NY chicken lover!!!!

[Beer can]

Know why I got back into raising chickens? I watched a documentary on netflix called Food Inc. I was afraid it was going to be too political but they only touched on it a little and blamed a lot of whats happening on BOTH sides. Its disgusting what they are doing to our food. I work in the food industry, a dairy plant, and we get frustrated with all the new procedures they keep coming up with, not so much with the FDA and the ag inspectors, but how strict our company is becoming. But after watching Food Inc. it doesn't bother me so much. At least we know we are putting out a clean safe product for the public. And no one likes seeing a recall due to gross negligence, or people sickened or dying from food. I might not be able to provide all the food my family needs, but chickens are fun, and so is gardening.
If you haven't watched it you should, you might think twice about what your eating.

 

[Glasshen]

I think you are right about the quality of food we are eating. We bought a half a pig this fall, and have always eaten grocery store food and considered it safe and fine. This pig had a good life and was raised a few miles from here by a young man my son went to high school with. It is incredibly delicious. My husband was making dinner before I got home, and put the sausage in the pan to cook but didn't add. Eggies because he planned to drain the grease off. But there wasn't enough grease to drain off. It is like a different animal.

 

[Metella]

Glasshen - you hit it right on the head ....

the difference in the nutritional run down and even the make-up of any fat that is there - is like a completely different animal from the big commercial ventures. For purely health reasons I have gone to almost exclusively grass-fed animals ... (way expensive - it hurts)

I hate to process my roos - but I do it because health and of all I am learning .... NOT political - as in taking a side - but we all have to engage in what is happening around us - we are loosing and don't even know it until we try to exercise something ... like eating non- GMO food (again for health reasons I have found - not political) or keeping my grandpa's rifle ....

I was much less active when I was younger - I think most younger ones are

then I realized who was making all the decisions and that every decision making group is far better off with a healthy mix of ideas and experiences .... I just spent a boring but necessary night at my regional planning commission representing my town.

As for really getting on topic - chicken restrictions ! I helped to put something in our town plan about sustainable homes and making it easier to have home-based businesses

Right now chickens of any mix are allowed in all areas of my town, but sustainable businesses are not. Each town is different.


CANNING Chicken .... can someone please share again ... for someone who has NEVER canned and is afraid of it (me) from step one to the end on how to can chicken meat ????

Pretty please ?

 

[Lapeerian]

Quote:
The same with our homegrown beef. Our beef is not a 'beef' breed and fed for muscle gain, only dairy cows. Most are Holstein cows that will not breed back. Last one was a mixed breed heifer with an attitude problem (freezer camp same as a mean rooster, but much more dangerous due to size). But the amount of fat and grease is a huge difference. Dislike store bought beef, too fatty. A local riding stable/beef farm has noticed the change in peoples wants also. They used to want the heavily marbled beef found in Angus, but now people want less fat/marbling, so are looking to beef/dairy cross animals.

 

[rancher hicks]

So here goes.

Sara/Princess, you're going to get lots of opinions on what to do and how to do it here. I've been on BYC for long time and I finally said, "screw it"! I do things how they work for me and make me feel.

Now if you can keep the humidity down in your coop and it makes you feel good to put in a little heat, knock yourself out.

If you want to feed them donkey turds and it doesn't kill them then go for it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

I used to bring all waterers in at night, those plastic red bottom gallon kind. Thaw and wash them. Now I use those black rubber tubs and whack the ice out each morning if frozen and fill with hot/warm water.

I've to two five gallon buckets with heater and nipples but they girls don't seem to like them as much. I have just left them so they'd have a back up.

My first year they had a red heat light, but they'd jump down and knock the plug out so I stopped with that. Others have no heat at all and I'll tell you I wish my Marans were laying like they did then. This is the coop. Five hens and I'd get more eggs from them than any others. Just like that. Door open all day long. I'd just snow blow some area and they'd be out doors all day. Next year if the good Lord's willing I'll be hatching more.



Point being folks do what works best for you. Try different things see what you like.
Might not be good to tell everyone cuz some folks are a pain in the butt and just want to argue. Some times I just wanna say "Kiss my grits!" Lord knows I've read far to much on chickens and chicken keeping and quite frankly everyone has an angle. What works in CA or FL might not work here. Plus we don't all have the same breeds and lines of breeds. Even the "experts" don't agree. To that I say,

Love ya,

Rancher

 

[rancher hicks]

Lapeerian, I have to say your avatar is so nice. If you come to the picnic next year you might want to have a copy blown up and framed for the auction. Or one of those canvas things thing that the UPS store does.

I really like it.

 

[sarahandbray]

Yup, I kind of figure on the law of averages...I read a ton, summarize it in my head, and then do what feels right. Even last night, which was COLD...all the chickens seemed to do great! Perky and excited and acting normal when I let them out at 6:30. Everyone piled out and was waiting for their normal scratch--no frostbite or lethargy or anything.

My big, huge, Pioneer/Dixie Rainbow Roo is somehow able to get up on the roost no problem but is a big chicken when getting down--he's the last one to try getting down in the morning. He's gotten a little spoiled and now waits for me to carry him down off the roost! This morning, I kind of felt under his feathers by his skin and he was warm as toast. Made me feel a lot better...

I have both cold hardy breeds and a few that aren't (Brown and White Leghorns, to be specific), but all seem to be faring ok so far.

Fingers crossed!!! I seem to walk a fine line between backyard-pet-chickens and chickens-as-livestock--I have too many in too shabby of a coop to be considered a suburbanite backyard hobby chicken owner but worry about their every need and all of the pieces of the equipment/terminology too much to be an old-school real farmer!!

I can't believe I haven't named the chickens, to be honest with you!!! We have cheesy names like "Pretty Girl" or "Big Red" or "Del" (for the one Delaware Roo we have). I really thought when I started that they'd all have names and little name plates under their favorite spot on the roost! Pretty proud of myself that I've actually been treating them like chickens!!!

Sarah

 

[rancher hicks]

Yup, I kind of figure on the law of averages...I read a ton, summarize it in my head, and then do what feels right. Even last night, which was COLD...all the chickens seemed to do great! Perky and excited and acting normal when I let them out at 6:30. Everyone piled out and was waiting for their normal scratch--no frostbite or lethargy or anything.

My big, huge, Pioneer/Dixie Rainbow Roo is somehow able to get up on the roost no problem but is a big chicken when getting down--he's the last one to try getting down in the morning. He's gotten a little spoiled and now waits for me to carry him down off the roost! This morning, I kind of felt under his feathers by his skin and he was warm as toast. Made me feel a lot better...

I have both cold hardy breeds and a few that aren't (Brown and White Leghorns, to be specific), but all seem to be faring ok so far.

Fingers crossed!!! I seem to walk a fine line between backyard-pet-chickens and chickens-as-livestock--I have too many in too shabby of a coop to be considered a suburbanite backyard hobby chicken owner but worry about their every need and all of the pieces of the equipment/terminology too much to be an old-school real farmer!!

I can't believe I haven't named the chickens, to be honest with you!!! We have cheesy names like "Pretty Girl" or "Big Red" or "Del" (for the one Delaware Roo we have). I really thought when I started that they'd all have names and little name plates under their favorite spot on the roost! Pretty proud of myself that I've actually been treating them like chickens!!!

Sarah

I've got some Columbian Rocks that are so big they can't be up high. Not with out lots of padding to land it. They're just to big and I had a roo get hurt jumping down. They need lots of room.

So don't be to hard on him.

 

[sarahandbray]

Aww, no, he's a sweetheart. That's why he gets to stick around even though I wasn't planning on breeding him! I got 45 straight-run day-old chicks back in August and have been whittling my Roos down one at a time. I'm down to 8 Roos!!! And my percentage was TERRIBLE!! Probably 65% Roos, 35% hens. What a lot of work it is to rehome Roos that you don't want to eat yourself and don't really want to go on someone else's dinner table either!

This guy is just a big softie (so far, at 13-weeks!). He is the stud of the whole flock, so I hate to see him go. He seems to get up on the roosts just fine...but when he tries to get himself down, he literally tumbles into a nose dive every time! There's probably 6" of fluffy wood chip bedding, but I still don't want him to get bumblefoot or break a leg!!!

Sarah

 

[Lynzi777]

I need to start bringing the waterers home with me at night, let them thaw out here over night and bring them back in the morning with me. Although I'm thinking of doing what Rancher does and switch over to the rubber bowls for winter so when I do go there in the morning I can just knock the ice out of them and refill them. Although that can be tough with the silkies. If their crest get wet they'll have frozen feathers.

Guess I'll just have to experiment a little with them.