Egg or Chick prices?

FCSpringer

FCSpringer

Moderator
What have any of you found for egg or chick prices? I looked into buying pheasant eggs but they were 40 cents a piece:eek:. I can buy sexed chicks at 30 cents a piece, so why buy eggs. I am going to just get 500-1000 chicks this year instead of incubating. I need to use my birds for training this year.:( But if I could get eggs from someone cheap, I would do that.
 
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Even at better egg pricing, long term hatch and survival rate from egg to bird, is inferior to day olds. Somewhere around 80% hatch rate, the ones who don't thrive for some reason for more than a few hours, day olds have been the way to go for me, and my incubators sit, dust covered in the corner of the barn. At least the day olds have pased the first hurdle.
 
FCS,
We did a celebrity hunt a few weeks ago and had to pay $7 dollars for Quail. Unbelievable, I just may have to start raising birds if that price continues.
 
oldandnew said:
Even at better egg pricing, long term hatch and survival rate from egg to bird, is inferior to day olds. Somewhere around 80% hatch rate, the ones who don't thrive for some reason for more than a few hours, day olds have been the way to go for me, and my incubators sit, dust covered in the corner of the barn. At least the day olds have passed the first hurdle.
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I hear ya, normally when I wanted to fire the old girl up eggs were free, cause I could just pick them up. But they will all get dearly departed this season. And the other people I could gather eggs from the same story. So I guess this year it's chicks. Unless any one wants to offer up unwanted eggs.
 
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I'm planning on getting some sexed pheasant chicks. Hens, then carry them over to get eggs. 25 or so good hens will lay what? 2-3 thousand eggs.
That's next year though, we''ll see what happens. :cheers:
 
No, you won't get that many eggs from 25. You might hope for more like a few hundred over a length of the season. I have never been able to get that many any way. I think the average is about 10-15 eggs per hen out in a flight pen. Maybe you can increase that by shedding them with lights, straw and premium food. But it seems that I have down times when the weather is crappy, and they quit laying out side. I just don't have a shed to use. That would be nice, then you could get early eggs as well, and more of them cleaner etc.
 
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Yeah, the most I've kept over is probably about 10 hens, Seems kike I had eggs from about early May to mid June. I've got a decent place for birds, covered pole building and roof, steel 1" mesh sides. North and part of the West are boards. I keep the eggs collected for a while and the hens keep laying. When I get eggs what I want I'll open the pen door.:)
 
mnmthunting said:
Yeah, the most I've kept over is probably about 10 hens, Seems kike I had eggs from about early May to mid June. I've got a decent place for birds, covered pole building and roof, steel 1" mesh sides. North and part of the West are boards. I keep the eggs collected for a while and the hens keep laying. When I get eggs what I want I'll open the pen door.:)
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Sounds good, but have you ever got that many? I do the same with collecting and they do lay more. But I have never gotten that many no mater what I do it seems. if you do, I need to learn what your doing different.

I also now found where we can get sexed chicks at 20 cents a piece with about 85% being hens. Any one want to go in on some.? If I order 500 which is what I decided I want, they will be 25 cents.
 
FCSpringer said:
Sounds good, but have you ever got that many? I do the same with collecting and they do lay more. But I have never gotten that many no mater what I do it seems. if you do, I need to learn what your doing different.

I also now found where we can get sexed chicks at 20 cents a piece with about 85% being hens. Any one want to go in on some.? If I order 500 which is what I decided I want, they will be 25 cents.
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When would delivery be? I am interested.
 
I just bought a house with a pole barn that is in rough shape but might work well for raising some birds in. How many birds do you think I could raise in a 16 x 24 pole barn?
 
FCSpringer said:
Sounds good, but have you ever got that many? I do the same with collecting and they do lay more. But I have never gotten that many no mater what I do it seems. if you do, I need to learn what your doing different.

I also now found where we can get sexed chicks at 20 cents a piece with about 85% being hens. Any one want to go in on some.? If I order 500 which is what I decided I want, they will be 25 cents.
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I haven't counted eggs but it seems like once the hens get going will lay one egg a day or like 6 eggs in 7 days. Slowing down after the peak.
maybe get about 25 eggs per hen?

20 cents is great price. 85 percent hens is also good for what I want to do.
Seems to me it's easier to raise hens the roosters.
Can I get a 100?
 
jeffstally said:
I just bought a house with a pole barn that is in rough shape but might work well for raising some birds in. How many birds do you think I could raise in a 16 x 24 pole barn?
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I wouldn't be afraid to start with 25, put in some hiding material.
 
Jeff, My shed is 9x24 and I will be able to do 500 to start in there. Some will die. Last year I had 180 or so I incubated in 1/2 the shed. That was plenty of room till they had to go out. Once they are about 6 weeks I chase them in and out in the flight pen. So your shed is fine for chicks. but after they get bigger you would need out side room. But to start the chicks out, heck you could easily do 500 your self in there.
If you have to raise them in the shed for good, then I would say 50 pretty easy If you blinder and keep plenty of greens in there.
 
jeffstally said:
I was thinking I could do more than that. By hiding material do you me to put stuff in there that birds can hide in to get away from others?
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Sure you could put a lot more chicks in your pen, I'm thinking more then 25 adults or growing pheasants would cause a lot of injury. Yes it's important that pheasants have some secure places in the pen.
 
What do you normally put in the pen for cover?

Ken- what do you put in for greens?

I have never raised pheasants before but I think I will try it this year.
 
Out side some plant corn etc. I don't do any thing out side. But it does help. Inside, basically any thing green. Clover, grass and so on. It helps to let an area grow to tall canary or brome grass. Then dig 5 gal bucket sized root clumps up. Then stick a few of those in there. About 4-6 inches of dirt hold it up right and together. When they stomp it down, and it drys out replace it in the hole and dig some new ones. you can scatter pulled grass, clover, & what ever around, that all keeps them busy and not picking each other to death. They love using the beak. And they will cannibalize.
 
Wood pallets work, off the ground 6-8 inches. I have a board lean to that is on the ground on one side then up a couple feet at 12 feet.

Green garden scraps. Pheasant love zucchini, pumpkins and stuff like that. Cut in two they eat the seeds first then all but the hard skin.
Lawn mower clippings, especially if there's clover in it. As long as no chemicals are used on the lawn. And Alfalfa, pull some daily, pheasant love the leaves.
Yeah for sure pheasant love to peck.
I have only 4 pheasants right now. I freeze water, sandy dirt, corn and oats in plastic tubs solid. Turned upside down and out of the tubs. Pheasants peck at the frozen stuff all Winter long getting food and water. No pecking problem. Good thing, and the beaks are trimmed nicely.:cool:
I still give them a little water.
 
I just ordered my 500. I got them for 20 cents a piece. You guys can just order yours seperate. They will ship them next day to your post office for you to pick up. You will pay more in gas and time driving here to pick them up. They are in cardboard shipping crates. My birds will be here April 12th. I was lucky to get early birds. They have several order dates if you do not want them that early. McFarlens is the grower. Birds-$100+ $58 shipping+$14 something for certificate=172.13$
Here is there number, 608-757-7881. To me from experience, I like to go with early birds. You avoid all the hot weather as chicks. Plus you can use them or release them sooner. Mine are coming in the mail as well. Can't hardly drive out there to buy them for the total cost. 172.13 was the total with shipping and a MN health certificate. so thats a total of 34 cents a piece. There is a guy in Monticelo Jeff that will sell sexed hens for 30 cents picked up. But I can't drive there for 20 bucks. I can get you his contact as well if you like. I think that is closer for you right?
:cheers: Time to clean the shed out.
 
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