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

[Fred's Hens]

Well, I see it has been a very, very busy weekend here on the thread.

Spent the weekend evaluating birds, penning up breeding stock for January and putting about 40 birds onto "death row". LOL There's lots of mouths to feed, so that's a good thing.

The heritage Reese line of Barred Rocks we got from KathyinMO are looking breath taking awesome. Very, very pleased. Not a pullet has laid yet, but if not now, by February I suppose. Looked over this year's crop of Reds and saw a couple pullets and two cockerels that are really killer. Looked over the lot of white layers and didn't see a thing worth moving forward with so they'll live out their days making table eggs.

Only brought back one older hen, our original Rhode Island Red, and I hope to get some fertile eggs out of her come February. I'll put her under one of her sons which I have here.

That's about it. Good weekend. Long drive. 1600 miles in 4 days. Birds travelled much better than I. Picked up a flu bug from one of the kinfolk children down there in the hills. Really rough drive home.

 

[delisha]

Well, I see it has been a very, very busy weekend here on the thread.

Spent the weekend evaluating birds, penning up breeding stock for January and putting about 40 birds onto "death row". LOL There's lots of mouths to feed, so that's a good thing.

The heritage Reese line of Barred Rocks we got from KathyinMO are looking breath taking awesome. Very, very pleased. Not a pullet has laid yet, but if not now, by February I suppose. Looked over this year's crop of Reds and saw a couple pullets and two cockerels that are really killer. Looked over the lot of white layers and didn't see a thing worth moving forward with so they'll live out their days making table eggs.

Only brought back one older hen, our original Rhode Island Red, and I hope to get some fertile eggs out of her come February. I'll put her under one of her sons which I have here.

That's about it. Good weekend. Long drive. 1600 miles in 4 days. Birds travelled much better than I. Picked up a flu bug from one of the kinfolk children down there in the hills. Really rough drive home.

Glad you made it home..KathyyinMo has some beautiful birds!

 

[delisha]

Quote: Ok sorry for the miss direct. I am not sure what blog it is posted on. The stuff I posted is just from memory so it might be wrong. and as a reminder the arm and hammer is soda. This reciepe is on other web sites too if you type in home made laundry detergent.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ok sorry for the miss direct. I am not sure what blog it is posted on. The stuff I posted is just from memory so it might be wrong. and as a reminder the arm and hammer is soda. This reciepe is on other web sites too if you type in home made laundry detergent.

OI just found it on Bees blog. as i was reading for today. Thanks,.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, I see it has been a very, very busy weekend here on the thread.

Spent the weekend evaluating birds, penning up breeding stock for January and putting about 40 birds onto "death row". LOL There's lots of mouths to feed, so that's a good thing.

The heritage Reese line of Barred Rocks we got from KathyinMO are looking breath taking awesome. Very, very pleased. Not a pullet has laid yet, but if not now, by February I suppose. Looked over this year's crop of Reds and saw a couple pullets and two cockerels that are really killer. Looked over the lot of white layers and didn't see a thing worth moving forward with so they'll live out their days making table eggs.

Only brought back one older hen, our original Rhode Island Red, and I hope to get some fertile eggs out of her come February. I'll put her under one of her sons which I have here.

That's about it. Good weekend. Long drive. 1600 miles in 4 days. Birds travelled much better than I. Picked up a flu bug from one of the kinfolk children down there in the hills. Really rough drive home.

Hope your feeling better Fred.

 

[qball53]

Puppies chasing, or playing with chickens or goats starts the prey drive that ALL dogs are born with. Once prey drive kicks in , and a chicken flaps, or a goat says, "Maaaa", it's usually game over for the chicken or the goat.

Maybe all the dogs you have seen in this country are born with prey drive but not all dogs are. That is what makes the LGD the right dog for the job of protecting flocks and herds ... sans training.

 

[thedragonlady]

Maybe all the dogs you have seen in this country are born with prey drive but not all dogs are. That is what makes the LGD the right dog for the job of protecting flocks and herds ... sans training.

What breed of LGD dog are you talking about? I've seen Kuvaz , Komondor , GP, and many other breeds of LGD that needed training as to WHAT to fix their prey drive on as pups.Border Collies are born with prey drive. That's why they herd sheep. LGDs wouldn't guard without it. Intruders are their PREY. Those pups WOULD mouth and chase.They take less correction than other breeds most times, but the idea that LGDs come trained is misleading.

 

[normanack]

Hey OTs, I'd really appreciate your advice on ventilating and setting up my coop. Thanks!



The coop is the rectangular part on the right, with the white edge on the roof. The part on the left is just storage (for now). The eaves are perforated plastic with wire fence inside to prevent predators from entering. The coop part of the building is about 8 1/2' x 16 1/2'. Currently there are 2 dozen chickens. I plan to keep that number fairly steady, or smaller.




Looking left (east) as you enter the coop. Fiberglass roof. The black chicken at your feet is heading out the pop door. Most of the chickens use the top roost, with some on the bottom roost. Nobody uses the ladder except to poop on. Window (dark) behind roosts is to storage part of shed. Window on back wall (south) doesn't open.



Back (south) wall, roosts out of view to the left. We added this opening for ventilation. It is covered with an old metal refrigerator wire shelf. We have more shelves so can put in more windows like this one. Expensive feeders and waterers bought by my DH, bless him. I love the hubby but not the feeders and waterer (although it is heated). The adjustable shelf brackets he put up are pretty cool, though.



Nest boxes and brooder (west wall), built by DH. I love it, and the hens seem to as well. They use the brooder as a communal nest box. We don't use the heat light and I should take it down. The two roof pieces are held open with a hook and wire. That's because some of the chickens like to roost on its edge. When I closed the roofs, they tried their darndest to perch on the slanted top. So I opened them again. There is a mostly unused door in this wall. It faces the woods and neighbors' property.



Looking back at the door you came in (north). I'm planning on putting a short roost between the brooder and the door -- there used to be a garbage can there that the three top birds roosted on. They were very unhappy when I took it out. (Those are the birds who roost on the narrow brooder edge.) Is a roost there a good idea?



And there's the pop door, to the enclosed run. I guess the black hen decided not to go out after all. The horizontal crack of light in the center of the wall is the bottom of an old window opening, which is nailed shut with those vertical 2" x 4"s. I thought it would be too breezy for the roosts?

Many thanks for your thoughts and advice on what to change.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! That is the biggest misconception about these breeds ever and it causes a lot of people to make a mistake in getting one and then a further mistake in not making an effort to train them in basic behavior. Most people are telling the inexperienced that they need to not have much to do with the pups so they won't bond with the family.

That only applies when these LGD are going to be living strictly out on pasture with a flock or herd of animals...and even then they need basic understanding that "their" humans are not to be jumped upon, they are to be obeyed when told to "leave it" and to come when called.

Most people nowadays getting into LGD have small acreage on which these dogs are guarding a few goats, sheep or fowl. In that setting, it is very important that these dogs understand basic obedience, knowledge of human alpha and also basic training on birds and baby livestock. Maybe one out of 10 dogs of these breeds will have such good instincts and genetics as to not need much training on these concepts but it's rare. Fortunately, though these breeds can be independent, they are also very intelligent and can learn quickly.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Recommendations:
If I were going to buy a gun to use for shooting predators such as coyote, raccoon, opossum - what do you experienced gun folks recommend? I want to buy one in the next week or so and want an "all-purpose" gun that would be handy around a farm.

Then I'm going to have someone teach me how to use it.