Surviving Minnesota!

[lvie]

Hello to everyone! So busy, as you are also.

So Ralphie - here is a naive question for you (and all the chickeners) - what do you do with the birds that have lived a good life and then die? They are too old to eat. Do you cut them up and use them for fertilizer and if so, how does that work? Don't the wild animals come in to eat the remains. Throw them in the garbage container after bagging up the body? Bury them with a proper pet burial? I am honestly asking this question with sincerity.

 

[duluthralphie]

Morning all.

Just got back from the hospital. Judy is hoping to get out today, I am not so sure she should.

I understand the single comb and winters so much. I am liking the CLB's more than I originally did, but the combs are still a problem. We will never get rid of them up here though. When people go to shows and fairs that are non-chicken owners those combs are pretty impressive.

Minnie I think it is a great idea to develop a different comb on the NH. I might have a rooster from Ed, (the PC rooster) that would fill those needs. You can have one if you want. I owe EJB a PC rooster first, then one for myself, but roosters do not seem to be in short supply.

I picked one up yesterday to see if I could show him in Hutch, Unless he really fills out and the tail comes in, I am out of luck. I just grabbed one at random. He is a nice looking bird just young, and a real cry baby. He cried, squawked, screamed and made a general fuss. He even had King George come running into the coop to protect him. King George backed off when he saw it was just me handling the kid. King George learned the hard way to not interfere with my chicken wrangling chores. Now he watches but does not get involved. I think that might make King George a good rooster.

I was also checking Edwina's babies yesterday, they live 150ft from the coop, and Edwina made lots of noise, Again King George came running. I thought it was kind of funny George is protecting Ed's kids, considering they do not get along at all.

The pullet eggs are starting to get a little larger, but still pretty small.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hello to everyone! So busy, as you are also.

So Ralphie - here is a naive question for you (and all the chickeners) - what do you do with the birds that have lived a good life and then die? They are too old to eat. Do you cut them up and use them for fertilizer and if so, how does that work? Don't the wild animals come in to eat the remains. Throw them in the garbage container after bagging up the body? Bury them with a proper pet burial? I am honestly asking this question with sincerity.

They are never too old to eat. BUT you need to eat them differently. If you stew them, soup them or can them they are usable as food, at least for dog food.

I have an incinerator for dead birds. I am caught in a catch 22, I know the county here hates them. It is entirely enclosed I use the paper feed sacks and propane for fuel. The County more than frowns on them, the USDA Vet said I needed one for winter dead bird disposal. I try to watch when I use it, so no one notices it, much.

I have some hens hitting the point I need to do something with them. I have a hen that sits for hours in the nest box but never lays an egg. I promised her I would let her live her life out and she did not need to pretend. However, she still does. I had thought I would just let them die on their own, however the feed bill recently is changing my mind.

I have recently declared war on feed eating rodents, (chipmunks, red & grey squirrels and rabbits.) I have always had a war on all other rodents. Yesterday I saw a tree rodent fall from the tree and it was attacked by my dog, Good Boy!!...

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, the colorful eggs look nice. I agree as relates to the feed stealing rodents. I have contemplated getting a barn cat to take care of that problem but have thus far resisted because they do a job on baby birds. If I let them range as needed to keep the rodents in check they are subject to predation themselves, especially from Fishers.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I am not used to feeding 12 birds. 6 of them growing birds...the others molting. We are going through a ton of food lately. It also doesnt help that Junior is not much of a lead yet for foraging the older hens. They could give two nickels about him let alone following him. Since whatever he finds he eats himself anyways...and does not gift. His Cajones not mature enough yet, I guess.

He is learning however to respect the older hens...So my hope is that I'll have a nice non-agressive rooster in the yard...also. He is a poor hen pecked boy. LOL. It has been a while since I've raised a rooster in the yard. Fun to see how this will all go.

The Illini are feisty too. I saw my mini "Pearl" (Lavender Ameraucana) chase off the bigger welsummer adolescent. LOL. And then last night one of the blues jumped up on the high roost with the old hags. She got down fairly fast though....didn't last too long...as Sylvia's stink eye (pre-empting a good pecking) locked into place. Hattie promptly jumped down. Oh gosh...the dynamics and social interactions of those birds.

I'm almost done for the weekend. We'll leave work early and head up. May you all have a great Labor Day Weekend.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Ralphie: I adore CLB eggs...Oh those blues....

I hope Judy's homecoming is a good one. Get her some strawberry Kefir and make her a good beef bone broth. That broth was magical when I had my stomach deal after my Mexico trip.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, the colorful eggs look nice. I agree as relates to the feed stealing rodents. I have contemplated getting a barn cat to take care of that problem but have thus far resisted because they do a job on baby birds. If I let them range as needed to keep the rodents in check they are subject to predation themselves, especially from Fishers.

I have thought about a barn cat also. I have the same worries with all the babies. I am to the point I might get several barn cats and just develop a more secure brooder pen to keep the cats out of the chicks.



Completely off the topics, and maybe I should ask this in a PM, but did you know Gordon Aanerud?

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie: I adore CLB eggs...Oh those blues....

I hope Judy's homecoming is a good one. Get her some strawberry Kefir and make her a good beef bone broth. That broth was magical when I had my stomach deal after my Mexico trip.

What is strawberry Kefir? I have beef soup bones.

 

[ejb3810]

Ralphie, I know Gordy from years past. He is a good horseman and a good guy. You say that as in the past tense. I had not seen that he passed away if that is the case.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, I know Gordy from years past. He is a good horseman and a good guy. You say that as in the past tense. I had not seen that he passed away if that is the case.

Gordy was one of my best friends for years and the man that actually got me started in enjoying horses. When I owned Hi-low acres we use to farm together and trade work back and forth. He was a huge marathon rider, I even accompanied him on my grey one time, Not in the race or close to him but I rode the same trail.


I figured you would know him. As you know my ex-partner who connived a hunting trip or two out of Gordie.

Sherm Korte who I am sure you know lives down here by me now during the summer. He came over yesterday to tell me about Gordie. He had an accident and his tractor rolled on top of him while haying on that step hill behind his barn. He was taken to Duluth but did not make it. I am awaiting word on the arrangements from Sherm or one of Gordie's kids. I am in shock and did not sleep well last night. Edited to add: this happened yesterday around noon.

I will sorely miss him. That is the 2nd for me in a week, I am worried who the third will be, I advise you all avoid me.


I hope this is ok to write here.