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

[Beekissed]

Howdy y'all!!

I've been in Illinois the last few weeks - my daughter fell and broke her leg and has a VERY active 2 year old son. I went up and stayed with them to help with the toddler and so her hubster wouldn't have to miss work. BOY was that a lot of reading to catch up on Holy Moley!!!!

I was just so sad to hear about Al's loss! What an overwhelming thing to have happen! Al, you and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers.

And congrats on the eggs, galefrances! WOOT - what a happy feeling.

Otherwise, I'm not going to comment on everything else I just read - y'all would be a couple of days reading THAT post!

It's good to be back and 'see' everyone here.

Welcome back...we've been having lots of fun and a few have suffered really big losses, as you have read. Good to see your face on here!

 

[galefrances]

Bee: Beautiful animals. I'm envious of your property too. So many on here have beautiful wooded acres and hills. So fortunate.

And Armorfirelady: Interesting how you are able to see the pecking order of your flock. I've watched mine intently, but never have been able to see who is in charge or what the order might be. They even re-arrange themselves on the roosts. Maybe when they're older, or maybe I'm not as attentive as I think I am.

Very beautiful birds by the way.

 

[delisha]

Congratulations on the *NEW* eggs!

Welcome to all the new posters and the returning posters

 

[armorfirelady]

Bee: Beautiful animals. I'm envious of your property too. So many on here have beautiful wooded acres and hills. So fortunate.

And Armorfirelady: Interesting how you are able to see the pecking order of your flock. I've watched mine intently, but never have been able to see who is in charge or what the order might be. They even re-arrange themselves on the roosts. Maybe when they're older, or maybe I'm not as attentive as I think I am.

Very beautiful birds by the way.

Thanks. I think they are pretty as well. Its only Big Momma who is top hen. THe other 2 ary between roosting with her and the lowest hen. Guess it depends on Big Mommas mood lol Lets hope she lays some great eggs since she seems to have big britches

 

[NanaKat]

A friend called me today with a huge score...a local church had 200 pumpkins left over from a fundraiser and wanted someone to come get them for cleaning up the bad ones too. We took the challenge and filled the floor of a 6 x 24 foot trailer three deep and the back of our pickup....Have about 150 plus really nice pumpkins. We probably dumped the same number out in the pasture for the cows to munch on.
Here is what we saved back to can and to cure out for the chickens and to share.
These were in the back seat of the truck

The pickup load

and then saved back from the stock trailer

and last but not least

There is also a wheel barrow load of those hand sized little pumpkins.

Cut up two into chunks and spread them out like a buffet in the run...chicks went wild.

 

[Beekissed]

Oh, my!!!! What are you going to do with all those pumpkins?

You'll have to buy a pig so they won't all go to waste! What a great score!!! Look at all that lovely nutrition in that truck.

 

[nyanamia]

Bee, what did you have the hair sheep for? Did you comb out the wool? Surely they weren't simply pets...

I am not well versed in the uses and benefits of sheep besides wool.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Wonder how ole' Al's getting along?? It's funny how I have different "voices' in my head when I read posts, wonder y'all really sound anything like you do "in my head"!

PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who does that!

Quote: Beekissed
No...you are not. I can hear him, Walt and Fred with regularity. Sometimes it's uncanny because then they will come on and say the same thing I thought they would say!



Quote: galanie
There's help for this, too...

 

[Maven]

Gee Willikers that is a ton of marvelous pumpkins!!

And I thought I was doing good scoring all the Halloween pumpkins from my grandkids when I was up in Illinois!

Hey, Bee, thank you for all the info on the sheep - that is really interesting!! The Mr. raised sheep for 4H when he was a lad about a million years ago, and we wanted some for here on the farm but we've always heard that sheep don't do very well here, only goats. Those Katahdins just might be the ticket we are looking for to lead him back to enjoying an animal he once dearly loved! We will definitely research them more! Way back in the dawn of time when he was breeding the Hampshires, Cheviots, Suffolks and Dorsets were all that anyone around him had, and he has never heard of the Katahdins. You've definitely piqued his interest!

To all the others who suffered losses while I was gone, I am so sorry.

Those dang feral dogs destroy so much!! It is just tragic. We are firm believers in the OT's SSS method of predator control!! And for those who didn't lose to predators another big

This is all such a learning experience. I really appreciate looking past the loss and posting the autopsy pictures and results so that the rest of us can learn from them - such a giving spirit you have!!

One thing - I haven't seen Brie on here in a while - therapydoglady's DIL - did I miss something, or has she not been around? Hope all is well with her.

Fred - good to see so 'much' of you in the last several pages - I pay a lot of attention to your words of wisdom and you are sorely missed when you are absent!

Deer season this week - we've been out hunting. The Mr. has one buck under his belt and 1 tag to fill. I've still got 2 tags to fill - almost had a mule-sized doe last night until, just as I pulled the trigger, a buck jumped out of the tree line and she lit off like greased lightning.

Ruts in full here. Wish me luck - can't let the Mr. outdo me!!

 

[delisha]

Nice score on the pumpkins!