Ordered chicks today

[hvacker]

You just answered your own negative balance problem . Ask $1.25 more a dozen for your 'special' eggs . Right now you are acting like the rest of us farmers : Expect to buy everything you need retail and sell everything you produce wholesale . The folks you are working with aren't buying your eggs because they are special . They are buying them because you are selling them so cheap .

Your right. The whole idea of selling "Value Added" is educating customers that paying xtra for special is smart. My wife buys free range eggs and they are different. Thicker yokes and larger. I only need one for breakfast rather than two. There's the value.
There have been many business people that sold things for more bucks based on educating value. Next thing is find YOUR customers. It might be a farmers market or a co-op but they are out there.

 

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[fistfulladirt]

Your right. The whole idea of selling "Value Added" is educating customers that paying xtra for special is smart. My wife buys free range eggs and they are different. Thicker yokes and larger. I only need one for breakfast rather than two. There's the value.
There have been many business people that sold things for more bucks based on educating value. Next thing is find YOUR customers. It might be a farmers market or a co-op but they are out there.

Dang, I usually scramble up 6-10 at a time for myself! I'm really not a pig, just a big guy.

 

[hvacker]

Dang, I usually scramble up 6-10 at a time for myself! I'm really not a pig, just a big guy.

I used to eat much more but I discovered if I slowed down I could eat much less. Someone told me the hunger urge takes a bit of time to stop so taking my time I would feel full w/o eating as much. Being big probably has little to do with it. We all need just so many calories to do whatever we do. Everything extra gets stored in fat but I'm sure you knew that. Eating a lot is part habit and part joy.
I enjoy food a lot but more when I quit while still having a bit of a craving. In 15 min after I stop eating it goes away.
There are some other things about food that are in our head. A guy I know gets really agitated when he's hungry. Actually he can get off balance. I once asked him if he knew if his mother let him cry when he was a baby and would only feed him when it was time or was not responsive to him. I wondered if being hungry took his head back to that time.
I once wanted to see how long I could go w/o food. Just to see. I only went three days but it was interesting to see what my limits night be. After three days it wasn't like I had to eat it was more like OK, did that, lets eat. At the time I wondered if pressed into a survival situation how I might need to deal with little food. It was during my "Eat the Weeds " period. Grinn...

 

[arnofarrell]

Update on my chicks. Well 23 died the other night because we had strong winds and pulled my extention cord out of the wall and they froze. I felt so bad but what can you do. Yesterday I bought 15 more from a farm store so all is well again. I expect a few chicks to die from time to time but 23 at once just is upsetting.

 

[silversnacher]

Update on my chicks. Well 23 died the other night because we had strong winds and pulled my extention cord out of the wall and they froze. I felt so bad but what can you do. Yesterday I bought 15 more from a farm store so all is well again. I expect a few chicks to die from time to time but 23 at once just is upsetting.

:.(

 

[fistfulladirt]

I used to eat much more but I discovered if I slowed down I could eat much less. Someone told me the hunger urge takes a bit of time to stop so taking my time I would feel full w/o eating as much. Being big probably has little to do with it. We all need just so many calories to do whatever we do. Everything extra gets stored in fat but I'm sure you knew that. Eating a lot is part habit and part joy.
I enjoy food a lot but more when I quit while still having a bit of a craving. In 15 min after I stop eating it goes away.
There are some other things about food that are in our head. A guy I know gets really agitated when he's hungry. Actually he can get off balance. I once asked him if he knew if his mother let him cry when he was a baby and would only feed him when it was time or was not responsive to him. I wondered if being hungry took his head back to that time.
I once wanted to see how long I could go w/o food. Just to see. I only went three days but it was interesting to see what my limits night be. After three days it wasn't like I had to eat it was more like OK, did that, lets eat. At the time I wondered if pressed into a survival situation how I might need to deal with little food. It was during my "Eat the Weeds " period. Grinn...

That may work for you. Me, I easily burn 5 grand worth of calories a day, and that's w/out climbing telephone poles and lugging a 100 lb. ladder through the woods to get there. I have to remember to eat or I start losing weight. I'm 50 years old going on 18. I like it because I can eat whatever I want, and not have to go to the gym.

 

[fistfulladirt]

Update on my chicks. Well 23 died the other night because we had strong winds and pulled my extention cord out of the wall and they froze. I felt so bad but what can you do. Yesterday I bought 15 more from a farm store so all is well again. I expect a few chicks to die from time to time but 23 at once just is upsetting.

Arno sorry to hear you lost some chicks... I've kept chicks inside my house in the basement before, or even in the garage, much to my wife's displeasure...those plastic totes work great, and I use one of those clamp-type fixtures for the lamp, stuck to the side of the tote.

 

[bartholomewroberts]

Update on my chicks. Well 23 died the other night because we had strong winds and pulled my extention cord out of the wall and they froze. I felt so bad but what can you do. Yesterday I bought 15 more from a farm store so all is well again. I expect a few chicks to die from time to time but 23 at once just is upsetting.

Ouch.. that hurts.. We were raising some turkeys a few years back... Went out one morning and there was not one to be seen!!! None!! I figured that a buddy of mine, who is known for his practical jokes came a 'absconded' with them.. A phone call later, he told me he did not have them.

Went back into the pen and saw one tiny drop of blood by the wall. I looked further and there was a smallish hole at the base of the wall. I pulled the plywood off and there they all were..... all thirty of them. A mink had managed to get every one and stacked them all like cordwood. Set a trap and got the sucker.

 

[AC1955]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this but you absolutely CANNOT keep the chickens and turkeys together. The turkeys carry a certain bacteria that will kill all the chickens. They must be kept separated - should not even free range together. We have raised both, but different years. Will be getting our hens later this season (still too cold up here in New England for chicks) from McMurray Hatchery. Roosters have a very short life span in our household. For some reason they go outside one day and lose their heads! (We slaughter them for meat). We ordered some Jersey Giants (meat birds) one year - never again. They reach a point before they reach optimum slaughter weight where they aren't able walk around due to the weight of their legs!

I am not an expert on raising birds, have just done it for the past 5 years or so. Last year we lost about 15 birds to of all things - Norway rats! We live out in the woods and apparently our area (for the first time that we know of) became infested with the buggers. Supposedly a local farm got an order of hay and the bales were loaded with the rats. Lots of horse farms in our area, so lots of hay bales in our area. Finally had to treat the barn with DeCon (hate using poisons, but we had to get rid of the pests) and will do so again before putting in new livestock.

Good luck with your birds1

Anita

 

[arnofarrell]

This is the first year I have raised them in the coop and not in my garage or house. The first year I kept them in my office and that was a mistake. The ammonia smell was very strong. The last couple years they have been in the garage and I made a pen out of hay bales.

 

[arnofarrell]

I havent had problems with mink as of yet but I have had full grown birds just disappear. From time to time they would vanish 4-5 per day and never found a trace of them. I can tell when it is my dogs because they used to bring the bird to the front yard and eat them there and there would be feathrs everywhere.

 

[bartholomewroberts]

Don't know if anyone has mentioned this but you absolutely CANNOT keep the chickens and turkeys together. The turkeys carry a certain bacteria that will kill all the chickens. They must be kept separated - should not even free range together. We have raised both, but different years. Will be getting our hens later this season (still too cold up here in New England for chicks) from McMurray Hatchery. Roosters have a very short life span in our household. For some reason they go outside one day and lose their heads! (We slaughter them for meat). We ordered some Jersey Giants (meat birds) one year - never again. They reach a point before they reach optimum slaughter weight where they aren't able walk around due to the weight of their legs!

I am not an expert on raising birds, have just done it for the past 5 years or so. Last year we lost about 15 birds to of all things - Norway rats! We live out in the woods and apparently our area (for the first time that we know of) became infested with the buggers. Supposedly a local farm got an order of hay and the bales were loaded with the rats. Lots of horse farms in our area, so lots of hay bales in our area. Finally had to treat the barn with DeCon (hate using poisons, but we had to get rid of the pests) and will do so again before putting in new livestock.

Good luck with your birds1

Anita

Hi Anita!!

Not trying to stir things up with you: But you can START the turks and chickens together.. We have been doing it for a long time now [25 years or so).. But when they are both around 3-4 weeks, then we separate them. It seems as though that is when the turks are susceptible to blackhead

The day that we get the birds, we start the very first drink with a mixture of sugar and water [recommended by our supplier].. That made a difference in initial survival.

We used to have rat problems too... until the Jack Russels took care of the problems. They are the best rodent control that I have seen. WAY better than the cats. If I have any complaints it is that, if there is a rodent (rat, mouse, gopher, etc], they will get it no matter the damage that they cause. I have had them burrow into the hay stack and get the rat..... but the hay is , let's say, rather strewn about!!

 

[hvacker]

That may work for you. Me, I easily burn 5 grand worth of calories a day, and that's w/out climbing telephone poles and lugging a 100 lb. ladder through the woods to get there. I have to remember to eat or I start losing weight. I'm 50 years old going on 18. I like it because I can eat whatever I want, and not have to go to the gym.

If you're burning them that's another thing. I remember the swimmer that was said to burn 8000 a day. Most don't burn any where near what they take in. As little as I eat I'm still a bit overweight.(10#) Part is my metabolism slowing down as I age and my work was active once. Although my ladder was more like 50#.

 

[onfire]

Arno when I first saw you post I thought you were having a stag party

Anyway main Question: How did Colonel Sanders grow chickens with no bones?? (New on the menu)

 

[truckinbutch]

Arno when I first saw you post I thought you were having a stag party

Anyway main Question: How did Colonel Sanders grow chickens with no bones?? (New on the menu)

He put the bone in and then pulled it out before he cooked them

 

[onfire]

He put the bone in and then pulled it out before he cooked them

Yea I heard that in high school

 

[arnofarrell]

I have never heard of raising turkeys seperate from the chickens, that may of been my problem the last couple times I tried raising turks. They would always die within 6 weeks or so. Good to now and thanks guys.

 

[arnofarrell]

As of right now I have not lost any more chicks. I have noticed that once they make it through the first week they are normally going to make it. The sugar water trick helps alot as well.

My ducks are huge compared to the chicks that were born on the same day. I can't wait for some farm fresh eggs.

One other thing, my geese are laying but the weather keeps going up and down and right now as I write this it is snowing and 2-3 inches are expected tonight. Last week it was in the high fifties and even hit sixty. But anyways I hope my geese can raise there own young this year with out me helping. Last year I incubated them. I want to have them do it naturally this year. I can only hope.

 

[bartholomewroberts]

As of right now I have not lost any more chicks. I have noticed that once they make it through the first week they are normally going to make it. The sugar water trick helps alot as well.

My ducks are huge compared to the chicks that were born on the same day. I can't wait for some farm fresh eggs.

One other thing, my geese are laying but the weather keeps going up and down and right now as I write this it is snowing and 2-3 inches are expected tonight. Last week it was in the high fifties and even hit sixty. But anyways I hope my geese can raise there own young this year with out me helping. Last year I incubated them. I want to have them do it naturally this year. I can only hope.

I know what you mean about the weather and the ever changing conditions. Just when you think that it might be safe to lower the temperature, it plunges. That is where most of the problems occur. The birds are too hot [or just right anyway] and then the temp drops. That is why, next year, we are going to start the process in June. Less likelihood of temp swings.

We tried geese a while back. I could never get over the difficulty in plucking them..... so we gave it up. With my new plucker I built, I may try again. But even that might not remove enough feathers to make the job less unpleasant.

Good luck with the remaining birds

 

[arnofarrell]

Let me ask you a question, What is the reason for keeping the skin on the birds? The reason I ask is because I have plucked and burned the pin feathers off but then one day I was frustrated and just slit it like a deer and skinned a goose. This way was so much simpler and alot less time consuming. my wife does not particularly like the skin and I could take it or leave it.