I'm pretty much in agreement with you given the realities of chicken keeping for probably most people on this forum. What I think is unfortunate is the marketing/advice and general encouragement to keep chickens has led to an awful lot of chickens being kept in unsuitable circumstances and this in turn has led to many negative behaviours, less than optimal diet and an attitude/acceptance that such things don't really matter and the chicken will adapt.I will weakly try once again:
I agree that the best feed for chicken is homemade from locally-sourced ingredients, IF:
- they also have year-round access to ample, multiple, and seasonal forms of forage and invertebrates (like insects) to supplement the grains, seeds, legumes, etc. and
- the chickenkeeper uses arecipemethod based on well-researched data and includes occasional supplemental protein, and faithfully sticks to that plan, and
- the chickenkeeper has figured out coverage for vacations, human illness, and recovery from acute trauma (broken ankle, for example.) Will the person(s) covering adhere to the feed mixture guidelines, allow chickens to forage during the day if in a protected run at night, and so forth?
I honestly feel that it’s a bit privileged to act as if this is doable for all. Nowadays, most adults have to work outside the home, with a dwindling number able to work remotely from home. Economies of scale mean that buying individual ingredients to mix might be prohibitively expensive, especially for those with small flocks. Many or most don’t have a significant amount of land with already-established plantings that can keep up with foraging by multiple chickens. (It’s quite astonishing how quickly enthusiastic chickens can strip a plot of land.)
And I have to say that I’m unpleasantly surprised at the mockery here of those who can’t “do it right.”
And now for my own mockery: all the posts (soooo many posts) claiming that apple cider vinegar (ACY) is a panacea for nearly everything that can go wrong. I’m waiting to see it recommended as a protectant against weasel and raccoon attacks.
Just letting you know.
Just letting you know.
He’s (the boa’s) over fifty years old, so I figure he’s pretty mellow by now!
That was Fret. She sat and hatched twice. Given the time it took her to recover from her leg/tendon strain I was reluctant to let her sit again.
Either could go broody if the trait is genetically passed on. Fret, their mother went broody late in life, after I arrived so I'm not counting on an teenage mums at the moment.
It appears that Glais is not quite yet Joe Suave, pronounced “swah-VAY.”That was Fret. She sat and hatched twice. Given the time it took her to recover from her leg/tendon strain I was reluctant to let her sit again.
Not the way Mow and Sylph have been acting recently, with good reason I might add. The two times I saw Glais suggest sex this afternoon he got abuse hurled at him.
Oh yes!!! I've read it many times, this article has been essential for me while raising cockerels into roosters for the first time. I read it while they were chicks and again when they hit that teenage cockerel phase. I particularly love this article because I am mostly a hands off chicken keeper. I let my head roo do all the hard work as flock master and he's glad to do it. He is bold, bossy and can be aggressive toward me some days (I usually keep a big stick with me to ward him off), but he's also such a fantastic rooster and loves his hens. He does all the jobs you talk about in that article. I've found through observing him that you are correct on many things like that the egg song is actually an escort song and that the wing dance is primarily used to herd hens. Roosters are such fascinating creatures. I personally find them so interesting and entertaining and I think their instinctual abilities are incredible to watch!
Zaccheus was raised with adult hens, who made sure he knew his place. Early attempts at mating were met with outrage, indignation. Poor Zack. But then, he grew into a handsome rooster and suddenly his advances weren't spurned.That was Fret. She sat and hatched twice. Given the time it took her to recover from her leg/tendon strain I was reluctant to let her sit again.
Not the way Mow and Sylph have been acting recently, with good reason I might add. The two times I saw Glais suggest sex this afternoon he got abuse hurled at him.
