What are your plans for the new year?

[mixedbreeds]

Keeping chickens going, hatching some olive eggers and getting into raising quail.

 

[Mrs. K]

I will order a dozen cornish cross birds. Loved them. From here on all other birds are soup birds.

As for now, I am pretty maxed out.... so before new chicks, need some culling.

 

[RonP]

Sourced 1/2 dozen SS mixing bowls for under $15 each. 22 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches. The polished SS will make an excellent large reflector.

Will convert to LED 1680 lumens 15.5w (100w incandescent equivalent) weather proof light fixtures for my outdoor run. They will replace the existing mass produced garbage 20w LED floods, that do not "flood" light well enough to my liking at close range, and are not serviceable...

Always a work in progress, my coop is a hobby.
I'll think of something else to improve when bored...

 

[aart]

Sourced 1/2 dozen SS mixing bowls for under $15 each. 22 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches. The polished SS will make an excellent large reflector.

Wow, those are big!
I look forward to seeing a thread or article on your build.

 

[RonP]

Wow, those are big!

Yes, the largest I could find inexpensively. My intent is to design and build lights capable of producing a bright light flooded area (coop run), with minimal to no light pollution (lights on at 4:30 am). Sourcing inexpensive "reflectors" was my last barrier. They will arrive this Friday... total cost should be under $25 parts, 15 minutes, for each once built. Could't find anything close currently available.

All the best for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

 

[Alexandra33]

Building the flock back up, of course! (not that we need to, but....*ahem* that's aside the point )

In all seriousness, we've lost many to Marek's, hawks, and unknown causes within the last few months. As heartbreaking as it is, circumstances like these are viewed as a chance to fill the empty spaces with new feathered friends. Looking forward to 30+ Old English Game bantams in a month!

I'm also hopeful one of the local hatcheries will hire me. Things are looking upward thus far, in that respect!

~Alex

 

[aart]

I'm also hopeful one of the local hatcheries will hire me

If you work for a hatchery, can you keep your own flock-especially if it has Mareks?

 

[Redhead Rae]

If you work for a hatchery, can you keep your own flock-especially if it has Mareks?

That is what I was thinking. Mareks can transfer in on your clothing.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I'm going to be trying to establish my wheaten ameraucana breeder stock, possibly join the APA as well. I have a bunch of wheatens but they're not very good quality so I'm hoping to locate some that are better, or otherwise breed for better traits in what I have, so that by 2020 I can offer them for sale. There's almost none of this variety in our area. I'll be hatching a lot of chicks and making a lot of soup out of the boys for a while.

Plus I plan on starting up my NPIP certification again as well. I let it slip for a year or so while I wasn't shipping eggs.

I'm planning a few improvements to my pen and coop and I've already started them... Reinforcing the chicken fence, adding more ventilation to our new coop (we built our new coop but wanted to get the birds we had into it quickly so we didn't add as much as we wanted), adding a chicken swing, putting in more substrate, putting in a specific box for dust bathing, and putting in a grow-frame for some greens and grasses.

I'd also like to start blogging about my homestead more and do well in my garden. I haven't been writing consistently for a long time. It will help keep me motivated.

 

[TwoCrows]

If you work for a hatchery, can you keep your own flock-especially if it has Mareks?

That is what I was thinking. Mareks can transfer in on your clothing.

The hatchery here in New Mexico, Privett Hatchery, was looking for help last year. One of their requirements was that you cannot own chickens lest you bring in disease on your person.