The Front Porch Swing

[lovingmyhens]

I'm going to bust out in song, take me home, country roads...

I'm on my way-sweet tea rt? I'll bring the chicken n dumplings! Ahhh

 

[Beekissed]

Is there any other kind???

 

[Beekissed]

These crazy temps! It's slowly warming tonight and is currently 41* ~practically a heat wave! I'm hoping that holds for tomorrow so I can get a few things done outside and in my coop I've been meaning to do and so the chooks can get outside and get exercise.

I was thinking about flocks tonight and how so many have made it hard on themselves by having inappropriate breeds for their climates. A person generally has the flock they built, so if the flock folds under stress caused by weather or illness, it's usually because we built it wrong. Breeds that suffer too much in the cold, birds that are too old to handle the cold, raising chicks in the winter months, keeping sickly or weak birds, etc. can all lead to a flock that is not strong and must have special considerations in the winter time.

I'm hoping people will use this winter weather as a lesson learned and build for strong, self sustaining flocks in the future. There is something to be said for culling the old,nonlaying or poor specimens out of the flocks each year....it helps you keep the strongest birds producing and thriving no matter what the weather brings. The same goes for people in hot climates...get the breeds that thrive there, cull for hardiness to the types of parasites that are in your area, build immunities towards the local pathogens.

Chickens should be a stress free way to have some good food handy and building the wrong kind of flock can take all the fun away from the whole thing. Feed, water, collect eggs, turn bedding a little under the roosts, handle the birds now and again to see if they are doing well on parasites, etc.....that should be the extent of chores and stress in the coop.

Special areas to nurture sick birds, special heating to keep old birds or very young birds alive, bringing chickens into the house for nursing or for warmth....all these things are highly unnecessary and cause self-inflicted stress at a time of year when it's stressful enough just to maintain the home,car, health or daily routines. It's just drama that no one really needs in their life because life is hard enough.

I'm hoping folks take this spring coming up to do some figurative and literal house cleaning in regards to their flocks and start building a flock~and management methods~ that don't put you under stress when life gets tough~ be it the weather, finances, time constraints, or health issues in the family. When times get hard and when you are checking off your list of things you have to deal with, chickens should be coming somewhere waaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy at the bottom of the list.

Start here:
1. Keep the best, kill the rest. March is a good time to cull for nonlaying...any bird that is laying should be laying then and laying well.
2, Get hardy, self sufficient breeds suitable for your climate. Short combed fatties for cold winter places and large combed skinnies for the tropics and deserts.
3. When doing math, remember to subtract also~this keeps you at a steady flock number and keeps you from getting overwhelmed.
4. Make your chore path a short one that has things lined up in an ergonomic manner so as to save time and effort...you will thank yourself later.
5. Order chicks to arrive in March or April so that you are not dealing with young birds in harsh temps and they can be at POL when your older hens are slowing down for winter.
6. Develop management methods that are simple and easy...no elaborate penning situations with multiple, individual feeders and waterers for this or that bird unless you are developing a breed and must have breeding pens.
7. Enjoy the benefits of good preparation and wise choices by taking it easy while others are stressing and posting "help!!!" type threads. That way you have more time to relax and enjoy reading them.

 

[lindz8504]

This is such good advice! I am still reading your other thread and implementing lots of stuff from it! I think my flock is finally getting settled into what I want but we shall see where they are in a couple of months. I hope to have some broody hens this year since half my flock are sexlinks so will probably burn out quickly. I usually get 5-6 eggs / day from just the 6 of them. I am enjoying sitting back and looking at what I want for the flock in the future rather than worrying about a major crisis all the time! You helped me figure out how I could have chickens like I originally thought was possible but then was overwhelmed by the "new" way with all the meds and STUFF

 

[Triple Willow]

Good post Bee!

 

[lindz8504]

Bee how long do you normally let your processed chickens rest before cooking them?

 

[Beekissed]

Bee how long do you normally let your processed chickens rest before cooking them?

I've let them rest for a couple of days when I have the fridge space, which I normally do. For old birds it doesn't really matter because I can all of those, but for meat birds I'll let them rest 48 hours before freezing. I'm thinking I will start canning all of those now too, except the breast fillets, which I'll chunk and freeze for stir fry and such.

 

[lindz8504]

I think I am going to season it tonight and put it in the crock pot in the morning and let it slow cook all day! YUMMY!

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a pic of a turkey I did for Thanksgiving using the ballontine method in the following vid....it was par excellent! I love his accent! I've done CX and turkey like this...it takes a bit of work but O, is it worth the effort! If you ever want a neat way to prepare a bird that is a little more fancy and moist than the average, this is it!

 

[bruceh]

Liz if you can not find that chickens heart. . i know were it went. i think the tin man has it.


bee, you are absolutely 100% correct and I'm with you all the way. incorrect breeds in a flock bred for different climates normally fail . a bird that as genetics from a hot warm climate has no business in a climate that has snow and 20 degree weather. people often get these birds and wonder why it is sick or dies.
i also try to tell others. try to find a bird close to where they live or at least the same climate. people will get birds from Florida and they live in Nebraska. that. is not going to work that well. a bird who is bred in a hot climate and goes to cold climate has a hard time thriving .
birds are fantastic creatures and do adapt well to their environment. however we as the flock managers we must use common sense.
i will use myself as an example. i am from Baltimore Md. which a northeast state. i moved to South Florida a Southern state. i was hot all the time and uncomfortable . after being there 3 1/2 years . i still did not adjust. then i moved to Pa. i was freezing cold when i got here. however after 6 months in Pa i adjusted just fine.
i will use myself as an example. i myself like a bird was programmed for a cooler climate. when i put myself in an environment that is hot and humid . i did not thrive well. when i moved to Pa.,a colder environment i was cold at first . however i adjusted just fine. why is that ? well look at my programmed genetics. i was was born and raised in a cool environment. when i put myself in a hot environment. i was extremely uncomfortable. when i placed myself back in Pa. i put myself close to an environment that i was programmed to be in. therefor i adapted extremely fast.
now lets look at my genes. my heritage for the most part is of Russian , Polish,and English descent . these are all cooler climates. so not only do i have environmental programmed genes. i also have genetic gens programmed for cooler climates that are in my DNA.
well look at a bird and those genetic genes. the same applies.


hey if you women keep cooking . i would like an invitation.

















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