The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Mumsy]

Mumsy you are awesome! What a great picture and what a wonderful story. Johnny is a lucky little man. I can't get over walking the rooster at a renaissance fair! I want to walk my chickens!!!!!!

Awww....Thank you. It was kind of more him walking me. I used a little kitty harness on him and a long silk ribbon. He just kind of foraged around the grounds and I followed. By the third weekend I could gently tug on the ribbon and he would follow me for a few steps at a time. Patrons to the fair were astounded and would stop dead in their tracks when they saw us. Many many people wanted to have their picture taken with the chicken. When it was really crowded I would put him on my fore arm to keep him safe from being trampled on. You would not believe how many people asked me if he was a real chicken. So many city folk had never seen a live chicken. I was dumb struck by that.

Oh...On that subject of all the horse people on this thread? I am also a horse breeder and trainer from way back. I used to breed Arabians, trained for people, and gave riding lessons to children and adults. Sold my last horse in 1990 when my fourth child was born.


Heres an old picture of my sis and I back on the farm riding our cow ponies. I'm on the bay. 1969. Hows that for an old photo? Hah!

 

[Melabella]

This is priceless,,,



as is this...


and this!
Love it!!!!!!... sorry, I forgot what BDM told me to do to shrink pictures.

 

[jockeyeba]

This is priceless,,, as is this... and this! [IMG]http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/d/dd/900x900px-LL-dd3cfcea_021MarthaJanePrinceMoose.jpeg[/IMG]Love it!!!!!!... sorry, I forgot what BDM told me to do to shrink pictures.

X2

 

[jockeyeba]

Funny how a lot of us horsie folks end up with chickens too! I grew up riding hunter/jumper - thought about going the jockey rout (I'm only 5'0") but decided I liked jumping too much - LOL. Retrained a lot of ponies for folks and went on to do a lot of breaking/training in my 20's. Then had kids. Finally getting back in the saddle after way too long... and back into working with ponies! Unfortunately because neither of my parents like horses, I have almost no pictures of me riding - LOL!

My best friend did the jumping then started galloping racehorses & was a jockey for a few months, now back to teaching jumping.

 

[jockeyeba]

Hooray for horse people!!!

I've done a lot of different horse stuff over the years but I could NEVER be a jockey.  You are soooo brave or soooooo crazy.  I can't imagine that kind of speed with all that raw equine power all around me.  Gives me shivers to think about it.  It must be an incredible rush.

 

Yes it is or was I rode till 1 month before turning 60 & decided I better quit while ahead

 

[SandBsmom]

I had regular roos with my silkie and neither one was interested in her in the least. However I did have one roo who loved my tiny little D'uccle. That was a problem and he had to go. Now I have a silkie rooster and he is wonderful. He is gentle with his girls, watches out for everyone and surprisingly gets the job done on "his" two girls who are both twice his size. I have 7 hens and he watches out for them all but only "loves" two of them. Especially the giant cochin. She's his girl.

I think most people with breeding pens do 1 roo with 2 hens so your friend should be fine.

 

[jendodd79]

Hooray for horse people!!!

I've done a lot of different horse stuff over the years but I could NEVER be a jockey. You are soooo brave or soooooo crazy. I can't imagine that kind of speed with all that raw equine power all around me. Gives me shivers to think about it. It must be an incredible rush.

I used to be a horse person! I showed Arabians at the regional and national level in my teens. I haven't ridden since I started college though

 

[SandBsmom]

Ok since we're sharing cute pictures, (Stoney's gonna kill us!) Here's one of my favorite pictures of my girls walking out their pony Fergie. She is 28 years old and has been my best school pony since 1998. She has taught countless little girls how to ride and is now teaching my daughters all the lessons they need to learn. She is a saint!

 

[delisha]

I concure. Breeding pens are usually two or three hens to one roo. Your friend will be fine, the cockerel would love more hens. You can be an enabler and tell her she needs more chickens for him if you end up with to many chickens.

Aoxa had quite a few cockerels and roosters with her girls. She does have a seperate pen for the silkies now. Her big boy was breeding the poor silkies.They are birds and can breed other breeds of chickens. I have three week old lil chickens trying to breed. lil boogers.

 

[delisha]

Yes, it drives him crazy to talk about other things besides chickens. He will live... because he is respected and liked in here reguardless of his .ummm..scolding.