First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[mountain mom]

Holm, What breeds did you get? I do not recall all he has. Did you talk to the guy with the guineas in Foreston? The places are only about 7 miles apart from what I can tell.

I always just cleaned pasty butt, I did not know the other stuff, I will have to try it. I need to buy some oregano. I have 10 pounds of cayenne pepper here I got off Amazon last week when I thought I had Blackhead, which turned out to just be scabby black and blue head because my Jakes are juvenile delinquents and beating each other up for position. I really need to butcher a couple, or sell them.



4 feet of frost is normal here. We need to bury our water line 8 ft down so they do not freeze. Our footings are required by code to be 4 1/2 ft down. Heck, the lakes get 4 feet of ice on them. BTW it is a balmy 12 below as I write this. BUT it is a nice sunny day!

Ralph! That is serious! Didn't Superior completely freeze last winter? Or something along the lines of freezing a lot more than usual?
I have no idea what our codes are, but I know we don't get frost that deep. At least not on the front range. We really don't see as much snow and cold as the mountains do. Winters are usually tolerable here.
My brother moved to Maine last spring... I think he is more than shocked.

Today we have about a foot and a half of snow, and it is currently 10 degrees, still snowing. But, likely in the next couple of days it will mostly melt off.

 

[duluthralphie]

MM Here is the craigslist ad Holm bought from.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/grd/4856291917.html




As I look at the ad, I think I need more breeds!

The DW is sitting here on her putor, so I suppose I should keep this thought to myself for a while,,,,,and leave this page before she notices.

 

[mountain mom]

MM Here is the craigslist ad Holm bought from.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/grd/4856291917.html




As I look at the ad, I think I need more breeds!

The DW is sitting here on her putor, so I suppose I should keep this thought to myself for a while,,,,,and leave this page before she notices.

They have some good looking turkeys! Holm, I am sure you will be in turkey heaven!

Good luck Ralph!
I hope she didn't notice...

 

[JessicaThistle]

Mountain Mom: Thank you for the nice words. The difference is that I actually really like chickens!

You know how some people have animals but they are indifferent to them? Sometimes they have a dog but they tie it up outside all of the time; or they have chickens but they think they are stupid and don't enjoy them but like the eggs; they have a cow but only want the milk and ignore the cow the rest of the time? So in the mean time, the animal doesn't get the care they need but the person gets the prize they want.

I have seen this indifference to the animal by some farmers and even on farming youtube videos. I actually care and want my animals to have the best life possible. The prize (eggs, milk, etc) are a gift in my opinion and I don't deserve that gift if I neglect them.

I know that sounds all granola-y or something but I was raised to respect animals. I know that I will have to write off some loss as inevitable but I also want to do everything in my power to make that number as low as possible. I guess if that means that I clean 50 fluffy butts each day until their bodies adjust, than that is what I must do.

 

[duluthralphie]

Mountain Mom: Thank you for the nice words. The difference is that I actually really like chickens!

You know how some people have animals but they are indifferent to them? Sometimes they have a dog but they tie it up outside all of the time; or they have chickens but they think they are stupid and don't enjoy them but like the eggs; they have a cow but only want the milk and ignore the cow the rest of the time? So in the mean time, the animal doesn't get the care they need but the person gets the prize they want.

I have seen this indifference to the animal by some farmers and even on farming youtube videos. I actually care and want my animals to have the best life possible. The prize (eggs, milk, etc) are a gift in my opinion and I don't deserve that gift if I neglect them.

I know that sounds all granola-y or something but I was raised to respect animals. I know that I will have to write off some loss as inevitable but I also want to do everything in my power to make that number as low as possible. I guess if that means that I clean 50 fluffy butts each day until their bodies adjust, than that is what I must do.

I know exactly what you mean. My folks raised us to "love" our animals even though they were farm critters. We named all the cows and some of the pigs, few of the chickens. We had 300 pets while growing up. Of course, only a few were cats and dogs. All the animals had jobs to do, including the cats and dogs. None were house animals.

I remember my Dad telling me once he had to remodel the barn and pig shed, when we really needed a fix up on the house, he said "The animals need new living quarters if they are to continue doing their jobs, and it is there jobs that pay for our house."


Animals and out buildings come first, that's the way of life. You would not believe some of the things we did for the animals. Cleaning butts of chick would be one of the better ones.

 

[JessicaThistle]

I know exactly what you mean. My folks raised us to "love" our animals even though they were farm critters. We named all the cows and some of the pigs, few of the chickens. We had 300 pets while growing up. Of course, only a few were cats and dogs. All the animals had jobs to do, including the cats and dogs. None were house animals.

I remember my Dad telling me once he had to remodel the barn and pig shed, when we really needed a fix up on the house, he said "The animals need new living quarters if they are to continue doing their jobs, and it is there jobs that pay for our house."


Animals and out buildings come first, that's the way of life. You would not believe some of the things we did for the animals. Cleaning butts of chick would be one of the better ones.

Awesome! I LOVE that!

I agree that every animal has their purpose. Like the Cornish Cross, their purpose is to eventually grace our table. But I don't for one second believe that they deserve to be neglected and dismissed as not worth caring about. Some people really make me sad how they are so ungrateful to their animals for the food they provide us.

And to the last comment you made: I bet but I don't even want to know. Lol!

 

[duluthralphie]

What a day, Here we are pushing the first of March and it never got above zero all day. According to the weather app it never got above 4 below. This is how you make ice and frozen ground....

I am lucky I only had one frozen/cracked egg today, but I only got 10 total. The girls do not like to work in the cold.

 

[KCMOLisa]

Jessica: I haven't posted here much lately since I don't currently have any chickens, but I have still been reading along. I am loving your egg business updates! I can't believe you are taking care of over 300 babies!

When I had my meatballs, their light went out for a few minutes also and I have never heard that kind of fire alarm chick screaming. It was crazy loud and that was only 25. I have heard people say that something is so loud that they can't think straight, but I don't think I have ever experienced noise that kept me from being able to form a thought until then. I literally could not figure out how to plug the light back in it was so loud. 300 fire alarms at once, I can't even imagine it! The second the light came back on, they were all totally fine and got quiet.

I had a couple of pasty butts when I first got mine and used hard-boiled egg yolks and plain yogurt. I really don't think it helped that much though. They eventually just outgrew it. I didn't even clean them all. I just checked to make sure it wasn't blocking their vent and nobody had any problems.

 

[mountain mom]

I love that you all were brought up to respect animals as well! Some people just don't get it. They just don't.

My daughter, the skunk and goose hugging gal, got her love of animals from me. I have always loved all creatures, and honestly, believe animals make us better people.
I thought, when I had my first round of meat birds (my husband wanted meat birds, I wanted nothing to do with it) that I could not go through with killing something I had cared for. Or killing anything more than a mosquito for that matter. But I found the delicate balance of caring and loving a creature that will one day grace your table... and how great it can be to truly give thanks for your meal.

Okay, I am teary over here in my 2 feet of snow. We still had 6 eggs today!! 6 of 8 is great for us on a winters day!

 

[glib]

Animals have basic rights. Room to move and otherwise express their pigness or chicken-ness, good food, good water, sunshine, company, and low stress final sacrifice for meat animals. also facilities to express such xxx-ness, such as a wallow, bath dust, or dirt to scratch-root. some people will not even understand what I am talking about, though not in this forum.