Ribh's D'Coopage

[BY Bob]

I agree. I still feel terrible about my Big Guy, my beautiful big Muscovy drake. Fine one day, dead the next.
Sometimes I wonder if getting ducks and chickens was such a great idea for me. I get attached to Each of them personally. And birds seem like a more fragile pet than I am used to.

I can only agree that livestock birds seem to have more creative ways to leave us than other pets. They are also each special in their own way. I am trying to adjust to expect shorter life spans from all of them. If I could keep them on average as long as Patsy or better yet Lilly, I think I can live with that. Expectations are key with everything. When we first started this we thought cat-like life spans. That is just not so. That will be the rare bird.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Thank you! Anna was named after my Great-great-great grandmother who immigrated from Swansea, South Wales.

Oh wow! And now she has another connection to Australia ...who‘d a thought!! That’s cool!

 

[Shadrach]

I agree. I still feel terrible about my Big Guy, my beautiful big Muscovy drake. Fine one day, dead the next.
Sometimes I wonder if getting ducks and chickens was such a great idea for me. I get attached to Each of them personally. And birds seem like a more fragile pet than I am used to.

Chickens are not at all fragile. The problem is that for many, the chickens they get are not going to live very long because of how they were bred. A healthy chicken with good genes will live 10 to 12 years.
The three main problems many people on BYC have with chickens are:
1) the chicken isn't an indigenous creature and the regulations and the cost discourage the breeders from improving their stock. This is particularly true of the backyard type breeds now.
2) people buy chickens like they are buying groceries.
3) how people keep their chickens. Chickens are not meant to live in coops, or in flocks, the are not meant to eat a vegetarian diet and they don't fare well in confinement.
Bear in mind that BYC is an American site and a set of attitudes prevails. Step outside BYC and the backyard chicken ideal and things are rather different.

 

[drstratton]

Chickens are not at all fragile. The problem is that for many, the chickens they get are not going to live very long because of how they were bred. A healthy chicken with good genes will live 10 to 12 years.
The three main problems many people on BYC have with chickens are:
1) the chicken isn't an indigenous creature and the regulations and the cost discourage the breeders from improving their stock. This is particularly true of the backyard type breeds now.
2) people buy chickens like they are buying groceries.
3) how people keep their chickens. Chickens are not meant to live in coops, or in flocks, the are not meant to eat a vegetarian diet and they don't fare well in confinement.
Bear in mind that BYC is an American site and a set of attitudes prevails. Step outside BYC and the backyard chicken ideal and things are rather different.

Over on the Hawaiian islands...chickens free roam everywhere...which I love to see!

 

[Shadrach]

Over on the Hawaiian islands...chickens free roam everywhere...which I love to see!

And, if what I've read is correct. they are domestic breeds gone feral.

 

[BY Bob]

Over on the Hawaiian islands...chickens free roam everywhere...which I love to see!

Chickens walking on the beach is an amazing thing to see.

 

[BY Bob]

And, if what I've read is correct. they are domestic breeds gone feral.

Europeans brought them there. They have been feral for a long time.

 

[drstratton]

And, if what I've read is correct. they are domestic breeds gone feral.

Yeah, I'm sure that's what they are!

 

[drstratton]

Chickens walking on the beach is an amazing thing to see.

It really is a fun sight!

 

[drstratton]

Oh wow!! And your yard looks so green and lush! It doesn’t look like it belongs there!

It's quite the contrast...our little oasis!

Those clouds are stunning! ❤

The landscape reminds me of the open heath land near where I live. If this is what your property looked like before your plantings and soil improvement that is an amazing contrast!
It's mind boggling how one can make microclimates with thoughtful planting.

The clouds were so cool, I was so happy that the picture turned out!

It is amazing what you can do, my husband had great forethought! We put the tree lines in first, for wind protection. We included a lot of shrubs that would also provide food and shelter for birds and any animals that would like to call it home...we have quite a few cottontails, they are so cute! We also have quail and pheasant...though we don't see pheasant as often!