bad or half-baked chicken advice you've received?

[moodlymoo]

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I don't know about stimulating them, but I've read of people using cayenne pepper in the feed to keep other animals, like mice, from eating it for the same reason you mentioned: that chickens can't tell when something is spicy. I've also heard of cayenne being used as a natural wormer, but I've never tried it.

I never knew there was a saying about styrofoam. If that's true, then my cochins and wyandottes should lay up a storm when they mature! And here I just thought they were trying to commit suicide by foam.

They've been quite determined in their attempts to try and eat the packing foam I used to insulate their coop, so determined (and annoying

) that all the nice, white foam lined coop walls they originally had are now almost totally covered by junk like old cardboard, tar paper, and leftover floor padding - plastic covered side facing out - to keep them from getting to the foam. Consequently, it looks terrible, but at least now they can't eat their insulation, and as my dad pointed out, the coop is now even more insulated than before.

Yes I read it a few days ago here. If my hens want to lay they will and if not, well its for a reason imo

 

[canesisters]

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I know what you mean. A dear friend had Animal Control show up because somebody'd reported that her horses were wandering around with "blindfolds" on, and were in danger of being hit by cars.

I'm sure you can imagine the thunderous LOLZ when it turned out that the animals in question were safely behind a three-strand electric rope fence, and were, in fact, wearing . . . fly masks.

The New Yorker did give up on the Percheron idea eventually, but a couple years later bought a pair of those weird spotted designer cats that look sort of like ocelots. They hated human beings with a passion, and promptly ran away the minute they could sneak out a window. This must have cured her, I guess, because she never did move on to designer chickens or "Clydesdale Mules."

Not chicken related but had to share......
I heard a story a while back from a man who's nosy neighbor called animal control on him. One frosty morning after a good snow, his horses were (apparently) on fire. The ACO had become accustomed to pointless calls from this woman so he stopped by the man's house before heading down the road to the field where the horses lived. They were greeted by the fat, sassy horses who's snow covered backs were steaming as they dried. LOL

 

[Daisy8s]

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We don't have coffee every day so the hens get coffee grounds with the compost irregularly. I have to wonder if they're out there some mornings jonesing for their caffeine fix. Are chickens really affected by caffeine? I haven't heard any bad advice on this topic but I'm sure there are some strong opinions out there just waiting to be shared!

 

[moodlymoo]

I have no idea if this is true or not.

 

[triplepurpose]

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I agree with this, but I thought it would be worth adding to the discussion by also pointing out that "productivity" in real life means different things in different circumstances and to different people. For me commercial feed is very expensive. So any by-products of my farm, community, or household that I can give the birds, or anything I can culture for them for free (bugs or waterweeds) with a minimum of fuss, or better yet free range in a wooded area (I wish!), is a huge boon and means cheaper production. I'm sure many others find this to be true as well, including farmers throughout history and many modern small farmers in the developing world to whom any costly inputs are a big burden to be avoided (read about the development of the Giriraja chicken in India, for example). There's also the issue of quality over quantity--I personally would choose the firm, bright yellow yolks and great taste of a pastured/free range type egg over the dull, generic stuff from a diet of commercial feed any day. So I would even take 150 of the former a year over 200+ a year of the latter--to me (and most of my customers) that would be a GAIN, not a loss, in "production."

Many of the people on this forum are raising chickens not for maximum production profit per se, but because eggs from beloved, healthy home-flocks on a varied or free-range diet TASTE better. They don't want to produce something that is identical in mediocrity to what they could buy more cheaply at Costco. We would do well to encourage this trend, I think, because it means better food for people and better and more humane living conditions for livestock.

I agree with everything you say; but my point is that the average person raising chickens in a backyard should provide a balanced ration and supplemental calcium and limit the treats. I see way too many chickens free ranging on manicured lawns and barren lots and being tossed nothing but scratch because someone saw too many episodes of Lassie. It's a downer. October has been "my chicken was eaten by a hawk" month on several local forums, which is even sadder. Sometimes my cynical mind leads me to the notion that there are probably people who went out and bought an apron for the sole purpose of carrying scratch to the chickens because they saw it done that way on TV or in a movie.

We owe our chickens the best life we can give them; and this means we are responsible for their well being. Treating them kindly does not mean expecting them to live out our fantasy of what is natural because the modern chicken is not a natural animal; she is the result of thousands of years of domestication and is expected to perform feats beyond her wild ancestors. She deserves feed, shelter, compassion, and as much attention as we can give her, even if it is just coming down and watching her a bit every day to see how she is doing. Your method of raising chickens fits right into those values of mine; and I have no disagreement with you.

Well said, Yakima, and actually I can happily say I think we are both agreeing a lot with eachother in many ways and recommending a lot of the same things, but approaching it from different angles and different experiences and sometimes using different words. Thanks for your insights, and forgive me if it seemed to you like I had a chip on my shoulder, or if I misunderstood something--it was just my way of tryin to contribute what I saw as an important counterpoint and addition to a lively discussion. Nothing more or less intended...

 

[peteyfoozer]

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and the people said this is what...? bad for its health?

 

[ChickInDelight]

More along the lines of fact / fiction.

My mom, who grew up on a farm with chickens, kept asking me IF my hens had started laying.

She does not share my love for animals, so I figured she was only interested because this is the first productive pet I have owned. Then, when I showed her pictures of my very first eggs, she replied,

"I thought you needed a rooster to get eggs."

I guess the yolk is on her this time.

 

[Beekissed]

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and the people said this is what...? bad for its health?

Said the bird would suck blood into it's lungs as it was dying and, essentially, cause a more slow and inhumane death by drowning on it's own blood.