Recent content by ladysfield

In response to the many sound views in the Pitt Bulls' Nuture/Nature argument, it might be interesting to read an article from years past in the Smithsonian magazine. Dogs have been bred to have very strong tendencies; for herding, fighting, hunting, tracking, etc. A researcher took multiple...

I love your requirements for a dog! As a teenager, I had Australian Cattle dogs. My big male had a fearsome appearance. Black mask and muscular. He was one of those dogs that would stare you right in the eyes. Funny thing, he loved everybody. I trained dogs back then and he was the perfect dog...

I used hypocrite because the writer was suffering criticism from those who did not choose to attend the processing class. People certainly have the freedom not to process with no judgement from anyone as long as they don't condemn the one does does make this choice.

I, too, am in North Texas. I'm sure there are others in our area who teach "processing". I laugh at this term, because, like the styrofoam culture that has generated this interesting topic, it is a sanitized word. I have butchered my own chickens and although I certainly don't consider myself an...

I think you just defined "hypocrite"....

Nice article! I would add in warm months, flies are a problem as they multiply rapidly in the chicken manure if its allowed to build up. The dropped feed and wet areas around waterers breed roaches, as well. Of course, you can expose those hiding spots and call the birds, who will efficiently...

Loved beekissed' remarks!! (post #41) Who ever heard of someone worming CHICKENS? I don't remember anyone doing things like that when our family raised chickens. The most 'doctoring' a hen received was a Crisco rubdown for lice.

My mother lived alone on a farm outside Mansfield. On the way to the farm, our young son asked our destination. We replied, "Mansfield." He said, "That's not right!Grammys a GIRL, she lives in Ladysfield!" Thirty years later, we live in Ladysfield, too.

Always the favorite! How true! Our first successful predator attack this year took my favorite hen, a Speckled Sussex, a month ago. The only one I named out of the spring group of chickens. So friendly she would run and perch on my lap if I sat down outside. A raccoon nabbed her on a bright...

The last batch of chicks I had in the spring was a mixed group of birds with friendliness varying along breed types. All were handled from young birds but they seem to go through a wild phase as they matured. The Australorps and Kraienkoppes were the worst. Then something interesting happened...

You do not need Layena or a rooster. They begin laying about 6 months old with a little breed variance. Layena is formulated to promote health during laying, but it is not a stimulant nor does it contain hormones.

When I let mine out for the first time, I left the door open to the familiar pen as a safe haven. Over several weeks as they gained confidence and size, they roamed in wider circles around "home base". They are full grown birds now and stay in the vicinity of our house (about a 1 acre area)...

I had a dilemma with my own three cats going after my chickens... I had the cats first, adult adept hunters. Because of this, I didn't even let the chicks out in a covered run until they were six weeks old. Despite the chicks size, the cats were way too interested in them for my comfort. So I...