Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
We just caught our 3rd possom in the live trap last night too. I had read that they will eat rats and keep down the rat population but I'm not sure if that's true! (Made me wonder if I was getting rid of one nasty to just make room for another!)

It's helpful to me to hear that having a light on is a good thing. I'm assuming you mean outside the coop? I've been thinking I want to get a motion light on the outside since mine is right near a woods and it's a little "creepy" for me to go out there at night as there have been some break-ins on the barn in the past. If the light would help keep coyotes and other night predators away...all the better!

 

[hecatesmoon]

Hmmmmm a simple light as a predator deterrent......sounds good. .... did I spell "deterrent" right? I don't think I did....

 

[CSisley]

Raising them to be chicken killers does not mean they won't still turn out to be big softies.

When I was 7 or 8 years old I was expected to help pull feathers out of recently butchered chickens. I remember distinctly watching roosters run around with no heads after my dad had decapitated them with an axe. I remember the awful smell of the feathers after the chickens were dipped in scalding hot water and the sound of the pressure cooker as Mom attempted to make the meat more tender. Most of the time hens were safe unless they were especially old but my Dad would buy the chicks straight run so we would have extra roosters that would need to be thinned out. I remember being excited whenever new chicks would arrive but it was mingled with sadness because I knew one day in the near future it would mean chicken killing day. As soon as the chicks were old enough for me to tell which ones were males and which ones were females I would avoid the males like the plague trying hard not to get attached to them. I would also never name them if I knew they were going to be food one day. My parents would let me pick a rooster that I wanted to keep, which was kind, but I also felt a little like the grim reaper of the chicken world. I never resented what my parents did but to this day I don't choose to have the stomach for killing what I raise. I do believe it is a choice. If I had to survive by killing my own food, I would, but foodlion is just way convenient and it's easier to to enjoy my food if I haven't spent hours crying over it. When I was little I would rescue drowning earthworms from puddles so my temperament gives me a bit of a disadvantage from my fellow omnivores.

My advice to parents who raise birds for meat:
1) Do not hide your intentions from your children. Make sure they understand which animals will be pets and which will be food so they have a chance to emotionally distance themselves from the food.
2) NEVER and I mean NEVER let them name the animals destined for the dinner table. Names add attachment.
3) Treat the animals you raise for food with the care of a good steward. They may be destined for the crock pot but ensuring they live quality lives until that day will help your children cope with the loss and respect you. Help them to understand that the animals were put here for us and not the other way around but that that also gives us the responsibility of stewarding what we have been given.

You may never turn them into butchers but you can earn their respect and help them cope with the realities of life. I'm still a softie, but my upbringing has made it possible for me to still enjoy fried chicken and respect folks that raise their own meat.

 

[fowlman01]

Hmmmmm a simple light as a predator deterrent......sounds good. .... did I spell "deterrent" right? I don't think I did....

Lights don't work here. The predator lights work...sort of...but I had a fox walk by one a cuple weeks ago.......but he walked into a live trap.

Walt

 

[Chickenlady1987]

Now see...I'm going to get in trouble.  OT advice warning! 


IME, you really don't need to make up any PVC contraptions to have space saving and go cheap....a piece of guttering with a cap of woven wire, mounted on the wall of your coop and with some support for the bottom(bricks work) is much easier.  The wire keeps birds from flicking and scratching through the feed and the open face of the whole length of the feeder is an easy to fill solution. 


I tried the PVC feeder and soon discarded it for a more practical and easy solution.  You should have seen the work I did to make the durn thing...too much.  /img/smilies/tongue.png

I love the idea of the gutter with wire. I will have to try that when my new coop is finished.

 

[fultzie]

WOW bee..thats an awesome idea..i got to do the gutter trough..what an space saver too..i love you lol

 

[IamSamSam]

I LOVE this thread.

My Nan had a flock on a farm they use to care take for and there was like 40 or more and 2 roosters.

She still insists that she knows nothing of chickens. They were on the farm for 45-50 years. It was where I learned my love of animals and

farm life........... 34 years later I don't own a farm ......... Yet.......( though my husband would say otherwise

) BUT I do have my 8 chickens !

I have had them for 4 years and in March added two Austrolorps to replace the old girls. I got them from a commercial egg producer so they were old when we got them as I wasnt sure the dog wouldn't kill them. When he didn't, I got 6 more. 2 pullets and 4 on point of lay from a breeder.

I needed to cull one (she got very sickly overnight with a cold snap so we did the kinder thing)

My kids are loving the experience ( along with the blue cattle dog and aviary of budgies and veggie garden - but I'm not allowed any mini cows

)

So thanks for your experiences and practical information and stories are most welcome as well......

Like the time when i was 4 and asking my Nan why the rooroo was standing on hers foot again !

yes I know now >.............

 

[CSisley]

I've got a PVC feeder; https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/simple-pvc-hopper-type-feeder and I love it! I've listed reasons in the comments section. No offense, just my opinion, but the gutter/hard-wire thing sounds like a terrible idea but I might be picturing it wrong. I think I need a visual...

 

[IamSamSam]

It there a way to stop rats getting at the food in the containers ? I liked your pvc post CSisley. would a hard wire prevent them getting into the tube ? a Screw cap on top is easy enough ?

 

[loanwizard]

I have a gutter feeder although no wire for my meaties. My other feeder is a large garage hanging light fixture upside down with the electric wires cut. They hold feed and the chicks have plenty of space. Feeds 100.