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

[Mountain Momma]

I woke up in a cold sweat! Bad dream! I was checking my chickens feet and saw little lice around thier feet! Got up to let them out this AM and had to check feet.... No lice, You guys are killing me!!

right there with you. I feel itchy when I hear the word mite.
L

 

[delisha]

One reason I do not bate rodents with poison. My chickens and ducks gobble them up.

 

[galanie]

This holiday thing is just nuts anymore. As I had posted, I tried to get my family to spend it with all their other families. (Divorces on both sides). I see my grandchildren, my son and daughter in law every day but 1 and daughter just a little less frequent. I was actually looking forward to a break Thanksgiving but Wednesday found out they all were coming. I love them all so very much and am so happy to have them near. That's what I am so thankful for. It's not just 1 day.
That being said, everyone is different and I can understand the parents who hold these holidays so dear. It's so tough.

Most people do hold these holidays so very dear. I am more understanding and flexible. Probably I don't really care enough to "care" and hold everyone hostage to my own caring. At least that's the way I look at those that insist on having people, even their own kids, entertain them on a holiday. I simply don't need such a thing. I can see my children and grandchildren any time I want to. Why hold them hostage on a day that is not that much more important to me than any other day?

If I for some reason do feel alone and unloved on those days that I am alone, then I can and have gone to a homeless shelter and volunteered to serve. Had a blast. Did that a few times. This year? After the estate sale I had I just enjoyed the fact that no strangers were in my house being idiots.

 

[Mountain Momma]

I should probably just keep my mouth shut, but this is perhaps the single most selfish sentiment I have ever seen expressed in words. You're going to (at some point in the future) force your children to enrage their in-laws or enrage you. The sig others' families very likely will be just as tight-knit as yours. I think you better face up to the fact that married children can't and, in my estimation shouldn't, spend every holiday with one set of parents. You can't really think that your kids will come to your home and the sig others will go to theirs, do you? If they do, their marriages are going to have serious problems.

You dont need to keep your mouth shut around me. I cannot imagine a sadder time than not having my kids with me for every holiday. I am fine if they want to go to the inlaws the following Sat but the actual day they will be with me. They can explain that I am crazy and unbalanced and I'm sure the inlaws will understand. I'm fine with the inlaws coming too. I've carted these kids to all kinds of things and planned special days for them and by then it will have been thousands of times. If worse comes to worse I'll lure them with expensive vacations. I'll have my way on this.
I'm not going to tolerate missing the special occasions with my beloveds so some idiot they dated for three months can show them off to their family. No way. And in order to make sure that I get my way I have to be inflexible. Yep, I just checked and I'm totally loaded for bear on this one.
L

 

[galanie]

You dont need to keep your mouth shut around me.  I cannot imagine a sadder time than not having my kids with me for every holiday.  I am fine if they want to go to the inlaws the following Sat but the actual day they will be with me.  They can explain that I am crazy and unbalanced and I'm sure the inlaws will understand.  I'm fine with the inlaws coming too. I've carted these kids to all kinds of things and planned special days for them and by then it will have been thousands of times. If worse comes to worse I'll lure them with expensive vacations.  I'll have my way on this.
I'm not going to tolerate missing the special occasions with my beloveds so some idiot they dated for three months can show them off to their family.  No way.  And in order to make sure that I get my way I have to be inflexible.  Yep,  I just checked and I'm totally loaded for bear on this one.
L

LOL!! Well then you go girl!! Someone always has to be a bit flexible and in this case, it better be them! In my case, both my kids have finally settled down with people I love (Son: 34 and married to his high school sweetheart whom I always loved. Daughter: Settled finally at 38 with someone that I also love. And both the extended families). So I'm in a bit of a different place.

 

[Pozees]

Most people do hold these holidays so very dear. I am more understanding and flexible. Probably I don't really care enough to "care" and hold everyone hostage to my own caring. At least that's the way I look at those that insist on having people, even their own kids, entertain them on a holiday. I simply don't need such a thing. I can see my children and grandchildren any time I want to. Why hold them hostage on a day that is not that much more important to me than any other day?
If I for some reason do feel alone and unloved on those days that I am alone, then I can and have gone to a homeless shelter and volunteered to serve. Had a blast. Did that a few times. This year? After the estate sale I had I just enjoyed the fact that no strangers were in my house being idiots.

What a great attitude you have I feel a holiday is just a day on the calendar, and while I will always cook a turkey on Thanksgiving, as I believe it's a true holiday, I have no delusions it will be joined by my son every year until my demise. This year he was in Italy, studying for a semester, the rest of my family is far east of me, DH's family far flung, and so the two of us enjoyed the day together with no misgivings. As I told a coworker today, my Thanksgiving was nice and quiet, as I like it. The meal preparation doesn't really make it a complete day off, but it does make it a day I thoroughly enjoy, and I don't anticipate that, as my son matures and begins his own family, he is in any way obligated to spend it with me. When he chooses to do so I will love it, and when he feels he belongs elsewhere I will celebrate the certainty he has that I will love him regardless.

 

[galanie]

What a great attitude you have I feel a holiday is just a day on the calendar, and while I will always cook a turkey on Thanksgiving, as I believe it's a true holiday, I have no delusions it will be joined by my son every year until my demise. This year he was in Italy, studying for a semester, the rest of my family is far east of me, DH's family far flung, and so the two of us enjoyed the day together with no misgivings. As I told a coworker today, my Thanksgiving was nice and quiet, as I like it. The meal preparation doesn't really make it a complete day off, but it does make it a day I thoroughly enjoy, and I don't anticipate that, as my son matures and begins his own family, he is in any way obligated to spend it with me. When he chooses to do so I will love it, and when he feels he belongs elsewhere I will celebrate the certainty he has that I will love him regardless.

Love your attitude too. Probably because it is a lot like mine! Funny how that works.

I spent most of the day playing World of Warcraft at 57 years old learning how to dual box and play two accounts at once on one computer. Ok WoW isn't my favorite game but they made it almost like new with the Cataclysm which I hadn't played. All the newbie areas have new stuff and my two druids are doing really good! LOL!!!

 

[Pozees]

Love your attitude too. Probably because it is a lot like mine! Funny how that works.
I spent most of the day playing World of Warcraft at 57 years old learning how to dual box and play two accounts at once on one computer. Ok WoW isn't my favorite game but they made it almost like new with the Cataclysm which I hadn't played. All the newbie areas have new stuff and my two druids are doing really good! LOL!!!

LOL I can't say I've gotten into that kind of gaming, but confess the occasional need to play Angry Birds in any of its many forms

 

[thedragonlady]

Inexpensive, foam incubators are as cheap as $45 at TSC and similar places. However, the features are pretty poor. No fan typically. Regulation of temp and humidity on these cheap boxes is pretty poor. You'd be better off spending the money for a better machine. The little Eco from Brinsea can be purchase using a special code and when on sale at Brinsea's website for around $80.

Fred,

I spent years running 2 Sportsmen GQF Incubators. One as an incubator, and 1 as a hatcher. Now I do much smaller hatches and I love my little foam GQF incubators. Temp control, fan, and turners. What's not to like for not much $ ?? I have 2. One is an incubator, and one is a hatcher with no turner. Getting 96% hatches.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Fred,

I spent years running 2 Sportsmen GQF Incubators. One as an incubator, and 1 as a hatcher. Now I do much smaller hatches and I love my little foam GQF incubators. Temp control, fan, and turners. What's not to like for not much $ ?? I have 2. One is an incubator, and one is a hatcher with no turner. Getting 96% hatches.

Yes, the foam isn't really the issue, although some folks don't like cleaning foam incubators. The issue is on the $44 LG type versions is that there is no turner, no fan, and less than stellar controls for temp. The better GQF or Hovabator versions? Yup. People like them a lot. These run more like $130+ as I've priced them. Not bad for what you get.

I guess my point is simple. Research incubators. Do your homework. Get something that works well, or why bother with the thing. When you've got valuable chicks to hatch, it's no time for messing around.