So THIS is where all the chicken people are...

[Tookie]

Hello, and welcome to BYC! Nice to meet you, we're so glad to have you here.

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

Just a quick flock update. The Original 8 are doing well. Got their run covered with netting, added an old wooden ladder for entertainment, and they can now go beyond the run and forage a bit, which they love. They have finally begun to rebound from our two week cold snap from a couple weeks ago. Leading up to the snap, the 7 ladies gave me 104 eggs and during that two week stretch they dropped to pretty much 1 total per day. Now I'm getting 3 per and today will have at least 4 (one in the box the last time I went to check).

Making my plans for the new batch of chicks. Probably will wait until the first of March to order, but if I order from Atwoods, Ideal will ship my birds to their store with no shipping charge, as they are currently shipping there anyway. This is a win. Going to add 30 new birds to the mix and really try to upscale egg production for local sale. Going the multi-colored dozen route so I'll be adding at least two of each of the following breeds: Golden Star, Olive Egger, Arctic Blue Egger (this one is not on their website, but is on the official price list of which I have photo evidence!), Lavender Orpington, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelder, Black Copper Maran, Blue Copper Maran, Welbar, Welsummer, Production Black, and Golden Laced Wyandotte. Will also get three Roos: Welsummer, Golden Laced Wyandotte, and Blue Copper Maran.

The indoor brooder is in progress and I have an outdoor brooder area already half completed (began as a dog kennel, but we never used it as I had hoped), so they have a place to go when they are big enough to be outside, but still have a warmer place to hole up if they get chilled. The plan is to keep the Lavender Orpington ladies at the house and the others will go out to the larger flock. My wife is absolutely in love with the Lavenders, so she gets to keep those here.

If I wait until March 1 to order, that gives me about 8 weeks of in-the-garage time, then I need to clean that out for my 30 meat birds that will go in once we've moved the new layers out. They aren't in the garage as long and it will be June by the time they're ready to be out, so they will be fine in their Suscovich tractor at 6 weeks.

Big plans ahead for this chicken wrangler. I've had a bunch of people ask about my "chicken farming" and want to buy eggs when I have them, so I hope they still want them in 8 months!

Almost forgot the ducks! I plan to order 10 ducklings about the same time, so life will be busy; Golden Layers (and a drake), Rouens, and Buffs. These I will order from Meyer because Ideal only sells straight run ducks and I'd like to have only one drake.

 

[Debbie292d]

Just a quick flock update. The Original 8 are doing well. Got their run covered with netting, added an old wooden ladder for entertainment, and they can now go beyond the run and forage a bit, which they love. They have finally begun to rebound from our two week cold snap from a couple weeks ago. Leading up to the snap, the 7 ladies gave me 104 eggs and during that two week stretch they dropped to pretty much 1 total per day. Now I'm getting 3 per and today will have at least 4 (one in the box the last time I went to check).

Making my plans for the new batch of chicks. Probably will wait until the first of March to order, but if I order from Atwoods, Ideal will ship my birds to their store with no shipping charge, as they are currently shipping there anyway. This is a win. Going to add 30 new birds to the mix and really try to upscale egg production for local sale. Going the multi-colored dozen route so I'll be adding at least two of each of the following breeds: Golden Star, Olive Egger, Arctic Blue Egger (this one is not on their website, but is on the official price list of which I have photo evidence!), Lavender Orpington, Speckled Sussex, Barnevelder, Black Copper Maran, Blue Copper Maran, Welbar, Welsummer, Production Black, and Golden Laced Wyandotte. Will also get three Roos: Welsummer, Golden Laced Wyandotte, and Blue Copper Maran.

The indoor brooder is in progress and I have an outdoor brooder area already half completed (began as a dog kennel, but we never used it as I had hoped), so they have a place to go when they are big enough to be outside, but still have a warmer place to hole up if they get chilled. The plan is to keep the Lavender Orpington ladies at the house and the others will go out to the larger flock. My wife is absolutely in love with the Lavenders, so she gets to keep those here.

If I wait until March 1 to order, that gives me about 8 weeks of in-the-garage time, then I need to clean that out for my 30 meat birds that will go in once we've moved the new layers out. They aren't in the garage as long and it will be June by the time they're ready to be out, so they will be fine in their Suscovich tractor at 6 weeks.

Big plans ahead for this chicken wrangler. I've had a bunch of people ask about my "chicken farming" and want to buy eggs when I have them, so I hope they still want them in 8 months!

Almost forgot the ducks! I plan to order 10 ducklings about the same time, so life will be busy; Golden Layers (and a drake), Rouens, and Buffs. These I will order from Meyer because Ideal only sells straight run ducks and I'd like to have only one drake.

Sounds like you have your ducks all in a row! Good luck with your plans!

 

[KS_Chicken_Wrangler]

Sounds like you have your ducks all in a row! Good luck with your plans!

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth...or so Mike Tyson tells me. LOL

The hardest part of this plan is not pulling the trigger on the new layers right now!