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

[bobbi-j]

Crying down your leg.........that sounds like something they could use as lyrics in a C & W song. I like it. We have a woman out our way that has a calamity in every post.........If I had her life (I don't believe most of it) I would be thinking about putting my head in the oven.....although you can't do that anymore cuz they don't use pilot lights now......anyway I think I might cash in my chips. I'm a psych major ...I know....that is like admitting your are crazy....hahaha Well anyway, I think the lady really enjoys the attention and so do a lot of other people on here. They all buy into it! I can't understand it, but I'm not one of those sensitive males that women look for.

Walt

That's why you see the subject lines IN ALL CAPS AND WITH LOTS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE THE CHICKEN WITH THE POOPY BUTT IS A CRISIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Beekissed]

EXACTLY!!!!!!

They rushed into chickens, they rushed into their knowledge base by asking a few questions or reading a few books and then they have drama and poor choices that result in bad chicken management...then they want to rush everyone into helping them as they have created a crisis and everyone must help them right now, in a hurry, because that is how all things are managed so well....rushing into it.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Don't mind actually contributing a bit, here and there. Honest questions? While mind numbing and repetitive, and sure, the basic answers are right there in the "Learning Center". Don't mind newbies and their questions. But, I find I answer less and less. The repetitive nature of questions leaves me just hoping someone else will answer those same basic, 101 questions, over and over again. I read and follow far fewer threads than I used to.

As for the drama queens and kings? Sure. This is what such forums provide people, I'm afraid, a place to look for sympathy, empathy, co-miseration, attention, you name it.
It is what it is. In most cases, you can discern these threads right away and just avoid them. No interest.

 

[fowlman01]

I think you've come close to defining something I've been thinking about lately.

We've been talking about years of experience, but I wonder how much "number of chickens" comes into play, too. Some things that might seem reasonable to someone who has 3 chickens might seem a bit silly to someone who has a dozen, and absolutely goofy to someone who has a hundred.

disclaimer: I have more than a dozen, and less than a hundred. I hope to keep it that way!

I think most of the OTers have had good sized flocks, maybe not 100's but enough to note the important things. I lived on a commercial poultry farm in the late 40's and so I got a head start. I had chickens in SF and no one cared. I had roosters too. I also hunted rabbits with a bow and arrow in the sand and pampas grass. The western half of SF was sand. Now there are all these cute little houses that have a common wall between them and a backyard that is about 8 x10.

Anyway......if you observe the birds and don't think of them as people or pets, you pick up a lot of knowledge in the old "on the job training" style. I killed enough birds with my stupidity in the beginning, so now I know what works for my style of management. Chickens require little care and if they are raised in that fashion they will be very tough birds and you won't need chemicals, vitamins, special food etc. I have never posted this before. With the exception of chicks that I have hatched and brooded, every bird on this place gets 20% laying pellets and hen scratch. I don't mix it . My flock goes through 50# a day and will get up to 100# day. I just alternate days and during the winter feed mostly scratch. I have chickens, ducks and geese...lots of each. I have never had 'stargazing" , ricketts,.... no skeletal problems EVER. I enjoy keeping poultry very much but I don't like the work side of it and I don't have a herdsman here to do all the grunt stuff.
btw: chicks have no problem eating a pellet. They just break it up or the momma breaks it up for them. I feed medicated chick starter to the chickens I raise myself ... ...it will kill the waterfowl...or can, so they get a grower crumbles for the first month or so..

I don't think it needs to be any set amount of birds, it is more... lots of time observing the real thing instead of reading a how to do book that was ripped off from another poultry book by someone.

Walt

 

[thedragonlady]

I think most of the OTers have had good sized flocks, maybe not 100's but enough to note the important things. I lived on a commercial poultry farm in the late 40's and so I got a head start. I had chickens in SF and no one cared. I had roosters too. I also hunted rabbits with a bow and arrow in the sand and pampas grass. The western half of SF was sand. Now there are all these cute little houses that have a common wall between them and a backyard that is about 8 x10.

Anyway......if you observe the birds and don't think of them as people or pets, you pick up a lot of knowledge in the old "on the job training" style. I killed enough birds with my stupidity in the beginning, so now I know what works for my style of management. Chickens require little care and if they are raised in that fashion they will be very tough birds and you won't need chemicals, vitamins, special food etc. I have never posted this before. With the exception of chicks that I have hatched and brooded, every bird on this place gets 20% laying pellets and hen scratch. I don't mix it . My flock goes through 50# a day and will get up to 100# day. I just alternate days and during the winter feed mostly scratch. I have chickens, ducks and geese...lots of each. I have never had 'stargazing" , ricketts,.... no skeletal problems EVER. I enjoy keeping poultry very much but I don't like the work side of it and I don't have a herdsman here to do all the grunt stuff.
btw: chicks have no problem eating a pellet. They just break it up or the momma breaks it up for them. I feed medicated chick starter to the chickens I raise myself ... ...it will kill the waterfowl...or can, so they get a grower crumbles for the first month or so..

I don't think it needs to be any set amount of birds, it is more... lots of time observing the real thing instead of reading a how to do book that was ripped off from another poultry book by someone.

Walt

Walt,
Your last paragraph gets to the heart of the matter. Time spent really watching your birds will give you the right sort of education. You'll very quickly see what works, and what doesn't.There is no magic knowledge bullet.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I know what you mean by that statement but some do not....some feel that sitting out in your yard watching chickens is "watching your birds" when this is not really the meaning of that advice. Watching your birds means watching changes with management, seasons, diet, growth patterns, appearances through changes,etc. over the years....and over more years. One simply cannot learn about chickens by watching Chicken TV and cuddling a few hens with the kids.

If it were that easy everyone would have healthy, productive flocks in every yard.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I think you've come close to defining something I've been thinking about lately.

We've been talking about years of experience, but I wonder how much "number of chickens" comes into play, too. Some things that might seem reasonable to someone who has 3 chickens might seem a bit silly to someone who has a dozen, and absolutely goofy to someone who has a hundred.

disclaimer: I have more than a dozen, and less than a hundred. I hope to keep it that way!

I can understand the distinction you're drawing here. But I have to say, whether it is my summer flock that can balloon to 60-70 birds, or my wintering over flock of just a couple dozen, my perspective doesn't really change at all. If I only had a half dozen birds, in one pen, I still wouldn't change my style of care. The years do that to you. Growing up with 200-300 chickens as a boy made kind of a lasting impression. LOL Mine is irrevocably a livestock, not a cuddly pet point of view. The urbanized pet keepers, just starting out, really cannot be blamed for their world view. The don't know what they don't know. Perhaps one day, some will move into the country and outgrow their present point of view. Who knows. All I know is I do not want their world. The constant confusion, the treating of sickness, vet bills, and all the drama? No thanks.

 

[stonykill]

I can understand the distinction you're drawing here. But I have to say, whether it is my summer flock that can balloon to 60-70 birds, or my wintering over flock of just a couple dozen, my perspective doesn't really change at all. If I only had a half dozen birds, in one pen, I still wouldn't change my style of care. The years do that to you. Growing up with 200-300 chickens as a boy made kind of a lasting impression. LOL Mine is irrevocably a livestock, not a cuddly pet point of view. The urbanized pet keepers, just starting out, really cannot be blamed for their world view. The don't know what they don't know. Perhaps one day, some will move into the country and outgrow their present point of view. Who knows. All I know is I do not want their world. The constant confusion, the treating of sickness, vet bills, and all the drama? No thanks.

true. In todays internet world the city chicken cuddlers get the most hits on their sites, thus adding to the poor information out there.

on the former topic, watching your flock. Yes it is more than watching. Observing may be a better word.

 

[rowerjen]

Hi OTs,

I’m brand new to raising chickens and in general don’t do well with fussy, high maintenance things. I was so happy to find this thread and confirm my suspicion that my chickens would survive without electricity, indoor plumbing, central heating, a personal chef, a wardrobe and group therapy.

In addition to finding a ton of valuable advice, I’ve also learned (thank you, Bee) why one of my dogs has a glossier coat than the other, and not to read this thread with a mouth full of any beverage, or for that matter, a full bladder.

Thanks all, for sharing your knowledge and your humor!

Jen

 

[Fred's Hens]

true. In todays internet world the city chicken cuddlers get the most hits on their sites, thus adding to the poor information out there.

That is the express purpose and intent of this very site we are on. (well, not the bad information part, but....) It is what it is, Back Yard Chickens, not Back 40 chickens.

This thread, and a few others, provide a measure of counter-point, and such threads enrich the minority's experience.