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

[NikkiMiChickie]

That's one smart guy, buying a woman her own tractor?   Very smart feller.

Psssssst:  in a whisper.  It runs on diesel, not gas.

LOL. I sure hope my husband doesn't buy me my own tractor... I have a feeling I'd have half our farm dug up in no time flat, trying to fix the drainage issues (which I have no idea how to fix!). He would have tractor envy if I allowed him to see this - he's been after me for a Kubota for no less than two years now. Maybe someday...

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Thinking hard about meaties in the spring. Possibly Freedom Rangers. I've had some friends and family say they would buy them off of me once processed... Is this legal?

And how much should I tell them to expect to pay? I realize that we all have unique circumstances and choose to feed different brands, etc., but I'd be curious to hear from everyone that has broken down the cost per bird or per pound. Please let me know what you fed & whether they foragedl or not.

I've been feeding FF to my layers and plan to continue with meaties. I also keep my layers on pasture and intend to do the same with meaties.

Thanks in advance
-Nikki

 

[just me]

love things like that. A few weeks ago a county contractor was trimming trees on the road across from us, filling a truck with the chips. I went to the supervisor, asked if he'd like to dump the truck load at my place, save him sending his truck all the way back to their facility to dump it. His reply was just to ask where I wanted it, and how many loads I wanted. (one load was quite sufficient, it's probably 6 or 7 cubic yards of free mulch).

NICE! Sometimes, all you've gotta do is ask!

 

[just me]

For anyone who lives anywhere near a landfill, I have a suggestion if you are looking for scrap wood and tree trimmings. If the local landfill doesn't have a composting operation on site or with which they have an arrangement, they just bury all that useful stuff with the trash, and while it is part of the revenue stream it isn't much. Well, not here anyway, back East and in the NW it might be more.

Anyway, having worked at landfills for the last 12 years I can tell you the staff fields calls pretty regularly from people with nothing but scrap wood and tree trimmings to dispose of, especially in spring and fall; and not only do the customers hate putting it in the landfill and paying to do so, the staff often dislikes it too, but for the most part it violates company rules and sometimes laws if they try and remove it from the waste stream once it arrives at the site. My suggestion is, call them, give them your phone number, and tell them if they get calls about these materials, you are willing to accept it. Keep in mind, you should insist on calls, do not give your address or people will show up at your house uninvited. You may not get many calls, as most people, given the alternative, are shorter on time than cash and will pay to dump it anyway. If you get calls, be VERY CLEAR that you will accept only wood, and be there to help unload to ensure you don't wind up with their trash.

Alternatively, you can post on Craigslist, the local Freecycle, or the local whatever-yours-is-called-nowadays that used to be the Penny Saver or Thrifty Nickel. Use a leader that gets the attention of your target - "Free Wood Recycling" or some such thing. You can even put a sign out at the end of your driveway if you are home enough to monitor visitors. Even if you don't have neighbors that have wood to give you, they may know people who do.

If it gets you one or two loads a year, it's that much less you have to go find. Locally we had a developer buy a large piece of land with several dead trees on it, and they just posted a sign that said, "Free Fire Wood" - it got cleaned up and didn't cost the developer anything but the sign

Good tips, thanks!

 

[just me]

Just an update on my hen Sweet Sally and her adopted chick...both are pretty content today. Still marvel that a hen who has never been broody would take on another hen's chick....

Loved the story, and love this pic! Thanks for sharing! Can't wait til I see a "chicken mama" in my yard

 

[just me]

LOL. I sure hope my husband doesn't buy me my own tractor... I have a feeling I'd have half our farm dug up in no time flat, trying to fix the drainage issues (which I have no idea how to fix!). He would have tractor envy if I allowed him to see this - he's been after me for a Kubota for no less than two years now. Maybe someday...

This reminds me of the time Hubbie went to the coast with his dad for an extended weekend, right after the rainy season when the dirt around here was "moveable". Needles to say, when he got home, the drive way and drainage ditches were not the same. It's amazing what a woman can do with a scrape and a box blade. I'll never forget the look on hubbie and fil's faces when they got back. It was priceless.

I was in the garden when they drove up. Both of them look at me, turned and looked down the driveway, looked at the drainage ditches and looked back at me.

My car hasn't "bottomed out" since. (I am one of those people who believe that if it has four wheels, doggone it, it's supposed to go where I tell it to, whether we're on the road, in the driveway, or just putting around the "Pondorosa checking" things out)!

 

[Mountain Momma]

And it is ORANGE!!!

Tractor envy here. We get snow by the foot, I bet it would move snow nicely! I think the color is Ceyenne by the way.
L

 

[Gramma Chick]

I'm finding that my chickens don't seem to want to eat field pumpkin. I've tried plain raw, then had some leftover that I had baked so tried the cooked too. They totally ignore it. One day they did eat a little but not much, and I left it out all week long to see if they'd go for it after it "aged" a little.

I keep reading that they'll eat pumpkin but I'm not seeing that so far... Even if I've frozen it and let it thaw like Bee has described (although I only did that in a freezer - not outdoors over a period of time.

I guess the question is all this is, should I just forget the pumpkin flesh and use the seeds only? (I know the seeds have the worming effect, but I was hoping they'd eat the pumpkin itself too!)

Hi mine always eat the seeds ...then they eat the pumpkin ..coz I make it into a secret dish ..I cut it in half & put their feed / fermented feed in it ..They end up eating it that way ..LOL

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: Hi

. No, I don't look around the threads much. I have the three that I follow and trust with Bee and the rest of the OT's. I'll have to take a look. Helps to have NYer's to touch base with as weather sometimes is a factor. Also, it does feel like we're neighbors. Thanks.
Gale

Your welcome Gale .I follow bees threads too & the New york one ...I blundered on that one somehow

some of the NYers are also followers of bees threads Deborah

 

[Gargoyle]

Don't know if it's in the same league as getting free firewood (good score!), but a week or so ago, the Hwy. Dept. was cutting the long weeds/grasses/cattails, etc. along our highway. I went out and raked a bunch of it and am going to use it for bedding in the coop and run this winter. My hubby sometimes thinks I'm nuts (I am), but he helped me put it on the trailer and hauled it home. I don't like to see things going to waste - especially if I can use them...

I hope you're not in an area where the Hwy Dept. regularly sprays chemicals on the weeds- if they do, the bedding could be bad for the chickens.