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Post by shellymay on Feb 24, 2016 1:47:09 GMT
Chicks arrived today, there are 240 chicks as I had 250 come in but sold a few to a girl friend 175 Golden Comets 25 Barred Rocks 25 Delaware 25 Black Sex Links Dipping beaks is so much fun when you get this many they are in brooder with heat lamps, floor of brooder pen is wood and covered in that thick clear runner plastic that you put on top of carpet like down a long hall way, I have found from experience that if I leave them like this for a day or two WHILE they learn to eat and drink that I have no poopy butts with the chicks, I think if you start out with pine shavings they tend to eat some of the finer pieces and it plugs them up, I will add shavings in a day or so!
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Post by nyhunter on Feb 24, 2016 2:21:50 GMT
Nice set-up. You raising that many to sell or just selling eggs?
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Post by bergere on Feb 24, 2016 11:06:22 GMT
Your bazillion wee chicks are very cute!!! Now I don't feel so alone having chicks in winter. VBG
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Post by shellymay on Feb 24, 2016 11:29:11 GMT
nyhunter, I raise them up to sell as young laying pullets, they will be advertised at about 4 months of age
bergere, Addicts have to stick together right
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Post by bergere on Feb 24, 2016 12:00:55 GMT
True that! LOL
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Post by nyhunter on Feb 24, 2016 15:39:00 GMT
Nice im doing the same only selling them when they feather out to ppl that dont want to deal with heat lamps. I'll be ordering another 50 or so in a week or two.
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Post by shellymay on Feb 24, 2016 16:13:54 GMT
nyhunter ,
Well welcome to another chicken lover So where are you located? and do you mind me asking what kind of prices you get for feathered out chicks? Do you only do the egg layers or meat also, me I only do the egg layers but you may have figured that out on your own based on the breeds I posted, I charge $12.00 for most of mine at the 4 months of age, if I raise EE's I get 15.00 and Marans I get 25.00 for, prices are higher if the chick cost is higher to me which makes sense right
Well good luck to you and hope you have great sales!!!!!
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Post by aoconnor on Feb 25, 2016 13:44:39 GMT
Oh Lordy, that's a bunch of fluffy love!! Your set up is great, gave me a seriously good idea for something I might do?
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Post by shellymay on Feb 25, 2016 15:08:54 GMT
Thanks everyone, temps dropped here yesterday and will be below freezing tonight and I believe tomorrow night, the room is
staying steady at 75-76 degree (4) heat lamps, and chicks seem to be fine and all still alive
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Post by nyhunter on Feb 25, 2016 22:10:00 GMT
A cpl summers ago I hatched out a few hundred and sold them straight run for $3 a chick or buy 5 get 1 free. Most sold out within 2 or 3 weeks hatching about 60 - 80 at a time. The last group i grew out to 3 months and got $10 each. This year having to order them i'll probably sell them for $5 or $6 and up the price $2 for each extra month I have them.
Btw.. Im in Central NY and it got down to -20 here the week my chicks arrived and I had no losses due too cold with only 2 heat lamps in a unheated building.
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Post by shellymay on Mar 13, 2016 0:48:53 GMT
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Post by bergere on Mar 13, 2016 10:54:20 GMT
That is a whole lot of chicks to care for, no wonder you are tired! They grow up so fast.
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Post by shellymay on Mar 13, 2016 12:49:31 GMT
bergere, So funny how when you move them to a bigger pen they are scared of all that space and huddle to one corner in two days they will be running all over the place!
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Post by dw on Mar 15, 2016 21:49:55 GMT
I like that set up...I can't imagine that many...I am happy with my 10 chicks and they are getting feathers. My husband really needs to get busy on that pen!
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Post by shellymay on Mar 16, 2016 12:11:11 GMT
Chicks are doing great in their bigger space, we have been in Low 50's at night for a week, well mother nature decided to drop us down to 30-31 degree at night this coming weekend praying they will all be okay. In case you didn't know this when BIG groups of chicks like this get cold they will all huddle together to help keep them warm, but that means there is chicks on top of pile and bottom of pile (yes they will get on each other) and this huddle kills the bottom chicks in the pile, (and yes I have experience this myself in past) So that is why I have the black mats as it absorbs the heat from the heat lamps and spreads that heat out through out the mat (space area) and more chicks are warmed over a bigger space so they don't have to be on top of each other for warmth, so it gets a little scary seeing the temps drop, Yes I have more lamps and can add more but when it was low of 50's this past week no more was needed....
dw, this coop is twice the size you see in pictures but I only bedded down one end because they don't need the whole coop yet, as they keep growing and at around 3 months of age I will open door between two sides and they will have twice that space, there is two more of those big roost posts on the other half
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Post by bergere on Mar 17, 2016 13:01:57 GMT
It is fun watching the young ones spreading their wings. Just let the first batch into the Bantam house and moved the rooster that was in that shed, into the wire cage for now,,, with a couple of the girls. The Bantam shed will now be the hen only pen. Should be able to get one side of the new Hen house done this weekend.. so my d'Anver rooster and the hens I want him in with, will live. The other side will be for the BW Ams... full sized ones.
I put the next batch of wee bantams in the raised hen house, but with only 5 bantams, I will have to run the electric cord again (DS thought he was doing something nice taking it down. Heavy sigh ) and get the Brinsea set up today, as it is also supposed to get rather cool by tomorrow.
Sure your chicks will be ok Shelly. There is enough of them in there to keep warm. If worried... putting a number of very warm gallon jugs of water in there, grouped together, should get them through the night. Cold ones will huddle around the jugs.
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Post by shellymay on Apr 17, 2016 18:52:32 GMT
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Post by WindyRidge on Apr 17, 2016 21:11:56 GMT
And here I am pondering on ordering 25 and thinking that would be a lot. I cannot wrap my head around 700!
I still just love your setup!
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Post by countrymom22 on Apr 17, 2016 21:47:59 GMT
I too love your setup! Those look like some very happy chickens!
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Apr 17, 2016 21:51:24 GMT
They look very happy, healthy and they are growing like weeds! Please tell me you're not planning on dipping beaks for 700 chicks, lol?
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Post by aoconnor on Apr 19, 2016 1:33:03 GMT
What beautiful little birds they are becoming! And I still love your set up...I might just have to send these pics along to my hubby and do some hinting around. (My hints are like a buzzsaw, just saying I am neither quiet nor subtle!)
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Post by bergere on Apr 19, 2016 10:17:48 GMT
Must of taken you all day to dip beaks for that many chicks!!!
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Post by shellymay on Apr 19, 2016 11:47:41 GMT
They look very happy, healthy and they are growing like weeds! Please tell me you're not planning on dipping beaks for 700 chicks, lol? Haha, yep, I did double check the records and the number is 650 chicks coming in at the end of Sept, SO manygoatsnmore , what are you doing on Sept 30th extra hands are always welcomed when it comes to dipping beaks, Chicks coming in list...............
400 Golden Comets 100 Barred Rocks 50 Black Australorps 50 Rhode Island Reds 25 Easter Eggers 25 Rhode Island Whites....first time trying these.
Thank you all for the nice compliments, I do enjoy raising the girls but most of all the smile on my customers faces when they come to purchase at 4 months of age is priceless and repeat customers and word of mouth is remarkable
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Post by aoconnor on Apr 19, 2016 15:13:19 GMT
I would be SO overwhelmed with that many coming in at once! You are seriously way better at this stuff than I am shellymay!!!
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Post by shellymay on Apr 19, 2016 15:14:59 GMT
I would be SO overwhelmed with that many coming in at once! You are seriously way better at this stuff than I am shellymay !!! So what are you doing on Sept 30th aoconnor,
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Post by aoconnor on Apr 19, 2016 15:44:50 GMT
I would be SO overwhelmed with that many coming in at once! You are seriously way better at this stuff than I am shellymay !!! So what are you doing on Sept 30th aoconnor , LOL! If I lived near you, I KNOW what I would be doing on September 30th!!!
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Post by bergere on Apr 19, 2016 15:59:43 GMT
Holy cow, 650 chicks!!!! You are Super woman!!
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Post by shellymay on Apr 19, 2016 16:14:21 GMT
bergere, are you on this side of the mountain in VA or the other side, no matter....what are you doing on Sept 30th? LOL
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Post by bergere on Apr 19, 2016 18:22:14 GMT
Am on the Eastern side, in the swamps, in the middle of Dog hunting country. LOL My body wouldn't hold up to doing that many. But I could make some good coffee and some food and offer moral support.
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Post by shellymay on Apr 19, 2016 19:15:25 GMT
That would be great, but you better believe I will be checking pockets of any and all help before they leave
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