Well....we've had some weird stuff going on with the chicks this year, and we've lost a total of 7. That seems like a lot to me, but I have to remember that we were actually sent 130, which is 100 more than we have ever gotten before. I can't remember how many we lost last year, if any, so this seems pretty disturbing. First, 2 were lost right off the bat, probably due to the cold weather. One chick got stuck in between the feeder and the wall of the cage, and I think he broke his neck, poor fellow. The other 4 died because, well, because their poop got stuck. In a bit of a panic, I ran to the feedstore to see if there was anything I could do. Grit was the answer! I had no idea I was supposed to feed grit to chicks! Geez!!!! So I'm grinding their grain in the coffee grinder and adding grit to it. So far, no more losses. I am SO glad. We'll see what happens.
I have been thinking a lot about how upset I get when things like this occur, and I see that it is because I feel totally responsible for keeping these little dudes alive, and, indeed, I am. But I also have to remember that there is also this learning curve, a steep one, it seems to me, and I must be ok with that. Getting freaked out isn't helping the situation any and there is absolutely nothing that I can do to change the loss that has already happened. I can only change what I know now, and then hope for the best. But seriously, it is really hard for me not to let it all get to me.
Here is what I've learned so far from this year's chick experience:
1) Ordering chicks so early in the year will probably mean more losses, regardless of any other conditions here. It was a freaking cold weekend when the came-- 15 below on the day they were shipped out, 6 below on the morning I picked them up.
2) Ordering so many at once isn't too smart, considering that once I receive them, it is imperative that they each be taught how to drink and then put in their cages. Fortunately, Amalia was here to help me. Not sure how I would have managed without her. It was pretty intense.
3) I didn't have all the lights set up in their cages. The lights should have been turned on hours before to warm the cages up. Definitely not smart on my part. But I don't think I really understood the number 130!
4) I do not want to have to order chicks through the mail again. Seriously, unless it is for a particular breeding stock. I have an incubator, and am going to learn how to use it. Even if I can only do batches of 20 chicks at a time, it would be well worth the time and the money. I'm sure that there will be losses with this method as well, but that's ok. I do have some chickens that I think would make great setters, and am thinking of building them some separate nests and letting them hatch some babies, too. I haven't figured that all out yet, but am thinking about it and I'm sure I'll come up with some good ideas. They need a warm area...Man, maybe I just don't have enough room. I think I could use a really nice size barn. The greenhouse next year will be an excellent option. Just not sure about this year.
5) At $2 and $3 a chick, any loss is pretty expensive. And the cost of those chicks really raises the prices I have to charge people at butchering time. So raising my own will either allow me to lower the prices per pound, or, better yet, can be money I earn for labor.
Which brings me to something else...I found out about this book called "The Farmers Ladder." It is amazing! 2 brothers, barely in their 20s, started a farm in England with 50 pounds. The book details their experience. While other farms were going under, they were always turning a profit, even if it was just pennies. I'm seeing how I have really been mismanaging a lot of things here, and need to make some major changes. In some ways, I think I've been a bit skeptical on the idea that I can actually make the farm pay for itself, but that's changing. The other thing is that I'm very reluctant to charge for my services. I know that everyone else is also struggling to make ends meet, and I end up losing money on a lot of things. I've got to stop doing that. So one of the new goals of the year is to keep track of every penny I put into everything, including the electricity for warming lights for the chicks, and even for starting seeds. It will be interesting to see what the results are going to be.
Oh, the book also mentions that even if there was a financial loss on poultry, they would have chickens anyway just for the benefit to the land. So for sure an investment this summer will be making portable fencing and housing so the chicks can fertilize the ground. That should pay for itself many times over in produce quality.
Here is a picture of the insulated chick cages and the seedling plant stand I built this week. Coop says I need to lower the lights. Makes sense. I would certainly have more room to put a couple more shelves on the unit, which would be a great thing! Broccoli, cayenne peppers, and some other hot peppers are up, plus some eucalyptus trees. Cool!! Didn't really expect them to sprout, so it's kind of exciting. I'll be planting some more cabbage and broccoli this weekend so they'll be nice and big for outside transplanting come summer!
