The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

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delisha said:
Crows are good egg stealer's, and yes they will take unattended baby birds. However I thought it was raptors and not omnivores that do it. Regardless they are great worners and keep Hawks away.
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When i lived in Fl. [was born there] many a blue jay would take kittens and baby squirrels.
 
Beekissed said:
They make great range shelters for meaties and free range or pastured layers. Easy to build, cheap to buy the materials. I don't know more folks don't use them for quicky coops.


Guess what y'all? My boys are coming in this weekend!!!!!
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Two of them get to stay all week and the oldest and his new wife will be in for three days. I'm so excited and happy to have my family all back in one home again...it has been a long time.
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Yay!!!!
 
I just love the good old Southern "bless their hearts!" It covers so many things...so very well. I can just hear my Mama in my head. She would have said the same thing about those Silkies.
I also wanted to say that the posts on butchering moved me to tears. Not because of feeling "sorry for" the animals, but because they were so obviously respected and loved. Thank you.
 
Speaking of butchering. I killed 7 chickens today. I have never killed anything. I never would have been able to do it if not for this thread. Thank you all so much.
My friend has been keeping chickens for 5 years and never culled. She has (had) 7 hens that were clearly not laying. She and I made a pact; I would kill her old hens and she will kill mine when the time comes.
I did the job quickly and without drama. I was hell bent on not messing up, and I didn't. First slash of the throat, no question I hit the mark. It took me about 1 1/4 hours to kill, and clean 7 birds. It would have taken a lot longer if not for all the info on this board. It was as respectful as possible AND I have 7 hens in the refrigerator that I am going to pressure can tomorrow...never done that either...first time for everything I guess.
You all are the best.
mo
 
I could have used a hug earlier today.
No pictures. My hands were pretty full.
None of the hens I killed had any eggs in them, so I was really happy we made the right decision. Phew.
One was sort of questionable if it was even a hen, it never crowed, never laid that she knew. I think it had little tiny testes...it was like it had extra kidneys. I am pretty sure it was a weird rooster.
Another was a hen that was hatched out in April and hadn 't laid. She had not signs of eggs inside her.
All this made me more resolved to cull my flock. They are all between 5 and 8 months but I can already telll there are some weak links in this flock.
 
Beekissed said:
My boys and I are really close...I've been both mom and dad and they've never had a dad at all in their lives. We really, really miss each other when we are apart and it feels like walking around without one leg when we don't have each other near. Coming back together means so much to us because we really depend on that physical part of our relationship...lots of hugs, smiles and just seeing each others faces. Like a warm fire on a subzero day..it just warms us all the way to the bone to get to see one another.

We'll play cards and boardgames, eat homemade foods that they can't get out there in the world, laugh until we cry and the boys will often compete to see who can make Mom laugh until she pees her pants! We look at family pictures and recount the old tales...but mostly we just bask in each others personalities. There's no feeling quite like it and we need it like most folks need air.

It's never enough but, somehow, just enough to help us get back out there in the world and try to live apart again. One day soon we won't ever have to part and every day will be just like coming home!
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Enjoy, Bee. Sounds like utter bliss and there is nothing that can replace having your children at home. I'm blessed that my children - and grandchildren - all live fairly close so we see each other often. But I do so enjoy those special times when we can sit down, take time, chat, play games, and not be worried about rushing to this thing or that place. I like for life to slow down every so often. There's just nothing better . . .

My family will be going "over the river [Shenandoah] and through the woods" to my mother's for Thanksgiving to be with her and my brother and his family. I'll be toting a bunch of stuff but most looked forward to are the deviled eggs. Thinking they should be GREAT this year!

Baking apples for dinner tonight and making ACV with the skins. My DH is afraid to look in buckets and open jars these days between FF and now homemade ACV!
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maggiemo said:
Speaking of butchering. I killed 7 chickens today. I have never killed anything. I never would have been able to do it if not for this thread. Thank you all so much.
My friend has been keeping chickens for 5 years and never culled. She has (had) 7 hens that were clearly not laying. She and I made a pact; I would kill her old hens and she will kill mine when the time comes.
I did the job quickly and without drama. I was hell bent on not messing up, and I didn't. First slash of the throat, no question I hit the mark. It took me about 1 1/4 hours to kill, and clean 7 birds. It would have taken a lot longer if not for all the info on this board. It was as respectful as possible AND I have 7 hens in the refrigerator that I am going to pressure can tomorrow...never done that either...first time for everything I guess.
You all are the best.
mo
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Wow...congrats! And I think doing them for each other is a really good way to ease into it to help with the emotional attachment....
 
maggiemo said:
I could have used a hug earlier today.
No pictures. My hands were pretty full.
None of the hens I killed had any eggs in them, so I was really happy we made the right decision. Phew.
One was sort of questionable if it was even a hen, it never crowed, never laid that she knew. I think it had little tiny testes...it was like it had extra kidneys. I am pretty sure it was a weird rooster.
Another was a hen that was hatched out in April and hadn 't laid. She had not signs of eggs inside her.
All this made me more resolved to cull my flock. They are all between 5 and 8 months but I can already telll there are some weak links in this flock.
Click to expand...

That's a great way to learn about culling and the reasons why..doing that first real anatomy lesson. I think it gives you a better ability to assess your flock for future culling needs. Anything you care to share with the uninitiated about your experience and things you learned?
 
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