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

[riane'smimi]

Quote:
Hahahahaaaa! Sorry ! It's just I bought those darn birds ,fed them,sheltered them for a YEAR and STILL had to buy eggs from the store.NEVER again will I buy showstock for layers.EVER!
It could be that the person I bought from wasn't honest,it could be the birds were badly inbred ,who knows .This ole gal isn't falling for it again.

 

[Beekissed]

I use hatchery stock exclusively myself, so no worries!

There just isn't any breeders around me that raise laying dual purpose breeds...so the cheapest and most convenient solution is hatchery chicks. One must grow where they are planted... and pluck the best flowers for the table!

 

[riane'smimi]

Quote:
I got rid of the freeloaders .If my BLRws don't start laying soon then their fluffy butts are out of here also.
I think I am going to get some golden comets this spring from TSC to round out my flock.I heard they are really good layers.

 

[Beekissed]

When you OTs wake up tomorrow, maybe you could expound on what you look for in a cull, how often you look for it and how this has improved your flocks? Let's keep this ball rolling, shall we?

 

[Newwell]

Just read all 20+ pages of OT wisdom and I'm looking forward to more. Thanks for all of your valuable information.
I am new to chickens. I am raising them for eggs & eventually meat; besides I like chickens. I've been veg gardening for 30+ years & chickens just seemed like the next logical step.

 

[Beekissed]

You're welcome! Stick around and feed the OTs some questions....they love to talk about chickens!

 

[riane'smimi]

Ok just finished all the posts I think ,and loved it !
Please more tomorrow

.. This has got to be the best thread on here that I have read ! there is no " bring her in and turn up your heat for the hen ,run out tonight and get some antibotics and be sure and make her a nice warm oatmeal breakfast ."Put a diaper on her so she doesn't make a booboo on your rug."
This is down to earth and make sense and answers alot of peoples questions on how to raise a healthy flock and maintan it on commonsense .I can not believe the commonsense part has been lost to us because of people's desire to humanize animals and birds.Keep up the good work OTs you are more valuable to us than you know

 

[Sonic Pug]

I'm a newbie to chickens as this is my first year with a flock. I absolutely love hearing stories of time gone by eras and the way life used to be for hardworking Americans. My favorite books as a child were the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. That said, I think that Old Timers should remember what it's like for anyone learning something new. Someone's new endeavor is often envisioned somewhat with a child's sense of wonderment and excitement as well as approached in a way rooted firmly in their own belief and values system. There are newbies that are focused on utilitarianism and that may be more acceptable to the Old Timers but for me, I didn't get into chickens for purely utilitarian reasons. I got into them to have as a hobby to enjoy, and yes, they are my pets. They bring me joy as any other hobby to any other person would, be it knitting, hunting, scrap booking, etc. and yes, my value system guides me as to how I care about these chickens I call pets. The dollar amount of the utilitarian chicken is irrelevant to me and my value system. For example, I care about things in general that are injured or sick and do my best to help within my means. This means that I may approach my hobby in this manner and it doesnt make me strange for doing so. In the small time I have had the privilege of owning my birds, I have had the honor of learning how to care for young chicks and watch them grow into healthy chickens and spent countless hours watching my chickens do "what chickens do". I am reaping rewards of this new hobby that can't be measured by a $ sign or a hearty chicken dinner (but fresh eggs sure are nice!) This is enough for me but may not be for others. I am truly thankful for the words of those who have more experience in chickens and have carefully heeded advice as such. My point here is that it is the person who raises the chicken that is important, not the chickens themselves. Great advice from those old Wise Ones can work for backyard pet hobbyists just as much as for those who see chickens solely as egg and meat producers. I hope people remember that.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep..we covered that a few postings back.

I care about things in general that are injured or sick and do my best to help within my means. This means that I may approach my hobby in this manner and it doesnt make me strange for doing so.

Yep...we covered this too. We care about our chickens too..even the sick or injured animals of the world.

In case you didn't take the time to read the first few posts on the thread, it contains the basic premise of this topic(and a thread warning notice, I might add)...advice given is just that, it doesn't mean you are strange or wrong if you do it differently. If someone voices an opinion on this thread that comes off as offensive to you, you may want to leave the thread entirely....it's going to happen again and again here.

This thread is an educational one and the advice offered is "take it or leave it" advice. If you do not like the advice, you are free to discard it from your memory bank and find your kind of posts elsewhere.

If you do find the advice of any value, please feel free to stay and play...there will be more advice coming.

 

[Sonic Pug]

Thank you Bee Kissed. Yes I did read the whole thread and am contributing my thoughts here now, even though others spoke about similar things earlier. I am truly interested in the words of those with great experience, hence why I am here.

I haven't taken offense at all. Thanks for the interesting dialogue.