rachels.haven's Journal

[Bruce]

Laughing at DH's comment!! I know they send "packing peanuts" in the winter but that is for small orders. 35 is NOT small and they didn't need the extra bodies for warmth. I wonder how many of the extras are cockerels. Did they mark the 3 that are SUPPOSED to be cockerels?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Holy Cannoli - that's crazy chicken math! Is there even a little bit of a silver lining???? Can you sell the extras?

 

[Baymule]

You need this.

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[rachels.haven]

Nope @Bruce . The only thing they did mark for some reason was the leghorns. That's the first time I've ever had anything marked and I didn't ask for it.

Did I get someone else's order? Did they get the digits swapped and just send anyway? Did they just sent me a ton of cockerels? Did the first hatch of the season not sell well and I got a bunch of straight run extras? I guess we'll find out.

I can sell the extra pullets (I've seen listed for $50/pullet, some $25) but if they are female I wouldn't mind keeping them. There's a big demand in the area for inexpensive "non-organic" normal eggs, especially colored ones and these are all production birds-leghorns and whiting in blue and green (and brown). They are flighty and forage well and lay even better. Hopefully they don't eat eggs right off the bat (new deep, dark nest boxes going in). Before I sold the egg eaters I had someone asking me for 8 dozen weekly, and other people requesting 3-4 dozens weekly in the same time frame at $3.50/dozen. I've noticed that most sellers here only do organic or "locally fed" (mill their own feed) eggs for $4-6/dozen and only catch the affluent buyers. Everyone else appears to be out of luck and stuck with nothing between that and the grocery store.

If we go that big they will all be ruthlessly free ranged all the time once adulthood hits, and I may cull down at winter to my favorites and rehatch some next year out of that.

 

[Bruce]

People pay $25-$50 for a STARTED pullet?

Sounds like maybe you found your niche in the egg market. Around here organic feed is about twice that of non organic.

The "issue" with providing 8 & 4 dozen a week year round is that you have to light the coop in the winter or get a ton of chicks every spring. You'll need to carefully manage the flock and with that many hens I don't know how one tells which are your great layers and which are slackers. Shame to cull the good layers just based on age. I've got older girls that lay better than some of the younger ones.

 

[rachels.haven]

They are here... I have 32 and counting!!

People pay $25-$50 for a STARTED pullet?

Yes, the affluent are strange animals.
...I mean, income wise DH brings in a lot income-wise but mortgage+heatingoil+electric bill are high enough I don't think I could afford to think about stocking my flock with $50/ pullet birds ever (or even just one, too easy for a chicken to die). We are not at the top of the income bracket here, and the things I see "rich" people do boggle my mind...feels out of tough with reality.

Yes, seasonal culling and coop lighting would have to become a thing. We'll see what happens. I wouldn't count my chickens yet. I may just have a bunch of extra cockerels to feed and grow out. 18mo+ layers still sell around here, btw. The sell well too.

 

[Bruce]

Amazing since a lot of people who are raising for max egg production dump the 18 month old girls since most likely their first year of laying is the best and I THINK even with light they aren't as productive in the winter.

I wonder how many of those "rich" people are in hock up to their cowlicks. Lose a job, lose everything.

 

[rachels.haven]

Lol, I think I know what you mean. I'm afraid to wonder what the average debt per household is here. Our mortgage is probably barely on the scale. I don't like thinking about that though. Ugh, too much debt in the world.

I actually like the older layers as long as they don't just shut off from Oct to May (like a Marans or Welsummer), don't start laying thin or bad shelled eggs, and they play nice with others. The eggs are bigger and it's nice to have stability in a flock. The production birds that lay large amounts of eggs don't always make that criteria or survive long enough to be old though. I'm not sure what I'll do, or if I even have to worry about that. First they've got to be pullets, next they've got to survive and not eat eggs.

 

[rachels.haven]

@Bruce I believe you wanted a picture of the barn cats. Here's one. They are both identical. I think we still have both...not sure though.

Sorry about the graininess.i had to zoom. They are still skittish.

 

[Baymule]

The sex links are fantastic layers for 2 laying seasons, after their 2nd molt, they slack off. If you want to produce eggs, that would be the way to go. Get red sex links, the next year get black sex links. Then you would know the difference. I used to have them and slaughtered on their 2nd molt.