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Farming Friends Forum » Farming

1. pinkpoultry
   Member

   Hello Friends!
   As you know I have ducks and turkeys-getting chickens this Sunday! :oD
   I am 27 and I work in an office..Not ideal and Im not going to be doing it forever, when Im around 30 we would like to have children, which I would like to stay at home and look after, I would like to branch out and rent/buy a field to raise poultry on to breed and sell chickens, chicks, eggs, ducklings etc.
   I would like to start off small, make a couple of sheds and breed maybe White Campbell ducks and Silver Laced Wyandottes. Breed them, then sell the babies as babies or adults, advertising locally, on websites, in local papers, on ebay, trade-it, birdtrader & go to auctions with them. Then maybe once in a while add to them by getting another breed, and build it up slowly, I certainly dont want to bite off more than I can chew!
   I have some ideas for housing them, with a coop above the ground with a large run attaced for them to play in, these will be side by side, like that are on the "orpingtons page" on www.cockerdoodlequack.co.uk then for the ducks have a pond in each, only smallish as there will only be around 4 ducks in each, enough for them to get in for a swim though.
   What do you think of the housing? Any better ideas?
   I know I also have to have a secure shed to store cleaning equipment, food, spare feeders drinkers, medication in.
   But! I dont know what to do about the following,

   What do I do with all the soiled bedding? A compost heap would be huge in no time and attract all sorts of nasties (and smell), so what do I do with the poo?

   Medication-I see alot of breeders vaccinate their birds, who does this? Me? Or do I get a vet to come and do it?

   If anyone has done this, can you advise on what ways you have done it and what is best? I have tried searching online but it all seems to be people who want to breed 5000000 chickens a day.... I dont want to mass breed birds, I want them to be happy and healthy, well looked after to go to nice homes, I know alot of people who have/would like some chickens for a family garden for fresh eggs, who would like more special looking chickens who are friendly, pretty and lay eggs (obviously!)
   Your help/input is much appreciated!

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. Mama
   Member

   Can't advise on a real breeding program but did breed our Light Sussex and Ayleburys for home meat and also Barbary ducks. Did do swaps with a neighbour to get fresh and unrelated cocks .Never vaccinated any of them so not much help.Good luck with your quest .Mama

   Goose Girl

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. m40mo
   Administrator

   hi Laura all sounds very exciting but as long as you realise it sounds like you will be spending far more money than you will ever make back, so an exciting project but not quite a buisness lol
   and babies will take up alot of your time but will be exciting to xx
   good luck on both x

   mo x

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. pinkpoultry
   Member

   I hope not Mo, my fella is a carpenter so we are going to build it a little at a time, so any materials he can get his hands on for free & obviously his labour is free.
   I hope I can make it into a money making business as I know there are people out there that do this. Im not going to do it for fun as it will be alot of hard work.
   I just wanted to know if someone out there did it and how they figure it out, I will obviously be incubating and hatching alot of chicks etc but I just thought someone might already be doing this.
   I shall keep googling!

   Posted 1 year ago #

5. m40mo
   Administrator

   have you not got room where you are though, you mentioned buying or renting a field and thats not going to come cheap and the incubating you'd have to do at home for the electric i'd guess x

   mo x

   Posted 1 year ago #

6. admin
   Sara @ farmingfriends

   Hi Laura,
   What a great idea - it's the sort of thing I have been doing with my poultry in the last few years but my focus has been selling hatching eggs and quail eggs for eating. Like you I would like a family and to stay at home and to bring up the children on the farm but as yet still waiting & hoping as I am abit older than you!
   Having got ducks, hens, guinea fowl and quail - my advice would be to start off with only one breed/type of bird, so that you can concntrate on that and become an expert in that one breed. Do the research first and know the market -which are the most popular breeds/most sought after or which do you like the most.
   This is what I have found out:
   I have found that guinea fowl are quite sought after but they are hard to get to go broody on their own and during the Summer will nest on the ground and if they free range can be taken by foxes. Also incubating the eggs can be difficult as the shells are so hard.
   Quail are also quite popular - I have japanese quail, they are easier to hatch and don't take as long. They have to be housed as they will fly away - males are very agressive when it come to mating with the females.
   Khaki campbells are very popular and the eggs are sought after for hatching. They are excellent layers, but not very same - not like runner ducks!
   When selling eggs for hatching I have found the eggs sell better if they are pure bred breeds. My duck eggss are less popular if now I have a mixed bunch!

   You will need to think about if you breed them, what to do with the extra birds that don't sell. Are you going to sell eggs for hatching, day olds, young birds etc. Selling eggs for hatchign and day /week old birds will get around the having too many males.
   If you do rear them to a certain age and you get males will you be able to seell them at market or can you kill them for your own table?
   You will need to have a routine in place in that you will rear them and breed from them for so long and then replace them with new stock after a certain period of time so that you aren't over run with birds. You will have to have in mind from the start that certain birds will only be with you for a certain amount of time. I had to think like this when I was breeding pigs. I had 2 saddleback sows and knew that I couldn't keep all the piglets and from 8 weeks old the piglets would be sold - hard when I gave them names and had enjoyed seeing them develop and get personalities but the reality was they would only get bigger, eat more, cost more and need more space! If I had kept them all we would have been over run with saddlebacks!
   Just some thoughts I had - I am sure you have thought of all this.
   Will write later about housing and muck!
   Best wishes
   Sara @ farmingfriends

   http://www.farmingfriends.com
   http://farmingfriends.com/shop/

   Posted 1 year ago #

7. pinkpoultry
   Member

   Sara that is wonderful information! Thank you very much :o) I know it will be hard work, and yes about the rotation of older birds and I think your idea of focusing on one breed to start with is a great idea. I shall obviously keep my little guys in the garden as my pets, they will be with me forever. I may pimp out Campbell though as he is such a hansom perfect White Campbell. I dont think he will mind at all.
   I look forward to reading about your housing and what to do with the muck...why cant I just have a farm!! :o)

   Posted 1 year ago #

8. Wolfyhybrid
   Member

   Laura, You have suddenly realised what life is all about, and that is...That you should only have a hobby if it makes you money. I just purchased an old cottage in the country tht was almost falling down, moved in in mid winter with no heating or water but it was the land around it that I wanted. Now the cottage is restored I have started breeding quails, then started selling quails so breed more quails and sold more quails. i now have people booking quails before they are incubated. Its a great hobby that also brings in cash. Had the same feelings as Sara did with her piglets when I sold my first batch of Quails, I was so worried about the little guys I hardly slept for the night! But it does get easyer to let them go. Just to add, I burn all my bird muck in a big steel drum.
   Good luck,
   Rob

   Posted 1 year ago #

9. Mama
   Member

   Why Wolf can't you use it .Use all mine ,chicken and goose great for the garden as hate to waste good organic manure .Mama

   Goose Girl

   Posted 1 year ago #

10. Wolfyhybrid
    Member

    I still have a lot to learn, Mama.I am new to this country life. Why do I burn it ? Well I thought that spreading it around the place would attract rats or foxes. Talking of foxes saw a beautiful fox last night, lovely rich red coat. Hope he knows his boundrys though.

    Posted 1 year ago #

11. pinkpoultry
    Member

    I like to use it on the garden but I think there will be far too much of the stuff to be able to use up. I shall use some and burn some!
    I hate foxes........After what they did to my little guys. Hate them.
    Do you vaccinate your quails?

    Posted 1 year ago #

12. Wolfyhybrid
    Member

    No i don`t vaccinate my quails and only ever had one fall ill.

    Posted 1 year ago #

13. Mama
    Member

    No Wolf it won't attract foxes ,we have them also but they not a problem for us . Could not waste good organic manure ,you could also mix it in your compost heap but will have to be left longer to mature . I can never get enough of good manure so PP don't burn it if you have a good veg garden that's where it should go ,rotivate in at back end .Mama

    Goose Girl

    Posted 1 year ago #

14. Wolfyhybrid
    Member

    or i could rap it all up in a parcel and send it over to you, Mama. Did you read that evetone, Mama wants all our chicken manure! Ha Ha. here it comes.

    Posted 1 year ago #

15. campbell ridge
    Administrator

    Rob you ought to compost it all then when it's well rotted you could sell that too!
    Great organic fertiliser.

    Sarah L

    Posted 1 year ago #

16. pinkpoultry
    Member

    Just to let you all know that I have a piece of land and shall start building work very soon!

    Posted 1 year ago #

17. Lorna
    Member

    Well done Laura, best wishes with your new venture.

    Lorna
    x

    Posted 1 year ago #

18. pinkpoultry
    Member

    Thanks Lorna!! :o) xx

    Posted 1 year ago #

19. admin
    Sara @ farmingfriends

    Hi Laura,
    That's great news, what will the building be like. Is the land close by you?
    Good luck with your new venture.
    Best Wishes
    Sara @ farmingfriends

    http://www.farmingfriends.com
    http://farmingfriends.com/shop/

    Posted 1 year ago #

20. pinkpoultry
    Member

    Hi Sara, the land isnt too far, with a water supply which is great! I shall be building like what cockerdoodlequack.co.uk have but they will be bigger so my birds will have more space. there will be a large run and then a house in each with water & food under the house (planning on having the houses raised up-more space for the chickens) build them in blocks so I can add too them as I am building it up slowly, its really too late in the year to start as I would have to buy fully grown birds, I would like to hatch eggs but getting too cold now. Cost a fortune in electric keeping them warm, so Im going to wait until summer to stock up-obviously I shall be on the hunt for any birds in the mean time as I think people may be selling them off cheaper? I shall see.
    Im very excited at the prospect of setting it all up. Ideally I would like to have a range of breeds and know all about them so people can come and look around and I can help them decide on the best breed for them, there is no where round here where you can look around different birds and choose, its all just individual bird adverts.
    Hopefully I can get some quails too and supply local businesses and restaurants-concentrate on chickens first, then ducks, then turkeys, then quails!
    :oD

    Posted 1 year ago #

21. pinkpoultry
    Member

    PS and there is lots of space for me to put the waste straw so we can have some awsome manure for our gardens! HUUGE vegetables!!

    Posted 1 year ago #

22. The Fowlers
    Member

    Awesome, livin the dream
    well done

    regards
    Paul

    Posted 1 year ago #

23. munise786
    Member

    Sounds brilliant! Sounds like what I would wanna do too! So the tips are very helpful for me aswel ^_^
    And sticking with one breed is a good idea. I've never had quail's though but sounds interesting!
    Good luck with all your plans! :D

    Natural Home-made Creams & Soaps. Based in the heart of the countryside <3
    http://kelebekskincare.wordpress.com

    Posted 1 year ago #

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