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

[Mountain Momma]

I agree. In this economy, every penny counts and I don't believe I know anyone that doesn't complain about their bills. If you find yourself complaining about the cost of feed, look at what you are feeding and decide if it's worth all the complaining.

If it's worth it to you to keep useless but entertaining animals, then nothing to complain about. If it's worth the stress of dealing with sickness and other flock problems, why come on the forum asking for advice? Just do what you've been doing and you will have the stress that you feel is worth it all.

If it's worth having to constantly replace the birds that you've let die of old age, sickness and predation, then don't bother to ask for advice about these issues...just carry on. After all, they provide you with what you are looking for in the way of pets, entertainment, hobby, etc....stress, worry and expense that you feel is all worth it to have these chickens.

Dont think I am not learning exponentially from everything you say. I am. The runaway was a loner. My run is way to big to enclose it. The fences are 6 feet high, if they get out they are likely done for. The topic of sick chicken care and pet chicken status is conversational right now for me. Until i am faced with it under dire conditions it will remain that way but in the conversation is a personal evolution and maybe when the moment comes and I get tired of sand paper eggs I will know how I feel about culling because of the thought process, the opinions and the time spent talking about it. I think it is healthy and good to banter (avoided using Bantam here but thought about it. lol) because that is how valid decisions get made under fire instead of in a panic. You are creating a subculture here that is smart and healthy and valid. I respect your insights and energy to keep doing it. You are making me a better chickener every day.

 

[Pullet Surprise]

MountainMomma, I'm in the same boat you are somewhat...thankfully I did not get stuck in the "pet" thing, but that's where I started. Everyday it's one more step forward. It's paying off. I still have twinges of "Eeeeks! Where did they go?". Been spending a LOT of time watching the flock(s) dynamics to see who is doing what and how they do it etc. I have finally made my mind up as to which boy I will keep and which will be re-homed. It was a matter of watching them free ranging with the girls. A Real tough call, but I think my gut instinct is right. Frank is better at keeping the girls together, he's taller and I think in a fight has a better chance of protecting (or trying to). He seems a little more alert to things around him. (I still haven't gotten over looking at chicken pooh everytime I see it!). The good news is that my feather picker has stopped, everybody likes FF, the new girls that are laying are joining the original girls more and more each day on their adventures, the other two new ones that haven't layed yet are sticking a bit closer to their coop (I would think that's about normal ) but they do come out, they have been here just short of a week and there was a good deal of adjustment for them from the move. Everyday it gets easier......and then there is my dog.....that's another project coming up! Corgis are smart as heck, but I don't always want the chooks herded! Thank you Jack. We'll work on that......that and "the Kale is for the chooks, the romaine lettuce is for the humans" yeah, right.

 

[loanwizard]

Shew! Where have I been. Heck, I thought we were joking.... Right this minute, I need every egg I can get and she produces. I have about 50 POL pullets. As SOON as they start laying, this one will be one of the first to be culled. Why? Because she is older than the others, part of my original flock. I am not sure why she and the other older ones have a feather issue, but I think it may be a rooster issue. The ones that are bad, are all his girls and yes they do separate for the whole day, he and his 6 girls of which 3 I believe have the same issue. I may cull him first although I had planned to keep him around til he died of natural causes. I will not hesitate to cull any or all of my entire flock, but I find it interesting when I don't know something and plan to figure it out first. Why kill her if it is him and vice versa. I darn sure won't let her suffer if she shows signs of distress in the cold.

One time this fall or winter I will have no more chicken in the freezer and want some chicken. If there are no obvious culls, I won't hesitate to kill and eat a perfectly good rooster or laying hen.

As far as feed costs, if you predominantly free range, how much feed do I REALLY have to feed? I could get by without feeding them anything at all and let them range and steal from the hogs except for winter.

I have learned tons here and I have taken a lot of advice. Some advice I implement, some I put in the back of my head and may use in the future, some I may say that's great, but not now.

I have one feeder in the stall with wire on it, and a long gutter with nothing over it yet cause I just haven't taken the time to do it. Sue me!

 

[thedragonlady]

I'm sorry your dogs are behaving badly. That's sure not why we get them! Our dogs are part of our family and we love them and with work they learned where their place was and what behavior is acceptable.

Please take what I'm going to say as motivation, not as a personal attack on you.

Are they fixed?

I'd let those dogs know I'm the alpha queen and their behavior is not acceptable. They would watch my every move because I'm the boss, they live here at my pleasure and they have certain behavior expectations. Dogs should not think they have the right to touch your things, much less destroy them, you and your family should be above them in pecking order. They should go where you invite them, not be under foot and a danger to you. They need to know you are not a litter mate they can not play with You as an equal, You are the ALPHA! They are smart breeds they should learn quickly, and knowing what their place is will give them confidence and happiness. Being able to do what they are bred to do (work) will bring them happiness and purpose. If it's a retriever, do you play fetch? If they are bred to enjoy swimming and retrieve do you take them swimming? Make sure they get to do what they are bred to do. They will want to please you, you help them do what they love. Give them work, they love to please you by working.


Do they have enough area to exercise? Bad gas is a sign of not enough exercise & or the wrong food. Daily exercise solves many behavior problems with dogs who are bred to work. Dogs nails grow, if they don't keep them warn down with exercise, they need trimmed or they will naturally dig to trim them. If nails are trimmed correctly and consistently they don't naturally feel obsessed with digging. Digging under the fence makes their long nails feel better. The dogs should lay there and let you trim their nails.

This sounds blunt, but that's how OT's roll. Except Fred, I'm jealous of Fred's ability to word things without offending! If you can't control your dogs, you should get them to a trainer who can train YOU how to communicate with your dogs. A good trainer can quickly teach YOU what You are doing wrong. Only at Disney do dogs understand English, they have their own language and you can make simple changes so they understand where they rank in the pecking order at your place. For example when a dog lays on it's back it's showing that it is submissive to you. When you play tug o war with dogs it tells them they are equal with you and you want them to challenge you for position in the pack order. It's little things people do for fun that sometimes sends loud messages to dogs. There is a good reason that older dogs will take younger dogs down and put their paw on them and bark in their face, they are teaching them to be respectful, and that's talk dogs understand. Sometimes people get lucky and get a dog that behaves in spite of it's owner.

When someone has to call so they can let their dog out, you are a bad neighbor. In many places your dogs would come up missing if they trespass.

"Good fences make good neighbors"

Please know I say these things to help motivate you to get these problems fixed so you can enjoy these wonderful creatures!

 

[Nancygardens]

> Re: In these economic times what have you done to save $ having hens.<

Saving $ I been collecting things from the yard to feed the hens all year before I got them.
Pumpkins from last yr. are in the freezer, I'm going to make up some pumpkin corn bread with
some salad dressing I got the wrong stuff at the store. Grands like to "help" cook when
they are here it's a fun activity for us. Hens loved that and ate what I gave them right away!

Got cereal others will not eat hens will love it.
Some wheat berry seeds, I gathered.
Grapes with seeds in them that we grow grandkids helped pick these.
Bugs grandkids collected to feed hens kept the grands busy and happy to help out!

Straw for bedding after fall before Dec. decorating their homes with is great from neighbors.

I could not lift a 40 lb. bag of scratch so I just got a small bag of wild bird seed, my 6 hens do not care! [6 hens just don't need that much!]

Added some fun things from the neighbors scraps to the pen for fun when
grands or someone wants to see our chickens.

Got some wood scraps for nest box building from folks that were done with remodeling or building projects. I ask when I see stuff in the junk pile when I'm on a walk. Used wood from pallets too.

Got paint and fencing mesh at a yard sale.
Next I'll be heading to the grain terminal for old grain.

 

[Beekissed]

Excellent scrounging skills!! I love dumpster diving for building materials!

 

[Maven]

x2!

Unfortunately, many, MANY people make the mistake of confusing the term 'smart dog' with 'good dog!' For example, they think 'Oh, border collies are considered the smartest dog there is, I'll get one of those!' and then they get it home, ignore it, don't work with it, don't give it a job to do, and THEN get horribly upset when the dog becomes destructive.

A border collie MUST be given a job to do or it is miserable. If you don't GIVE it work, it will MAKE its own, and that usually involves tearing something up, or tearing out of somewhere one way or another.

Retrievers are a BIT more mellow than BCs, but they are STILL working dogs that are not happy unless they have a job.

Our border collie has 70 acres to romp and 29 chickens to tend, and follows my husband and I everywhere on the property. He chases squirrels and groundhogs and chipmunks, runs off coyotes and coons and such, and patrols the perimeter of the property constantly. And he still wants the frisbee thrown a MINIMUM of about 10 miles worth of times a day!

1) Go ALPHA on their butts and give no quarter until they KNOW who is boss. A lot of folks don't realize it, but this can often include never letting THEM greet someone at the door - as pack leader YOU should answer the door and then if, and ONLY if, you tell them to, are they allowed to approach a visitor and say hello - and they better mind their manners when they do it too! I had to break our Aengus of bowling over guests by shutting him in a different room each time someone came to the door. I would then answer the door, let the folks in, then go get Aengus BY THE COLLAR and bring him out. I did not let go of him as he said hello, I made him sit until released, and then he was made to go DOWN until he got used to them being there and didn't want to jump on them. Also, as a pup he was made to sit while his food dish was filled, and not allowed to eat until properly released from the sit. If he broke the sit on his own, he was made to sit again over and over until properly released before he was allowed to eat. And the command 'kennel up' was to be followed through on IMMEDIATELY or we did it over and over again until it was.


2) Lots and lots of exercise for a working dog is the best cure for almost all other bad behavior.

Love, love LOVE your pups, but remember they need a pack LEADER to be happy, not another pack member. Lay them down often and let them know who is BOSS

 

[Beekissed]

Funny thing is that most folks don't realize that you can train a smart rooster to do a few things as well as you can a dog. When you get a young chick and get to raise him up to be what you want, you can work wonders on his manners and it doesn't once involve hugging him.

My old rooster, Toby, still remembers the training I have invested in him, though he has been away for well over a year. If I walk in the coop and I want him to leave, I can either raise my hand and point to the pop door or pick up a small stick and do the same...usually I just use my hand now. I can direct just Toby to leave and the rest of the hens will not follow suit and will stay in the coop and eat without him.

If he tries to reenter, I just take one step in his direction and he is backing out of that doorway. This bird has never been struck or manhandled in any way, just directed via a light touch on the back with a long, slender rod or just through voice. He knows his name and he also knows what I expect...not much..just leave when I want him to leave, stop hogging the food, stop following my every step in an effort to get food. It's a pleasure to have him back and see how much he remembers. Smart rooster!

 

[Maven]

Funny thing is that most folks don't realize that you can train a smart rooster to do a few things as well as you can a dog. When you get a young chick and get to raise him up to be what you want, you can work wonders on his manners and it doesn't once involve hugging him.

My old rooster, Toby, still remembers the training I have invested in him, though he has been away for well over a year. If I walk in the coop and I want him to leave, I can either raise my hand and point to the pop door or pick up a small stick and do the same...usually I just use my hand now. I can direct just Toby to leave and the rest of the hens will not follow suit and will stay in the coop and eat without him.

If he tries to reenter, I just take one step in his direction and he is backing out of that doorway. This bird has never been struck or manhandled in any way, just directed via a light touch on the back with a long, slender rod or just through voice. He knows his name and he also knows what I expect...not much..just leave when I want him to leave, stop hogging the food, stop following my every step in an effort to get food. It's a pleasure to have him back and see how much he remembers. Smart rooster!

And thanks to y'all OTs in the 'I got flogged...' thread, my young rooster, Cogburn, is coming along just like Toby! I'm so glad I read that thread, it is another goldmine of OT information on the correct way to bring up a rooster!

 

[Mountain Momma]

MountainMomma, I'm in the same boat you are somewhat...thankfully I did not get stuck in the "pet" thing, but that's where I started. Everyday it's one more step forward. It's paying off. I still have twinges of "Eeeeks! Where did they go?". Been spending a LOT of time watching the flock(s) dynamics to see who is doing what and how they do it etc. I have finally made my mind up as to which boy I will keep and which will be re-homed. It was a matter of watching them free ranging with the girls. A Real tough call, but I think my gut instinct is right. Frank is better at keeping the girls together, he's taller and I think in a fight has a better chance of protecting (or trying to). He seems a little more alert to things around him. (I still haven't gotten over looking at chicken pooh everytime I see it!). The good news is that my feather picker has stopped, everybody likes FF, the new girls that are laying are joining the original girls more and more each day on their adventures, the other two new ones that haven't layed yet are sticking a bit closer to their coop (I would think that's about normal ) but they do come out, they have been here just short of a week and there was a good deal of adjustment for them from the move. Everyday it gets easier......and then there is my dog.....that's another project coming up! Corgis are smart as heck, but I don't always want the chooks herded! Thank you Jack. We'll work on that......that and "the Kale is for the chooks, the romaine lettuce is for the humans" yeah, right.

Your avatar roo is gorgeous by the way. My dogs are definitely a project but I got some very insightful advice (on retrievers here in this thread) yesterday from some people and I am already trying to apply it. I dont see myself getting stuck in pet mode with the chickens but on some level since I took them on I feel responsible for trying to cure them if they have an issue. Most of mine are still very young and some are not even laying yet. The kids have their favorites and it was overkill all we have done for my friends chicken but it was also a bonding event between she and I. So to me it is worth it right now. This thread has been huge for me and I really do think BEEKissed is setting a standard and a culture for people like me who are new to this but committed to it. In my generation no one had chickens growing up and I am 46. Most of the chickeners I know are 15 years younger than me. A lot of them dont have time for a blog research project like this so I tend to disperse the information I found here and it is eventually gonna impact the community, at least a little bit. It is certainly invaluable considering how much PETA stuff is out there and how misleading that is. People are taking on whole flocks that are burned out egg manufacturing chickens. People are at every extreme and at the end of the day the goal maybe could be, and I think this thread and BeeKissed in particular accomplish this beautifully, making sure that people have access to quality info, rational guidance and in the long run chickens will be better cared for and maybe even genetically stronger because of it. - All over the Country which is just amazing. So I know working through the emotional ties and the weak stomachs can be a little redundant and maybe beneath the scope of a seasoned chickener I still think it is extremely valuable to the growing community.