# Chicken Math Just Yelled Boo!



## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

I really wanted to do Rhode Island Whites (to make sex-links) and Marans (for chocolate eggs) this year but I decided to focus on what we have and have been really good about not adding anyone...

I have 77 chicks and 11 ducklings set to hatch today... and I decided to go on Craiglist to see what prices this area has... which is a dangerous thing to do, I know. That's when I found a guy selling what I felt were very decently dark Maran eggs for the area.... $35 a dozen. That's not bad! I can take a dozen... my boyfriend convinces me to ask for two dozen in case there's an incubator misshap or something. OK, set me aside two dozen...

So I get there. This guy is really passionate about his eggs! He has _fifty one_ eggs set aside from the week. He insists I take them all for $20 because his last hatch was so terrible. How terrible? He only got _80%_. I'm not sure what is terrible about 80%..... but suddenly I have a much larger project than I intended!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Oops. I've been tempted a couple of times and have looked at Craig's list then common sense kicks in and I walk away.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

There's a lot on Craigslist.... if these eggs weren't as dark as they were I would have passed on these too but hey, I'm happy. People are really loving the colored eggs and I can't wait to see what kind of Olive Eggers I can get from these! My eating eggs I have been having a hard time keeping up to demand -- I sincerely hope the same goes for these chicks! 

But back to the reason I was on Craigslist -- this area is odd. Barnyard mixes seem to be going for $3-4, which is higher than I am used to ($1 where I was before) and pure breds of any kind seem to be fetching staggering prices - $15-25 for day old pullets. And of course there's never any photos so I am never quite certain what's up with that! I will be doing my best to sex the ones that are hatching today but I don't think I will be charging so much!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It might be due to the two outbreaks of bird flu. I noticed a big jump in the price of pullets during the first one.


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

That would be a bit odd... we live on the East Coast. Our grocery eggs did't even go up in price, we just weren't hit that last time. But I keep seeing this. I just asked for $10 each for the last batch I hatched and they acted like that was a steal! Whatever. I don't mind being cheap... LoL. The way I see it I would rather be on the cheaper side and sell more. I don't feel like I am ripping people off that way and I am happy to keep raising large batches.


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## Cockadoodledoo (Jan 28, 2016)

What a fun project! I have 2 Black Copper marans..I cant wait to see their eggs!


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## zamora (May 26, 2015)

I want to make some olive eggers too! 

Congrats on your successes though!


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

It got crazy hot one day and we didn't have the AC on because it's spring.. anyway, the incubator got up to 103 degrees for six hours. I thought for sure everything was cooked. But the Marans hatched out no problem!!! I got Marans, silver penciled rocks, a single Serama, some silkie crosses I agreed to incubate for someone else, and the two middle drawers of Dorkings and Brabanters did cook. 

But I got over 30 Marans!! And to my delight they have feathered feet!! I soo can't wait to make Olive Eggers... This one's playing dead but it's really just relaxing. So fat, so fluffy!!










One of the Silver Penciled Rocks. Also SUPER FLUFFY.


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