Guess who's here?
Today's the day!!After a long weekend, and waking up with an incredibly sore back, I got a call at 7:00 AM from our local postmaster to tell me I had recieved a package containing my live poultry order. So I threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and ran down the street to pick them up.
The company I purchased them from, Ideal poultry of Cameron TX was absolutely great to deal with. I looked into a couple of other hatcheries, one in Iowa and another closer to home in Idaho, but I felt that Ideal gave me the best "feeling" about their care for the birds and I like that fact that they are a family business. I couldn't have been happier. I recieved a e-mail the day after placing my order, and when I replied to it with a couple of questions about the process not only did I not get the canned auto response, what I did get was a personal reply from a real person; Kibbie. I asked questions of her a couple of times, all of which were answered in less than 12 hrs. Add to this the fact that they included extra males at no additional charge to me in order to ensure the safe travel of their birds and I am really impressed. If you have any questions about raising chickens of your own, I suggest you send them an email and ask, I have no doubt they'll be as helpful to you as they were to me! (And no, I am not getting paid for this endorsement. I believe a customer referral is the best source of advertising for any business,
and if I get treated right I'll go out of my way to spread the word.) At any rate, the chicks are healthy, and chirping quietly. Actually as I write this, they are sleeping quietly, but they were chirpy little girls and boys this afternoon. The kids love them to death. After finishing their homework today they just layed around the front room floor taking turns giving the birds a little love and announcing every time one of them pooped on the floor; Lucky us! (We have hardwood floors, I don't suggest this with carpet!) We took it easy with the little ones today, but we do definitely want to hand train them from the time they're young to be used to the kids. No sense
having the boys be afraid to go into the coop later right?So now I'm a little bit of an outlaw. Why? Because the ordinance change has not yet been voted into law. I have faith it will, and I will be very active in expressing and pushing for why I believe it should, but nontheless, right now I am skirting the law a bit. I justify it by saying that the birds will be kept indoors, house then garage, for a month and a half to two months, depending on weather, and by that time the law should have passed. I do have to say for the record though, as I have before, that I am a pragmatic farmer. Whatever birds I have over the number that I am eventually allowed to keep, be that 2 or 6, will be processed for food. I love animals and everything, but I am not in this for any other nobel cause other than better connecting myself and my family to our food source.
That being said. I look forward to keeping you posted on the progress of the girls, and hope those of you debating making the plunge into raising fowl can learn along with me.
Till tomorrow.
P~
Labels:
100 ft Diet,
chickens,
urban farming.
4 comments:
hello patrick! Long time no write. I came here from your comment at path to freedom. I'm so pleased you have chickens. As you know I keep chooks for eggs but I really admire your stance on using your leftover chooks for food. We do need that connection, don't we.
I'm building up my blog roll again so I'll add you to it to remind me to visit you.
Hey, Patrick!
I'm a fellow urban chicken farmer from Greensboro, NC. We're in the middle of fighting our local city ordinance banning chickens. You mentioned in your post that your city's ordinance has recently been overturned. Where are you from?
Not that you shouldn't use the extra chicks for food, I have no problem with that at all, but you might want to consider advertising and selling your remaining chicks.
I did this a couple of years ago and was surprised at how many people want to raise chickens but don't want to deal with all the work that goes into starting with day old chicks. I placed an ad in a local penny saver and they were all sold within a couple of days and I had people calling for weeks to see if I had any more.
Ginger,
That is a good suggestion. Many people, however, don't want to take on only a rooster or three for that matter since that's what they sent us. Honestly, we are chickens eaters, so we probably will process them for the table, but thanks for your input.
P~
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