Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[featherhead007]

Milles and Polish are on my wish list once I get my place more set up how I want. I've wanted them for quite a while now but my previous farm did not lend itself to anything besides hardy birds that could easily live in a typical barnyard setting, even in -20F, and provide eggs for consumption and selling.
Mud is an issue here too. Sticky red cement everywhere so for now I'm staying with clean legged birds, much as I love fuzzy feet.

Polish rooster named "BLU" Free to good home, better yet I'll pay you to take him $1000.00
But you must hurry before I change my mind. ...., Never mind, I changed my mind! I will just let BLU keep on making me crazy!

 

[FortCluck]

Your descriptions of Squatch helped push me towards adding JG- 2 roos and 2 hens into the order. I love love love Speckled Sussex hens and their broodiness is awesome, but the roos are generally not nice so I thought I'd try something I'd not had before. Even if I eventually find the roos to be too big, I figure the hens will be a great addition.
They won't be here until early June though, hatcheries are booked way out right now.

Tell me about Deathlayers...what attracted you to them? I know nothing about the breed.
And "We Ain't Infected" is a great reason for a party if you ask me.

We were supposed to get females and not males when we ordered our Jersey Giants. I still wish we got females because I liked the breed and their overall attitude.

I honestly knew nothing about Deathlayers until my friend's GF bought some chicks. She told us about them last year at Thanksgiving. She ended up with all roosters her BF ended up with mostly all pullets. She wanted them to go to a good home so he took 2 roosters and when I realized Squatch wouldn't work, I text him about the ones she had. Then a few days later 2 were here. So he has 2 bothers of my 2 roosters. The eggs I'm hatching are from his flock.

They're really good boys. She said they weren't very nice to her, but they have been great with me. Almost as good as Squatch. I've only had them a week and I'm saying that. Squatch I had for over a year since day 7. Dio is very curious and gets quite close, but usually only when I have food or a bucket with water... He likes first picks like Squatch did. So I love him already.

They sleep outside they refuse to go in the coop so I bought a whole new coop just for them and some girls I should get it next week.

Ozzy hurt his comb somehow. No clue how, but he's good. We clean his comb every night when he roosts. Both let you pick them up. They're more aggressive looking than Squatch. They're beefy boys and have sharp spurs. They're way more protective than Squatch and he chased of a hawk so these boys are no joke. They're always watching the sky and ground.

The girls love them. No complaints from them at all.


https://greenfirefarms.com/deathlayer.html

 

[FortCluck]

@SnapdragonQ

Their looks are quite impressive and their body structure

Dio is feeling the breeze through his feathers

Ozzy trying to be tough

 

[NWHeather]

Ah that stinks. what do you do instead?

And I really hope he can help her and get her to engage.

Yeah, that makes sense. I see so many BYBs and “trainers” and stuff online now. All trying to make a buck off their popularity.

101 Dalmatians effect I guess. Cause of all the stories and movies about them lately.

I do actually think it’s probably bad they’re watered down. They’re meant to be intense and someone can’t handle that they should probably just get a Lab haha of course even well bred ones occasionally have the puppy that doesn’t make the cut or is less intense or whatever and might be suited for something else but seems like people are purposely breeding them to be lazy or something now :/

Then there’s the opposite like you mentioned with people breeding crazy, off the wall, out of control dogs cause they think that’s how they’re meant to be.

I don’t know much about the breed admittedly but I feel like both are wrong and the crazy always hyped up one is just as wrong as the lazy no drive one.

Curious which ones you think are the good ones?

Can PM it if you’d prefer ha

And that sounds amazing!!! I want an outdoor enclosure for rabbits so they can hop around and binky to their heart’s content lol or an aviary for budgies and cockatiels!!

And wow that’s amazing.

I meant to answer this and I thought I did, sorry.
We were doing herding as well, and transitioned into barn hunt (the 2 hour drive to herding was hard on my back). The barn hunt trainer got hurt, and was out for a while, so we started agility, which she loves! She also LOVES running, so I have considered lure coursing,
Unfortunately, there's not much on the east side of the state where I'm at, so a lot will have to be done on my property, which is fine, for the most part. They do need to get out though.
The movies/shows with the breed haven't helped, but it's mostly byb's trying to capitalize on the breed.

When I first got into the breed, not a lot of people knew about them. Now, they're very popular, and for whatever reason, lots of people want them for SD's, which is not a good task for a Mal with the traits they're supposed to have. Especially for something like PTSD. This breed is very handler sensitive, and they pick up/feed off their owners emotions. There are some that can do it, but many are not suitable at all.

Kadi Thingvall is one of my favorite breeders. She has titled in IPO, FR and now PSA, she also does herding, and uses some of her Mal's for real life herding on her property.
She's very knowledgeable, and is always willing to help others.
There's a couple Dutch Shepherd breeders I'd go to, one of them unfortunately isn't breeding now. Saint Working Dogs in TX is a breeder I'd go to for a Dutch.
Konnie Hein and Debbie Skinner are both breeders I have considered.
If/when I get a Mal puppy, I'll probably go to Kadi though.
It will be a long time before I get a puppy though. Mal puppies are little demons LOL
I have been spoiled brining in younger adults the past few years. I kinda like skipping the puppy phase. Haha
I might consider talking to Kadi about a young adult if/when the time comes.
Some days, though, I consider not getting any more Mal's. It's disheartening seeing the breed ruined.

I have considered ACD's and or Caucasian Ovcharka for farm work. I met a gal though a LGD breed group with Ovcharkas, who is within a couple hours from me, who I would go through. She's a couple years out on breeding.

Since my older male and my female have sport herding experience, I've contemplated finding a trainer who can help me get them to work on ducks, and use one or both to herd my chickens and ducks back into their pen/coop. Most Mal's are too much for ducks, but softer temperament ones can.
The breeder my female came from does imprint the puppies on ducks and sheep at about 6 weeks old. One of Neci's older sisters (same pedigree, one year older) is so soft, she wouldn't herd ducks even as an adult. She was also kept mostly in a crate or kennel the first few years of her live.
(Long, terrible story about the breeder).
My female has a very similar temperament (almost identical) to that older female. The difference is my female was socialized and I did training with her. The difference in how they turned out is significant.
Genetics is a big part, but how they are raised makes a difference too.

Pickles! Yes! My DS - now grown - "invented" his favorite sandwich back when he was three. It's a "Bologna Tortilla Pizza Sandwich." Bologna, shredded cheese and pickle relish sandwiched between two flour tortillas, buttered an grilled, then sliced like a pizza. He's now over 6 ft tall - and he still loves them!

That sounds like an interesting combo. LOL
I used to mix ketchup and mayo to dip my sandwich in as well.
I cannot even remember the last time I had one. LOL

 

[SnapdragonQ]

@SnapdragonQ

Their looks are quite impressive and their body structure

Dio is feeling the breeze through his feathers
View attachment 2095559

Ozzy trying to be tough
View attachment 2095560

Though I'm not a rooster person (like in person rooster person) they are some nice looking boys!

I love rooster stuff though....fabric, home decor, the idea of roosters...ones that can't spur me in real life.

 

[NWHeather]

I think I found a solution to messy ducks and their water situation!
I picked up a washer drain pan, as well as some fittings to hook up to a garden hose. I am going to put the water jug in the pan, attach the hose, and run the hose outside, so when the ducks splash water out, it will drain to the outside.
I have to exchange the pvc cement that I got for the fittings, because the lid is cemented on. LOL
I'll post pics when I get it put together.

 

[sdm111]

I think I found a solution to messy ducks and their water situation!
I picked up a washer drain pan, as well as some fittings to hook up to a garden hose. I am going to put the water jug in the pan, attach the hose, and run the hose outside, so when the ducks splash water out, it will drain to the outside.
I have to exchange the pvc cement that I got for the fittings, because the lid is cemented on. LOL
I'll post pics when I get it put together.

If you have one a pipe wrench will get that top off quick

 

[NWHeather]

If you have one a pipe wrench will get that top off quick

There might be one buried in one of the sheds. (I inherited my fathers property, and there's a variety of tools all over the place). LOL
Thank you

 

[featherhead007]

I think I found a solution to messy ducks and their water situation!
I picked up a washer drain pan, as well as some fittings to hook up to a garden hose. I am going to put the water jug in the pan, attach the hose, and run the hose outside, so when the ducks splash water out, it will drain to the outside.
I have to exchange the pvc cement that I got for the fittings, because the lid is cemented on. LOL
I'll post pics when I get it put together.

Most pvc cement cans do that. You can use Channel Lock pliers to open it.

 

[FortCluck]

Though I'm not a rooster person (like in person rooster person) they are some nice looking boys!

I love rooster stuff though....fabric, home decor, the idea of roosters...ones that can't spur me in real life.

I love roosters and owning them. I think it's because I like hatching my own chicks. I also have a drake... He's a pain. He is a raging hormonal weirdo he listens like a dog though so he's not too bad.