Recent content by janit

  1. J

    Help with crossing hens for faster growth

    So I currently have 5 bresse hens. Horribly disappointed with breese btw, slow growing, eat a ton, messy and rotten personalities on the roos. I held back 5 of the hens I found laid nice big eggs were large and not nasty (although not friendly even though I hatched them and never done bad by...
  2. J

    Peafowl Noise, How bad and at what age do they start?

    So about this, if I build an aviary in a large barn that is close to the road, will the neighbours across the street want to KILL me? With all this bird flu craziness ATM I would rather not have anyone know I have any kind of bird. Any suggestions?
  3. J

    Starting my own meat birds dark cornish and cross with white rock

    actually it does matter who is roo and who is hen. best results are crossing Cornish ROO with Rock HENS. You need to eat the resulting cross, if you retain babies for rebreeding you will get dodgy result on the 2nd generation.
  4. J

    Rescued silkie cross tips?

    comb is tiny, no crowing, plus i vent checked, definately a girl. I have had chickens for years and have never seen a hen not lay at a year old. That is why i asked. But ty for answering.
  5. J

    Rescued silkie cross tips?

    Hi All! Well I said I would NEVER have a silkie (or any other "designer birds") but I just couldn't turn this girl down. I picked her up at the local rescue about a month ago, she was there because she was found to be "ugly" and had never laid. She is a young bird, I was told she hatched last...
  6. J

    Hardware Cloth Vs. Chicken Wire

    don't get me wrong I have hated the stuff for years, just was trying to bring the budget and weight of this tractor down. At this rate its going to be a $2000 contraption! Going to have to raise a heck of a lot of birds to break even! Interesting that mice were a problem though. I have seen...
  7. J

    Hardware Cloth Vs. Chicken Wire

    I haven't got to building it yet, a little too much snow at the minute! lol I am just in my planning phase! But I think I have decided on just a plain salatin style tractor from pvc pipe just to keep the weight down. standard size 10x5x2 for about 25 birds. I did want to be sure it was top...
  8. J

    Beilefelders and first time in 30 years questions!

    thank you! very helpful! So I am thinking for my first attempt 5 is a good number. Likely over a few days. Just to stick my feet in and get a feel so I can then figure out what is best to do.
  9. J

    Beilefelders and first time in 30 years questions!

    yup, have a spare fridge! Yes, I did not even think of doing more then one at a time start to finish! I was kind of thinking of doing all the boys on one day before they started to get noisy and letting the girls get a bit bigger, doing them a few weeks later.
  10. J

    Beilefelders and first time in 30 years questions!

    I do have a bolt gun to stun them before I cut their throats. I prefer to use a scalpel, I am comfortable with them. My dad used a sharp hatchet. Yes, I was thinking of using my giant stock pot and bbq side burner with digital meat thermometer to scald starting out. My youngest is too young...
  11. J

    Hardware Cloth Vs. Chicken Wire

    i w ok if i must, I will! It will be about $1000 tractor though! So to keep the weight down, how do I attach it to pvc pipe? And what do you suggest I use for a skirt? Those nasty things dig nuts! I do use the preditor lights and move the tractors daily. So far only one dig attempt but no...
  12. J

    Hardware Cloth Vs. Chicken Wire

    I have heard of people trying double or triple layers of offset chicken wire, would that work in a pinch? Hardware cloth is hard to work with an very very expensive around here to cover a 10x10 meat tractor. I am thinking it would also be a lot easier on uneven sold clay dirt to make an anti...
  13. J

    Beilefelders and first time in 30 years questions!

    lol in my house i bake/roast everything save eggs! I traditionally roast a whole bird for Sunday supper, then we get 3-4 meals over the following week. Mine are show quality stock imported from germany at great time and expense. I figured if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right...
  14. J

    Beilefelders and first time in 30 years questions!

    So when I was a kid, we raised standard meat monsters. Flash forward a few decades, I am a single mom who decided to get beilefelders as a friendly dual purpose breed for my kids. Plus, as they are sexable as chicks, I figured I could cover some of my costs by selling on female chicks and keep...
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