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

[Attila the Hen]

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I am still working my way through this thread and it may have been answered, but what is it that tells you a hen is healthy by their comb and wattles? What are you looking for?
thanks so mucy

 

[Terri O]

That's an easy one! IF the hen has bright red, shiny and soft skinned comb and wattles then she is most likely healthy. If the tips are dark it can point to heart or circulation problems. Dry and wrinkled most likely a non-layer also. T

 

[Linn Bee]

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I have the same theory with kids.

One of the main reasons I moved us to the country 9 years ago. Boys should be dirty, bloody, broken, muddy, wet, climbing, falling, shooting, fishing or hunting every day (and NOT getting in trouble for it!!!!!).

Er. . um. . boys AND girls. I teach my grandsons to cook and my granddaughters to hammer and saw. 'Sides, my granddaughter (8) is a better shot than my grandson (10).. oh that made him feel awful.

Love, Linn B (aka Smart Red) * * * Nesting with 5 Australorp and 5 Lt. Brahma hens plus 'The Count of Monte Cristo' - or Monte, for short - one beautiful, well-behaved, hard-working, Australorp rooster, in south-est, central-est Wisconsin.

 

[marty8587]

I have an old friend who used to be a counsiler at summer camps who said.... "God made dirt, so dirt don't hurt"!

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

Love that post!

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

My aunt always saved the bacon fat, and would use it when she made fried potatoes or added it to her green beans.

My Nana always fried with lard, the one in the red box. All her old recipes that we tried cooking & used oil, they tasted awful, but as soon as you made it with the lard, it was like being a kid again & going back in time.

Any Pennsylvania BYC out there who were raised on Scrapple? Once upon a time, some Calif. grocery stores sold it, but not any more. I could eat Scrapple every day. Tried to get my cousin to eat some when she went back to visit family in Allentown, but as soon as I told her what it was made of, she changed her mind.

 

[NYREDS]

Started showing in 1962. Had chickens well before that. Does that make me an Old Timer? I don't post here much any more as I get tired of being corrected by people who have had 3 chickens for 6 months but they did read a book. I have a 100+ volume poultry library which I have studied & refer to regularly. I'll check back here some & will answer PMs.


ETA-if your chickens are your "babies" don't bother contacting me-we have nothing to talk about. My chickens are livestock, plain & simple.

 

[NYREDS]

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NOOOO!!! Not the Flamingos!

 

[Gypsi]

I thought those looked like plastic flamingos! The CDC had better get right on it - anything that can get those might get the barbie dolls and gi joes next!

 

[GreenGoddess]

I'm still around and paying attention to all the great advice on here!

I went ahead and put plastic on the outside of the "privacy fence" coop but only on the back side and the door side... That should keep most of the wind out.. I didn't want to put it anywhere that the chickens were going to peck at the plastic and eat it..

I also "winterized" my other duplex coop... I put the plastic windows back (in warmer weather I put rabbit fencing in it's place) and also covered the two "makeshift" windows with plastic...

Once I was done with all of that, I put about 3" of pine shavings down in the coops and put more in the nest boxes to "fluff" them a bit... They love to kick them out and eventhough it takes a little while for them to do it (I have a board in front to prevent most of it), it was due for a refill...

The last thing I did was went to the store today to test y'alls theory... I will normally give my girls some cayenne pepper in a mix of fridge leftovers... Well, today I went out and got a bag of corn meal, buttermilk and cayenne, mixed it together and then added some Macca Root powder for a little added boost... (Really... look it up for yourself!)

I will see what happens over the next few days and report back... I've been getting one egg almost everyday... I have 12 hens that have laid before and 8 pullets that should be laying any day now... (I've checked all pubic bones and only found ONE that was closed.. She's one of my bantam EE mixes!).. The rest I can EASILY fit 2-3 fingers between.... I'm

Goddess