The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[aoxa]

Got this today from Metzer Farms - Might want to make your voice heard to the USPS or we will all be paying a LOT for shipping on any future birds!! Any emails must be sent to USPS today!

The Post Office is proposing that we pay an additional $9.00-11.95 for every box of day-old poultry. This is a 75% increase! They are accepting comments on this proposal through this Friday, May 24th. We are asking you to contact the USPS today and protest this additional charge.

Why do we oppose this postage increase?

1) The average postage we now pay for all our duckling and gosling shipments is about $12.00 per shipment. If they add this additional charge, your postage charges will go up at least 75%! How often has the USPS raised rates 75%?

2) The USPS gives no indication how this new income will improve service in any way. It will not make shipping faster or easier. It is not designed to better track shipments. It is not for better ventilated trucks to carry your birds. It is only a way to increase their income at your expense.

3) This new regulation will only affect day-old poultry shipments and bee shipments. Was either industry notified in advance or was our input requested? Absolutely not. It was only when an AP reporter phoned another hatchery that we learned the USPS was proposing this 75% increase in fees. As mailing is our only option, hatcheries such as ours work closely with the USPS and we have our own Live Shipment Representative in Washington, DC. The only response I received when I asked my local rep about it was "Who sent this to you?" It appears to me the Post Office is trying to hide this proposed regulation until it is too late!

We are asking you to send a quick email to the USPS to protest this exorbitant and heavy handed increase!
You must send all emails to: [email protected]
The subject line must read Live Animals
It must be received by this Friday, May 24th
A sample email is below. All you have to do is copy, paste, make it more personal about you, sign and send it.

By all of us sending an email, we can prevent this ill-conceived postage rate increase!

Thank you very much for your assistance!
John Metzer
Metzer Farms



To read the proposed regulation, click here.

Sample email you can send:

I am very much against the additional postal charges you are proposing for the live animal shipments. Do you realize this is an average increase of over 75% in what I now pay to receive my day-old poultry?

Your proposed regulation does not indicate how this money will be spent. Will it speed service? Will it making tracking of my birds easier? Will it provide a better environment for my birds during shipping? What does this 75% increase do for me?

I am also very disappointed you did not contact the day-old poultry and bee shipping industries prior to or after your posting of the regulation. Unfortunately it gives the impression that: 1) you don't care about me and 2) you don't care about any input from the hatcheries directly affected by your new rates.

Are you proposing a 75% increase in rates for any of your other customers? Or is it only us?

I do not feel this 75% increase in my postage rates for receiving day old poultry should be implemented.

Sincerely,

If they were to handle these live animals better, it would be well worth the additional costs. But to raise it just to keep the service the same is ridiculous!

PS: You guys have shipping EASY. To ship from a hatchery here you have to pay $130 in shipping alone. They have to be flown from BC to the Maritimes. Doesn't matter how many you are shipping. Could be 100 chicks or 25. That is a set rate per box on the flight.

 

[OohLaLa]

Sex opinion please and thank you. My eldest chicks at 9/10 weeks old (Ameraucanas). I wanted hens, the brown one has a very roostery standing up kind of tail feather set though, so as a newbie I'm wondering.

 

[armorfirelady]

Del- that is one giant chic........beautiful tho. What are you feeding them? Lol

Lala- so excited for u!! Can't wait to see pics of your new chicks

BDM- that's to bad. But you know most of us know about that thing........but I like your reminders when there are new things

 

[Mumsy]

Sex opinion please and thank you. My eldest chicks at 9/10 weeks old (Ameraucanas). I wanted hens, the brown one has a very roostery standing up kind of tail feather set though, so as a newbie I'm wondering.

Looks like a pullet to me but I haven't raised this type of bird in twenty years.

 

[delisha]

Sex opinion please and thank you. My eldest chicks at 9/10 weeks old (Ameraucanas). I wanted hens, the brown one has a very roostery standing up kind of tail feather set though, so as a newbie I'm wondering.

These are EE's and one looks like a pullet..I would need a close up of the saddle feathers to be sure about the brown one.

 

[Shan30]

Oh I see. What type of dogs do you have if you don't mind my asking? Do they bark at all when the bear comes by? If they're indoor dogs maybe an open window would help the dogs smell/hear them to alert you. Or even as some folks use here, a chicken cam or motion sensor/noisemaker might do the trick.

I don't know how far off your farm is from the neighbours but you could put in a word to them that you'll share some bear meat w/ anyone who gives you waring in if the bears are heading your way. Anything could help at this point. Also helps to protect your neighbours property if the bears go for theirs right after yours.

Really got me thinking about you & your situation. I know that may be mine one day (I have dreams of living way out in a forest), so I'm doubly cheering you on, hoping for the best.

Hahaha it is awesome living where we are now and we are actually on 10 minutes from town.

We have two dogs, both rescues. Red is a 1 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback x Rough Collie. Too smart, fear aggressive, incredibly protective and hates men with grey beards. Getting over most of her issues. Lucky (I know lame name but it was supposed to be temporary as we thought someone would come back for him) we believe to be a Burmese x Lab. Silly, not too bright at times, our Bear-o-meter as he has a distinct bark used only for bears. Terrified of men, vehicles and basically anything in your hand. He came to us just before Christmas 2 weeks after we had to let our 15 year old lab cross the rainbow bridge. No one claimed him.

Unfortunately these guys are both behind chainlink when we are out and no help at this point as allowing them to be loose would be irresponsible with all their issues.

Our neighbors are aware and are great. They check everything out when they hear the dogs get upset or the chickens alarming. However they are in their late 80's and we have told them not to wander over until this is dealt with. They lost their dog last Friday and she was the one who kept the bears at bay.

Chickens are still stuck inside and clearly bored. We want to rebuild fences this weekend as long as they won't get torn down again.

On a different note, I think I'm going to try FF starting this weekend (even tho my DH doesn't want to)

 

[OohLaLa]

My brown has a lot more tail feathers leaving this newbie wondering if I have a He and a She instead of two girls.

 

[aoxa]

Sex opinion please and thank you. My eldest chicks at 9/10 weeks old (Ameraucanas). I wanted hens, the brown one has a very roostery standing up kind of tail feather set though, so as a newbie I'm wondering.

My brown has a lot more tail feathers leaving this newbie wondering if I have a He and a She instead of two girls.

100% GIRL. EEs are often sex linked. This is a female ONLY pattern Very common too.

She is an Easter Egger.



Here is one of my previous EEs.

 

[Kassaundra]

On the post about vaccines, disease and byc support for those having to cull. I'm not sure what issues are going on in NH, or what responses you were exactly looking for?

I think vaccines in general are a good thing (both in humans and animals an ounce of prevention vs a pound of cure and all). However in the chicken world they (yes the proverbial they) make getting vaccines in a backyard size flock difficult and very confusing. I've looked at several sites and to wade through what you actually need and understand what they have and how much and how you are to use it is not clear on ANY of the sites I've seen. Not to mention you have to buy it in 1000 dose supplies.

I have to admit I'm not up on all the chicken disease / cures / vaccines / treatments / etc.... I know wild bird can be carriers and transmitters, but I tend to bury my head in the sand and since I don't sell adult birds, buy adult birds, show at shows etc I tend to think out of sight out of mind, not saying that is the best approach, just being honest that is generally my approach. If the vaccines were easier to get and understand I would likely chose to vaccinate my little flock even though there only exposure is through wild birds.

As far as supporting each other through the process of culling once disease is found w/o "branding" the person, I guess what your asking is would someone purchase from them again once their flock is "clean" I would think theirs would be the safest to purchase from since they would be testing and super vigilant, not as complacent as someone who has not gone through it.

 

[armorfirelady]

The hoop coop is a little more secure with the hardware cloth I scored cheap at my neighbors estate sale. (they had another chunk I didnt buy. I am hoping they put it out for trash day)

This side doesn't have the benefit of the electric netting. It was a 5 ft x 2 ft piece so I was able to cut it down to fit in the lower areas and wrap it around to the sides. I am going to keep looking at garage sales so I can put it on the one side that also doesn't have electric netting. I did find some small pieces in the garage to. I tend to keep things with no reason why but sometimes it turns out I can use them

I also tried making LAB again. This is the whey I got off the top today. Does anyone know if it looks right?

This stuff didn't smell but the liquid did. I put the liquid in a bottle in the fridge & gave this to the girls. They LOVED it. They looked like they had ice cream mustaches lol

I plan to use the LAB to spray on their DL. Does anyone have any other suggestions for it use? Does it help deter bugs & disease from veggie plants maybe?