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

[IamSamSam]

............tasted really good, too!

On the spur thing... I HAVE to use pliers. I'm old. I'm arthritic. Pliers work. Not much blood. Besides... ALL bleeding stops...eventually!

And if in doubt check out You-Tube ... ... ... has a great video on using pliers and as an enthusiast of aviary birds If you have bleeding that wont calm Use plain flour it acts as a clotting agent !

 

[jeancordelia]

I see the comment, not the original post. Just what was the slaughtering question?

 

[fowlman01]

Here's a breeding question, O ancient Ones:

The web wisdom seems tobe that you shouldn't use an especially large chicken to breed from, as the really big ones are likely to have health problems of some kind. Any experience with this? I have a BR rooster that we've been starting to refer to as "the turkey", and I need to decide his future pretty soon.

I haven't seen a really large BR in 20 years. It would not bother me to use a large chnicken unless it was because it's legs couldn't hold it up or it had some other size deformity.

Walt

 

[galanie]

... That said I have also learned to pray for the soul of the victim.  Native Americans do so and so do Kosher Rabbi's.  It is in appreciation of their offering that we may be sustained. Promotes humility.

 

I do that too. I hold them and calm them, thank them for their sacrifice and pray for their souls. It seems odd but I just won't butcher one w/out doing that first any more. I feel better about the whole thing that way. Just another "feel good touchy feely" thing that probably drives Al nuts hahahaha

 

[Clay Mudd]

LOL I figured it was coming sooner or later LOL, It's just an opinion and everybody has them. I am just as entittled to raise my chickens as real chickens outdoors as many of you others are to raise theirs on the living room couch and free ranging on the shag carpet. it's all fine Iam often chastised for raising my birds in such an awful enviroment such as a chicken coop outdoors, I know I am so cruel LOL, I am surprised I havent been turned in to the ASPCA for raising livestock outdoors. I also don't name any of my birds even my show stock, and nobody has sued me yet LOL I say yet.

Seriously it's all good seriously

I always get a giggle out of posts where somebody wants to turn in a neighbor for animal abuse because the chicken run is too small or whatever. Personally, I might call making ANY animal live in a tiny suburban yard animal abuse m(if'n I was gonna be judgemental). But that might be because I'd feel abused if I had to live in the suburbs again.

 

[mommissan]

But that might be because I'd feel abused if I had to live in the suburbs again.

We could never return the "burbs" either!

I'm one that loves to read all the wisdom the "Old Timers" share, then turn my nose up and do what I want anyway. Now that I am fast approaching my first anniversary with my beloved flock, I want to thank all the "flock masters". My mantra now: Oh...... THAT"S why....."

What I've learned:

-Chickens don't need heat. They have feathers for a reason. I obsessed all last year with a wireless thermometer and light bulbs of various wattages trying to keep them from freezing, only to discover that in the crisp February mornings at -10° F they would bust out of the coop to and spend all day outside.

-Cull substandard chickens. I tried to save them all- sick and deformed. All I ended up with were chickens that needed a lot of special care (in my basement

) and were rejected and picked on by other flock members. It's a very unhappy existence for them IMO.

-Space.... LOTS of space. Their coop is undersized, but they only lay eggs and sleep in it. Their run (14 sq. ft/ bird) is available all day to them and they are free-ranged for a few hours each evening; all day on weekends. The space really helps with introducing new birds to the flock.

-A good rooster is invaluable. Not any rooster will do. I stewed many before I found a keeper. My girls are so much happier with a him around. They are calmer and get along better. He breaks up fights and keeps them in line. I have a very bossy Black Australorp that he took down a few notches. She almost went in the stew pot until he straightened her out.

-Don't help a chick out of it's shell. If it's not strong enough to get out on it's own, it's not strong enough to survive. Culling a deformed chick that you tried to save is very discouraging. Just let nature take its course.

-Chicks don't need 95° constantly. I was fortunate to have 2 broodies at the same time I was hatching with an incubator. When the coop chicks were a week old, she took them all out of the run and into the yard, even in the cold rain. It made me look at my brooder setup and realize I was obsessing about heat again. The incubator chicks went outside at 2 weeks. They would've gone out sooner, but the current brooder pen occupants had to be evicted first.

-Chicken psychology is an enigma.

I have a lot more to learn. It doesn't mean I haven't already read it somewhere. I just have to admit I don't know what I'm doing.

 

[galanie]

-Cull substandard chickens. I tried to save them all- sick and deformed. All I ended up with were chickens that needed a lot of special care (in my basement  ) and were rejected and picked on by other flock members. It's a very unhappy existence for them IMO.

I couldn't agree more. Been there, done that. If they're weak, they're weak and either won't make it or will be miserable all their short lives. That said, sometimes vitamin and electrolyte mix in the water will turn one around. If it doesn't, then I let nature take it's course. I don't end their lives myself, I let them quietly go on their own. I've had them die in my bra while doing everything possible and had the special needs ones. Not any more. If they do manage to live on their own without special care other than the vitamins in the water for a few days, then I let them keep on kickin'. Otherwise, Old Lady Nature knows better than I do.

 

[ldutch123]

We could never return the "burbs" either! I'm one that loves to read all the wisdom the "Old Timers" share, then turn my nose up and do what I want anyway. Now that I am fast approaching my first anniversary with my beloved flock, I want to thank all the "flock masters". My mantra now: Oh...... THAT"S why....." What I've learned: -Chickens don't need heat. They have feathers for a reason. I obsessed all last year with a wireless thermometer and light bulbs of various wattages trying to keep them from freezing, only to discover that in the crisp February mornings at -10° F they would bust out of the coop to and spend all day outside. -Cull substandard chickens. I tried to save them all- sick and deformed. All I ended up with were chickens that needed a lot of special care (in my basement ) and were rejected and picked on by other flock members. It's a very unhappy existence for them IMO. -Space.... LOTS of space. Their coop is undersized, but they only lay eggs and sleep in it. Their run (14 sq. ft/ bird) is available all day to them and they are free-ranged for a few hours each evening; all day on weekends. The space really helps with introducing new birds to the flock.
-A good rooster is invaluable. Not any rooster will do. I stewed many before I found a keeper. My girls are so much happier with a him around. They are calmer and get along better. He breaks up fights and keeps them in line. I have a very bossy Black Australorp that he took down a few notches. She almost went in the stew pot until he straightened her out.

-Don't help a chick out of it's shell. If it's not strong enough to get out on it's own, it's not strong enough to survive. Culling a deformed chick that you tried to save is very discouraging. Just let nature take its course. -Chicks don't need 95° constantly. I was fortunate to have 2 broodies at the same time I was hatching with an incubator. When the coop chicks were a week old, she took them all out of the run and into the yard, even in the cold rain. It made me look at my brooder setup and realize I was obsessing about heat again. The incubator chicks went outside at 2 weeks. They would've gone out sooner, but the current brooder pen occupants had to be evicted first. -Chicken psychology is an enigma. I have a lot more to learn. It doesn't mean I haven't already read it somewhere. I just have to admit I don't know what I'm doing.

Thanks for this! I can't stand keeping the darn chicks in a brooder when they would have much more freedom in a their coop area and access to outside! They are 2 and 3 weeks now and it's plenty warm out so I'm heading outside to ready their new home.

 

[Gigiintheforest]

I appreciate so much all the cut and dry information provided in this thread. From some of the OT's posts, I have decided against heating and lighting. I have adjusted some feed practices and stopped worrying so much about vaccines and such. However, I have to tell yall, I am so happy to ignore all the well-intended advice to not get too attached to your chickens or build froo-froo coops, painted to match the house or what not! I named, adore and spoil, to the best of my ability the chickies that we brought home just a few months ago. I have built a cute little coop-and-run combo and painted it to match my house. I pet them and play with them and find it so fascinating that one of them has been following me around like a puppy for the last several weeks.

Love it! I'm right there with you and enjoying every minute. Why not?

 

[al6517]

Quote:


LOL you know me too well G,