difference.
People hate to pass up freebies.

Don't even mention selling chicks on the bulletins.
This is strictly a building relationships setting the hook marketing application.
At the end of your presentation on your open farm day you set the hook listing what you sell and for how much with the importance of proper planning getting a safe coop and run together before purchase.

Let them know either through email or phone calls Q&A will be available to take away the fear long after their purchase.
Then their thought process eliminates another fear factor that even after I buy I'll be OK cause this person isn't going to abandon me after my purchase.

Take away the fears, educate, build relationships in town giving eggs away with bulletins about heath difference between store and home reared eggs and you can change that town into your operation becoming a part of their life.​

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
OK, this is my thoughts what I'd do in your shoes.

There are very few people interested in the thought of chickens

I can only assume you feel this way by past advertising or word of mouth in town and the response came back lack of interest or why they can't at this time raise chickens.

So what stops most people?
Money?

Could be, but with education and planning they'd find out if they are serious and coop money was the biggest factor they could scrounge enough wood till their expense is very small to build a coop.
My last coop expense was down 95% in expense compared to the first because I planned ahead of time instead of just saying HD here I come.

You will find after questioning process it isn't so much they are dis interested, just there are so called barriers they believe are stopping them from buying from you.

Your job is to discover those barriers and remove them.

Barriers such as........
Money being one, - planning removes it.
Not knowing the benefits of REAL HEALTHY EGG'S is the other.
By educating them about what most hatchery conditions exist and they are feeding their families that food that in it's self can be a turning point from their excuse.
I posted an article about that hatchery on here you could copy to hand out proving what goes on.
Or just google hatchery conditions for number of articles you could quote from, have these on one page hand out. Three to four articles should convince them they need real eggs and how much healthier they are for them with more omega and other vitamins.

I doubt people here want to pay much over $3 per chick

In order to command top dollar you need to show them top value.

But this is just a logging and Twilight town.

You can change that. Every town needs to eat. Every town has kids that need to be taught responsibilities that raising chickens entails.

You could go place bulletins announcing a Saturday open farm day to come discover the joy of raising chickens for health and quality of life.
Make it a bullet type of bulletins.
Listing what you will show them things such as coop building, bedding, feeding, anything to do with the care of chickens to take the fear out of raising chickens, those barriers thrown away.

Make sure when designing the bulletins you list some of the conditions that the eggs they are currently eating.
Do a color one with a picture of your egg next to a store bought egg.
Show picture of your color assortment.
Great way to add responsibility for your kid, or make this a bonding project with your kid selling factor.

You have a market there. I guarantee it.
You just got to sit down throw all this down on paper till you get the pictures and subjects put together in such a way it makes the reader think they'd be stupid to miss out on someone giving me all this info with no obligation to buy.

You might say on bulletins one carton of eggs to go home with each family so you can taste and see the difference.
People hate to pass up freebies.

Don't even mention selling chicks on the bulletins.
This is strictly a building relationships setting the hook marketing application.
At the end of your presentation on your open farm day you set the hook listing what you sell and for how much with the importance of proper planning getting a safe coop and run together before purchase.

Let them know either through email or phone calls Q&A will be available to take away the fear long after their purchase.
Then their thought process eliminates another fear factor that even after I buy I'll be OK cause this person isn't going to abandon me after my purchase.

Take away the fears, educate, build relationships in town giving eggs away with bulletins about heath difference between store and home reared eggs and you can change that town into your operation becoming a part of their life.​

I would look into others' experiences, like Nancy at Bargain...they retired (

) to a farm...lucky all was there when they moved in but neither has experience at farming...in a short time they have invited tours from various places and have every kinds fowl you would want...Nancy does a hard job like everyone else 8 hrs a day, and to top it off, spends a great deal of time in their church.
She also is on the BYC alot, and is one of the most helpful people I have ever spoken to, and this is what hard work and love will combine to make::: Their farm in Bowden Georgia... is an example.
Anyone here from the North Bend area ?
Remember the herb farm ?
I fell in love with the herb farm way before it ws taken over by gourmet ever-bodies..........when they were milking goats and offering starter plants........The new herb farm is but a perch for a very select fluffed birds we do not even want to see...by the way~~~~~ I have a GLUTIN FREE chicken pot pie of astronmical prportions in the wee oven even as we ssssspeak...

I have taken points...​

 

[Rainwolf]

Quote:
Yummy! now my tummy is hungry!

 

[TheReidHomestead]

What are the genetics on the lavender color? If I have lavender orp hens, pullets really (just got 2 from Monica) do I eventually need a lav roo or a roo with lavender in him but that is black? Sorry if that's a stupid question but I am new...

If you want lavender chicks from your lavender pullets after a single mating, you will need a lavender roo. If you want to improve the type and feather quality in the lavender Orp project, because it still is a project (and the self-blue gene does a weirdish thing to the feather quality), then you would want to breed your lav pullets to a pure black roo or a lav roo to pure black pullets and they will produce split-black offspring, this means they will appear visually as black, but will carry the lav gene. If you then mate a split-black with a lavender, they will have lavender offspring.​

 

[Illia]

I have chicks!!

Here's a little Easter Egger (half Araucana)

And here's another (same Araucana dad)

They have such awesome colors.

Still waiting on more though, and of course still waiting on some to carry the blue gene or a tufted gene.

Here's dad, after his tufts were chewed off. Mom is to the right of the image, and a New Hampshire. These chicks will all be rumpless, I've got a 50% chance of them having blue, and 50% chance of them having tufts.

They should lay a really good green egg though, as the cockerel is from my bluest laying Araucana lines here.

 

[justbugged]

I have a broody again. Miss Snowball is insisting on sitting around all day in a nest. I think she has been broody at least 3 or 4 times all ready this year. I have been able to break 1 Blue Marans, 2 Salmon Faverolles and 3 Silkies of being broody, by putting the girls in broody jail. I tried a lot of other things that I had read here to try and break them, but so far time out is the most effective. The Salmon Faverolles are the meanest when they are broody. Most of the time they are the sweetest hens, and seem to actually want to be petted, but just don't try taking her eggs when she is setting. The broodies are starting to drive my crazy.

 

[Chickielady]

The Buff Orps I had were the meanest broodies...in so far as even pecking at me, and screaming...for ever as long as she could see me, even if I was across the yard...it went on for months after the hatch was over...and the babies 4 or 5 mo old, and the BO hen still screaming....she hated everyone, not just me, every other hen and her grown babies as well, so I sold her, and finally it has been quite.

I hope she is not driving the buyer crazy !

And Illia fantastic babies !!!!

Beautiful Rooster too !!!!

I am searching for a oil heater for this little barn cabin, that uses little or no electricity....I am not doing electric heaters in here again, we are on 2 electrical lines, 100 yards away, so too much on the lines is a bad thing....bad enough we have a TV, computer, refrigerator, lights, heat lamp on babies and soon the incubator.
We have ran all this before without incident but I like to sleep at night without worrying.
We have our new electrical lines in conduit, laying on the ground not connected yet, waiting on the honey-do list....Poor DH, he is overwhelmed sometimes.
Like daily

Like me.

 

[Rainwolf]

Quote:
If the barn uses little or no electricity why not use a little windmill or solar panel?
just curious...

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
If the barn uses little or no electricity why not use a little windmill or solar panel?
just curious...

We live in this little barn, and at present, are using power from 2 LONG extension cords until we can hook up the power in the conduits...so, pluging in any electric heater is asking for trouble.
What we need is a small oil stove or zero clearance externally vented RV heater, although they use LP gas which is expensive, whereas the oil stove uses #2 Diesle or Kerosene (which is expensiv-er than LP) I like Oil better simply because it is easier to use...We had a Toyotomi Fuel Oil stove (like a monitor) and I absolutely LOVE it!!!
So off to the stove store we go.