BYC Café

[Shadrach]

Canadian back yard

But I take the point. It’s just that my options are limited here; I suppose if I didn’t give a thought to biosecurity I could buy chicks/eggs from all over, but I have preferred to go with the large hatchery option where there is some oversight , it’s not perfect but the best option for now. I’ve been to a couple swaps and was appalled at the condition of the birds, the containers and the sellers. Judgy? Yes, but if that’s all you have to go on.....

And there is zero chance of a feral chicken EVER finding her way here, I dont even have many wild birds lol

There are also breeds like this. The secret is not to buy from a US hatchery but to buy from the country of origin.
The Marans here for example came from Marans in France and they been excellent. Just ask Fat Bird here who will be 10 years old next month.
https://www.hedgerowhenporium.co.uk/chickens-for-sale-in-cheshire/black-rock-chickens

 

[sourland]

Good morning Café. Only half a loaf of banana bread left, but it's better than nothing. Try toasting some.

I'm thinking about letting Audrey 2 back out.

Is she hungry ?

Thanks to all for the anniversary wishes.

 

[DobieLover]

Good morning Café. Only half a loaf of banana bread left, but it's better than nothing. Try toasting some.


Is she hungry ?

Thanks to all for the anniversary wishes.

Mmmmm! Toasted banana bread with melted Irish butter!

She's always hungry and I'm always tempted to let her back out when some worthy food shows up in the cafe.

 

[sourland]

@DobieLover I think that I love you.

 

[Mimi13]

I'm not a believer in this notion of non broody breeds. The drive to procreate is so fundamental that if anyone did, or does manage to breed it out of a chicken then they don't have a chicken any more.
What does happen is this drive gets suppressed by the keeping arrangements. Prior to me taking over the care of the chickens here not a single hen had gone broody in many years. Now they all go broody. While I don't know of any method that will ensure a hen goes broody, there are a few options that tend to encourage it.

I am interested to know what the options and keeping arrangements are that encourage broodiness. Not to use them, but to make sure my chickens don’t have them available. I hate broody breaking.

Only a few of my girls are not hatchery birds. Two of my oldest came from a nearby breeder and then four other hens were hatched here, so I will have to agree most of mine are of the, what did you call it, “not a chicken anymore” variety. Which is okay with me. They kept the part of being a chicken that I like, the egg laying.

But all joking aside now, I understand what you are saying and find it very believable. And if it weren’t for the intense broodiness of the chicken, the dinosaur kinfolk would no longer be here. If I were to allow “nature to take its course,” in due time the birds I kept would most likely begin changing back to real chickens, procreating as they were meant. I do believe that the concept of “backyard chickening” would rather have “the man-made version” of the chicken. Just my thoughts.

 

[Mimi13]

Morning Cafe people, the coffee is ready!

Gracious, what us you up so early, and on a Saturday at that?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm cutting out the ear fur pattern peices for the Monster Hyena mask I'm making.
Each ear fur pattern has 3 peices, 6 total.

 

[Mimi13]

I'm heading to a swim meet. I had to eat something to get ready to cheer lol

Been there, done that on soooo many occasions. But it is worth it. Give a “Whoop whoop, come on, come on,” for me too!

 

[ValerieJ]

Morning all, thanks for the coffee. I'm appalled that a person compared cock fighting with a home poker game in a response to my post in a thread. It's"sinful" but accepted. I hardly think there's a comparison there and it's taking all I've got not to go back and say more than I did.

I think I read that yesterday and had a similar reaction.

 

[FortCluck]

Morning all, thanks for the coffee. I'm appalled that a person compared cock fighting with a home poker game in a response to my post in a thread. It's"sinful" but accepted. I hardly think there's a comparison there and it's taking all I've got not to go back and say more than I did.

Say what??? Poker and cock fighting? That's comparing apples to oranges. People are delusional! Someone was comparing chicken vaccines to human ones on my thread and I had to KINDLY remind them that the thread is about chickens, if they want to talk about human vaccines then to make their own thread elsewhere.