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

[Mountain Momma]

Oh, and I see I missed the gratuitous grandson picture!

I love this roo. He is heart shaped almost! I like how long he is and the color is great. Comb seems proportional but not too big. I know obviously nothing but I like him a lot.

 

[Mountain Momma]

So, how many of the newbies are going to participate in the first OT pop quiz? Can't wait to see the results!

I'm waiting till 11 mountain standard........third cup of coffee.........chickens refuse to go out on the first touch of moisture we have had in almost 2 months. I swpt their porch I tempted them with an apple and left their FF outside.....This is Colorado, they need to get used to snow. lol.

 

[Mountain Momma]

Yeah, I had to kiss a LOT of toads before I found my prince.

My toad says I need to keep trying and when I have kissed enough he will become a prince...huh.

 

[Mountain Momma]

Maven,
I kissed a few toads and found my prince too..I am fortunate indeed. Got to love a man who loves to eat eggs and chicken and will indulge a woman outside all day long playing in chicken poop. I asked him tonight if I could reorder my script for the poultry press chicken magazine, and he said, aww hun, you can have anything you want.. you don't have to ask me about spending $20, you just need to talk to me when you want to buy a another $300.00 chicken.

He still will not let me buy an LGD. Weird that I can spend $300 on a chicken but not on a dog.

In my opinion, that really has no value..I am not a Judge...As far as your tents..Most of them are good..one looks a little pinched, but nothing to my eye that says don't use this one.

You have a 300.00 chicken? Can I see? Where did you get it? Do you think you could manage to tear up a little asking for the dog? I think after all this that you have to use some different tools outta the old toolbox.
L

 

[maryhysong]

I think that pellet was DES, which is a synthetic hormone known to cause cancer in women whose mothers were given it to prevent miscarriages. NOT something I'd want to eat !

I figured some kind of hormone or something to supress the male hormones to keep them tender. Not something I want to eat either.

I am a year older than your mom, but I don't remember a pellet, but they had a surgical way of caponizing back then.

Walt

When she first started talking about it I was thinking the surgical way but then she started telling me how easy it was just to shoot the little pellet in there under the skin. But they did a lot of things back in the 50s that we are finding out now were not so good afterall, when it comes to drugs and chemicals and things. If we could just go back and skip that decade of 'progress' I think the world would be a lot better off!

 

[Beekissed]

FRED's Quiz:

Ok, here is the promised Pop Quiz. But here are the rules and background info.

There are two birds focused on here. I will try to identify them simply as Bird #1 and Bird #2. They are both ISA Browns, the quintessential layer. Think the CX of the layer birds. These are not dual purpose fowl. They are dedicated purpose fowl. Eggs, eggs and more eggs. They are both 8 months old, all the birds came in a box of 25, hatched on the same day, brooded together and raised together. Always been fed the same feed, in the same environment.

Apologize for my crappy photography and camera quality. It is what it is. While it doesn't come through on the camera well, I can give you this hint. Their feathering quality is vastly different in real life. You'll have to decide which is which and why.

Rules for the Quiz.

1. Only those who've kept backyard birds for less than 3 years are allowed to take the quiz.
2. No one can reply right now. Anyone who replies today, will be DQ'd. No ifs, ands or butts.
3. The window of turning in your Quiz responses will NOT be until this time tomorrow. There will be an open window of 8 hours in which to turn in your Quiz. Anytime tomorrow(NOW TODAY, DEC. 9) is just fine, after 1 pm EST. Noon CST, 11 am MST and 10 am PST. Sure, this is a gimmick, but hey. I want to think about this quiz and not give instant, knee jerk responses. OK?
4. Tell me what you see in comparing these two birds.
5. Tell me if you would cull one, both, neither, and why you think so.

OK, there it is. Is everyone ready for the photos to judge?




Bird # 1



Bird # 1 Bird # 2



Bird #1 Bird # 2



Bird # 2



Bird # 2

 

[JustFeathers]

Does that pertain to pullet eggs as well? I still havent eaten them. I have them marked as they have been laid so I can watch them for changes in texture, color & size. I find it pretty fascinating Yesterdays egg was still warm when I got it

Its like Christmas every day that I find an egg......I dont think it will ever wear off

But as soon as I am done staring at my pretty eggs I plan on taking picks of the yolks so the OT's can give me thier opinins on the insides. I have no store bought eggs in the house to compare it to


And on a side note my friend lives near a dairy.....I never knew fresh milk tasted so good....and the egg nog

......I dont think I will ever buy store milk again !!

It hasn't gotten old here. Mine started laying in August and the 2nd one in Oct. Just waiting for my 24 weekers to start - since the time change it may take a bit longer. Luckily we have great weather here is San Diego CA. Still get EGGCITED everytime I get one.

 

[al6517]

Quote:

Walt............. Did you get that care pkg I sent you, it had some Depends and some denture paste, and and some bright yellow tennis balls for that walker of yours in it.

AL

 

[Beekissed]

Don't listen to 'm, Walt....yer the best lookin' 74 yr old man I've ever seen~and I've seen a truckload plenty of them as a nurse all these many years.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

FRED's Quiz:

Ok, here is the promised Pop Quiz. But here are the rules and background info.

There are two birds focused on here. I will try to identify them simply as Bird #1 and Bird #2. They are both ISA Browns, the quintessential layer. Think the CX of the layer birds. These are not dual purpose fowl. They are dedicated purpose fowl. Eggs, eggs and more eggs. They are both 8 months old, all the birds came in a box of 25, hatched on the same day, brooded together and raised together. Always been fed the same feed, in the same environment.

Apologize for my crappy photography and camera quality. It is what it is. While it doesn't come through on the camera well, I can give you this hint. Their feathering quality is vastly different in real life. You'll have to decide which is which and why.

Rules for the Quiz.

1. Only those who've kept backyard birds for less than 3 years are allowed to take the quiz.
2. No one can reply right now. Anyone who replies today, will be DQ'd. No ifs, ands or butts.
3. The window of turning in your Quiz responses will NOT be until this time tomorrow. There will be an open window of 8 hours in which to turn in your Quiz. Anytime tomorrow[COLOR=B22222](NOW TODAY, DEC. 9)[/COLOR] is just fine, [COLOR=B22222]after 1 pm[/COLOR] EST. Noon CST, 11 am MST and 10 am PST. Sure, this is a gimmick, but hey. I want to think about this quiz and not give instant, knee jerk responses. OK?
4. Tell me what you see in comparing these two birds.
5. Tell me if you would cull one, both, neither, and why you think so.

OK, there it is. Is everyone ready for the photos to judge?




Bird # 1



Bird # 1 Bird # 2



Bird #1 Bird # 2



Bird # 2



Bird # 2

Ok it is 11 Mountain time. I am a super newbie so I am your laughing stock of the old timers
The first thing I noticed, was the neck length of #2. It seemed more EE -ish, and I thought that might be a reason for cull. #1 looked like the best one to me for that reason. I will need to look back at them again on the feathering, that was not what caught my eye.

Edit--I see more white tips through the neck of one, and a deeper red in the breast of one. But, I have no idea which one would be better, so I am interested to see the answers at the end of this.