Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[rinlareine]

I didn't hatch these but do have a few eggs in from another source. Not sure if they are BCM or FBCM until they hatch. Got them from my Bunny Buddy on the Easter swap ProfTi did.

Ahh, I see. Beaglady offered to send me a bcm with the favs I'm getting from her, so that seems good to me. You don't mind, do you?

 

[SilkieSensation]

Ahh, I see. Beaglady offered to send me a bcm with the favs I'm getting from her, so that seems good to me. You don't mind, do you?

Not a problem. I like to see parent stock when possible too. I wish I had gotten pix of these ones. Acquired them in a swap for some cochin bantams I was selling.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

I actually found a different one a little closer to me, very well constructed for $385.

Wait, whaaaa? What happened to $7?...Dang!

We were visited by the biggest bear we have ever seen back here in the hollow last night. The dogs alerted us at first. DH was scaring him off with a flood light and he kept coming back. He busted a window out of my coop, so for now everything is boarded up. DH has to go out of town today and will be back Thursday. We'll do more re-enforcing this weekend. Admittedly, we hadn't predator proofed the coop to our liking yet anyway. So all 30 chickens are fine, but I'm a bit nervous. It will keep coming back, no? What are you best bear deterrent ideas (other than getting rid of the darn garbage)? I am not comfortable enough with guns to use them when DH is not home. Ugh.

BEARS?! Good Golly Miss Molly!!

 

[wingstone]

Quote: You do what you have to do, he's getting a nice severence plus unemployment, should be good for awhile..

For meat birds, I've bought several times from both of these hatcheries, and have been very pleased with the birds. Both are located in PA, and neither have an online presence. The page for Reich's just has contact information. AFAIK, they cater mostly to the Amish and other Plain farmers who don't care about websites.

Reich's have a couple kinds of Cornish crosses that do well on pasture and aren't nearly as annoying as Cornish x from Tractor Supply. One is a barred cross that is hardy, forages well, and dresses out to 5# in 12 weeks. Not as fast as the less hardy Cornish x, but faster than Freedom Rangers. they do fine in hot weather.

http://reichspoultryfarm.com/birds/



Clearview Stock Farm & Hatchery
David Hartman
PO Box 399
Gratz, PA 17030
717-365-3234

Clearview's version of the barred broilers are called Kosher Kings. Good experiences with them, too. If I don't fill my freezer with spare roosters, I'll buy these later in the summer.

The birds from Reich's, I have seen them, how well do they hold over,,,,reason I go with the freedom rangers is for longevity, if it takes me months to get them in the freezer, i can still manage them without fatality.

We were visited by the biggest bear we have ever seen back here in the hollow last night. The dogs alerted us at first. DH was scaring him off with a flood light and he kept coming back. He busted a window out of my coop, so for now everything is boarded up. DH has to go out of town today and will be back Thursday. We'll do more re-enforcing this weekend. Admittedly, we hadn't predator proofed the coop to our liking yet anyway.

So all 30 chickens are fine, but I'm a bit nervous. It will keep coming back, no? What are you best bear deterrent ideas (other than getting rid of the darn garbage)? I am not comfortable enough with guns to use them when DH is not home.

Ugh.

Report this, some bears are tagged as nuisance bears, the game warden will get rid of them if they are tagged to often.

Grain mill:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/monster-mill-mm3-3-roller-mill.html

I have never used one, don't know how it would work with corn. Just a thought. The are others available, this just looked like a bigger one.

will have hubby look into this, equipment is his territory

 

[eweaber]

Anyone need any young roosters?

I have:
3- Cochin
2 - Rhode Island Red
1 - Serama
1- Leghorn

$2 each







No?
Ok
To auction they go.

 

[SilkieSensation]

Anyone need any young roosters?

I have:
3- Cochin
2 - Rhode Island Red
1 - Serama
1- Leghorn

$2 each







No?
Ok
To auction they go.

I might be able to use a pure RIR. I have some BR I can put him over to make black sex links.

 

[motherhen71185]

Trying to talk my BF that we should raise a steer for meat. Our butcher cost would be about $600 for 1,000 lb steer (not sure how big they are when you butcher) but that would give us meat for a YEAR!!! We have plenty of field, i say we get rid of some of our extra rams and get a steer. The problem? He get's too attached to animals. Not that i don't, but if i get something for the SOLE purpose of eatting it. Then i know to not get emotionally involved with it, Just feed it and take care of it and that's it. I however grew up on a farm, he did not. I wonder sometimes about him.... LOL Does any one else have eperience with raising beef? I like the fact of knowing where my food comes from. Not sure i could sell him on getting a pig or too.... I have been around cows, but not pigs. Not sure what all is involved with them. Sorry to be off topic (is there a topic??) But i thought SOMEONE on here should have some insight for me. I hunt, and can kill, gut and butcher my own deer. I had thought about butchering the steer our selves, but not sure i can do something THAT big.

 

[chiques chicks]

Topic? We don't need no stinking topic!

 

[BirdbyGavin1103]

Freedom Rangers http://www.freedomrangerhatchery.com/ are raised right here in Lancaster and you don't have to butcher all of them...you can save some to make your next generation.
Give me your zip and I'll add you to the map, then you can see who is close to you. Oh, and you have the same attitude about neighbors that I do.
Map is in my signature!

Thank you. That was one breed I am looking into. I'm doing a lot more research before I buy my next batch of meaties, I want to have a fairly self sustaining flock, and be able to spread the processing out over time. I have a freezer full of meat over 1/2 of which is chicken, so we have time as far as getting the meaties ready.
Zip is 17815, I figured that was the right map.

I just don't understand people, they move out of town to a semi-rural or completely rural area then complain about roosters, the smell from the cows, horses and/pigs etc. If you don't want to deal with it don't move, your neighbors will NOT change their way of life for you.

Quote:

i never say much but lurk here. so here is my take from what i have read. ray has beautiful black copper Marians. laying hens can be bought anywhere,good birds are not that easy to find.. nothing wrong with raising a Cornish rock. i have raised them since raising your own meat birds was popular. i can give anyone instructions. i have raised them to the size of small turkey. health issues do not have to be. the poop does not have to be runny and smelly. if you want a good heritage type meat bird. go with a white rock, barred rock, Delaware . the best hatchery bird in my opinion for these heritage type meat birds is mt healthy. if your looking for a true heritage bird that is another story.
if you want a good healthy productive birds with hardly any health issues feed them right nutrition is 90% of the battle. the other 10% is a healthy environment



bruce

I just started my chicks on the FF twice a day (hoping it will help with the runny poop, others have said it does), toss a little dry food for them to munch and find into their area, have cleaned their room (they have control of a bathroom right now) twice since we picked them up last week. Until we can move them outside I don't know how else to keep them moving. Thank you for the additional breeds for me to look into, like I said above I want to try to have a fairly self sustaining flock and be able to spread processing out. I'm not worried about true heritage breeds, as the to production versions seem to be more disease resistant from what I've read, but again I will do more research before I decide which I'm going with. I don't think you're being an ***, I'd rather learn more and know what I'm doing over going all willy nilly about this. So thank you for the info.

 

[chickencowranch]

Quote:
Last year I had 6 roos that I took to Roots, 3 silkies and 3 Speckled Sussex. I ended up with 27.00 for all. of course it was july 4th week. Never again before a holiday. The breeds were sold separately, three to a pen. They take them out of your carrier and put them in pens. Depending how many you have to sell you line up in your vehicle to unload them. I carried mine from the car to the poultry building. That is my experience. Good Luck.