Homestead sales

[Chic Rustler]

We are wanting trees pretty bad.


Well she took a case of goods and sold them all in one day. She also got several orders for more. But we can't liquidate the entire pantry.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Keep watering that okra...

 

[tortoise]

@Hinotori, you've got a dozen fertile giant silkie hatching eggs with my name on them? I mean, when you get that far. Because, seriously, I need them in my life. Especially if they get broody like the little ones do.

 

[tortoise]

I have one egg customer for 1 dozen per week. $2/dozen is going rate here. I don't have extra eggs with that dozen going out each week. I've been limited in my baking lately for not having enough eggs. When we get to butchering season this fall I'll be keeping quite a few more hens than in previous years. We have more space for them now.

My best seller has been yearling asparagus plants. Asparagus is notoriously difficult to start from seed, but I have a little garden spot that is an asparagus incubator. Sell for $1 per plant bareroot. I get seeds, plant it, mulch it after they get a couple inches tall, forget it for a year, post on FB group for a local swap meet to get buyers in advance so they sell fast. My garden is about 12 square feet, takes 3 seed packets, 1 bale of horse bedding for mulch, and about $100 in sales. I kept my asparagus plants this past year to revitalize our old asparagus bed. I put strawberries in there, but now I'm tempted to do asparagus again!

Cottage laws here allow for sales of certain high-acid canned items. But no baked goods. People do it anyway of course, but I sleep better at night when I follow the rules.

 

[Hinotori]

@Hinotori, you've got a dozen fertile giant silkie hatching eggs with my name on them? I mean, when you get that far. Because, seriously, I need them in my life. Especially if they get broody like the little ones do.

It's just a mutation for large size. I crossed nothing else in. One of the big pullets laid 4 eggs and went broody at 28 weeks. So normal silkies. It will take another year or so to get all big chicks. Just don't have the gene pool there yet. Have to be careful with the inbreeding.

Still trying to fix the rooster color, but that is almost done. I need to fix the combs and the too big wattle issue that crops up sometimes.

I haven't completely eliminated the morehead gene, so black heads do show up sometimes depending on who I breed. It's actually against APA standard for the partridge color but is very showy.

So the first big boy is fully filled out now at 16 months I think. He's 4 pounds 12 ounces. I'll record weight at 2 years as well. Normal silkie roosters weigh 2 pounds 4 ounces.

 

[Mini Horses]

WOW -- so double sized Silkie!

In my area, with a lot of city folk who can have 4 to 6 hens, they love colored eggs! So those are the chicks/hens that can command big dollar. EEs are so very popular due to that, as well as the variety of feather color for most. They want the eye candy.

This years hatches will start laying in next 4-6 weeks, with younger hatches 8-12 weeks out. I can barely contain myself just waiting to see the color of their eggs. Expect a lot of blue and green.... If all goes as planned, the incubator will probably be used for some of the first hatches in 2018, to supply chicks on CL and at chicken swaps.

I'm working on a couple more pens to separate my purebreds for those to be broody hatched. Some are Marans, others Ameraucana & Orpingtons. Prefer broody raised --- they are taught to be "chickens" !!

These will be some of my "farm income" efforts! I have a barn that is basically unused for more than special needs to stall a goat or horse, so I can easily set pens for grow out in there. I still use the tack/feed room for feed. But rarely have a need for stalls now. Even considering removing the partitions in 1/2 of it to more easily arrange things.

 

[Beekissed]

Used to sell eggs, which defrayed feed costs and also yielded a small profit that went towards restocking efforts and such, allowing me to keep chickens for free, which translated into free food for the family from meat and eggs.

Now I don't live where and how I used to in order to market eggs, so all excess eggs just go to family.

 

[baymule]

We're looking at making and selling garden raised bed boxes, and possibly rabbit hutches, and small chicken houses, and possible pecan wood. We have a LOT of free wood right now.

Cut the pecan wood about 6-8 inches long, split it to kindling size. Tie it in bundles with a pretty ribbon and tie some with hay string, just to see which one sells first. Make a sign for pecan smoking wood. Explain how to lay the pecan wood on top of the coals for the pecan smoke flavor. I do that with hickory twigs. No way I'm going to build a BBQ fire with all hickory, only need a little bit!

 

[milkmansdaughter]

Thanks @baymule ! Great idea.

 

[Chic Rustler]

So far the sales have been going well. People love that pickled okra. I think the wife made $100 this week on eggs and cans. That will cover feed for the month and buy some more supplies.


Really makes me want bees....