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

[daver]

Quote:

Somebody needs to post a quality egg song recording and maybe examples of chicken vocalizations in general. It is becoming evident many if not most poultry keepers do not recognize them or fail to take into account context in which they are made.

A quality egg song? Whoever called that a song couldn't carry a tune in a bucket!

Granted when they are laying it's pretty quiet, but before and after it can be deafening out there. Even the boy gets into the act.

As to the context of chicken speak, even in my short learning experience, I've learned the differences between OMG, where'd everybody go?, the Oh Noes! and OMG the old fat guy is trying to catch me!!!

 

[BWKatz]

Quote:

Somebody needs to post a quality egg song recording and maybe examples of chicken vocalizations in general. It is becoming evident many if not most poultry keepers do not recognize them or fail to take into account context in which they are made.

EGG SONG VIDEO
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...B8BDFBB2048D61080EEFB8&view=detail&FORM=VIRE5

 

[scottcaddy]

Quote:
I think thats a GOOD idea!

Thanks Scott

 

[Daisy8s]

Fred's Hens :

Daisy8s,

There is absolutely nothing wrong in gifting erstwhile needy people with culls. Nothing in the world. I've butchered more chickens in my life than ..... well, it's in the thousands. Still, with so many folks I know who need the meat? Giving them live birds and allowing them the dignity of preparing their chickens? Yup. It's just a fine, fine thing to do. I now gift the vast majority of my culls.

Thanks, Fred. I was wondering why nobody was mentioning this option earlier in the thread when the virtues of being willing to cull your own birds were being extolled.

The story continues: in their culture their naming ceremony for their babies involves a rooster so I was given a not-so-vague hint that if I had a rooster to part with in the future there were probably some babies that would need naming. Geez, I almost feel pressure to produce a live rooster so they can get their child named!​

 

[Daisy8s]

Quote:
Centrarchid, I was wondering when you'd show up on this thread! Yes, yes, please do post some vocalization recordings. You talk about reading your flock's sounds so often in your "front porch" thread that I've often wished you'd share your knowledge.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
Thanks, Fred. I was wondering why nobody was mentioning this option earlier in the thread when the virtues of being willing to cull your own birds were being extolled.

The story continues: in their culture their naming ceremony for their babies involves a rooster so I was given a not-so-vague hint that if I had a rooster to part with in the future there were probably some babies that would need naming. Geez, I almost feel pressure to produce a live rooster so they can get their child named!

Well, when folks use the word "cull" they really aren't saying what they do next. The word, of course, simply means to remove. What next? Gift? Slaughter for food themselves? Feed to the dog? Sell to someone else? Kill and fertilize some young fruit trees? Could be any of those options and perhaps some I didn't mention.

To me, gifting is one of the very special pleasures in life.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Thanks, Fred. I was wondering why nobody was mentioning this option earlier in the thread when the virtues of being willing to cull your own birds were being extolled.

The story continues: in their culture their naming ceremony for their babies involves a rooster so I was given a not-so-vague hint that if I had a rooster to part with in the future there were probably some babies that would need naming. Geez, I almost feel pressure to produce a live rooster so they can get their child named!

Wish I lived near you. I had to part with 3 roos this past fall. And I have a chick down there right now that is starting to look more and more roo like. (But right now it would have to be a very small baby needing a name to use it in a ceremony)

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Centrarchid, I was wondering when you'd show up on this thread! Yes, yes, please do post some vocalization recordings. You talk about reading your flock's sounds so often in your "front porch" thread that I've often wished you'd share your knowledge.

I need to record without video to conserve bandwidth. Then could be set up as some sort of interactive within a stickied thread.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I've been following (ok fine... stalking

) this thread the whole time and I have got to agree with the lot of you - this is one of the best threads I have seen on here

Regarding the egg song. I can't remember where I read it, but the evolutionary reason for the egg song is to deter predators. The loud noise draws the attention to the hen rather than her future offspring, which makes sense why the roosters would join in also since these chicks are (potentially) his progeny.

 

[Dusty Chicken]

Questions for all the OT's...... What % protein do you prefer to feed your layer flocks? I have a mix of Araucanas & Barred Rocks & have been feeding an organic 16% layer mash from In Season Farms. I am getting ready to order more & was wondering if I should be feeding the 20% instead?

My birds are 9 months old, healthy & look good but no one has laid an egg since November 19th, at least that was what I thought...... I had attributed it to the short days. But on December 5th I found a stash of 19 eggs under an old cedar tree. After watching her (one of the araucanas) one day I realized that she was flying over the fence (a little awkward since I had clipped one of her wings) & sneaking into the yard, laying her egg & then foraging a bit on the lawn before flying back into her yard.

My nest boxes were not ideal so I did some coop modifications. She seemed to like the new boxes & laid 2 eggs within 2 days. She no longer breaks out of the run & no longer is laying any eggs. This started to make me wonder if her little forays into the yard were supplementing her diet in a way that was not happening for the other hens.

For the last couple of weeks I have started letting them free range in my yard hoping this might be the magic that I was hoping for but I still do not have any eggs. Should I change their feed or just sit back & wait for the days to get a little longer?