Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[Rockashelle]

A potential shirt design

waddayathink??

Love it!

 

[Bens-Hens]

Very cool, how about instead of a banner flying behind it you have a golf bag????

Sweet shirt anyway even without my suggestion.

 

[LFchixranch]

A potential shirt design

waddayathink??

Or maybe put the golf bag or bags under the wings like bombs? Just a suggestion. I too like the lettering on the back. Again nice job

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

A potential shirt design

waddayathink??

Sweet. Glad to help. I get one right?

 

[ozexpat]

Sweet. Glad to help. I get one right?

Once I get them printed - i will send you one.

 

[ozexpat]

GREAT T-Shirt !

I like it either way ! ( graphics Front or Back )

The golf-bag is also a cute idea.

GOOD Fun,
Mr. Sartist

Unfortunately I the only art I practice is similar to your name.

I could not draw to save my life

 

[hillfloweranch]

copied post from "diary" thread for OZ! lol...


So I think I need my head examined!!! I have really gone off the deep end in the chicken lover department...just ordered 25 chicks of a rare breed called Blue Andalusian....in one year I've gone from experimental chicken owner to incubator and now breeder/conservationist of endangered poultry! how did that happen? LOL anyway will let you all know when they get here.

Oz this breed is heat tolerant, winter egg layer and hardy. Also great foragers as they thrive on free ranging
Keep in touch because I will be needing to offload eggs to you!

 

[ozexpat]

copied post from "diary" thread for OZ! lol...


So I think I need my head examined!!! I have really gone off the deep end in the chicken lover department...just ordered 25 chicks of a rare breed called Blue Andalusian....in one year I've gone from experimental chicken owner to incubator and now breeder/conservationist of endangered poultry! how did that happen? LOL anyway will let you all know when they get here.

Oz this breed is heat tolerant, winter egg layer and hardy. Also great foragers as they thrive on free ranging
Keep in touch because I will be needing to offload eggs to you!

I know exactly how you feel.

Dick Horstman has a great line of heritage blue andalusians. They have been added to my list.

 

[OffGridMAMA]

I had a blue Andalusian roo in my original flock. He was gorgeous but looked and acted old, limped and all. But he was still king and the hens followed him around and preened constantly. Sadly he died peacefully in his sleep in December he fostered my love of blue chickens

 

[ozexpat]

here is my entry in the easter hatch-a-long short story competition. Less than 750 words on why you like hatching




The art, science and emotion of hatching eggs – and why I do it.

A few months ago I had a revelation. I had several chickens, a rooster, two and a half acres of beach front property for them to forage - and no eggs! Then I thought about it some more. I always saw pretty chicks around but I had never eaten a home grown chicken. I had to ask myself what was going on?



a local boy. Pretty and proud

Flash back in time – 1976 - I grew up on a farm. We had 1000 wool sheep, 100 plus beef cows, a few pigs, barnyard geese, turkeys, ducks and chickens. I had to milk cows, feed pigs and do a lot of fence repairs. I did not pay a lot of attention to the chooks. I just collected a few eggs each day, admired the odd chick and chased our nasty pit rooster away from my siblings every now and then.

Ok – so back to a few months ago. I decided that the best thing to do was to take all control of my chickens and simply collect the eggs and throw them in an incubator for the required amount of time and viola – chickens. My thought process then followed that if I had more chooks, then I would get more eggs. It was very logical to me.

So I went on line. Amazon.com. Incubators. Wow – there are a few. Read reviews. Picked one. Checked out. Prime delivery.Two days later I have a bator in my bedroom.

Then I found BYC. I started to read and it seemed like there was more to this than I initially thought.

I became fascinated. This was a science project!!

I added a fan. I added a turner. I researched. I spent all night reading threads in the forums. I Googled white papers to verify information. I bought books. I downloaded PDF files. Anything I do, I do with gusto. This was going to be one of the things I do.

So now, after thousands of hours of research and five hatches across two continents, I can now say I am a batorholic.



my bators with a view


Why do I like it so much? Hatching chicks is such a combination of art and science. You have to have just the right combination of precision and gut feeling. You need to know when to intervene and know when to keep your hands out. There is genetics, physics, biology, physiology, pharmacology wrapped up with a little psychology. The success of a hatch fills you with elation. Failures send you plummeting with disappointment.

Hatching eggs allows you to have breeds you could never think possible. Originally I had chicks that were closer to Jungle Fowl origin than the modern Western chicken. They laid few eggs and were constantly broody. Now I have layers, meaties and ornamentals. I have a spreadsheet of breeds that I want. I have discovered the heritage birds and fallen for them. Without hatching, the evolution would take a lifetime.

Hatching chicks alone is fun, but sharing the emotional roller-coaster with others is even more rewarding. I have found another thing to recharge and maintain maintain my matrimonial bonds as my wife and I take the time to share the trials and tribulations of my current hatch or she plans ways to procure photos of the chicks I hatched that are now 7500 miles from here. I have something to share with my young children as they are fascinated with and adore baby chicks. I have employees seeing a human side to me as I share my crazy chicken stories with laughter and disbelief. Additionally, through hatching, I have been to meet-ups with other chicken people, and met the most amazing people across the globe via the internet. Some of these will become lifelong friends.






I have had a lucky life in many ways. I have experienced many places and cultures. I have been on many fun and often wild adventures and I have always embraced and taken on new things. I never expected to take on hatching but now that I have, my life is more complete. I am truly grateful to those local chickens that have no interest in giving me breakfast.