Recent content by thistlewick

  1. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    Here in NC, the state does not give processors licenses to do processing for small farms like me - I've looked this up! I can find a place in South Carolina (I have a tab open with them, but I don't have any cullable birds right now anyway) OR I can rent a Mobile Processing Unit, but that...
  2. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    Oh, no. I don't think I can kill my chickens myself, personally. I could absolutely clean them and butcher them, I just couldn't take the life. Not yet anyway. I'd probably inure myself to it over time if I *had* to do it. I don't think I'd ever like doing it. According to some quick...
  3. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    more fun antics today update; found white egg on the ground; Absolutely a Custard misfire. She never lays eggs this smooth and pale. But she DOES escape every morning out the top of the extension and this was laid just on the ground under the pallet table. lol She's a nerd. The babies...
  4. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    Oh man @ChaosMom it is absolutely like you read my mind. The eggs I sell to a local farm store - they buy as much as I offer, if they need it. They have always needed them so far (except for last holiday weekend as a lot of people go away for Memorial Day). We have *thought* of making a...
  5. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    YES I do sell my eggs! That's all I meant is that it does cover the feed and bedding, which is awesome - sorry for the confusion I just like projects, I think, and I've got nothing else going on. Just chickenssssss :love
  6. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    Amazing clouds this afternoon
  7. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    I worry about their happiness, I don't want to crowd anyone. The poop is CRAZY -- but my own personal boundary for dealing with poop is LOW, so to me I'm like THIS IS ENOUGH! There is now fly management (which I did last year too) and I'm over it. I am just coming to the determination of...
  8. thistlewick

    Thistlewick Smallholding - Chickens & Sheep (for now)

    I just moved the 11 day old chicks down to the bottom brooder -- they were wild in the uptop one - every time I opened the top they would fly all out LOL I've never had chicks grow so fast and be so adventurous. I need a way to feed them where they don't bill out feed oh my gooddddd they waste...
  9. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    Just so you know, you won't be able to get 100+ chickens back in the run on your own, you will have to wait til nightfall when they go back to the coop on their own to go to bed. But if you leave them in the coop/run for a while -- days or weeks before you let them out (I moved my flock into...
  10. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    I realize just now I forgot to mention the snow. Chickens and snow are fine for free ranging - they might be bored a little because no obvious places to scratch. But lots of people do it. And storms ? Sorry I forgot to mention it again because it's just not a big deal. They shelter...
  11. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    Yes, they hide! It looks like you have woods on either side of that big lawn - they'd hang out there big time! They evolved from jungle fowl - they absolutely love cover. The first loss I had to a hawk was because I didn't have ANY adults yet and were letting them free range all day not...
  12. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    So babies won't run for the hills. Remember, chickens have been around on earth for millions of years longer than us - they're dinosaurs, after all. They have seriously amazing baked in instincts. I let 3 week old chicks out with the flock. I did this on the advice of people here on the...
  13. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    Chickens don't range farther than 300 feet from their 'home' You can absolutely draw a radius from our hen house to where my chickens will go and it's at ~300 feet lol the old books don't lie! If you did free range, what would happen is that they will create for themselves a daily routine...
  14. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    So 1500 square foot run?! I cannot wait to see that! Is it open air? I'm seriously curious to see all this when you can show pics. I'm in central NC, farmland - absolutely rural BFE. I've caught raccoons and coyote and foxes on my cameras (a fox just last week). But they don't bother the...
  15. thistlewick

    [The Shire] Our growing flock!

    I honestly haven't heard the best from Cackle - mostly horror stories. I try to check where hatcheries are located so they can ship to me overnight - I'm in NC (you can add your location in your profile, which then shows on the bar on the left (on desktop) which is really helpful for advice)...
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