Chicken (Poultry) Addiction Anonymous *Chat Thread*

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Jloeffler - I know, it's quite strange that even if the animal is agressive towards you, you still feel awful about killing it.

Miss Lydia - I can't watch..the men have to do it. I just have to lock myself in the house because I can't bare to see or hear them being butchered.

Muggsmagee - Rabbits??!! OMG!

~Aspen

We still have 3 extra roos to deal with and I think my dh is having a hard time with it too. He's the one that does the actual killing, I either go in the house or turn my back and put my fingers in my ears so i don't have to hear the ax. I try to think of myself as a pioneer woman but I sure fall short.

We are in the same boat...

~Aspen

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Buff Orps, Lavender, Black, and Blue Bantam Am chicks.

Aww!!

Don't ya just wonna stick your face in there and feel the fuzziness?

~Aspen

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
We butchered our first rabbit last night. That was an AWFUL experience. I really want to take raising our own food seriously, but wonder if the gut wrenching sadness that comes with it makes it all worth while? And to think I want to raise Dexter cattle for meat (and milk)! I'll never be able to live with myself!

I had to 'assist' killing a rabbit once in 'survival' camp (I was in ROTC, don't ask). Horrible experience. I still remember the screaming rabbits. Ugh!

It begs to be asked...was this moment the catalyst to becoming a vegetarian???

 

[Muggsmagee]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Buff Orps, Lavender, Black, and Blue Bantam Am chicks.

Aww!!

Don't ya just wonna stick your face in there and feel the fuzziness?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/47807_chickie_boos_2.jpg


~Aspen

It is SOOO tempting to fire up the bator! I love chicks! After all the hatching I did last year, I made a promise to myself to never hatch during the winter months and brood chicks indoors. I'm going to try like heck to wait until February to set another batch. We'll see how long this lasts!

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
It is SOOO tempting to fire up the bator! I love chicks! After all the hatching I did last year, I made a promise to myself to never hatch during the winter months and brood chicks indoors. I'm going to try like heck to wait until February to set another batch. We'll see how long this lasts!

I hatched these the first of last winter...

I also promised myself not to EVER incubate eggs again in the winter..but look at me!! I have almost 2 dozen Guinea eggs in the incubator, Serama eggs...and I'm thinking about setting a mess of mutt eggs today/tomorrow and try and have them hatched out in time for the garage sell we're having, so I can sell them...IF I can bare to part with ANY of them!

I've been having horrible luck incubating recently. I'm trying out the dry incubation method, but I am also trying to incubate some Serama eggs using the normal humidity method in the Brinsea...we shall see. On top of all this one of my Serama hens, Ruffles, is going broody!! Which means I MUST give her some eggs to hatch out 'cause I've never had a broody Serama before...

What kind of incubation methods do you peepz use..and what kind of incubator do you have? I have two older models of the Sportsmans, 1 1588 Hova-Bator, and then a Brinsea Mini Advanced.

~Aspen

 

[Jloeffler]

I used my homemade bator and used the dry method. It's very humid here so humidity hind around 40% with no effort. I had a 100% hatch rate until Irene showed up and killed the power!

How do you like the Brinsea Advanced? If I buy a bator I'm trying to figure out which is the best option. Any opinions since you have several types?

Jen

 

[featherz]

Quote:
I had to 'assist' killing a rabbit once in 'survival' camp (I was in ROTC, don't ask). Horrible experience. I still remember the screaming rabbits. Ugh!

It begs to be asked...was this moment the catalyst to becoming a vegetarian???

LOL, no, but it didn't help. that was YEARS ago. The CO just bonked a rabbit on the head in front of a bunch of freaked out teenagers and said 'ok, go for it'. Yikes. Plus the rabbits they 'caught' (ahem) for us to kill were fuzzy cute bunnies that looked out of a pet store, not skinny wild rabbits. Yuck.

 

[featherz]

Quote:
It is SOOO tempting to fire up the bator! I love chicks! After all the hatching I did last year, I made a promise to myself to never hatch during the winter months and brood chicks indoors. I'm going to try like heck to wait until February to set another batch. We'll see how long this lasts!

I have a bator going with eight mutt eggs, but I have a broody that won't quit. She's intolerable, so I am giving her a few chicks. Will sell the chicks when she is done with them or bring to auction.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Here in West Texas where I live we have 0% humidity (seriously), so this is probably why the dry incubation isn't working well for me. I'm going to set a couple more batches of eggs in a few days, and I'm going to put them in the Sportsman with humidity and see how my hatch rate is.

The Brinsea is AWESOME!

I've had several 90% hatches from shipped eggs in it. Works great. It's worth the money. If you usually incubate more than 7 chicken eggs, then I suggest you get the bigger model that holds two dozen. If I had some money to spend I'd buy the bigger model myself. The little Brinsea I have right now cost around $160+..and it was on sale so they're pretty pricey.

My 1588 Genesis Hova-Bator w/ the auto chicken and quail turners is also a great little incubator. It works out pretty good for me since I usually always have around 50 eggs incubating at any given time. I've also had some really good hatch rates with this one also. However, ya gotta watch them styrofoam 'bators 'cause they'll soak up the water and make your humidity sky rocket. Using the dry incubation method with this incubator is recommended. Infact, the person that "came up" with the dry incubation method first used it on his strofoam 'bator.

When I'm setting around 100+ eggs I break out the Sportsmans!

I was mainly using my Sportsmans when I was hatching out peas b/c it has Emu egg racks, and its the perfect size for pea eggs! It's real easy to use, had some great hatches in it, but I don't normaly use it for a "lockdown" incubator. I use the Brinsea and the HB for that.

I would really like to get the incubator Meagan has...

~Aspen

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
It is SOOO tempting to fire up the bator! I love chicks! After all the hatching I did last year, I made a promise to myself to never hatch during the winter months and brood chicks indoors. I'm going to try like heck to wait until February to set another batch. We'll see how long this lasts!

I have a bator going with eight mutt eggs, but I have a broody that won't quit. She's intolerable, so I am giving her a few chicks. Will sell the chicks when she is done with them or bring to auction.

I wish I had an auction place near me where I could take my extra birds/animals etc.

Do you sell everything you take, or does it just depend on what ya have? What is it like? I've only been to cow auctions...

~Aspen