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

[Ridgerunner]

it was a joke. one would thinkonthis thread that would go without saying 

And one would think that my post would be recognized in that vein on this thread. I think Bee recognized that from her response. Some true stories about my childhood and some sarcasm about what many of today's kids are missing.

 

[Beekissed]

Yes....the good ol' days had lots of bees to tint the gold lined clouds.

I still wish my kids could have lived back then....the food was better, pop actually quenched your thirst and came in tall, cold bottles that gave $.05 back when you turned them in, the neighborhood kids would all get together for a pick-up game of soft ball...and there wouldn't be any whining to yo mama if you got knocked out by a line drive down the base line or if you got your plow cleaned by a teammate.

Your mom would have to threaten you several times if you didn't come into the house at dark when it was time for bed...kids were having so much fun outside that it was a crime to have to come inside when the hide and seek was just getting good!

Pennies were actually worth something and bought pieces of candy and gum...and it was GOOD candy and gum. That gum would last all day long, get stuck on the metal bed frame, get peeled off the next morning and the paint chips removed and still tasted good and got chewed half the next day.

Oh, the 60s and 70s...the last good years of golden summers. A few bees couldn't kill the thrill of seining for minnies, catching muskie, sun fish and old needle nose gar, hunting nightcrawlers at night in the pasture, riding our bikes and games of tag and make believe. Back then kids were allowed to use a BB gun anytime they wanted and I started carrying my first pocket knife at the age of 7...to school...every day. As did we all.

Sorry...I get lost in the good ol' days sometimes....

 

[Mountain Momma]

Yes....the good ol' days had lots of bees to tint the gold lined clouds.

I still wish my kids could have lived back then....the food was better, pop actually quenched your thirst and came in tall, cold bottles that gave $.05 back when you turned them in, the neighborhood kids would all get together for a pick-up game of soft ball...and there wouldn't be any whining to yo mama if you got knocked out by a line drive down the base line or if you got your plow cleaned by a teammate.

Your mom would have to threaten you several times if you didn't come into the house at dark when it was time for bed...kids were having so much fun outside that it was a crime to have to come inside when the hide and seek was just getting good!

Pennies were actually worth something and bought pieces of candy and gum...and it was GOOD candy and gum. That gum would last all day long, get stuck on the metal bed frame, get peeled off the next morning and the paint chips removed and still tasted good and got chewed half the next day.

Oh, the 60s and 70s...the last good years of golden summers. A few bees couldn't kill the thrill of seining for minnies, catching muskie, sun fish and old needle nose gar, hunting nightcrawlers at night in the pasture, riding our bikes and games of tag and make believe. Back then kids were allowed to use a BB gun anytime they wanted and I started carrying my first pocket knife at the age of 7...to school...every day. As did we all.

Sorry...I get lost in the good ol' days sometimes....

Yeah pop quenched the thirst because it was made with Cocaine in it back then.
Did All of Al's chickens get killed? Has anyone talked to him?
Darn thats a bummer. Whoever posted the 40 year old refrigerator post...I have to tel you I was on the phone when I read it and just to give you an idea how far removed I am from a refrigerator that would last 40 years...I thought at first she was talking about a refrigerator box that she had for 40 years and still played with. lol. First laugh of the day guys!
Thanks!
And Ive never been stung by a Bee, other than you Bee. Both my kids have though. A beekeeper told me bees usually dont sting blond people. They are less like their natural predators- like bears. Food for thought.

 

[Beekissed]

40 years is a relatively young fridge....just getting broken in.

We had an old gas Servell fridge while growing up and it still worked great when we gave it away...it was already ancient when we got it. Yes, they made fridges that ran on gas....and the Moses was a great kisser, for your information, and that was all before he killed that guy.

http://vintageservelrefrigerators.8k.com/


See what happens when the oldsters don't have any questions to answer?

 

[capayvalleychick]

If I had a local mentor, I would. ...
But without an expert mentor within comfortable driving distance, I wouldn't be able to maintain or improve the breed, and I'd just be siphoning off the gene pool.

You can have a long distance mentor, using email and photographs. I do.

 

[capayvalleychick]

A beekeeper told me bees usually dont sting blond people.

Then I need to bleach my hair. Got stung yesterday by a bee and my arm's swollen hand to elbow and in severe pain. Anybody got a remedy for that? Onion, Benedryl, ice & ibuprofen's not helping and I have to use this arm for work today.

This is the fourth time that I've been stung this summer. Bees are in all the waterers, started seedlings, everywhere. They're aggressive, can't even hang out laundry without being attacked. One of my horses got attacked and she looked like she'd been shot with a shotgun.

 

[Mountain Momma]

40 years is a relatively young fridge....just getting broken in.

We had an old gas Servell fridge while growing up and it still worked great when we gave it away...it was already ancient when we got it. Yes, they made fridges that ran on gas....and the Moses was a great kisser, for your information, and that was all before he killed that guy.

http://vintageservelrefrigerators.8k.com/


See what happens when the oldsters don't have any questions to answer?

Okay, Keep in mind that these questions might have already been answered but I have to get my happy patootie down to the school for fridayfolders and school store. I know, what was I thinking?
How many days do you let your ferment ferment?
Will a Leghorn eventually start laying every day or so? Right now she is once every 10 days or so. Born at Easter this year.
Is chicken poo bad for dogs if they eat it?
How is it possible that my scraggliest chicken lays sand paper eggs every single day! She is skinny and looks like a cartoon sign character for homeless chickens.
Who is the Moses, surely not the Biblical one?
Will the roosters spurs continue to grow?
Are Aspen leaves poisonous to chickens?
Where is the best place to get Heritage chickens, and meaty chickens?

 

[Beekissed]

Okay, Keep in mind that these questions might have already been answered but I have to get my happy patootie down to the school for fridayfolders and school store. I know, what was I thinking?
How many days do you let your ferment ferment?
Will a Leghorn eventually start laying every day or so? Right now she is once every 10 days or so. Born at Easter this year.
Is chicken poo bad for dogs if they eat it?
How is it possible that my scraggliest chicken lays sand paper eggs every single day! She is skinny and looks like a cartoon sign character for homeless chickens.
Who is the Moses, surely not the Biblical one?
Will the roosters spurs continue to grow?
Are Aspen leaves poisonous to chickens?
Where is the best place to get Heritage chickens, and meaty chickens?

1. Continually...an ongoing ferment with fresh grains and water only added to the bucket when it gets low or too soupy. Always leave a little of the fermented water and feed in the bucket to inoculate the next batch.
2. A leghorn should lay ever day when sexually mature...and should do so for the next two years, at least.
3. No. Good source of supplemental protein and also keeps your yard clean.
4. Sometimes the ugliest, scraggliest chicken is the best layer in the flock...just crack open those sandpaper eggs and enjoy it while you can!
5. Yes, the Biblical one...my kids always tease me about being so old that I dated Moses.
6. Yes, the spurs will continue to grow...where they will stop, no one really knows.
7. Not that I'm aware but it's likely they will not eat them if they are.
8. That has many answers, none of which is the definitive answer. One has to just go with the most recommended place and wing it...I've not heard of a single, recommended above all others source. Maybe someone else can answer that one?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll try a few.

Will a Leghorn eventually start laying every day or so? Right now she is once every 10 days or so. Born at Easter this year.

Breed does not mean nearly as much as strain. What did her parents do? If her parents are from flocks that lay every day, she probably will too. If her parents are from flocks that lay once every 10 days, she probably will too. That's probably, not absolutely every time. Each hen is an individual. Most of mine do pretty much what their parents do, but every now and then I get one that does something different. They are individual living animals, not characters out of a book.

Is chicken poo bad for dogs if they eat it?

There's a lot of partially digested nutrients in poo. It is a prize for many animals, plus they can pick up some probiotics if they eat poo from their own kind. It's real common in the animal world. I'm willing to let animals be animals, but then I don't French-kiss my dogs.

How is it possible that my scraggliest chicken lays sand paper eggs every single day! She is skinny and looks like a cartoon sign character for homeless chickens.

This is purely my opinion. There are people on this thread that have a different opinion. I consider a chicken that forages for a lot of its own food and gets a lot of exercise doing so to be a healthy chicken. A healthy chicken is more likely to lay a lot of eggs and is not going to be too fat. But on the other hand, you don't mention breed for this specific chicken. Some chickens like the commercial egg layers and leghorns have been bred or be efficient in converting the feed they eat to eggs, not body mass. You may have a chicken that has been bred ot lay a lot of nice eggs, not put on weight.

 

[bruceh]

Okay, Keep in mind that these questions might have already been answered but I have to get my happy patootie down to the school for fridayfolders and school store. I know, what was I thinking?
How many days do you let your ferment ferment?
Will a Leghorn eventually start laying every day or so? Right now she is once every 10 days or so. Born at Easter this year.
Is chicken poo bad for dogs if they eat it?
How is it possible that my scraggliest chicken lays sand paper eggs every single day! She is skinny and looks like a cartoon sign character for homeless chickens.
Who is the Moses, surely not the Biblical one?
Will the roosters spurs continue to grow?
Are Aspen leaves poisonous to chickens?
Where is the best place to get Heritage chickens, and meaty chickens?

moutain mamma, moutain momma,
you have got to take the time to read this thread. all the information is right here. ( i am saying this in a very caring voice ) if you read the thread your frustration level will decrease.
answer to question:

1. each chicken is an individual so laying is in the birds ability to do so. while a leghorn is known for their prolific laying ability your leghorn may not be a prolific layer.

2. dogs eat poop. will it harm the dog maybe maybe not. if the poop from the chicken is healthy probably not. if the chicken is carrying an illness that dogs can catch then yes the dog can get sick.

3. a chicken is an individual . chickens lay all kinds of egg.

4. moses i have no idea.

5. spurs. yes a roosters spurs will continue to grow. you can trim them if they become to long.

6. aspen leaves i have no idea.

7. heritage breed you can get off this forum. check buy -sell- trade. or go to the breed you desires thread. there is a wealth of info at your disposal within this forum. meat chickens you can obtain at almost any hatchery.

from what i am gathering from the description of your birds sounds as if it is a nutrient issue. sandpaper eggs or rough eggs sounds as if it is calcium issue. the leghorn sounds like same thing and the de-shelved looking bird same thing. it sounds as if there is a feed problem. not enough of this or not enough of that. your birds are very young so a full molt is not likely. with that said, the days are getting shorter and it is getting colder so egg laying will naturally slow down.