Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

Wow! Et tu, MFB? Not another dog massacre!!! It seems such a sacrilege for you and Al to lose all your good birds and ol' hatchery mutts like mine walk around unscathed. It's just not right. I guess it rains on the poor and rich alike, doesn't it? I've always heard if a predator is going to get your birds, it is usually the best one of the flock.

I found that out when I took in two pups some years back. Couldn't keep them contained to a large fenced in area, couldn't keep them contained with electric and went out one night and found them out plucking the rears of two of my oldest, best BAs....I had to kill both birds out of mercy. Then I killed both pups out of sense of justice. Creatures in my care will live in harmony with one another or they will risk a .22 lead injection.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Hey MFB, good to hear from you again.

The issue of "good birds" versus lousy birds is close to my heart. A good bird, to me, is one that is calm, regal, goes about its business, is thrifty, shapely, feathered well, healthy, industrious- (in that the birds will scratch and look for food), is a contented member of the flock, lays well, if a layer, and so forth.

These are traits that not particularly specific to heritage fowl or hatchery fowl, but something I breed for and appreciate in birds, whatever their lineage.

A lousy bird to me is a layer that doesn't lay but likes to eat, a bird that won't ever scratch for food, dumber than a box of rocks, picks fights in the flock, is nasty in temperament, psychotic, or is butt ugly.

We call those birds supper.

 

[Beekissed]

He must be reading my mind...those are the exact things I cull for as well. I like birds that I can respect, if that makes any sense. It makes it easier for me to watch and care for them with pleasure instead of annoyance. It makes the days flow gently and the backyard quiet.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Ohio Nationals - this weekend

Secret shopper en route

Won't know anything until tomorrow

Sadly, it was a total bust! Disappointed, but there's always spring.

White Rocks were a no show at Columbus.

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote: Darn it! Oh well, as they say, "good things come to those who wait." Patience....

 

[Beekissed]

I might have missed it somewhere....are you looking to get into breeding some White Rocks, Fred?

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

I know most of us don't heat our coops, but I have read where some northerners keep a light on inside their coop above the water so it doesnt freeze. While reading my Mother Earth News tonight, I came across this letter to the editors about a GE brand lightbulb that is marketed as shatterproof, and thus the author thought a good choice for keeping the water thawed inside a coop full of pointy beaks. What s/he failed to do was check to see why the light was shatterproof: turns out it was coated with Teflon, and the next morning found her birds dead - autopsy revealed poisoning. Now, I'm not sure if this was a cutesy coop with poor ventilation, but I thought it worth mentioning here if it saves just one flock from this demise.

Article should be the third one on this page:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/mode...ctober-november-2012-zm0z12onzhun.aspx?page=3

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

I might have missed it somewhere....are you looking to get into breeding some White Rocks, Fred? 

 

As I recall, he was considering a white rock rooster to put over those pretty white layers he's created... The ones that started off as ISA browns...

 

[Beekissed]

It's definitely worth mentioning...thank you! There are many ways of keeping water from freezing that don't involve a light shining on the flock all night, so I urge folks to explore the options out there. Sometimes the simplest solution is just a black rubber feed pan...easy to dump the ice out of and easy to keep warm on a heating pad or plant mat. Sometimes a heated dog bowl is best..some folks just sit an ice cream bucket down inside these for the ease of cleaning and filling.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Bee, I raised White Rocks since I was a little boy. Got distracted a few years back and focused on other breeds and strains. But, I miss the breed and really want to have them again. But... I want good Rocks. Gee, what a shock, eh? Of course, I could follow my own advice and get box of 50 from one of the better Iowa hatcheries or something, and then sort through for the 4 or 5 decent birds, process the rest, and breed them up for the next 5 years. Might be fun.

But it might also be fun to just start right out with the right birds from the get-go. What doesn't help is that most of the breeders have bloated the bird beyond it's standard. Was also disappointed to find out the the WR was essentially a No Show at the Ohio National this past week. It is reported that the only WR shown we're of "off" quality, huge, ugly rear cushions, etc.

I know who has good ones. I'll tell you that much. I'll also tell you they mopped the floor with other birds shown a week or so ago in Nebraska. (Go Big Red, btw)