Took my kids out chicken shopping today. First stop, Village Mercantile. 24 X 18 wire cage, water bottle, feeder, 25# of feed. No chicks there. Went to another feed store to check out their stock with a buddy and his daughter. I ended up starting my "flock" with two Rhode Is. Reds, two Buff Orpingtons, and two California Whites. Going to try and get some Americanas maybe.
A bit of an expensive afternoon (~$70 all together) but I guess ranchin' is like that.
I told my wife I needed a tractor.
Frank
Everyone knows you can't farm chickens without a tractor. [crz]
rofl You'll need a farm tax number too so you can by red farm diesel. Do you already have a barn?
You know, I don't need anything crazy. I could probably suffice with a Kubota R420 or similar, as long as it had a backhoe and a front loader. Have you ever picked up a sack of chicken feed? Cripes that's heavy. My 11 year old daughter can barely carry them.
I do have a barn, but it is being used as a camper storage. Hmmm... probably need to get a better one that has ventilation fans.
Here's a picture of my peeps.
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/peeps.jpg)
Cute chicks... You better hurry up and get that tractor so that you can raise all your own feed for those little gals.... save you from having to pick up those heavy feed bags! ;D
Things seem to be progressing well along your path to rural self-sufficiency. Soon you can look forward to signing up for special farm support subsidies. :D
Possibly they would pay him to not grow ...say excess chicken feed. And I doubt the check would be chicken feed either. Large corporate farms rake in millions per year to not grow stuff.... wait a minute -- that won't work...this is a small family farm...Sorry NM...no help for you there...not allowed.
I'm sure there are laws to prevent you from selling un-pasteurized eggs to outsiders or some such. [crz]
Also chicken manure is considered toxic waste. Expect a vist from the EPA soon. You do have a waste managment system, don't you?
Congrats!
Do the chicks tell you that your cheap?
:)
I'll be his wife doesn't want him to talk to the chicks.
I have a Kubota ;D
...with a backhoe...right Stink? ...and I'm sure you know how to operate it, right...? ;D
Hey you, you are following me around harassing me while I am busy harassing others.:P
Yes a BX24 with a backhoe......
Just got a new infrared bulb, so they are hot chicks too.
Hmmm.. I wonder if I need a permit to put in an additional watering well.
And I think you can make explosives using the nitrogen from the poop. Should I fret about the BATF?
-f-
Have you named them yet?
Does the Backhoe have a name? I think Bella would be good. [crz]
Quote from: NM_Shooter on April 21, 2008, 08:22:42 PM
Just got a new infrared bulb, so they are hot chicks too.
Hmmm.. I wonder if I need a permit to put in an additional watering well.
And I think you can make explosives using the nitrogen from the poop. Should I fret about the BATF?
-f-
They are already closer than you think... shhh -- I can't talk right now -- choppers 12 o'clock high
So Shooter, how's the chicken ranching going? Have you named them all yet? :)
When we picked up the chicks, I told my kids these are not pets, they are livestock, and are subject to weekly evaluations when they get to laying. So absolutely no names. I remind them that What I Say Is Law Around Here.
With that being said, in the photo above that is Laverne in the back. She is my favorite. When I go near the cage, she runs to the door and peeps until I open the door. Then she stands on the threshold and bobs until I hold out my hand for her to sit in. Putting her back in the cage takes some doing... you have to shoo her to the back of the cage, then extract your hands out and get the door closed before she can get back up on the threshold. If you manage to get the door shut, she stands there, neck extended, with this "what the hell?" look on her face. I suspect she is going to be trouble.
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/IMG_2616.jpg)
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/IMG_2617.jpg)
That's Luna with the spot, and the Rhode Is. in the front is Lilly. Eleanor is probably hogging feed and not in the picture. Chloe and Marge (the Buff Orps) look alike and I can't tell them apart. My daughter says she can. Go figure.
Frank
Quote from: StinkerBell on April 21, 2008, 07:28:07 PM
I have a Kubota ;D
My Emorybuilt can beat up your Kubota ;D
Quote from: NM_Shooter on April 22, 2008, 01:52:49 PM
When we picked up the chicks, I told my kids these are not pets, they are livestock, and are subject to weekly evaluations when they get to laying. So absolutely no names. I remind them that What I Say Is Law Around Here.
With that being said, in the photo above that is Laverne in the back. She is my favorite. When I go near the cage, she runs to the door and peeps until I open the door. Then she stands on the threshold and bobs until I hold out my hand for her to sit in. Putting her back in the cage takes some doing... you have to shoo her to the back of the cage, then extract your hands out and get the door closed before she can get back up on the threshold. If you manage to get the door shut, she stands there, neck extended, with this "what the hell?" look on her face. I suspect she is going to be trouble.
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/IMG_2616.jpg)
(https://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q46/nm_longshot/IMG_2617.jpg)
That's Luna with the spot, and the Rhode Is. in the front is Lilly. Eleanor is probably hogging feed and not in the picture. Chloe and Marge (the Buff Orps) look alike and I can't tell them apart. My daughter says she can. Go figure.
Frank
If your gonna be a farmer, you have to dirty up those hands some. Mine are dirtier than yours and I just took a shower. ;D
Try some bearing grease! :)
Shooter is clearly a man who walks his talk. ::)
Clearly. ;) About like my dad and his slew of chickens with names.... My personal favorite was a one-eyed hen he named Squint Westwood.
So Shooter, I've read that some people run into trouble selling their eggs because their insurance companies drop them, afraid there will be lawsuits over stuff like Salmonella poisoning, etc. If that happens, my advice is to sell "shares" of your chickens to your egg customers so that they are technically the owners, and then when they pay you for the "eggs" it is really them paying you to take care of the chickens so that you avoid legal troubles.... just in case you have that problem. ;D Hopefully it won't even be an issue. I have friends and family who've sold eggs for years with no problems, so I think a lot of it depends on what state you're in.
My kids are both going nuts wanting chickens. Wish that we could hurry up and sell that place in WI so that we could find a more permanent place here.
Oh great. Salmonella. What next... Mad Chicken Disease?
These birds are growing like crazy. We've had them a week and they are about 3X the size we started with. Might be because we started to grind up their food. We noticed that they would pick up the big pieces of chick feed, and drop them through the floor. We have a spice grinder, so we chop it up a little more finely. They eat like pigs, and I've noticed that their fertilizer output has gone up proportionally.
Two of the chicks (Laverne and Luna) are really curious and seem to be people friendly. I'm afraid we are already attached to them. Now to try and make a run that is coyote-resistant.
Has anyone had any luck with using an electric strand to keep coyotes out?
-f-
NMS make sure that they have some grit to digest the food. Some feeds already have it mixed in and some do not.
I think about the only recommended way to build a coyote proofe cage is to bury the wire about a foot into the ground and cover the top also if not already covered.
Bears are a bit harder to keep out --not tough enough wire I guess.
Well, we used to use an electric strand to keep the coyotes out of the watermelons, about 10-11" off the ground. Only problem was, it was mighty hard to see and step over if you were carrying a thirty pound watermelon! :o
Quote from: glenn kangiser on April 26, 2008, 08:10:24 PM
--not tough enough wire I guess.
... or not high enough voltage ???
Quote from: Homegrown Tomatoes on April 26, 2008, 09:57:46 PM
Well, we used to use an electric strand to keep the coyotes out of the watermelons, about 10-11" off the ground. Only problem was, it was mighty hard to see and step over if you were carrying a thirty pound watermelon! :o
Kinda like now, eh, Homey? hmm