NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

They are super sweet past their prime and need help. The fencing was on their property, as we have no fencing. We started helping them out over a year ago by just cleaning stalls and minor upkeep. Now we tend horses property house and all. Its not bad until one horse or another gets a burr up it rear in cold weather.

Are you saying they're old? What do you get out of it?

I'm considering putting in a Hive but farming out the care for a part of the honey. There is just the two of us so we wouldn't need a lot. Any thoughts on this?

(all comments and questions are for everyone not just those quoted)

 

[Chicken girl 15]

NY Ground?

Are there places that will just set posts for you?  OR just drill the holes.    

Yes NY ground. All the blasted bluestone is rough. The neighbors have an older post hole auger but it has no reverse and not a lot of power. I'm sure someplace would come dig the holes for us but that cost money. That's why we help them. Who wants to pay big business money for something you can have a friend help with. They buy all materials we need but we are much more physically able to do the work.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Are you saying they're old?  What do you get out of it? 

I'm considering putting in a Hive but farming out the care for a part of the honey.  There is just the two of us so we wouldn't need a lot.  Any thoughts on this?  

(all comments and questions are for everyone not just those quoted) 

not nesacery old, but not young. He is 70 she is 65ish. Some jobs we get paid for others not. Mostly the care of the horses is to educate my family and I on equine care. We plan on expanding our animals from just chickens to large animals as well.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Are you saying they're old?  What do you get out of it? 

I'm considering putting in a Hive but farming out the care for a part of the honey.  There is just the two of us so we wouldn't need a lot.  Any thoughts on this?  

(all comments and questions are for everyone not just those quoted) 

Yes if you find someone trustworthy and reliable it sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't put an add on CL for someone to beekeeping for you though. I would state it more as a partnership venture.

 

[rancher hicks]

So of course I said it was too cold but work needed to be done. If I keep moving I stay warm.

I needed to run the mower to empty the tank for winter so I mowed the front yard, the back chicken yard and some of the "way back". I used a bagger so that meant dumping the clippings. I did put some in the compost pile and dumped some in the large hoop run. Then I put some peat moss on top to keep things soft. I didn't realize there was that much gas in the tank.

I cleaned brooders and started two fires to burn up some papers and prickers.

Filled jugs with most of the feed I have and hung some Christmas lights.

I got some coupons from Nutrena today. Last time TSC didn't have the feather fixer or any other pelleted feed and a coupon expired. I might have gotten them to honor it but I lost it.

FYI, got my check for being a voting inspector. Nearly $200. I'm putting this out there for anyone interested. It is a long day though. So about $11 an hour.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Oh, another amazing example of dogs . Today while the girls were out a neighborhood dog came to "visit" them. My rottweiler Scrappy, who is so non agresive towards animals he snuggled with a skunk, charged the intruding dog. He was ready to kill for his chickens. Then again I did promise him grilled fresh chicken come process time. Maybe he was not willing to share his dinner. Lol. After the fact he pranced around kissing the girls and laid down with them for a bit.

 

[tao chick]

I'm not, but I might have to do it in the Spring even though I think it's really stupid in NY. I looked into it because technically to ship hatching eggs you are supposed to be NPIP, and you definitely are if you're shipping live birds.

However, it's a joke in this state. Thankfully it costs nothing to do, but they don't test for anything useful - just one strain of salmonella that I already know my birds don't have because if they did with the amount I handle them I'd be sick already. They don't test for anything useful like mycoplasma, coryza, not even the avian flu. Just one strain of salmonella.

And they don't test waterfowl - at all. Waterfowl, the biggest vector of disease, are just not tested. I was told this when I inquired about it. If you have chickens and if they test clean, they assume that the waterfowl are clean too. I would assume if your whole flock is waterfowl they'd test, but maybe they wouldn't and you'd just be ineligible for NPIP.

Plus you are now restricted from getting any birds or eggs from anyone else that isn't NPIP. If they find out you did, you lose your certification. Although really, no one is checking. If you buy from someone who is NPIP they could have broken the rules, rendering all the testing that was done on their flock null, and no one is checking and there's no way for you to know.

Plus, the whole reason that this program exists, so that people can't sell birds and hatching eggs that might not be disease free and aren't supposed to ship them, isn't even enforced. Never once has anyone at the PO questioned me on shipping eggs. I don't think they even know the program exists.

I also looked into NPIP in hopes that it would help connect me to healthy flocks. I found the list of tests and was mightily disappointed.

TSC ran out of the feed I have purchased since April. Rather than switch the littlest ones to layer I got a bag of Purina All Flock as I remembered a couple people here use it. As long as everyone does well with it I might consider getting a duck. Haha.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I also looked into NPIP in hopes that it would help connect me to healthy flocks. I found the list of tests and was mightily disappointed.

TSC ran out of the feed I have purchased since April. Rather than switch the littlest ones to layer I got a bag of Purina All Flock as I remembered a couple people here use it. As long as everyone does well with it I might consider getting a duck. Haha.

We use blue seal all flock and the girls are thriving. I would assume being Purina it's good stuff. Plus the advantages of all flock are that you can buy 1 feed for chickens, ducks, geese, and (my next venture) turkey's.

 

[Pyxis]

@tao chick just to further enable you on ducks, my ducks just eat regular layer feed and are fine Flock Raiser works for them too.

For anyone that doesn't know, Dumor, the cheaper Tractor Supply brand chicken feed, is just Purina repackaged for TSC. It's the same thing, so if you use Purina and want to save a bit, just buy Dumor instead.

 

[rancher hicks]

I also looked into NPIP in hopes that it would help connect me to healthy flocks. I found the list of tests and was mightily disappointed.

TSC ran out of the feed I have purchased since April. Rather than switch the littlest ones to layer I got a bag of Purina All Flock as I remembered a couple people here use it. As long as everyone does well with it I might consider getting a duck. Haha.

I have to order it from Country Max as they don't carry the Egg producer. I've been getting more eggs of late. Though I've also been leaving the light on all night. I don't have timer. Crazy thing is the Dels aren't laying well at all.