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

[Beekissed]

Shufflin' through old photographs and found this one of Al when he was young....

 

[delisha]

Shufflin' through old photographs and found this one of Al when he was young....

That is so funny!! and adorable!

 

[bobbi-j]

I am not tiny...that's the bad part! These guys are just so huge! You can see now why I needed to start while they were young with the whips and chairs...I knew one day they would tower over me and I would have to have earned some level of respect by then. Their birth wts? 8lbs 11 oz., 10 lbs, 8 lbs.15 oz. Yeah...I throw big calves. Wide hips and all. I think Al would definitely keep me in his breeding project.

I've been feeding these guys with a grain shovel all these years and the smallest one can out eat the other two any day of the week and twice on Sundays! NOW you can see why I have had to be so frugal in my chicken husbandry, making every cent count and processing all the extras. Try feeding these three bottle calves on a single, scraggly income and you'll see why I grow my own foods.

Probably why my cull hens are so fat....can't seem to stop overfeeding things now.

DH and I raised three sons, too. During their childhood the hand of learning was applied to the seat of knowledge when they needed it. They all grew up to be respectful, respectable young men. I, too, started when they were young. I would tell them that "I'm the mama and I don't care how big you get, if I have to stand on a chair to smack you upside the head, I'll do it!" When my middle son was 14, he had a bunch of friend over, (they were all over 6' tall except my son who never made it past 5'9") and I made a comment to them about behaving, or else. One of them said, "Yep, you're little on the outside, but big on the inside."
My youngest son works part time at the school where I work - he works with special-needs kids and is a PCA for another special-needs child after school) and he hugs me every day at the end of our work day. Right there in school in front of our coworkers. I love it. Yeah, I'm a proud mama, and I'll admit it. When my boys were teenagers, I wished I could get a huge, walk-in cooler and get them each their own side of beef so they could just go gnaw on that every two hours when they were hungry.

 

[delisha]

That is one of the things I found remarkable. The teen ages boys never seemed to fill up no matter what you made to eat.

 

[Beekissed]

DH and I raised three sons, too. During their childhood the hand of learning was applied to the seat of knowledge when they needed it. They all grew up to be respectful, respectable young men. I, too, started when they were young. I would tell them that "I'm the mama and I don't care how big you get, if I have to stand on a chair to smack you upside the head, I'll do it!" When my middle son was 14, he had a bunch of friend over, (they were all over 6' tall except my son who never made it past 5'9") and I made a comment to them about behaving, or else. One of them said, "Yep, you're little on the outside, but big on the inside."
My youngest son works part time at the school where I work - he works with special-needs kids and is a PCA for another special-needs child after school) and he hugs me every day at the end of our work day. Right there in school in front of our coworkers. I love it. Yeah, I'm a proud mama, and I'll admit it. When my boys were teenagers, I wished I could get a huge, walk-in cooler and get them each their own side of beef so they could just go gnaw on that every two hours when they were hungry.

YES! And they would STILL open it ten times each evening and look, then turn around and say, "There's nothin' to eat in this house!" You are a good mama, it is plain to see.

When my oldest had his 16th birthday party there were several boys his age and a few younger ones, my other sons included. I beat them all in arm wrestling except the last one...and my arm was plumb wore out by then! And this was half the second string football team....you can bet those boys behaved.

A single mom has to have something to stand on when raising boys without the help of a father figure, so discipline has to be consistent and make an impression the first time.

Kids love boundaries and they love and respect a parent in whom they can count on to be the same every day and consistent in enforcing the rules. It makes them feel secure while growing up and they have some parenting skills of their own when they get their own families. I've found that animals are the same way...they crave boundaries and someone who can tell them where those boundaries are. Makes them feel secure too.

 

[al6517]

Shufflin' through old photographs and found this one of Al when he was young....

Dang Bee............. you hit the nail on the head with that one, I love that pic. When my Daughter was very young maybe 6-10 yrs old and I was working with her on her horsemanship, I would sometimes be firm. Then I would see her bottom lip begin to quiver and I would say Cowgirl up sweet pea and she would be OK. Those were special times, now she is a carded member of the PRCA barrel racing circut and she's tougher than bag of rattlesnakes in a 5'7" Blonde hair blue eyed cutie pie and still a daddy's girl. She still to this day ask's me for tips when she's at the gate gettin ready to run and I get all squishy inside as I go over a run strategy. Talk about a proud Dad by george LOL.


The boy in the pic all growed up and still ridin. that's me and my 17 hand stallion called Stilts takin a break after a long ride.

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

X2, Bee.

 

[aussie pete]

YES! And they would STILL open it ten times each evening and look, then turn around and say, "There's nothin' to eat in this house!" You are a good mama, it is plain to see.

When my oldest had his 16th birthday party there were several boys his age and a few younger ones, my other sons included. I beat them all in arm wrestling except the last one...and my arm was plumb wore out by then! And this was half the second string football team....you can bet those boys behaved.

A single mom has to have something to stand on when raising boys without the help of a father figure, so discipline has to be consistent and make an impression the first time.

Kids love boundaries and they love and respect a parent in whom they can count on to be the same every day and consistent in enforcing the rules. It makes them feel secure while growing up and they have some parenting skills of their own when they get their own families. I've found that animals are the same way...they crave boundaries and someone who can tell them where those boundaries are. Makes them feel secure too.

IMO this last few lines should be mandatory on all cards given at baby showers/pet purchases lol

 

[NikkiMiChickie]

Recent Talk about fat chickens has me thinking... Is there any way to tell that your chickens are too fat? This is my first flock... I never even considered that a chicken could get fat, lol. I've read some mention that fat chickens lower egg production, which makes sense. My girls are opened up to the world at 6:30am, before daylight, and closed up when ever they go to bed. Between those hours, they range over about 5-6 acres, although they could go further. They're on ff, and I also leave game bird feed in their coop all day. Honestly though, besides laying an egg, I never catch anyone back in the coop. With a constant food supply, it's certainly possible for my girls to be overweight, but I have NO IDEA how to tell whether they are or not. What do I look or feel for?

 

[Beekissed]

See, Al? I know you so well! We finally get to see what Al looks like, folks!!! Ta-daaaa! Great pic, Al...and you DO still got yer looks.

Good lookin' horseflesh too.