Chickens Galore!!!!
Such a lot has happened since I last posted! Can't believe its over a month, but time just rushes past me!
The Amberlink and Goldline chicks are 6 weeks old today! They are growing so quickly, and we are only just getting them out of the brooder! Good job the brooder shed is now so big! It looks like we may have about 5 cockerals in the amberlinks, but as the Goldlines are colour sexed, they are all hens!!
And as before, the Amberlinks are being pecked something terrible! We have lost several that we found badly pecked, and they just stand there and take it, then die of shock! I know all the reasons for feather pecking, but I've once again run out of ideas. the ones that have been pecked and have purple spray on them are over in the end of the big henhouse, but they are still pecking each other!
As we got the 500 this time, I was once again thinking oh goodness, what if we don't sell them? Well, like I said, 100 are already booked out to Shaun and his wife, then I've got orders for another 26 from different peole, but last weekend, we sold another 86 as chicks, so they have gone, which gives me more room in the shed! and following another phone call, a nice man is coming from Rugby this week for 50 for himself and his friends!!!! Wow, I can't believe this.
Anyway, to add to my excitement, one of the people who came last week, in fact he bought 50 chicks! is a breeder of pure bred chickens etc. Lovely man, and I'm putting a link to his website in the 'Sites I like' spot on the left of the front page. Jason brought me up 10 of his chicks, 4 x 5 week old Exchequer Leghorns and 6 x 2 week old Araucanas. My friend debbie had 2 of each of them. I kept the other 6. The Araucanas are sooo tiny. I couldnt' believe it. I weighed one of them and he/she weighed 40 gms, which is what the hybrids weigh at hatching! I've got 2 lavendar Araucanas, one of them is a barred which Jason said is very popular in the shows. 1 black barred, also very popular and 1 blue. Can't wait til they grow up to see what they are like! they have little tufts on their heads and tufty bits coming out of the sides of their faces!
Then yesterday I was looking on the lincspets4life website, when I saw some chickes being offered. One was a cuckoo Silkie Cockeral and a trio of young Appenzeller Spitzhaubens, which are the national chicken of switzerland! Lovely looking birds with tall crests on their heads!!!! they are not related either according to the owner, so I'm hoping to get some fertile eggs from them.
And now even Brian has got the bug, because he's been looking at incubators on the internet!
We brought the new chickens home today, and Rocky the Rooster has gone to live in a pub, with 10 of the Babcocks who have just started to lay.
It appears I can't put pics on here at the moment, I'll be back when I've had a word with the experts!!!!
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Comments on Chickens Galore!!!!
Please keep us informed as to how you get on with the Araucanas you have as we would like to get a couple ourselves. At the moment we have 6 hydbrids and we are looking to expand. Karl is hoping to give up his job in construction to become a chicken farmer. I'm not sure whether this would sustain a living?
Hi Caroline and Karl! The Araucana's are doing well! But the 2 that my friend Debbie had are quite a bit bigger than my 4, don't know why, they are fed on same stuff. But apart from there being 2 lavenders, they are all different colours, so not sure if that makes a difference?
You could sustain a living as a chicken farmer these days, if only we had more help from our government instead ofletting supermarkets import stuff from overseas, but then put obstacles in the way of our farmers!
Sorry, but its a bugbear with me. To see our farmers going out of business while they bring in cheap exports.
If you've got a decent amount of land, like 20 acres plus, then people like John Bowler, free range eggs would be interested in you. Also the big chicken and turkey producers always seem to be looking for rearers up to 5 weeks, or in the case of egg laying hens, up to POL, but don't let them screw you down for the last halfpenny!!!
You'd be better starting small like we are and keeping that job for a bit until things start to grow. I'd never had believed when I was a secretary that in the last not even 2 years that I would have raised and sold nearly 2000 chickens and turkeys here.
But we really don't have enough room to grow any more, but we are getting older now and I would like to retire while I'm still young enough to enjoy myself a little!!!
but it can be done, and there are a lot of people out there willing to help you!