Christy, good thing you showed DH the math. that guy would have come back for more once you sold him one. i had a guy come by one day, i didn't even go outside, just sent DH out to tell him we have NOTHING for sale. turns out he wanted a cheap rooster, DH siad how much? he said "cheap as possible"... i told DH i have known that guy since i was a teenager, and selling something to him will cause you more grief, just always send him away...
YIPPPPPPEEEE!! Our 1st broody just hatched her 1st chick....
Have to tell you guys this one.....Last year, when I was doing a bake sale for our library boosters, my DH came up and told me he had sold a rooster to a guy that came to the house for eggs. I asked him what he got for him, and he told me $20.00. This was for a young ROOSTER!!
This same man is one of my best customers this year, so I am not complaining. But, guess what? I am going to have to order at least 60 pullets next year to get back to the amound of eggs we are going to need. We sell our eggs at $2.00 a dozen with just a sign out front, and can't keep up with the demand.
GG
^_^
very good.
L2G....just make sure you keep a good eye on him. My kids, 5 and 7, still don't seem to understand sometimes that you have to be gentle with the animals and that they do 'break' very easily. I'm sure you'll be keeping an eye on him, just know accidents can happen pretty easily and it would be so sad if something did.
tf, I think you are right about this guy. The part of the story I didn't tell was that after I continuously told him no animals for sale right now, he then moved on to.....'what about these boards? Are they for sale? How about these windows?' It was stuff from my DH had piled on the trailer still from that old house he is tearing down. It was so WEIRD, to say the least. I asked my SIL about it and said what is up with that? She said some people just have a need to buy SOMETHING, they just can't seem to help it. I'm glad I told this guy no.......I don't think we would have ever seen the last of him.
Granny.......that said, I think if the guy was offering my $20 for a young roo I would have said, gotta a cage on ya? LOL! I glad it all turned out so well for you that he is a good customer. It is so fantastic that you have so much egg business......and all from a sign in the front yard! You must have a lot of traffic your way.
We live a bit off the beaten path so the customers that come to the house are people that live on this road. When we have more to offer though, we might try a sign next to the little highway that runs by our road. I wonder if people would drive 2 miles back to get fresh eggs? Right now my DH takes most of them to work when we have them.....other than that we are going to have to go looking for customers. That's why lining up restaurants is a good idea for us......if we can get more on board to save on the gas.
Christy
are there any people who are city chicken people or are there just country chicken people here
Well, I am pretty much a city person--I am in the older, wrong side of the track, part of the city and I have 1/4 acre--but it is city. Myrrh is definitely city.
well thats close enough
Christy My grandson is very gentle, he has been around the puppies and knows he cant pick them up, plus on the brooder he cant lift the lids on them so no worries, just got to let him know not to be to loud at first when he is around them.
Lucky I am a raised city girl until I was 16 then got married at 18 and went back to the city until about 3 yrs ago, now I am a full fledged country girl and will stay here till well you know. I have 10 acres but access to another 35 acres that is in my family.
L2G2, we are on a paved road, but not a very busy one. Most of the people that buy eggs from us are locals. There aren't very many actual farms around here, so most people here don't have chickens. There are a lot of retirees here, so they don't want to be bothered with them.
Lucky, I am a born and bred city girl, but because my father cut the handle off a hoe when I was 4, had me weeding the garden with it, I think some country dirt got into my blood and I've been country ever since. Then when my DH retired, we moved here on ten acres, and since I couldn't get country eggs and the egg person lied to me about them being store-bought, I got my own chickens. BTW, I am not new to chickens, since we had them when I was a little girl.
GG
Awesome granny, I read your reply s alot, I know you know alot about what you are talking about.
Been living in the country since I was like 6. Never leaving!
Lucky.....I was a county girl until I was 5 with hogs and horses, then a city girl until I was 23, then married my DH and became country all the way. By the time I was 23 I didn't know ANYTHING about the country, gardening, or animals! I have learned things very fast and am learning a ton more everyday. Don't think I could go back to the city now......I dun been country-fied!
L2G......is your grandson coming soon? I'm sure you said somewhere and I have forgotten. I'll have to 'plant' the idea of a brooder or pen where the door can't be lifted or opened to my DH. Our problems are mainly coming from the kids having too much time on there hands during summer break and they find things to do that seem like fun at the time. I think I am getting through to them though that when they 'play' with the animals they are not only risking hurting them, but they are affecting our future meat, eggs, and money. That and punishment are getting through to them! I can't wait to hear what your grandson thinks of it all.....especially since he doesn't know you have them yet!
Granny.....I've been thinking about what you said about getting country dirt in your blood....I think there is some truth in that for me too! When i was a city girl at age 23 and met my DH I found out he was a country boy and fell HARD! Something must have clicked because here I am. WAY out in the boon docks! Someone told me years ago that something in me must have been seeking out being back in the country and they must be right. I find it fascinating at what things can leave a mark on us at an early age.
chick up date......3 new one's today. 1 from the 2 broodies and 2 from the broody in pen #5. She is by herself now. I took the Brown Leghorn out and gave her a good dunk in cold water. Now I have 3 boodies in a pen and I have broken the 'hotness' they get to them.....but they are still cackling like broodies do and no eggs. I told DH tonight....well, now what? I can take the heat from them so maybe they won't want to set on eggs anymore, but how do I get them to start laying again? I keep having little chat's with them about laying eggs and 'oh, you want to lay eggs again'.......don't know if they are listening though. I think I will be letting them out tomorrow to see what they do. Better not go straight back to the nest boxes to sit some more!
I'm glad I read the fingernail polish trick....I haven't been able to get those zip ties yet, so tomorrow the kids and I are going to be merrily painting toe nails! That ought to keep us busy for awhile. I'm going to paint the broody's I am trying to break a very bright red, and the little chicks from the incubator hot pink.......in hopes of having pullets! : ) The little ones are growing so fast, if I don't do it soon I won't be able to tell them apart soon. DH says why bother with the chicks......I want to do it for the most part to see if all the problems with the incubator and this hatch have a health affect on them in the long run. He thought that was a good idea, but is still shaking his head on the nail polish. : )
Christy
Patch.....I'm not leaving now either!
My "other half" is a born and bred city kid (ST. Louis) and every now and then he tries to convince me to move to the city. Those moments are getting rarer and rarer, I think he's finally realizing his fate, LMAO : ) I wonder how shocking it must be for him ; 0 )
well i moved out to the country area when i was 1 0when i got older i bought my own house out here and have been here ever since
I seem to remember saying to my DH that my idea of heaven would be to have 10 acres with a house in the middle of it so I don't have too much contact with my neighbors. I got my wish, at least in the summer. With the leaves on the trees, I can't see the only permanent neighbor we have. All the others are seasonal. And you better believe I love it that way. I never have been too much of a people person, so this is just about perfect for me. DH does like people a little bit more, so sometimes he goes uptown and has coffee with the guys.
GG
Lucky, I hear ya!!
GG
i will live in the country for the rest of my life i love
josh
Yea Christy, I do have him now he has been here for 2 days and going home today, getting 160 chicks I am going to be very busy. He had 1 million and 1 questions when he seen them. Nanna why you have chickens, why they making that noise, why are they running................ He did like to watch them and talk to them, 1st thing he said was hey chickys I love you. He is a doll. Yea my brooder is build good so that nothing can get into them. Including small 2 legged critters.
lol......I bet he is going to be talking mom and dad's head off about grandma's chicks! : ) When do you get your chicks? Whew.....now that is a lot to get all at once!
Christy
The 60 that I ordered a couple weeks ago are at the post office right now waiting on me to pick them up, got to wait on grandson to wake up feed him and then off to the farm store and then go get them, the other I was "forced" into taking will be in this evening or in the morning. i have the puppies in their brooder bin in the house so I have to get something else for either the puppies so they can stay outside. It rained all day yesterday and when I finally found them they were soaked. i am already tired and have not even started yet.
Yes he will be talking mom and dads head off and then he will be calling me all the time asking me how all the critters are doing.
forced huh? lol For sure talked into! Your gonna have to start hiding behind a door from the chicken fairy! Your going to be run ragged for a couple of days but it will settle down some when everyone is settled in. At least they are not coming all at once......though close to it. My thoughts are with you and I hope you don't get too worn out!
Christy
Should be ok, only thing I am not happy with is 2 trips to town. Oh well maybe better in intervals. I ment to go to town yesterday to get the things I need but it was raining and I didnt want to drag the grandson out in it, let alone me. I already had to go out 2 times and dip the water off the tarp over the coop, all were fine and loving the sound of the rain.
Hope it's not raining on you today!
so far it is not, only a 30 % chance. OMG I just looked at bantam chick pictures, I will HAVE to build a brooder for them they are just to small to go into the brooder with the 10 day old crested. Yep grandson has to go home, He will drive me insane with all the questions. I could get the coop ready today, and put the 10 day old in there.
I think getting the coop done and moving the 10 day olds would be a good idea if you can do it. I'm not an expert by any means and haven't had any crested or bantams, but I'm sure the size difference will be a big one at first. From my experience the little ones might not do as well mixed with the bigger ones as far as being able to get to the feeders and waterers.......especially with so many. Also, that many chicks in your brooder might be hard to keep an eye on and see potential problems. I don't think it will take all that long for the new ones to grow some and get the whole food/water thing figured out and you will be able to mix them again. I think some have had problems mixing them, but we never have. Of course, we are almost always mixing different sizes into different groups as they grow, so maybe they are just used to it by now? I can't wait to see them all!
I'm off to paint toe nails now before it gets too hot.....the little ones should go pretty smoothly...........don't think the grown broody's are going to take so kindly to being held for that long though! Wonder if I should do 2 coats on the hens so it stays for longer? With all the scratching around they do, I wonder how long it will last? Guess there's only one way to find out! Guess I'll then have to paint my DD's nails too....reward for helping with the painting of chicken nails!! : ) ha ha!
Christy
Yea she may need a manicure also. Wish I had help. There is plenty room in the brooder for the new ones for about a week or two. Hoping this weekend to get DH to build the coop. Then when they get older I can get the coop remodeled and an addition or 9 made to it to separate they way I want it.
Hoping you have no claw marks from the broodies
i bet you get all of yours at once, i got all mine...
lol....an addition or 9! hee hee.....I don't think your DH knows what he is in for, does he? My DD is 5, so she is more like company than help right now....but hey, that's help too right? : )
I think I'll do a football hold on the hens to keep their wings from flapping, put their feet on my thigh, have my son hold a feed dish up to them and have my DD hold the polish bottle. I'll probably end up with bright red polish streaks all over my thigh, but that out to do it! Hopefully no scratch marks!
Oh my, all at once? WHEW!
or nine? LOL. how did i miss that?
Nope only got the 1st one. all very very healthy, I do have a feathers legged one?????? I cant count they are running all over. Will pick up the bantans at around 6 10 this evening. Or in the morning.
Oh goodness....where are you going to put them all?
The nail painting was an adventure! The little chicks were easy to do.....once I had them all cradled in my hand they were so snuggly warm they fell asleep. My DD giggled and giggled about how they looked with pink polish. It is pretty funny! The hens were not so easy. I held them for awhile until they got comfy and settled down, then painted. I didn't get any scratches but it's a good thing I was wearing an old shirt.....got a couple of polish marks on it. Sure hopes the polish holds out until we can get those zip ties!
No more baby chicks yet. Waiting patiently though.
Christy
awwwwwwwwww i bet it was fun and cute.
christy hope you get more chicks so u get to paint more nails
josh
yea, it was cute. DH said to the hens when he got home....'Well hello there ladies.....pretty ya got there!' It was funny.
Josh, I am for sure hoping for more chick's but won't be painting their nails. I just painted the 5 chicks that came from the incubator hatch. Get to paint more broody nails though....oh joy! lol
Christy
lol have fun with that
oh yeah, fun. I'd much rather paint the little chicks. I'll have some zip ties soon, so I won't have to worry about it them. MUCH easier, I am sure of that!
Two more chicks today, both PBR. One from the Broody PBR in pen #5 and the 1st one from 'Princess', the PBR in the top pen. I've left them with their mama's for now. Watching one chicks take a dive a burrow under mama was so cute! One thing I have noticed is that when a chick is peeping, ALL the broody's get a little nutso acting.......even the one's that haven't hatched any chicks yet. They'll back up a bit and start looking their eggs over pretty franticly trying to figure out where their baby is. It's amazing to me that none of them have hatched out eggs before and yet they just seem to know what is supposed to happen.
Christy
That is just awesome, I can not wait till I am in your shoes. I say about 7 months and I will see if iI have any broodies.
you have to get more pic on here of them
josh
i have one official broody hen, and she has 14 official eggs under her! time to replace those lost by the killer dog s!