We ordered (and received) our fourth and final batch of chicks from a different hatchery. Townline has been very good to us, but they ran out of chicks available for the time frame I was hoping for. Fortunately, we'd done some homework and new that another hatchery, Mt. Healthy Hatchery in Mt. Healthy, OH was just what we were looking for. As I said, Townline has done very well for us and I like working with a Michigan based company, but it's never good to have just one supplier of anything. So when I heard that Townline was going to have to delay the order, I called up Mt. Healthy. There's no time like the present to give them a try!
The breed we're buying is slightly different, but I doubt any of us will be able to tell. It's the standard meat bird. It's good to try something new. If they work out well, I'm sure we'll have need to use them again. So we'll trust that the healthy mountains produce healthy chicks and keep growing them as God blesses.
Showing posts with label hatchery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hatchery. Show all posts
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Orders are In!
After getting all my records straight and doing a little planning (and re-planning), I finally submitted an order, today, to the hatchery. We use Townline Hatchery for those who don't know. It's a family owned poultry farm in Zeeland, MI. They have a wide range of poultry to choose from including heritage breeds.
So why did we choose to use this hatchery? Well, primarily because it's a Michigan based organization. They are large so they have they have the scalability to allow us to grow as God sees fit. They also provide jobs to people in Michigan. Because we're not too far away, shipping costs are lower and the birds go through less trauma than they would on a longer trek.
They also do not vaccinate or medicate the birds when they hatch. We were warned by some friends that some places spray all their chicks with salmonella to build up their immune systems. You have to be careful, though, because YOU must wear rubber when handling them to keep from getting the salmonella yourself. That's not us. Leave the birds alone. We'll trust God for the rest.
The first batch is scheduled to arrive on May 26th! There are few things as exciting as going to pick up the chicks at the Post Office. The birds are chirping away and they sound so happy and excited. It's their first field trip you know. And then when you see those little downy balls of fluff squirming and vying for the best position to get out of the box first....well, it doesn't get much better than that.
One lesson we learned last year was not counting your chickens...okay...well, you know what I mean. You can order the chicks for whatever day you like, but that doesn't mean they'll come that specif day. They may, or they may be delayed because of a whole host of reasons. So flexibility is rule one when dealing with living things.
In our work-a-day world, we live according to calendars, schedules, and constant communication. I admit that I was a little put out when the chicks didn't arrive on time last year. I had taken the day off from my other job and it was a wasted day. But then I began to realize that maybe I was the problem. The hatchery had good reasons for the delay. But more than that, did I really think that the birthing process could be completely scheduled? After 5 kids you'd think I'd know better. We learned, though, that much of the farming process is about waiting, watching, preparing, and then acting when it's the right time.
Hmmm....not a bad recipe for life.
So why did we choose to use this hatchery? Well, primarily because it's a Michigan based organization. They are large so they have they have the scalability to allow us to grow as God sees fit. They also provide jobs to people in Michigan. Because we're not too far away, shipping costs are lower and the birds go through less trauma than they would on a longer trek.
They also do not vaccinate or medicate the birds when they hatch. We were warned by some friends that some places spray all their chicks with salmonella to build up their immune systems. You have to be careful, though, because YOU must wear rubber when handling them to keep from getting the salmonella yourself. That's not us. Leave the birds alone. We'll trust God for the rest.
The first batch is scheduled to arrive on May 26th! There are few things as exciting as going to pick up the chicks at the Post Office. The birds are chirping away and they sound so happy and excited. It's their first field trip you know. And then when you see those little downy balls of fluff squirming and vying for the best position to get out of the box first....well, it doesn't get much better than that.
One lesson we learned last year was not counting your chickens...okay...well, you know what I mean. You can order the chicks for whatever day you like, but that doesn't mean they'll come that specif day. They may, or they may be delayed because of a whole host of reasons. So flexibility is rule one when dealing with living things.
In our work-a-day world, we live according to calendars, schedules, and constant communication. I admit that I was a little put out when the chicks didn't arrive on time last year. I had taken the day off from my other job and it was a wasted day. But then I began to realize that maybe I was the problem. The hatchery had good reasons for the delay. But more than that, did I really think that the birthing process could be completely scheduled? After 5 kids you'd think I'd know better. We learned, though, that much of the farming process is about waiting, watching, preparing, and then acting when it's the right time.
Hmmm....not a bad recipe for life.
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