A Bielefelder Thread !

[Red Banks]

My husband and I feel the same way. So much regulation that actually defies logic, and primarily based on emotional reactions from a select group of people.

Last night I made a dinner comprised almost entirely by what I've managed to grow here at home. The salad greens came from my garden, the chicken I roasted was one of my culled roosters, and deviled eggs came from my hens. The meal was deliciously satisfying in more ways than one, since it suddenly dawned on me that I really can do this. I can nourish my family with truly organically raised food.

We are simpatico! My epiphany came while I was eating breakfast one morning. Jam I made on bread I baked with eggs from my chickens. So satisfying. We have lost touch with the basics. Understanding what we eat and where it comes from. My bread is not flour, water and chemicals. It has protein (eggs), fat and nutritious value. I share my eggs and bread with friends and neighbors, they share what they have with me, vegetables, meat. We are exhausted by the rush of our world and we find we are going nowhere fast. My generation tried to step back in the late 60's, early 70's. Sometimes I have to laugh, this is what I wanted when I was 20 and I lost my way. It took a long time to realize I was smarter then.

We are no longer a nation that cares about what the majority wants. We are crippled by pc and as you say a general lack of common sense.

Well.... so much for not commenting!

 

[bluejean55girl]

It is an extremely rare occurrence to find someone willing to cull your roosters for you, even for money. I now use a culling cone attached to a post. I have a collapsible table that I set up underneath the cone, and a rope to hold the chicken's feet still and to secure the bird better so he can't escape...because yes, those birds will definitely escape the killing cone. Once secure I exsanguinate the bird by slitting its jugular and let it bleed out, which only takes a few minutes. The process is typically quick and relatively quiet, not nearly as messy as chopping the bird's head off, and manageable for someone of limited strength. I tried cutting the head off one time and discovered that whether from lack of strength or mental fortitude, I couldn't complete the task in one easy motion and wound up covered in blood. Since I need to be able to cull the chickens completely alone, exsanguination is my preferred method. 

The hardest part of culling, without a doubt, is the mental aspect of it. I sometimes spend days or weeks convincing myself to finally take action, and even now I have a few cockerels that should be culled that I just haven't been able to bring myself to deal with because they're so sweet tempered.

maybe you are not hungry enough yet for rooster supper? Get em while they are still tender? Sorry, I didn't resist temptation. Grins

 

[dinydeek]

So I bought a few chicks(the little white and yellows are crosses we hatched) and will I had chicks I figured I might as well see if there were other breeds that interested me.

Are the 2 brown's in the pic's Bielefelders? Hoping so! The black ones I got from the same person must be crosses of some sort. Shame on me for not researching first, but a bit of an impulse purchase. Thanks!

 

[bluejean55girl]

So I bought a few chicks(the little white and yellows are crosses we hatched) and will I had chicks I figured I might as well see if there were other breeds that interested me. Are the 2 brown's in the pic's Bielefelders? Hoping so! The black ones I got from the same person must be crosses of some sort. Shame on me for not researching first, but a bit of an impulse purchase. Thanks!

sure have the coloring. But do think that there are red partridge in several breeds? Can you contact the person you got them from and find out? Sure are Cutie's. I'm only a newbie and don't know.

 

[Bine]

Where do you get a pet? Easy. You buy one from a certified breeder, Most breeders have a certificat from the city or district and a kennel club. Most dogs come with the European Pet ID Card, vaccination documents, kennel club documents and a chip or a tatoo. If you buy a bigger dog you have to show up at the breeders door step with a dog licence and , no matter how big or small, you have to register for dog tax in your: city or district. Cats normally come with the ID, documents and a flyer that informs you about the duties of an owner and the basic facts about cats. They are tax free, like bunnies, guinnea pigs...and yes every breeder needs to do a test on basic care and biology at the district vets office and is inspected by the district vets mobile service or /and the animal welfare manager of the breeders club - in my case with my chicken flock.
Or you go to the next shelter and adopt a pet or you adopt a pet from one of the welfare organisations that saves street dogs/cats in other countries and ship them to germany.
and yes, we have a black market problem but no, we have no puppy mills and in my hometown the last pet shop with bunnies, kittens and pupies in cages went out of business 10 years ago.
I think, the vaccinations, spaying and neutering is okay, b/c we take our dogs everywhere. You see them in street cafes, trains .... I mean in my neighborhood almost everyone has a dog. It would be chaos if all the dogs would went into heat.

For culling my unruly roosters I drive to the next inspected butcher or ask our animal welfare manager to do it. The butcher is a 15 min drive and charges 50 cents per chicken , pucking, gutting and air cooling included. I could have done a workshop on butchering for my flock, but no.... 50 cents are okay.I get all paper work and vaccination stuff done by the breeders club for 15 euros a year. If you own horses,cows, sheeps, goats, pigs or chickens as hobby, you are heavily invited by the local farmers assoiaction and the ministry for agriculture to take part in workshops for good husbandry. You can take workshops on animal health, animal care, breeding managment, claw trimming, sheep shearing... oh and chees making or you join a breeders club. I joined the club but maybe next summer I will take a workshop on chees making. Maybe some day I will have a sweet Dexter or a small Jersey...... and the costs are tax deducible b/c I own livestock, not the one you can milk, but still it is livestock.

 

[dinydeek]

They swore that is what they were.. and I saw the Roo(a beast! deepest voice I have ever heard too!) and a few hen's.. from what I can tell searching images at least those were the real McCoy.. but the blacks, well I am curious what they are mixed with! They definitely have a more high strung personalities then the tan's. Regardless, hope they grow out nice! From what I have been reading they are a terrific breed. We are new to chickens last year so still trying to figure out which breed we prefer. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[bluejean55girl]

They swore that is what they were.. and I saw the Roo(a beast! deepest voice I have ever heard too!) and a few hen's.. from what I can tell searching images at least those were the real McCoy.. but the blacks, well I am curious what they are mixed with!  They definitely have a more high strung personalities then the tan's.  Regardless, hope they grow out nice! From what I have been reading they are a terrific breed.  We are new to chickens last year so still trying to figure out which breed we prefer.  Thanks for the feedback!    

nice! Yours are several days older than mine. Congrats!

 

[Red Banks]

For culling my unruly roosters I drive to the next inspected butcher or ask our animal welfare manager to do it. The butcher is a 15 min drive and charges 50 cents per chicken , pucking, gutting and air cooling included. I could have done a workshop on butchering for my flock, but no.... 50 cents are okay.I get all paper work and vaccination stuff done by the breeders club for 15 euros a year. If you own horses,cows, sheeps, goats, pigs or chickens as hobby, you are heavily invited by the local farmers assoiaction and the ministry for agriculture to take part in workshops for good husbandry. You can take workshops on animal health, animal care, breeding managment, claw trimming, sheep shearing... oh and chees making or you join a breeders club. I joined the club but maybe next summer I will take a workshop on chees making. Maybe some day I will have a sweet Dexter or a small Jersey...... and the costs are tax deducible b/c I own livestock, not the one you can milk, but still it is livestock.

Oh my goodness...... I do envy you your butcher. Wouldn't that be wonderful? A long time ago a man did them here for 75 cents. He is long gone and so is that service. A woman said she would teach me but ...... maybe I can find someone that will do mine if I do theirs. Then I won't have to kill chickens I raised from babies. Sounds great Bine. My next addition will be goats but I truly had my heart set on a little Jersey cow! Cheese making!

 

[DesertChic]

Oh my goodness...... I do envy you your butcher. Wouldn't that be wonderful? A long time ago a man did them here for 75 cents. He is long gone and so is that service. A woman said she would teach me but ...... maybe I can find someone that will do mine if I do theirs. Then I won't have to kill chickens I raised from babies. Sounds great Bine. My next addition will be goats but I truly had my heart set on a little Jersey cow! Cheese making!

I've only seen one person near where I live advertising that he would butcher/process other people's chickens...for $5.00 per bird.

 

[DesertChic]

So I bought a few chicks(the little white and yellows are crosses we hatched) and will I had chicks I figured I might as well see if there were other breeds that interested me.

Are the 2 brown's in the pic's Bielefelders? Hoping so! The black ones I got from the same person must be crosses of some sort. Shame on me for not researching first, but a bit of an impulse purchase. Thanks!

Cute babies! The ones in the bottom photo look almost identical to how my Bielefelder/Australorp mixes looked, which happens to look almost identical to a Barred Rock. The top two photos look very similar to my Bielefelders, but not quite the same. I'll keep my fingers crossed that they are, in fact, Biels.