Arizona Chickens

[Chikibabymom]

@Chikibabymom How is the chick's feet doing this morning? Any better, yet?

Yes! Her feet are much straighter now, we removed the little shoes this morning and so far they haven’t bent like before, we might repeat the process once more as a precaution. Thank you for your help!

 

[BlueBaby]

Yes! Her feet are much straighter now, we removed the little shoes this morning and so far they haven’t bent like before, we might repeat the process once more as a precaution. Thank you for your help!

That's great! Now you will know what to do if you get anymore chick's like that.

 

[Coffee N Chickens]

At this point, both Henrietta and Lacey are laying fertilized eggs every day. Whisper is just revving up her laying. She gave me an egg yesterday and again today. Whisper's are smaller and don't seem to be fertilized, but I'm sure the cockerel will find time to take care of that if he hasn't already.

So now I feel guilty eating the eggs when they could be hatched into more cuckoo leghorns. As you might remember from the swap meet eggs adventure, I have an incubator set-up. No place to put chicks and worried about possible fires with young chicks. I'd like to hatch some and increase the flock.

The problem is, half would be cockerels. If they're as likable as their father, I just could not send them to freezer camp. The boys are hard to give away. Thinking here.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

At this point, both Henrietta and Lacey are laying fertilized eggs every day. Whisper is just revving up her laying. She gave me an egg yesterday and again today. Whisper's are smaller and don't seem to be fertilized, but I'm sure the cockerel will find time to take care of that if he hasn't already.

So now I feel guilty eating the eggs when they could be hatched into more cuckoo leghorns. As you might remember from the swap meet eggs adventure, I have an incubator set-up. No place to put chicks and worried about possible fires with young chicks. I'd like to hatch some and increase the flock.

The problem is, half would be cockerels. If they're as likable as their father, I just could not send them to freezer camp. The boys are hard to give away. Thinking here.

I was thinking the sams as you regarding the males... but i came across post after post of what seemed like regrettable rehoming.. that now i think a very swift and humane dispatch is kinder, knowing they won't be suffering somewhere. It would be still be difficult, but i think I'd ultimately be more at peace, unless it is a for sure good home.

 

[BlueBaby]

I was thinking the sams as you regarding the males... but i came across post after post of what seemed like regrettable rehoming.. that now i think a very swift and humane dispatch is kinder, knowing they won't be suffering somewhere. It would be still be difficult, but i think I'd ultimately be more at peace, unless it is a for sure good home.

Yes, good re-home's are hard to find, even if the boy's are nice roos. I have had to cull extra boy's before. I got lucky when @CaroleW Took Roger for her flock and gave him a good home.

 

[CaroleW]

Yes, good re-home's are hard to find, even if the boy's are nice roos. I have had to cull extra boy's before. I got lucky when @CaroleW Took Roger for her flock and gave him a good home.

I think we are blessed that our societal conditions give us a choice in rehoming or harvesting. Traditionally through history & in less affluent areas it has not even been a question what extra roosters are intended for. I feel that if I'm not a vegetarian (which I tried to be decades ago & failed for health reasons) then I personally had to get less squeamish about raising and harvesting from a sustainable flock if possible. It is not easy to harvest (physically or emotionally) and I don't think it ever should be.

In the past the phrase "Breed the best and eat the rest" was part of the working farm practice.

NOTE: I'm not trying to convince anyone my way is the way, but if you need an example of someone who has gone from (failed) vegetarian to being able to ethically harvest an animal THEN I'm just telling briefly of my own journey.

ROGER is the best rooster - he takes care of my egg laying flock and is so cool!

 

[BlueBaby]

I think we are blessed that our societal conditions give us a choice in rehoming or harvesting. Traditionally through history & in less affluent areas it has not even been a question what extra roosters are intended for. I feel that if I'm not a vegetarian (which I tried to be decades ago & failed for health reasons) then I personally had to get less squeamish about raising and harvesting from a sustainable flock if possible. It is not easy to harvest (physically or emotionally) and I don't think it ever should be.

In the past the phrase "Breed the best and eat the rest" was part of the working farm practice.

I agree. How is Roger doing?

 

[CaroleW]

I agree. How is Roger doing?

Roger Is Great! I didn't take any pics yet today as I worked on the Lazy River drainage system with Roger & the egg layer crew "helping".

 

[Parront]

At this point, both Henrietta and Lacey are laying fertilized eggs every day. Whisper is just revving up her laying. She gave me an egg yesterday and again today. Whisper's are smaller and don't seem to be fertilized, but I'm sure the cockerel will find time to take care of that if he hasn't already.

So now I feel guilty eating the eggs when they could be hatched into more cuckoo leghorns. As you might remember from the swap meet eggs adventure, I have an incubator set-up. No place to put chicks and worried about possible fires with young chicks. I'd like to hatch some and increase the flock.

The problem is, half would be cockerels. If they're as likable as their father, I just could not send them to freezer camp. The boys are hard to give away. Thinking here.

Your Cuckoo Leghorns sound great! Leghorn boys usually give me very good reason to process them ASAP. Nice Leghorns would be a good thing to propagate. Even nice cockerels are almost impossible to give away. As difficult as it might be, you can probably tell pretty early and cull them painlessly.

 

[BlueBaby]

Roger Is Great! I didn't take any pics yet today as I worked on the Lazy River drainage system with Roger & the egg layer crew "helping".

I will only be able to imagine what that scenario would have been like.