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

[rosewolf22002]

Yes grasshoppers bite! And my brother has a chunk out of his hand to prove it! We had chickens as kids and played chicken football with grasshoppers.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, grasshoppers bite...not just an OT tale. Even Asian beetles, sometimes mistaken for ladybugs, can bite~hard.

We've had those worms here and didn't know what they were called...we just called them "those fuzzy, stingy worms" that drop out of the trees and wherever they touch is like fire and misery. Hate those things...it's like they drop on you on purpose and hit just the right spot where they go down the collar of your shirt, roll all the way down and leaving a trail of hair and fire. Horrible things!

 

[stonykill]

with free range chickens and an outdoor cat who loves eating grasshoppers..... the population was practically non existent this year. But I gotta say in 45 years I've never been bit by a grasshopper

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe 'cause you had better things to play with as a chile!

We was so poor that grasshoppers were some of the few things we had to play with...that and the June Bugs on a string. We was so poor that we'd get batteries for Christmas and the package would say "Toy not included."

 

[HiddenChicken]

Until you put on a pair of pants with a wasp in them and emerge unscathed I don't think you have any special powers..........lol   I have done that and let me tell you that he got me about 6 times before I know what was happening.

Walt

Holy Hannah! If that's the litmus test for special powers...I NEVER want special powers.

 

[Pozees]

Walt (Fowlman01) would be of help in this discussion.

Heritage birds, true to breed type, SOP type, purely line bred for 75 years type birds are very, very hard to find. There may be less than a few hundred true New Hampshires in existence. Some of us Old Timers (including Robert Blosl) even doubt the true Delaware even exists. There may be less than a few thousand true bred Rhode Island Reds alive. The true to breed, rose combed Rhode Island White may number fewer than 200 even in existence. The true bred Columbian Rock is literally rarer than hen's teeth. One of the frequent posters here, Al, may know for sure, but how many true bred Cornish are there?

The hatcheries provide a service in producing literally millions of chicks each year, while the heritage breeders sometimes only produce hundreds of chicks, nationwide, depending on the specific breed. In a nutshell, there simply aren't the number of true heritage bred fowl even available to supply the number of people who might desire them.

But, even if these true heritage birds were more readily available, would most backyarders really want a chick that takes 10 weeks to even feather out? Would they really want birds that take 8 months to come to point of lay? Would they really want birds that may take forever and day to mature? Would they really want the slow growth rate and loooooooooong feeding period that it takes to grow out many of the true bred, heritage birds? What would most of these folks even do with such birds, beyond the first generation? It's not as if 99% of such folks would breed them faithfully and true to type anyhow.

These are sincere questions.

Answering without having read the ensuing 6 pages, I can say only for myself that I honor the dedication it takes to perpetuate true heritage breeds, and that I would eagerly adopt such a pursuit once I have an adequate setup. These are the foundation of all that exists today, guardians of the genes originally required for development of today's hatchery chicks as well as prize winners. I take nothing away from hatchery chicks, I possess them exclusively right now, and think hatcheries offer the low-cost entry into backyard flocks without which many of today's breeders and growers would not have been introduced to the greater ambitions they now embrace. Put another way, many of us would not be here to learn at your knee had it not been for hatcheries.

That said, there is high value to protection and continuity of heritage breeds and specific lines. The genetic history is irreplaceable.

 

[ChickChickChicky]

NEVER????

Never ran barefoot as a child? You are the second adult within two weeks that I've read had never been stung by a bee! Not even a sweat bee? Did yo' mama keep you in a bubble whilst you were growin' upwards?

Seriously, is that common in this generation? No bee stings?

I'm 55, and up until a couple years ago had NEVER been stung by a bee (though did get stung, as a teenager, by a wasp that flew up under my glasses OWWWW!). When I did finally get stung by a bee I was scared to death cause I didn't know if I would be allergic to them. Well, found out I wasn't allergic and am not afraid of bees or wasps. My mom likes to tell the story of how when I was little I came to her with something in my clenched hand. It was a bumblebee, still very much alive. She told me it would sting me but i informed her that it couldn't "cause it had no mouf".I've been bitten over the years by spiders, mice, snakes, horses (OWWWW!) and cats, but never by a dog... and I've had one or more dogs in my life since I was born, and for awhile physically broke up the frequent dogfights between a Doberman and GSD we had, just grab each behind the ears and pull them apart. Guess it's all just the luck of the draw!

 

[pigeonguy]

Would you need to be concerned about methane gas release? I would hate to Asphixiate the birds, or blow them up!

RobertH

OK that gives me more to think about. I'll add some piping coming out of the manure to release gases and check on getting a methane meter to measure it. Thanks for that thought. People helping people how wonderful is this world of ours.
Any other thoughts to make this better are welcome.

 

[HiddenChicken]

Yep, grasshoppers bite...not just an OT tale.  Even Asian beetles, sometimes mistaken for ladybugs, can bite~hard. 

We've had those worms here and didn't know what they were called...we just called them "those fuzzy, stingy worms"  that drop out of the trees and wherever they touch is like fire and misery.  Hate those things...it's like they drop on you on purpose and hit just the right spot where they go down the collar of your shirt, roll all the way down and leaving a trail of hair and fire.  Horrible things! 

 

I would never walk under a tree again if we had those where I live... I'm horrified just thinking about that falling on me or (ohgodno!!!) down my shirt.

 

[NanaKat]

Wolf spiders bite also..jumping t the attack. Feels like a bee sting.

We have bee hives and I can tell you that even with a smoker, one of our hives has a line of bees that are stingers...attacking thru gloves. But the other 4 hives are gentle enough to handle without a smoker.

an update: My little banty roo that has been acting like he had rickets is improving. So I'm going to assume he got stung by a scorpion as we discussed yesterday. He never lost his appetite and his relationship with his two little hens has been normal...he just stumbled around and used his wing tips to steady his gait. He was up today fronting another OEGB roo thru the cage wall. I put three different water cups in the cage, one with ACV, one witjh lemon zest and Benedryl and one with a couple of drops of Oxine. He favored the one with lemon zest and Benedryl this morning.