Heritage Large Fowl - Phase II

[fowlman01]

I grew up in Holland.. for 22 years of my life. The first time I came to the US that was the thing I loved: FREEDOM! 22 years of being judged, told what to do, how to live my life.. all by folks who had no grounds to do so. My happy self moved across the pond, and fast. Never forget my older brother's words "But she'll get even fatter in the US". That about tells you all.

Nope, give me space and a community that likes to be left alone. People who have your back if you ask for it, but wont run the dang door down.

I've always grown up with my feet in the dirt, even though we lived mostly in suburbs... always bringing home critters I found, helping my mom grow fruits and veggies... roaming around in the woods or on nearby farms. Best times of my life involved getting dirty

I've got a barn heart, as they call it.

Sadly, stuck right now, with a home that's not worth what I still owe. Making the best of it... Maybe one day I can move further out of town. Doesn't have to be too far, we're a fairly rural community. Got fellow BYC folks down the road, with horses and roosters!

They raise some great chickens in Holland.

Walt

 

[gjensen]

I grew up in Holland.. for 22 years of my life. The first time I came to the US that was the thing I loved: FREEDOM! 22 years of being judged, told what to do, how to live my life.. all by folks who had no grounds to do so. My happy self moved across the pond, and fast. Never forget my older brother's words "But she'll get even fatter in the US". That about tells you all.

Nope, give me space and a community that likes to be left alone. People who have your back if you ask for it, but wont run the dang door down.

I've always grown up with my feet in the dirt, even though we lived mostly in suburbs... always bringing home critters I found, helping my mom grow fruits and veggies... roaming around in the woods or on nearby farms. Best times of my life involved getting dirty

I've got a barn heart, as they call it.

Sadly, stuck right now, with a home that's not worth what I still owe. Making the best of it... Maybe one day I can move further out of town. Doesn't have to be too far, we're a fairly rural community. Got fellow BYC folks down the road, with horses and roosters!

I have a few friends that are directly from Europe, and had similar reasons for coming here, only to watch here become like there.

 

[gjensen]

They raise some great chickens in Holland.

Walt

They do, and in Germany.

 

[LindaB220]

Ok, Breeding chickens is a USDA agricultural activity.
Here in PA we have counties and then townships within
counties.
What you need to do is work from the top down. Take
a look at the land you are checking out. Does it cross
county lines? If so, you need to check both of them.
Look at the regs and see what USDA AG activities they
allow. In our Township we are rated for all USDA AG
activities.
Ok, so start with the State regs Read up on poultry.
It should all be online. Then check out the county your
land is in.
Then check out townships. Usually, you have more
AG flexibility out in the township/unincorporated county
then in a borough/towns.
You are looking to find out which USDA AG activities
are allowed where your land is located. A very courteous
visit to the local Township/County office goes a long way.
If you are not from the country, don't go flouting your
big city plans. Go in there courteous, respectful, eager f
or local news and info. Praise the local area and describe
your willingness to fit in to the local lifestyle. Many rural
folk don't think too highly of a bunch of flatlanders and
"city folk" bringing their city ways into the rural community
and then insisting that country folk honor their city values.
It doesn't work that way and adhering to flat lander ideas
in a rural community is a good way to get your house egged,
your clotheslines cut , and quad tracks on your lawn from
the local kids,

. Another thing you can do if moving into a rural community is check the tax maps at the County courthouse. If you see
a dearth of variety in your future neighbors last names, don't expect to be greeted with wide open arms. It might happen, or you could end up being "the unrelated outsiders". One way to combat that would be an open house right after you move in. Visible support for the local Volunteer Fire department and use of/praise for the local businesses.
Best,
Karen ( western PA ridgerunner , i.e. in western PA lingo, an educated person who happens to live in the hills, not a hillbilly)

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=flatlander

Very insightful. Especially supporting local businesses.

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: No, they are not trimmed. This is my first time with Orps. I will take the scissors to their butts and see if it helps. Thanks, Dragonlady! I have really enjoyed these accidental birds. I am fascinated by how they grow out. They feather in patches and much slower than the other chicks I hatched. The one thing that I really cant get over is how wide their heads are compared to the Marans chicks. I want more like that!!

 

[gjensen]

No, they are not trimmed. This is my first time with Orps. I will take the scissors to their butts and see if it helps. Thanks, Dragonlady! I have really enjoyed these accidental birds. I am fascinated by how they grow out. They feather in patches and much slower than the other chicks I hatched. The one thing that I really cant get over is how wide their heads are compared to the Marans chicks. I want more like that!!

Orps have a lot of feather. They could use a trimming.

 

[thedragonlady]

No, they are not trimmed. This is my first time with Orps. I will take the scissors to their butts and see if it helps. Thanks, Dragonlady! I have really enjoyed these accidental birds. I am fascinated by how they grow out. They feather in patches and much slower than the other chicks I hatched. The one thing that I really cant get over is how wide their heads are compared to the Marans chicks. I want more like that!!

Trim or pluck lots ABOVE the vent on the girls, and below on the boys.Makes a huge difference.

 

[brahmabreeder]

We actually got our ordinances changed. There were 6 people with chickens on my road when a newspaper article about my chickens came out in the areas largest newspaper. The mayor was livid to learn there were people in the town with chickens. He didn't even know his next door neighbor had them.
They gave me 2 months to get rid of them. We packed city hall at city council meetings twice a month and not one person spoke up against them.
The end result was that we could basically keep doing what we were doing and could keep the number of birds we had plus 5%.
Others who want chickens needed to wait a year and could only have 5 but one could be a rooster.
I ended up getting a permit for 85 chickens and 5 roosters. That's one of the reasons I'm focused on only one breed. Not a bad thing in retrospect.

Does the 85/5 numbers include or exclude the chicks you're raising for the season?

 

[Tomtommom]

Trim or pluck lots ABOVE the vent on the girls, and below on the boys.Makes a huge difference.

Brazilian waxing for chickens. It would be hilarious.. if it wasn't so very true. I got some birds that are WAY too fluffy back there..

 

[gjensen]

Most soft feathered breeds could be helped by some trimming. I do not mess with it. Not something that I want to get into.