BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bramblefir]

Hi,
Are those Canadian Thistles in th background? We had a slew of them in the big chicken run. Turned the Light Sussex in their last summer and they mowed them down. Eaten all the seeds too! This Spring, not a single Canadian thistle came up. Really something because they are hard to get rid of!
Best,
Karen

They're some sort of thistles, as far as I know. I'm not sure which variety, but clearly I'm growing a great crop. Unfortunately none of my chickens, geese, ducks, or alpacas will eat them. We've got to get some goats again!

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

I didn't mean to offend anyone. Dad is back in the hospital on a ventilator. I guess the pressure has made me a bit harsh. I'm sorry.

J.

ETA...I will stay off this thread and likely the forum.

I'm sorry if my response was abrupt - you mashed a big button of mine, I never do well when feeling like I am being told what to say/do, and tend to overreact. My apologies.

I'm sorry to hear that he is back in the hospital - I am keeping him and your family in my thoughts and prayers (despite me being a cranky old fusspot).

- Ant Farm

 

[Beekissed]

I'm glad dad doesn't show any interest in seeing anything on BYC, specifically this thread. I don't care if it self-destructs but seeing it dead would further depress the old man. I don't have time to mess with it or I would try to breath new life into it. Again, it's just not worth it to me. Threads come and go and this one would have gone a long time ago if dad hadn't constantly willed life into it.

I'm on my way to Pa. this week for Muscovy duckings. That has Ariel so excited she wants to go along but she's needed at home. I'll be home for evening chores because I'll be leaving very early. These folks won't ship sucks to this part of WV...perhaps no part of the state due to postal irregularities I think. If not for Ariel, I wouldn't bother.

J.

Something horrendous is happening here. If dad were to be strong enough to get on the net, seeing the thread down would bother him. Seeing him further upset would really bother me and add to our difficulty. But as I mentioned, it's not likely dad will ever use the net again.

J.

I didn't mean to offend anyone. Dad is back in the hospital on a ventilator. I guess the pressure has made me a bit harsh. I'm sorry.

J.

ETA...I will stay off this thread and likely the forum.

We will really miss your Dad, J. Have no fear, this thread isn't going anywhere soon and he has done an excellent job nursing it along. There are many on here who will keep it alive and true to what he wanted it to be, you can be sure. Mostly folks are in the thick of spring, with babies and gardens and all the work that entails...this time of year all the forums get a little dead due to folks being outside more than in and too tired to post when they come in of an evening.

I know you are under a lot of pressure and are grieving your Dad's illness and decline. If he is able to hear you and communicate at all, please let him know we really miss him and are praying for him here and for his family as well. Please don't stay off the thread, as you are our only lifeline to your Dad's progress and there are many who really want to know how he's doing. We are also interested in what you kids are doing with his meat bird lines and his farm....would be cool to know you guys are continuing to grow your food there and carrying on his homesteading efforts.

Please don't worry about the thread. I have old threads that were locked down years ago and they are still being read by folks who find them through search engines, still being commented upon through the thumbs up feature, etc. This thread will likely continue on as it has as there are many really cool, nice folks on here exchanging information about the subject your Dad started here.

Please give him a huge, sweet hug from us all and tell him Ol' Bee wishes him well.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote: I live about 40 miles northwest of Desertchic, and dealing with the same 115 degree temps. All my birds (including 30 CX meaties!) are housed in a covered 30' x 40' chain link run, with shade cloth on the sides. I set up 2 impact sprinklers at the 2 rear (windward) corners and set them each to spray along 2 sides, and over the roof. I'm running the sprinklers from 11AM to 7 PM, so I'm going to have a nasty water bill this month. The shade cloth and the wind combine to give the pen a swamp cooler effect. So far, so good. Also put a small plastic wading pool in each individual pen, and they are being heavily used!
I've definitely heard that Silkies do really really well in hot weather. I had no plans to get them, but... I might eventually... (I have too many chickens right now and need to focus my efforts, so....)

Our weather has been horribly bizarre - usually we are begging for rain, but we've had something obscene like 1-4 (or more) inches of rain A DAY for the past couple weeks (at least according to gauges in my yard). I am so so fortunate that all my coops are on appropriately sloped land so that none got flooded with standing water, and food in feeders hanging covered under shelter so no moldy or spoiled feed, but most had water essentially running under and through the deep litter for a couple weeks, along with sideways rain coming in to wet the top. Standing water in the paddocks, but not in coops. Garden is a complete loss for the year. But I'm fortunate - I need roof work, but no evacuations, and none of my chickens drowned (some other folks have had that issue) - so may folks have had it so bad, and six people died or drowned here over Memorial Day weekend (and it has rained every day since then). No rain today, and hopefully a dry wee ahead, so I spent about 8 hours today trying to clean and tend the coops, address any mess or things that needed to be fixed or dried out, and adding lots of dry bedding (about 6 or 7 big compressed bales of pine shavings). Started the youngest ones on Cocci treatment because I saw a few suspicious poops - I would be stunned if they didn't have a cocci problem with this mess. Don't EVEN ask me about the flies.

It's biblical.

Anyhow, there was a reason I typed all that - our temperatures have been lower than normal (for here) because of the rain, in the high 80s/low 90s, but MUCH more humid. It has not been hot enough yet to pull out the big guns (ice in waterers, ice foot baths, etc.). I've been watching the very young birds carefully for how they handle the heat so far (all older ones are ok - NNs and Cream Legbars). I'm not remotely worried about the young Cream Legbars - they are total troopers in the heat (likely due to the small body type). But I'm watching the chicks I ordered from Eight Acres carefully (currently almost 10 weeks): I got 7 German New Hampshires (which I want to cross into the NNs), and since there was a 20 chick minimum, filled out the rest of the order with Blue Copper Marans and Olive Eggers. I've been watching the carefully - it can be hard to tell if they are going to have an issue or not. When they sit still and hang out, they pant and hold out their wings some, but not in distress type panting (like today, when it was only 86F and they were in deep shade) - when they decide to get up, they run around like there's no problem.

THAT BEING SAID... The Marans seem to have their mouths open more than the others, and occasionally a couple of the bigger Marans boys have looked a bit iffy (had me on the verge of getting a bucket, but then got up and toodled around). So I have a question for all you super hot weather chicken folks - any experience with Marans in heat? Since they are nice examples from a good breeder, and supposed to be good dark egg layers, I considered keeping a Maran cockerel with the Maran pullets. But I'm beginning to wonder if he will have a hard time making it through the summer...

I know someone who breeds Black Penedesencas, I may end up getting hatching eggs from him sooner rather than later if I have to do too much support of any of these over the summer. It doesn't get as obscenely hot here as it does where're you guys are (where you must really assist any chicken of any breed), but breeds that can't make it at 90-95F aren't really practical for me in the long term, no matter how much shade I've got...

- Ant Farm

 

[cpchicks]

We will really miss your Dad, J. Have no fear, this thread isn't going anywhere soon and he has done an excellent job nursing it along. There are many on here who will keep it alive and true to what he wanted it to be, you can be sure. Mostly folks are in the thick of spring, with babies and gardens and all the work that entails...this time of year all the forums get a little dead due to folks being outside more than in and too tired to post when they come in of an evening.

I know you are under a lot of pressure and are grieving your Dad's illness and decline. If he is able to hear you and communicate at all, please let him know we really miss him and are praying for him here and for his family as well. Please don't stay off the thread, as you are our only lifeline to your Dad's progress and there are many who really want to know how he's doing. We are also interested in what you kids are doing with his meat bird lines and his farm....would be cool to know you guys are continuing to grow your food there and carrying on his homesteading efforts.

Please don't worry about the thread. I have old threads that were locked down years ago and they are still being read by folks who find them through search engines, still being commented upon through the thumbs up feature, etc. This thread will likely continue on as it has as there are many really cool, nice folks on here exchanging information about the subject your Dad started here.

Please give him a huge, sweet hug from us all and tell him Ol' Bee wishes him well.

Thank you Bee. As has happened so many times, you put into words exactly my thoughts.
Cheryl

 

[3riverschick]

Hi,
What about a hot weather breed like the Egyptian Fayoumis ? I am having to move to Chanteclers because of our weather changes. Maybe something in Fayoumis for you?
Best,
Karen
( thinking of you, Hellbender!!)

 

[ronott1]

Hi,
What about a hot weather breed like the Egyptian Fayoumis ? I am having to move to Chanteclers because of our weather changes. Maybe something in Fayoumis for you?
Best,
Karen
( thinking of you, Hellbender!!)

The best hot weather breed is Penedesenca.

I do not know why they are not more popular.

@ChickenCanoe has black penedesenca--they are dual purpose.

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Quote:
Yep, that was who I was referring to. I think I'll get some hatching eggs next year... Thanks!

- Ant Farm

 

[NanaKat]

Have been out of pockets the past two weeks...rainy weather and calving.
Finally caught up on reading the thread. Sorry to hear about the losses to poultry.
Especially concerned to hear about Ron's health and the frustration the family feels.

 

[hellbender]

Thanks all for understanding. considering what others are facing, with the exception of a little constant rain showers, the weather is almost perfect.....down right cool.

J.