I'm also new to Backyard chickens; I'm Jack from Punta Gorda, Fla.
I started with chickens while as a kid living in upstate NY (well, actually downstate NY, but everyone from NYC calls anyone who doesn't live in NYC or Long Island "upstaters" I lived in the Ramapo/Catskill Mountain area.
My interest in chickens stated with tying trout fishing flies for a famous fly tyer in the Catskills, Harry Darbee. Harry had over 500 birds, about 3/4 them roosters! Quite a bit of noise in the morning. In the summers, I lived with the Darbees and worked at their fly tying shop. Neat job, I had to get up, feed the chickens and then walk down to the river and fish until breakfast. Then work in the shop tying flies, after supper,feed the chickens, walk down to the river and fish until dark.
A couple of years ago I got back into raising chickens and have about 150 of them now. I'm doing some experiments on alternate feeding of them with my fish farm.
I have three ponds in which I raise tilapia, bass, bluegills and catfish. Usually that eventually ends up with some pretty green water, but I've been using floating aquatic plants like water lettuce, duckweed and such to pick up the excess nitrogen and phosphate and the chickens love it. I understand that most of them are about 8 percent protein and it cuts down greatly on the feed bill. I also feed what is left over after cleaning fish to them after par boiling the carcasses. At first I was afraid that they might choke on the bones, but after two years of doing it, I haven't lost a single bird because of it. Some say that feeding fish to them imparts a "fishy" taste to the eggs, but I haven't noticed any problem.
Anyone else out there raising chickens for fly tying? I get two crops of feathers from each rooster per year by snipping the feathers, leaving the down on the bird for protection. They don't seem mind it a bit as long as they have a cup or corn in front of them while I snip!
Jack
I started with chickens while as a kid living in upstate NY (well, actually downstate NY, but everyone from NYC calls anyone who doesn't live in NYC or Long Island "upstaters" I lived in the Ramapo/Catskill Mountain area.
My interest in chickens stated with tying trout fishing flies for a famous fly tyer in the Catskills, Harry Darbee. Harry had over 500 birds, about 3/4 them roosters! Quite a bit of noise in the morning. In the summers, I lived with the Darbees and worked at their fly tying shop. Neat job, I had to get up, feed the chickens and then walk down to the river and fish until breakfast. Then work in the shop tying flies, after supper,feed the chickens, walk down to the river and fish until dark.
A couple of years ago I got back into raising chickens and have about 150 of them now. I'm doing some experiments on alternate feeding of them with my fish farm.
I have three ponds in which I raise tilapia, bass, bluegills and catfish. Usually that eventually ends up with some pretty green water, but I've been using floating aquatic plants like water lettuce, duckweed and such to pick up the excess nitrogen and phosphate and the chickens love it. I understand that most of them are about 8 percent protein and it cuts down greatly on the feed bill. I also feed what is left over after cleaning fish to them after par boiling the carcasses. At first I was afraid that they might choke on the bones, but after two years of doing it, I haven't lost a single bird because of it. Some say that feeding fish to them imparts a "fishy" taste to the eggs, but I haven't noticed any problem.
Anyone else out there raising chickens for fly tying? I get two crops of feathers from each rooster per year by snipping the feathers, leaving the down on the bird for protection. They don't seem mind it a bit as long as they have a cup or corn in front of them while I snip!
Jack
