Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

My 2 cents on Silver Laced Wyandottes.....We have 6 pullets all of which are flighty and avoid human contact at all cause. They are the most beautiful pieces of eye candy but they are the first to fly. They are excellent foragers and stay close to the coop. DISCLAIMER: They came from a hatchery. I ordered 4 and ended up with 8. (We rehomed 2.)

They are fickle and less friendly-- true. And they serve up a mean peck on the roost. They are always my high hens. Old biddies. But I've had longevity and egg production happiness with my Wyandottes. I'm talking winter laying without lights-- the whole bit. Maybe it's the choice food they are getting from being top hens/biddies. LOL.

As I'm getting more into this chicken business though...albeit I love a good chicken pet... if they are laying eggs....I'm charmed all the more.

I have one that is hatchery and one that is from a breeder. Both excellent layers.

Ralphie you are an article writing machine. When things slow down I will jump on and start in with some reading of your articles.

 

[ejb3810]

Holm, I don't think you can go wrong getting Chanteclers from Mike Gilbert. He has both Partridge and Buff in large fowl I believe. He is a very knowledgeable poultry man, as I suspect Jerry Segler will agree. He is an accomplished shower of chickens. If not a Master Exhibitor I suspect he is close.
Mike is also one of the founding fathers of the Ameraucana breed of chickens, which Jerry has spent much time with as well. Mike raises only Brown Red Ameraucanas in large fowl, but he raises White, Wheaten and Blue Wheaten bantams.
I believe he only sells started or adult birds, but his prices are very reasonable. He does ship.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I thought Mike Gilbert's name rang a bell. Jerry did talk of him over lunch. You will do well getting birds from that man, Holm. Worth the drive to 'Sconnie I'd say.

 

[ejb3810]

Holm, I forgot to add that I do not sell chickens. I only give them away, but I do not have any extras to part with at this time.

 

[Siggie]

Good morning chicken peeps....wow..just caught up with all the posts, you all have been busy! Predator problems seem to be the topic of late and I am still thanking my lucky stars I have not had to deal with the issue yet...because I know it is inevitable. But it will be a hard choice for me to kill something when the time comes but I don't fault anyone else for making the decisions they make. I'm sure I will come to realize the necessity of it all too soon.

Had a strange and disappointing weekend. I have confirmed that I am STILL not far enough north or into the woods to avoid the idiots and a__hole crazy freaks!

I went out to feed the chickens Saturday morning about 6:30am...walking back to the house I hear "help, help, help help...." coming from the road about 300 yards from my coop. I go back inside and make sure my grandkids are still asleep, grab my gun and head out to the road half expecting to find some drunk ATVer' laying under his machine.....well I search for 10 minutes and come up with nothing. I go back to the house, get the kids up and ready to head to work with me. As we are leaving our road to get on the highway, here comes this guy walking down the center of the road in his underwear screaming "help me" He's all scratched up and acting squirrely saying somebody tried to kill him with poison cat tail darts and they beat him up and he ran into the woods to get away. He's crying he is dying and that his father is some prominent person in Minneapolis. THEN... he tries to get in my car because he doesn't want these guys to get him (there is nobody else in site but he's pointing to something only he can see down the road!)

Now I have already called 911, locked the doors but the kids start crying so I get out of the car ready to take on , who I am sure was a guy hopped up on something you can't buy at the local drug store. I tell him to get away from car or I will run him over myself. He backed off and for the time being, was not violent so I said I would wait with him until the cops got there so the guys couldn't come back and kill him (ha!) I also called my neighbor who is also a retired cop and had him respond because dispatch wasn't too interested in getting anyone there fast.

...I guess you just can't get away from it no matter where you are...how disappointing to me.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh how ishy Siggie for you to see.... Today I saw a Meth-head outside of the bank. Head ticking and bobbing as she counted her cash. (First of the Month) Rotting Teeth. But I digress....

Poisonous Cat Tail Darts. I'm sorry....


My first predator encounter ticked me off. Siggie...it will not be a big leap for you. LOL. I respect nature and never take it lightly and try to be reasonable and judicious. But if you want to keep your hobby then you do it. It's part of animal husbandry...taking care of the livestock you've chose to raise there.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
I don't think I have had a broody hen yet. Hmmmmm . . . is it really a pain when then do brood? Or do they just get 'henny' LOL. New word for me.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
And then I came in second! So where were you then? LOL

 

[lvie]

Good morning chicken peeps....wow..just caught up with all the posts, you all have been busy! Predator problems seem to be the topic of late and I am still thanking my lucky stars I have not had to deal with the issue yet...because I know it is inevitable. But it will be a hard choice for me to kill something when the time comes but I don't fault anyone else for making the decisions they make. I'm sure I will come to realize the necessity of it all too soon.

Had a strange and disappointing weekend. I have confirmed that I am STILL not far enough north or into the woods to avoid the idiots and a__hole crazy freaks!

I went out to feed the chickens Saturday morning about 6:30am...walking back to the house I hear "help, help, help help...." coming from the road about 300 yards from my coop. I go back inside and make sure my grandkids are still asleep, grab my gun and head out to the road half expecting to find some drunk ATVer' laying under his machine.....well I search for 10 minutes and come up with nothing. I go back to the house, get the kids up and ready to head to work with me. As we are leaving our road to get on the highway, here comes this guy walking down the center of the road in his underwear screaming "help me" He's all scratched up and acting squirrely saying somebody tried to kill him with poison cat tail darts and they beat him up and he ran into the woods to get away. He's crying he is dying and that his father is some prominent person in Minneapolis. THEN... he tries to get in my car because he doesn't want these guys to get him (there is nobody else in site but he's pointing to something only he can see down the road!)

Now I have already called 911, locked the doors but the kids start crying so I get out of the car ready to take on , who I am sure was a guy hopped up on something you can't buy at the local drug store. I tell him to get away from car or I will run him over myself. He backed off and for the time being, was not violent so I said I would wait with him until the cops got there so the guys couldn't come back and kill him (ha!) I also called my neighbor who is also a retired cop and had him respond because dispatch wasn't too interested in getting anyone there fast.

...I guess you just can't get away from it no matter where you are...how disappointing to me.

Holy Smoley! That is kind of scary! So what happened at the end of the story?

 

[Cebarmlds]

Good morning chicken peeps....wow..just caught up with all the posts, you all have been busy! Predator problems seem to be the topic of late and I am still thanking my lucky stars I have not had to deal with the issue yet...because I know it is inevitable. But it will be a hard choice for me to kill something when the time comes but I don't fault anyone else for making the decisions they make. I'm sure I will come to realize the necessity of it all too soon.

Had a strange and disappointing weekend. I have confirmed that I am STILL not far enough north or into the woods to avoid the idiots and a__hole crazy freaks!

I went out to feed the chickens Saturday morning about 6:30am...walking back to the house I hear "help, help, help help...." coming from the road about 300 yards from my coop. I go back inside and make sure my grandkids are still asleep, grab my gun and head out to the road half expecting to find some drunk ATVer' laying under his machine.....well I search for 10 minutes and come up with nothing. I go back to the house, get the kids up and ready to head to work with me. As we are leaving our road to get on the highway, here comes this guy walking down the center of the road in his underwear screaming "help me" He's all scratched up and acting squirrely saying somebody tried to kill him with poison cat tail darts and they beat him up and he ran into the woods to get away. He's crying he is dying and that his father is some prominent person in Minneapolis. THEN... he tries to get in my car because he doesn't want these guys to get him (there is nobody else in site but he's pointing to something only he can see down the road!)

Now I have already called 911, locked the doors but the kids start crying so I get out of the car ready to take on , who I am sure was a guy hopped up on something you can't buy at the local drug store. I tell him to get away from car or I will run him over myself. He backed off and for the time being, was not violent so I said I would wait with him until the cops got there so the guys couldn't come back and kill him (ha!) I also called my neighbor who is also a retired cop and had him respond because dispatch wasn't too interested in getting anyone there fast.

...I guess you just can't get away from it no matter where you are...how disappointing to me.

That is very scary Siggie, happy you and the kids are safe. Did you talk to the cops afterwards and find out the real story? poison darts what a whack job.