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

[flagirl]

You are fortunate that all went so smoothly. Usually after 2 nights on a new roost, that is home to a chicken, so they should be fine to free range with the others. Now, whether they come in out of the rain? That may be a different story. Good luck.........Pop

You are sooo right, yesterday we did have a downpour and the 2 new br's did not come in from the rain

they were picked on more the 2nd day. they stood under the eve of the coop with 1 of the bo's=either they could not figure how to get in, or did not want to be harassed by the older hens. I was wondering, and watching-can they really tell the difference between their breeds. the single older br hung around the coop when the 2 came out. Was she really keeping an eye out for them, so now as they get full grown, there will be a united front?

 

[Zany Chick]

OK..... I just dip my toe in the water.... and see how this goes.

Brood chicks out in the garage, in a shed, or in the barn, or least in your mud room or back porch for goodness sakes. Chicks do not have to be brooded indoors, giving everyone cast iron lungs, sinus allergies and rooms that must look like someone shook out a flour sack. The entire brooder does not need to be 95F. Stop putting so much sugary crap in the water and cooking chicks in little suffocating plastic totes where the temps are 95-100 degrees and 99% of the posts of "Oh No!! My chick has poop butt, what should I do?" would go away.


Now, Bee, if I've already been too plain spoken, I'll bow out. No problem.

I wish I had seen this 5 weeks ago!!!

 

[Zany Chick]

Here is my stab at 5.

1. Chickens do not need treats or warm mushy human food, served to them.

2. Chickens brains are not wired like a humans, they don't think about..... Gee that rooster sure is being mean to me. and they are not emotional like most prefer to think they are.

3. Chickens do not require names to survive, or diapers, or aprons.

4. News flash.......... chickens actually do much better outside not in the house lounging on your sofa leaving you a smelly little gift and scratching in the carpet for bug's.

5. Holding a chicken to your face WILL !!! get yer eye poked out.

I couldn't believe it when I saw that chicken diapers exist! My grandfathers would be on the floor laughing.

 

[Beekissed]

So would mine...and then they would wonder if these people needed to see a "head" doctor.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people put funny clothing on dogs and fancy ribbons on cats. Some people keep rats, skunks, or snakes as pets. Some people consider chickens as pets.

If someone wants to keep certain things as house pets and do all the stuff that I don't do, I figure that is their business, not mine. Just like if I eat my chickens, that is my business, not theirs. If they are not bothering me and I'm not bothering them, then who's busisness is it anyway.

I will admit I occasionally shake my head at what I see, but I don't get into their business and expect them to stay out of mine.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...me too. But we were discussing how our grandparents would react to it, which is exactly how they would. That would be such a foreign idea to them that they would feel like they had been dropped down onto another planet on which they didn't know the customs nor the language. Times have changed, to be sure.

Some of us are throwbacks to those older generations because we were raised in the country where things move slower, we don't watch TV so we aren't bombarded with those changes in our faces every day and we are relatively new to social networks on the computer, so all of these things come as a big shock and it takes some getting used to. Along the way, if we shake our heads or comment upon the strangeness of it all, it's understandable.

It's the same concept as these folks who have only had chickens as pets and do not view them as livestock and how they feel about those who do. They simply cannot understand it at all and they cannot bear to watch videos of chicken slaughter....or any slaughter for that matter. They can't wrap their minds around such different viewpoints and they probably just can't believe there are people in the world to which that comes as natural as getting up and putting on your socks in the morning.

There will always be regional, cultural, and generational differences and it's okay to discuss them with wry humor...it's not a put down, it's not an insult, it's merely commentary about how strange it is to see it all and to know about it happening now.

 

[NYREDS]

I couldn't believe it when I saw that chicken diapers exist! My grandfathers would be on the floor laughing.

Be careful, rational thinking isn't always well received here.

 

[bruceh]

i am reading and watching this thread carefully . I was born and raised in a big city. i to shake my head at somethings people do. i moved out of the city and to the country. i love every moment of it. i did not have a book to learn how to raise chickens. i did not know anyone one who raised chickens. i raise my chicken like chickens. after all they're chickens. not a complicated process. give them food water shelter. that simple. basic needs of life. i keep them safe from preditors , let them run around. i have no problems. if you raise chickens ( including the cornish x) like chickens you have no problem. i do welcome bee's idea of fermented feed and i will do this with my next batch. my layers are layers plain and simple.
thanks to all the old timers for the great input.
bruce

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

I agree it is not cruel to let the chickens fend for themselves, we supply food and shelter. Let them use the common sense they have.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

That is great info, I guess if something was going to kick start your batteries that would be it.