"Louisiana "La-yers" Peeps"

[Gracie9205]

You & Miss Gracie feel better soon - and keep those germs down there!

I hate that when they can't come up w/anything better than "just a virus". They shouldn't charge ER fees if they don't have even an educated guess.

I'm still fighting this crud

I'm back at work today, but I don't think I should be. This has been going on for about a week now. Hopefully they will find something in the test result. I'm going to be really mad if I get the "just a virus" explanation. I've never had one last this long!

 

[catdaddyfro]

Yeah when I first started out it was around 8 weeks growing time then they narrowed it down to 6 wks for broilers still the same today. Those ones being processed at 34 days are the "cornish game hens" that you buy in the store just around 4 week olds instead of 6 is the difference. Some claim they are all female though?IDK as they can wing sex those at hatch.


Terrie all I can say is thank God for automation. When I was just a little lad I came in just right in time to still have to drag a water hose down through those 300 ft. long houses had to fill each one of those glass gallon jugs with the screw on founts (just like the cheapo plastic ones we use now days) ( too these were the old pole barn type house with the uprights all down the middles for the water hose to get wrapped around like umpteen-trillion times, quite time consuming and agrivating

the newer houses are a truss type open middle now but NO water hoses either all automatically done) they came out with automatic waterers later on in my days but they have to be dumped out multi-times daily

and scrubbed ever so many days for sanitation. Feeding the biddies is an all day task. You have these feeder trays and a two wheel buggy/cart hold a bout 500 lbs.you pull and a 4 qt/8lbs hand scoop and you go down through there twice daily for a week or so filling them up/also watch out for as you can't step on or run over the kajillions of biddies all over the place either they cost money. This too is an all day activity as soon as you are done with the last house you go back to the first one and then start again for evening feeding after about a week they are big enough and smart enough to start using the auto feeders by then, thank heavens, cause these dudes eat a bunch like hogs on two legs. Oh and before I forget, in between times, while your resting you get the honorable job of walking the floor picking up the dead and culling the ill and lame ones, hoping you get all of them cause after a carcass has been in those conditions for a few days it gets mighty wretched

as they turn green and are all goooey and really hard to get it all picked up and into a container of some sort for disposal. Then on top of all that you are just lucky that something of the automation doesn't go afoul and spring a water leak drowning hundreds/or thousands at a time (you'd be surprised at just how short of an amount of time the decomposition process is sped up by the heat generated by the bodies in a pile and wet fecal matter talk about smell emanating straight out of the gates of hell,)

or a the feed chain breaks and then you got a ton or twenty of feed to scoop all up. LOL all this goes on for that six weeks, then you sell them they go to a processing plant you get paid a few cents a piece each for them pay the electric the feed bill the gas bill the help(we didn't get much by the way) and go spend your profit on just getting by(its just like a real job) then get started up cleaning out all that poo-poo in there put in new bedding and scrub up all those feeders, waterers, equip. in the next week because MORE are coming all on the same bus 100,000 or so and guess what you got to tote all them little dudes in there and then distribute them all out in their new digs for the next six weeks. It keeps you busy and out of trouble for sure something to do. I could go on and on about the life and times on a broiler farm I remember all of them believe you me I have not forgotten where I came from. It was not always cornbread and chicken, lots of baloney sandwitches or PBJ's and usually HOT black bitter coffee(YUK)/sugar on occasion for a treat drink as this is the way Grandaddy took his, or the option of tap water right out of the chicken house system which by the way was mighty tastey to say the least

drank lots of it though we got hot and dry in there. But did have all the chicken we could ever eat this was a processing party(butchered hundreds at a time all in one day) for the whole multifamily every six weeks we did this when taking a break during house cleaning and clean eguip/untensil placement for the new biddies coming in a few more days. Talk about repetition/ the absolute walking description of MONOTONY=me. LOL

So yes I really like raising my little backyard menagerie or a few hundred or so its easy and simple + it keeps me out of trouble and something to do, LOL

Jeff

good day La-yers

 

[kuntrygirl]

Hope that all of the sick patients get to feeling better soon.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Just candled 42 eggs all were developing none were bad I am surprised

Congrats !!!!! Good job!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Grocery store chicken...

WOW!!!

 

[kuntrygirl]

Gosling that hatched yesterday.

I think it's time for me to stop putting eggs under birds to hatch. Ok, so the experiments are working. This is overkill. I have too many babies!!!!!!!! :/

 

[PSJ]

Yeah when I first started out it was around 8 weeks growing time then they narrowed it down to 6 wks for broilers still the same today. Those ones being processed at 34 days are the "cornish game hens" that you buy in the store just around 4 week olds instead of 6 is the difference. Some claim they are all female though?IDK as they can wing sex those at hatch.


Terrie all I can say is thank God for automation. When I was just a little lad I came in just right in time to still have to drag a water hose down through those 300 ft. long houses had to fill each one of those glass gallon jugs with the screw on founts (just like the cheapo plastic ones we use  now days) ( too these were the old pole barn type house with the uprights all down the middles for the water hose to get wrapped around like umpteen-trillion times, quite time consuming and agrivating the newer houses are a truss type open middle now but NO water hoses either all automatically done) they came out with automatic waterers later on in my days but they have to be dumped out multi-times daily and scrubbed ever so many days for sanitation. Feeding the biddies is an all day task. You have these feeder trays and a two wheel buggy/cart hold a bout 500 lbs.you pull and a  4 qt/8lbs hand scoop and you go down through there twice daily for a week or so filling them up/also watch out for as you can't step on or run over the kajillions of biddies all over the place either they cost money. This too is an all day activity as soon as you are done with the last house you go back to the first one and then start again for evening feeding after about a week they are big enough and smart enough to start using the auto feeders by then, thank heavens, cause these dudes eat a bunch like hogs on two legs. Oh and before I forget, in between times, while your resting you get the honorable job of walking the floor picking up the dead and culling the ill and lame ones, hoping you get all of them cause after a carcass has been in those conditions for a few days it gets mighty wretched as they turn green and are all goooey and really hard to get it all picked up and into a container of some sort for disposal.  Then on top of all that you are just lucky that something of the automation doesn't go afoul and spring a water leak drowning hundreds/or thousands at a time (you'd be surprised at just how short of an amount of time the decomposition process is sped up by the heat generated by the bodies in a pile and wet fecal matter talk about smell emanating straight out of the gates of hell,) or a the feed chain breaks and then you got a ton or twenty of feed to scoop all up. LOL all this goes on for that six weeks, then you sell them they go to a processing plant you get paid a few cents a piece each for them pay the electric the feed bill the gas bill the help(we didn't get much by the way) and go spend your profit on just getting by(its just like a real job) then get started up cleaning out all that poo-poo in there put in new bedding and scrub up all those feeders, waterers, equip. in the next week because MORE are coming all on the same bus 100,000  or so and guess what you got to tote all them little dudes in there and then distribute them all out in their new digs for the next six weeks. It keeps you busy and out of trouble for sure something to do. I could go on and on about the life and times on a broiler farm I remember all of them believe you me I have not forgotten where I came from. It was not always cornbread and chicken, lots of baloney sandwitches or PBJ's and usually HOT black bitter coffee(YUK)/sugar on occasion for a treat drink as this is the way Grandaddy took his, or the option of tap water right out of the chicken house system which by the way was mighty tastey to say the least :/ drank lots of it though we got hot and dry in there. But did have all the chicken we could ever eat this was a processing party(butchered hundreds at a time all in one day) for the whole multifamily every six weeks we did this when taking a break during house cleaning and clean eguip/untensil placement for the new biddies coming in a few more days. Talk about repetition/ the absolute walking description of MONOTONY=me. LOL

So yes I really like raising my little backyard menagerie or a few hundred or so its easy and simple + it keeps me out of trouble and something to do, LOL

Jeff
good day La-yers

All I can say is wow!! I can't imagine having to drag a hose thru all of those houses to water them. I guess it's gotten better since then tho..
Hers are set up with the nipple system.. I guess that's what it's called. It's a pipe that goes all the way down the house with the nipples in it. Her feeders are automatic too. Just flip a switch. Speaking of spills tho, the pipe that goes from the big tower thing outside into the house came loose and the poor guy that works the houses had to clean up 24 buckets of feed.

 

[PSJ]

Oh, and in 2 weeks, she will start over again with babies. I dnt think I could do it.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Good morning all. I'm back with the story of the "Pea Hunter's Adventure".

Well, I went over to the lady's house on that day. When I arrived, they were outside waiting on me. They live in Washington, Louisiana. So, I get there and they tell me the story again of when they first spotted the pea. So then they go on to tell me the town story of an old lady that had exotic birds (peafowl) and other animals that lived across the street that had died about 8 years ago. So, there was this lady who loved animals. She had spectacular cages and atriums built for her peas and some lived in the atrium and others free ranged. "Urban Legend" has it that this lady didn't have a back door to her house. Her donkey would walk into the house and visit or sleep or eat and walk out. This lady died many years and didn't have any children or family. So, when she died, the peas were left to survive on their own. Loud screeches and unusual sounds and noises can be heard at any time in the woods but nothing is ever seen moving or walking around in this wooded area. So, on this day, a pea was found roaming the fence line of 2 neighbors.

As we walked into the highly wooded area, I noticed so many trees, brush, clumping bamboo, berries and other foliage. I set off to get a closer look and to journey farther and deeper into the woods. The further that I walked trying to duck and dodge sticker bushes and other limbs, I could hear my "pea party" slowly taping off away from the search 'party. Soon, they were clearly out of sight and I was on my own. I was setting off to find this mysterious pea. As I walked further and further into this "Oasis Of Paradise", I stumbled across an open area. As I took my first steps into this area, what I saw next made me stop in my tracks. This is what I saw.

I walked around and checked out the set up. It looked as it there were even more cages and aviaries further into the woods but I dared not to tarry further into those woods for fear of what was lurking in the woods. I also didn't want my pic posted on a milk carton as "MISSING".

It looked like the pea(s) have a lot of secured places where they can live and nest and fly HIGH up away from predators. This lady provided a lot of housing for them. It is obvious that they (well at least 1 of the peas) is still alive after 8 years. There was a lot of healthy foilage, berries, etc for this pea to live. If the pea has layed eggs, gone broody or caring for pea chicks, they are safe from predators.

As I re-surfaced from the woods back into civilization, I found my pea party "kicking rocks"

and waiting on me.

I shared my adventure with them and told them what I saw and showed them pictures of the cages and houses. I explained to them and reassured them that it was evident that this lady loved her peas because of the buildings that she had built for them. I told them that I was not worried about the peas living in the woods and surviving because after 8 years with no human contact, they have proved that they are survivors and they are also in their natural habitat. The lady said that the pea seemed to be very friendly because it walked towards them and got real close to them. She said that it appeared to be tame. I explained to her that if they see any other peas, to throw some treats of fresh fruit and veggies out to them. I told her that I'm sure the peas would enjoy the treats.

We we walked into the "sunset" (well we walked across the street), I felt better after seeing the cages and knowing that the peas were in good hands in their paradise that they inherited from their loving owner.

Who knew that the peas would outlive their owner.

I asked who the property belonged to and they said some guy's name. He is not a relative of this lady though. They said that he doesn't check on his property. I told them that if ever hear of or know that the property owner will cut his wooded area and clear off the land, to call me. I would hate to see what would happen to these peas if this happened. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to do anything, but I would at least like to go and see if any peas come out from the woods.

So, that is my pea adventure. I really enjoyed listening to them as they told me about the Urban Legend of the "Real Pea Lady who had so many peas, she didn't know what to do" who lived in Washington, LA.

I hope that you all enjoyed this story because I enjoyed sharing it with you all.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Well, that really IS a great story. Maybe an excellent chapter for the book that you and Chickenbelle are writing...you two are writing a book, right???

 

[kuntrygirl]

Well, that really IS a great story.  Maybe an excellent chapter for the book that you and Chickenbelle are writing...you two are writing a book, right??? 

Thanks.

Speaking of writing a book, Terri put that idea in my mind on last year. And I have been doing a little writing notes for my Children's Book.

How did you know? Did my geese (Satan's Army) let you in my house and show you my notes? You just wait until I talk to them.

When you think about it, I think ALL of us on this thread can be authors of books. We ALL have stories to tell.