More Complications

After trying for several days to contact the nearby hatchery I wrote about in my last post, I realized that they were not going to be an option.  When I called the only number listed on their website, I got a recorded message that said, the number was not set up to take calls.  What??  After two days of that, I sent an email.  No reply there.  Then I did an internet search for an alternate phone number.  I found one, but it was for a construction business, but at the end of the message they gave a local phone number for the hatchery.  I called that number only to get the message that the customer had not set up a voice mail box.  As a last resort, I called the number for the construction company.  I wanted to at least try to leave a message and maybe get current information for the hatchery through that other number.  However, the voice mailbox for that number was full.  After 3 days of trying to get in touch with the hatchery, I had to move on.

Starting over, I began “shopping” hatchery websites.  There didn’t seem to be anything near me that caters to “back yard” chicken production.  I finally had it narrowed down to three well known hatcheries.  The prices were all going to be much higher than I had budgeted for, doubling the price per pound of my birds.  Now I had another decision to make.

For all my calculations, I had never considered the value of my time in raising these birds.  The savings in USD alone made it well worth the time I was spending.  And I enjoy the experience.  But now I would have to factor in more than just “paid out”, because if it was just a matter of cash outlay, I could buy chicken at my local co-op for the same price per pound that I would now be paying to raise birds.  Maybe even less, depending on any chicks lost in shipping.

Weighing cost against cost, tilted the scale in the favor of not raising birds.

Weighing environmental and ethical questions tipped the scale in favor of raising birds.

Adding my time to the equation tipped the scale back in favor of not raising birds.

But in the end, adding considerations of quality fresh food raised with love, and the fact that I do enjoy raising chickens helped me to decide in favor of continuing to raise meat birds.

Now the question became, how can I tip this very balanced scale more in favor of continuing to raise chickens?  In other words, what can do to make it much more economical again, and less time consuming, since those were my two biggest debits on the ledger sheet.

The answers to those questions came down to design, and flexibility in my budget.  I’ll leave those topics for the next post.

The Beat Goes On

It’s Springing into Summer around here.  Things are growing and the weather is warm.

I got too busy to post much more about the chicks.  The Cornish X are at about 9 weeks now.  The average cost per pound for these birds is about $1.57 / lb.  This includes grain, pine shaving bedding and water.  I harvested the first bird at 6 weeks and it weighed 3 pounds, 10 ounces.

My system has me picking up a new batch of 12 chicks every 6 weeks and raising them with love, and organic non gmo food.  They have plenty of room, and a good healthy life.  This breed grows quickly, so by human concepts of time, they have a short life.  They are fully grown at about 8 weeks, and are large enough to feed a small family by 6 weeks.  A 6 week old bird will make many meals for us, and feeds us for about 2 1/2 to 3 days.  I harvest birds as needed, so that means one every 3 or 4 days from 6 weeks to 11 weeks.  I don’t package my birds, and I don’t freeze them.

Anyway, that was my system.  I got some bad news from the farm I get the chicks from.  After 5 months, they told me they won’t be selling chicks anymore.  As of this moment.

The best laid plans...

I was stunned, I will admit.  I knew this arrangement would not be permanent, but I was really wanting it to at least last through the summer.  Stage two of my chicken raising plan was to phase out Cornish Cross (which are complicated hybrids, which I cannot create on my small place), and to phase into a dual purpose heritage bird.  After a little research, I had settled on raising Buff Orpingtons.  Good moms.  They go broody often.  And I need birds that can keep the flock going naturally, if this is to work.

I was planning on raising the Buff Orps over the summer and getting them established, while continuing to raise Cornish X.  My place is small, so I can’t just get 50 birds all at once, I have to do this gradually.  I expected the time line to take somewhere in the nature of 9 to 18 months before I could stop ordering Cornish X chicks.

What’s more is that I’m already 6 weeks behind where I wanted to be.  I had some renovations planned for housing them, and had hoped to avail myself of my dad’s experience.  At first we settled on April, then he needed to pushed it back to May, but life happens and as it turns out he’s needed elsewhere right now.  Finally I just had to admit to myself that I’m just going to have to figure it out on my own.  Thank goodness for DIY videos.  I have to power through somehow.

So that’s complication number 1.

Complication number 2...I found a nearby hatchery back in February, that seems perfect.  I would have ordered the Buff Orpingtons from them back in March, but the housing situation wasn’t ready yet.  With this latest development, I’m glad I didn’t.  And here’s why...

In order to get the same price that I’m paying now for chicks, I have to order 25 birds.  But I can’t possibly deal with 25 Cornish X with my current system.  For one thing, I would have to start packaging and freezing the excess birds.  After 11 weeks, they’re already too big.  Their bodies can’t take the stress.  It wouldn’t be humane for me to keep them longer, that’s why I would have to package and freeze the extra birds.  That is simply not an option for me.  I won’t do it.  So now what?

I decided that the solution might be to have 12 Buff Orps and 13 Cornish X shipped together.  I have to talk to the hatchery, but if that is an option, then I’m good to go.  In 6 weeks, I can have another shipment duplicating the first, and then see where I’m at after that.

If nothing else, it gets me closer to fulfilling the plan.

I’m off to call the hatchery.