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

[Fred's Hens]

Just sayin'.

Like many others, I have almost tempestuous opinions on that subject. So, it is really best to just leave it alone.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Our temperatures are dropping, weather folks are saying we are getting a hard freeze tonight. I have been preparing my garden for winter. Time to check and move to chickens winter water source and get the turkeys a few bales stacked for a wind break. I wonder if my flock is ready for some pumpkins. I love this cooler weather!

 

[al6517]

Quote:


Three articles from the media doesn't make it so, living in a ranch community I know for a fact they exsist as do others. end of disscussion.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...don't do debates on politics or religion here.....too many buttons to push.

Hey, Fred! Congrats on your moderator status!

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Quote:
Quote: Originally Posted by Celie
Sell them to whom? Young people think eggs should be from the store and pale and tasteless. Mine are dark golden yolks and really taste like eggs. Doctors keep telling people to not eat more than 2 a Week ! They don't realize that eggs are a natural food god designed to be eaten, unlike all those preservatives in the boxed stuff. At least Hubby still likes his custard pies. But I have 10 dozen sitting on the counter right now. No more room in the frig. I have to get rid of some chickens and ducks soon. Fattening up 6 turkeys and couple dozen Extra roosters, and then I start on the ducks and rabbits. Gonna fill the freezer for the winter. Just been too hot, still almost 90 degrees this past week, but a cool front is suppose to come thou Sunday,50's at night and 70's during the days, before warming back up about mid week.
Celie if you were here you would be sold out! The parents and grandparents of local school children are buying up the eggs and chickens, they are cooking up huge breakfasts, now that the new U.S. School lunch program started. The new mandatory, one size fits all lunch, is a only a snack for healthy, active, athletic high school boys & girls. The kids can't concentrate in class when they are hungry, and it's sure not enough to get them through sports practice and games. This has caused a great demand for fresh healthy breakfast food in our area. Coaches & teachers request the parents get more food into the kids gets results. We are in rural America, McDonalds breakfast isn't avaiable, cooking farm fresh eggs and meat filled omlettes is the best option, then have a real meal when they get home.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Been awhile since I've posted something about the birds, so just a blah, blah about what's going on.

The heritage Barred Rocks are maturing, but even at 28 weeks, they still look weeks away. Slooooooooow doesn't describe how long they take to mature.



The commercial ISA hens are laying up a storm, as one might expect. They were hatched April 1st and they've hit their groove. This year's group was raised as slow as I've ever raised them in hopes of granting them an extra year of productive life. We shall see. The ISA's are about the most predictable, calm, and efficient thing on the planet for egg laying. Egg sales are a bit slow, as we've had to raise the price 50 cents a dozen. No one has complained, but some stopped ordering, as is their choice.






Last week, I got a trio of heritage RIR. They're young and I don't know what they'll be, if anything, but I'll breed them in spring and cull heavily, I suspect. The cockerel is feisty. We'll see if he shapes up as he matures. Gonna be a long winter with him I suspect. LOL


Gardens have been disked under, deer fences taken down and the wood stove is burning this morning to take the chill off. Life is good.

 

[Beekissed]

Great looking birds and pasture there, Fred. Always a pleasure when you visit! Do you have any pics of your RIRs? Sure would love to see those...

And I'm right there with you on the wood stove....nothing like wood heat on a day like today.

I have a formerly free ranged CX cooking on the stove and it has that older bird taste with the young bird tenderness because it was held over until 11 wks...smells and tastes heavenly. My garden is tucked in for the winter as well, with white and red clover cover crops all sprouted and being grazed by the flock. Wood stove fired up and the smoke is drifting down to the ground...and smells wonderful! Colors are changing in the woods all around me and it's vibrantly stunning~has to be my favorite time of the year, bar none. Life is indeed very good!

 

[gardendufus]

Sell them to whom? Young people think eggs should be from the store and pale and tasteless. Mine are dark golden yolks and really taste like eggs. Doctors keep telling people to not eat more than 2 a Week ! They don't realize that eggs are a natural food god designed to be eaten, unlike all those preservatives in the boxed stuff. At least Hubby still likes his custard pies. But I have 10 dozen sitting on the counter right now. No more room in the frig. I have to get rid of some chickens and ducks soon. Fattening up 6 turkeys and couple dozen Extra roosters, and then I start on the ducks and rabbits. Gonna fill the freezer for the winter. Just been too hot, still almost 90 degrees this past week, but a cool front is suppose to come thou Sunday,50's at night and 70's during the days, before warming back up about mid week.

Donate, Donate, Donate. Food Banks, Firehouses, Shelters for Women, Neighbors. Plenty will take them.

 

[loanwizard]

Alright, I need some information.

I've been reading Julie's "other" thread about the sick chicks and got to wondering....

I have lot's of birds and if one of them got lice, mites, gleet, or some other malady, I would have no idea how to recognize it.

Let's get back to basics.

I have about 85 birds right now that free range. We have had some rain so they are tromping about in the mud.

My question is about feet, chicken feet that is.

What color should they be?

I was doing a count last night and I noticed bright yellow, not so bright yellow, beige, etc....

I have been concerned because I have had some.... I think 2 with a limp. One was a pullet that I got that way, and the other I assumed may have stepped on something, but I noticed some swelling.

Is swelling a sign of Scale mites? Is it just plain old infection? Should I be using Nu Stock, Bag Balm, Wood Ash, used motor oil, what?

This learning to be a farmer is a little more difficult than I thought it would be.

I just this morning put down some more hay in the stalls (roosting area and egg area) because I was beginning to get a faint ammonia smell and thought the additional carbon as I think it is called in composting conversations will help break it down.

Julie, do you have any compare and contrast photos of healthy feet vs unhealthy feet?

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Shawn, what breed do you have?