Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Aly,

I found something you might be interested in:

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/grd/1422300265.html

Thanks, but no thank you!

Ernie said, "Do you think I think that's funny? I'm not laughing!" I think a camel would get me divorced!!!

and lori, I shudder everytime I look at the picture of that soap! I cannot even tell you what I'm thinking when I look at it! *shudders*

I'm sure it's very nice, but I wouldn't be able to get past the idea that that's hair on my soap......

 

[punkin]

That soap looks like what I clean out of my shower drain. Blech!

 

[keljonma]

http://ashtabula.craigslist.org/wan/1386421889.html

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

ya'll are killing me.

 

[lorihadams]

Come on now Aly, there's your great big wad of Wooly Woody Wool!!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

So, I've been trying to make myself keep only certain chickens....haha yea right....How do you decide who stays and who goes??

The feed bill is killing me!

Thought about keeping the five chickerdoodles, 1 SS rooster with 3 girls, Kellogg the Welsummer and 3 girls, 1 Langshan Roo and 3 Girls, the BBS Orps, my pair of Spitzhaubens and my BLRW.

That's only 30 large fowl. (that's not counting the First Ladies who would definitely be staying! They weren't even among the considerations! Nor is that counting the chicks with Mamas.)

That would mean I'd be giving up 1 pair of Dominiques I hatched mid-summer, 2 Cuckoo Maran pullets, 1 BJG Pullet (but Ernie likes her so she'd probably have to stay), 3 Speckled Sussex Hens, 4 Welsummer Hens, 3 Langshan hens & 1 roo, 3 BBS/Barred Rock-Welsummer Crossed hens (one is laying a nice dark brown egg, so how do I get rid of her?), and the remaining white leghorns from the neighbors.

That's for a total of 33 Large Fowl that I could downsize....

I've already sold my silkies and 2 Mille Fleur hens to a friend, my two pheonix hens are going to my mom.

The bantams, well, there's no way to choose among them. I've alread downsized them by 4 (2 silkies and 2 milles) and no way am I going down anymore on them.

Just hard to decide. I make a decision, think I'm going to stick with it, and then I go looking at my chickens.........

But, I also keep thinking, if I separate the few that I keep first thing in the spring, I could hatch more from their eggs to build up my flock, then sell some hatching eggs/chicks next spring to put into feed/pens, and when I have individual pens for each breed, build them up to about 8 hens with 2 roos....

You know, downsize for this winter, work on one breed next year, get it up to the 10 that I want etc, from my own hatchings (not hatchery), make sure that breed has their own pen, etc. Then start with the next breed.

Work it all gradual, instead of trying to have it all at once.

Because trying to have them all at once is killing me with feed costs!

 

[keljonma]

I think I had a heart attack! You didn't mention Jett and Suri! You CAN'T be thinking of getting rid of your handsome boy!

Edited to add....

You have already made a decision - keep reminding yourself that there are some pros to downsizing -

--less feed cost
--more money for projects (from selling birds)
--easier to winterize the birds you keep
--less winter chores - hauling water and feed
--ability to focus on what you really want to sell in spring (eggs & chicks)

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

OH I forgot about Jett and Suri! They are most definitely staying!!!!!! They would make it 32 large fowl.

I was trying to keep 1 roo and 3 hens of the breeds...I have exactly that of the Cuckoo Marans with Monroe and Elizabeth and the two cuckoo pullets.

I have several mixed breed chicks that I want GONE...like yesterday....

I'm thinking of putting the pair of Dominiques on BYC first and see if anyone would like to purchase them before I take them to the auction.

We won't have a box trailer this evening, as we'd originally thought, so for today, I'm just hoping to unload some of those leghorns!

Infact, I'm thinking maybe putting up several of the birds on BYC. Surely I can sell 1 Langshan rooster with 2 or 3 hens for a good price on there, right??? :/

 

[lorihadams]

Here you are downsizing and my HUSBAND has me looking for light brahmas! He has fallen in love and wants to concentrate on those so I compromised and told him that we could build a new BIG COOP for the brahmas and I could start with the crested polish in the old coop/run. He said, "whatever you want dear....." Good boy, huh?

I know where you can get 2 free llamas close to UVA.....no, I'm not kidding.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Here you are downsizing and my HUSBAND has me looking for light brahmas! He has fallen in love and wants to concentrate on those so I compromised and told him that we could build a new BIG COOP for the brahmas and I could start with the crested polish in the old coop/run. He said, "whatever you want dear....." Good boy, huh?

I had light brahmas, but I sold off all my LB hens this past spring because the two roos I had froze over winter. Didn't want to mess with trying to get roos for the 11 girls I had. I sold the girls for $10 each. Turns out, they were the best egg layers I had here. Soon as I sold them, egg production took an immediate drop.

I know where you can get 2 free llamas close to UVA.....no, I'm not kidding.

Find out if they will lay down/fit in the back of my Jeep Cherokee, and I'll figure out the gas/arrangements to come get them.
Also, find out if they are aggressive, have issues with cows or Alpacas, etc. I don't want them stomping my dog or chickens to death, either.

I'm not kidding. (I will have to clear it by Ernie first).



I have fifteen chickens loaded and ready to go to the auction. Ten of those are the White Leghorns (leaving 7 here that we couldn't catch/didn't really have room for), 1 smooth feathered sizzle who keeps going broody but abandons her eggs halfway through, my Sumatra mix pullet (Jett is her Daddy and her Mom is my Mille Fleur hen), and 3 pheonix crossed with Quail Antwerp d'Anver, 1 pullet 2 cockerels. Almost kept the pullet, as she's adorable! Looks like a Quail Antwerp but has body type from shoulders back and long tail of a pheonix! But, I stuck to my guns.... she's going.