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

[bruceh]

Blue green legs, feathered ears, rose comb, slender and upright stance, tall and leggy...... EE? Ameraucauna? Which?

bee with them ear tufts i am going Ameraucauna... i think ee;s have a full beard.

 

[NanaKat]

A couple of pictures while the pears cook...

Here Chick, Chick, Chick


holding a baby chick

Fast learner

Feeding the roosters....although he kept calling them turkeys...

 

[unkadan]

Blue green legs, feathered ears, rose comb, slender and upright stance, tall and leggy...... EE? Ameraucauna? Which?

"blue green legs" says it's an EE, might lay you some purdy eggs

 

[Beekissed]

"blue green legs" says it's an EE, might lay you some purdy eggs

If he does, I'm comin' into some big money....

 

[Mountain Momma]

These thoughts have been on my mind today. I spent a few hours with the birds today, walking with them, examining them, just fussing with them. It was our first sunny day in a week, and boy, did I enjoy my time outside with them. It's been over 50 years and I still enjoy them.

The novice typically make an initial purchase of birds from a feed store or place an order with a hatchery and so begins their experience with chickens. Those who spend more than a year or two and don't drop the "hobby" in disillusionment, may eventually find themselves outgrowing the scattergun and roulette wheel of just hoping to get good birds, or jumping from breed to breed to breed haphazardly trying to stumble upon good birds.

Take this for what it is worth, but having good birds just makes so much difference in enjoying chicken keeping. Once you have a few good birds, you have little patience with nasty, junk or useless birds. What's the point in having such birds? Life is too short and feed costs too much.

If this chicken fad is going to last, a lot of the more serious folks are going to desire better birds, going forward. As they should.

Sort of a diary entry, I know, but those are my thoughts today.

I found Hedemoras and Cream Legbars. I love the look of them and the variety. At 19 ea or 49 ea I dont have the cahoonas yet but that is the look I like.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

If he does, I'm comin' into some big money....

Yup those EE rooster eggs are money makers!

 

[al6517]

Well the news is true and it's not good at all, last week I lost 12 of my best show birds to a pack (5) of unruly uncontrollable dog's who's owners live in the next section over. I had my cornish in my new breeder conditioning complex and they were coming along very well for this fall/winter show season, and the ones who I selected to be future breeders and fill orders from, they also just happened to be previous show winners. I had my first show scheduled for yesterday and already entered several more this year. I almost never lose birds and never lose any at all to preditors, these dogs were big, mean and on a mission, I was away in town at a jobsite when my wife called and said she was headed out to there cause she saw them near the pen's. She just got out of the hospital from surgery and couldn't move very well. She tried to beat them off with a 2x4 and they left for awhile, but came back 30 minutes later and even more determined. She went out there with the shotgun and was able send 2 to hell ripping out her fresh stitches from the shotgun bless her heart, the others came back but she couldn't even leave the house at that point and watched helplessly as they killed the rest of my show flock.

I got home as fast as my truck and these country roads would let me, but I was to late. I left the birds and took her back to the hospital to get checked out and, came home called the county boy's to come out and file a report, I documented everything and now have all of my affairs in order. The owners of the dog's have already gotten the summons and court is next month, they don't have any $$ so I hope the judge will do what ever he can. My show season is obviously shot and my breeding program is in the crapper for many many years to come, I have nowhere to get replacements as most of the better cornish guy's get their show/breeder stock from me. I am seriously considering throwing in the towel, this has been a little tough so I am going to settle down and wait till I can regain my composure and see where Iam with all this.

This is the complex as I call it where I condition my show birds, and also the sight of the carnage.









Anyway there it is, I haven't posted much because I am still in shock and trying to figure out where my chicken deal will go from here if at all. enjoy your Sunday folks.

AL

 

[galefrances]

Al,

I am so very sorry for your loss. I'm just stunned. And Bless your DW for trying to save them despite just having surgery. I hope she is all right.

Gale {prayers}

 

[Fred's Hens]

just when i was getting overwhelmed with frustration in trying to find education, someone contacted me about a club in the next county over. so now my search for knowledge begins. i am very grateful for this.

There are a couple of threads I have read faithfully for two years, here on BYC. The Heritage Large Fowl Thread and the Heritage Rhode Island Red thread.

I am not likely to ever breed top line Rhode Island Reds, but.... BUT... reading this thread has been incredibly educational. I knew Zip about the Reds two years ago, and now, because of that thread, I've been "introduced" to most of the nation's top breeders, seen photos of their birds, listened in on hundreds of conversations about type, lines, breeders, availability of stock, etc. I've been educated as to color, type, faults by some of the best judges and breeders in the world. What a valuable thread. Information like that was simply part of a universe of which I knew nothing. Yet, there it is.

On the Heritage Large Fowl thread, I've come to understand the same about true New Hampshires, Delawares, Rocks of all kinds, etc. Two years of following that thread has opened a world to me that would never have happened anywhere else. You cannot just pick up a Yellow Pages and look up "Good Chickens". LOL

 

[Fred's Hens]

Al, man, I'm so sorry. Prayers for your wife's recovery.

Fred