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

[Maven]

MAVEN,
Thank you for sharing!!
We have hawk problems also. They are over populated here & it's illegal to shoot them.

Illegal here as well - they are federally protected, as are all raptors. And really, they are such beautiful birds that I would really hate to shoot one.

BUT if I find it disco dancing on another one of my chickens, I might have to invoke the SSS law.....

 

[Maven]

NEVER????

Never ran barefoot as a child? You are the second adult within two weeks that I've read had never been stung by a bee! Not even a sweat bee? Did yo' mama keep you in a bubble whilst you were growin' upwards?

Seriously, is that common in this generation? No bee stings?

I know, right? I can't begin to tell you how many bee stings my poor bare feet endured growing up. Of course, that is because I WAS barefoot all the time.

We are part Choctaw Indian, but my grandma used to always say 'We are Choctaw. Well, all of us except Maven. You can see that girl right there is of the Blackfoot tribe.'

 

[HiddenChicken]

NEVER????  Never ran barefoot as a child?  You are the second adult within two weeks that I've read had never been stung by a bee!  Not even a sweat bee?  Did yo' mama keep you in a bubble whilst you were growin' upwards? 

Seriously, is that common in this generation?  No bee stings? 

I know, I know....weird. I have been around plenty of bees in my life...same as everyone, I guess. But, I just don't seem to appear as a threat! lol I've had them land on me, fly around my head, etc...normal bee activity, but no stings. Ran around barefoot so much as a kid, I've stepped in glass, fire ants, lit cigarette butt, poop, etc... (yuck) ....yet, no bees.

I had a neighbor girl and my cat get stung by bees in my yard this year...the bees are around. Removed a paper wasp nest from a tree limb next to my deck...no stings.

My crazy, weird philosophy (honestly) is that they can chemically sense fear...pheromones, or what, I don't know. They sting whatever fears them and whatever swats them. I simply let them do what they do, and I NEVER swat them. If they land on me, I let them hang out and leave when they want...:/...but no swatting. In other words, I don't piss them off in any way. It's worked so far...42 years.

 

[Gargoyle]

Just imagine if Ben Franklin had succeeded in his hope to make the turkey the American symbol, instead of the bald eagle. We wouldn't be able to shoot or cull turkeys.

Quote:
btw, note the last line about attacking a red coat. My wife wore a red coat in the coop this morning, and our rooster got real angry with her.

 

[Beekissed]

My great-grandmother WAS Blackfoot! Going barefoot is just a childhood rite of passage....honeybee stings are the first pain of spring.

 

[HiddenChicken]

Illegal here as well - they are federally protected, as are all raptors. And really, they are such beautiful birds that I would really hate to shoot one.

BUT if I find it disco dancing on another one of my chickens, I might have to invoke the SSS law.....

Hawks are pretty prevalent here & I've had my girls dive-bombed a couple times. They only free-range now when I'm around & I carry around a long bamboo pole when I'm out with them. I will make a home run out of any hawk that even attempts a fly-by. Federal law or not...

 

[Miss Lydia]

My grandmother WAS Blackfoot! Going barefoot is just a childhood rite of passage....honeybee stings are the first pain of spring.

I stepped on many a honey bee growing up, my great grand ma always put wet snuff on the place where the bee stung, I always thought it was so nasty but it did help.

 

[Maven]

Just imagine if Ben Franklin had succeeded in his hope to make the turkey the American symbol, instead of the bald eagle. We wouldn't be able to shoot or cull turkeys.

Quote:

btw, note the last line about attacking a red coat. My wife wore a red coat in the coop this morning, and our rooster got real angry with her.

That is just an awesome read - thank you for sharing it! I'd never come across it before.

Your poor wife! heh They are particularly feisty where red is concerned, aren't they!

 

[Maven]

Quote:
I like the way you think!

 

[Maven]

You know, if you have chickens and educate yourself properly, you KNOW that their feathers, especially while growing, are a living part of them. This was really brought home to me this afternoon.

I went down to give Beatrice the once over and reapply the antibiotic ointment. While I was cleaning the dried blood off of her, I noticed one feather that looked like it was just dangling, tangled up in a mass of coagulated blood and other feathers. I gave it a gentle tug and she jumped so I pulled it apart carefully and looked - the shaft of the feather is SWOLLEN with blood. It is still connected to her - just barely, but it is still embedded so I left it, there, cleaned around it best I could and treated her.

I think she is doing well enough that she can come out of the cage/pen tonight.

OTs, advise here: Should I open the cage and let her out to walk amongst the others at twilight when they all start heading in, or should I just wait and put her on the roost once the rest of them are up and settled to avoid her getting jostled and bumped around as the rest find their place?

Thanks!