The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Pullet Surprise]

Quote: I'll bet that breeders have girls that have an extremely minor flaw that would make them 'second choice' for breeding and would be glad to sell them to you.

 

[delisha]

Quote: wow I ordered after you and got it before you. Weird.

 

[Mumsy]

wow I ordered after you and got it before you. Weird.

Hah! Not weird to me. Par for the course when you live as far North West as I do. That's why I never order anything from the other side of the country I may need in less than two weeks.

 

[delisha]

My DH is out of town for the week, He called last night and asked me to meet him half way for dinner. I am not much of a driver. I have to leave shortly to meet him by 5. I dread the drive home. If he was not the most wonderful man on the face of the planet you could not get me to drive such a long way. I think he is one special guy to want to spend a few hours with me on this special day, I think I am pretty lucky.

 

[kian]

My DH is out of town for the week, He called last night and asked me to meet him half way for dinner. I am not much of a driver. I have to leave shortly to meet him by 5. I dread the drive home. If he was not the most wonderful man on the face of the planet you could not get me to drive such a long way. I think he is one special guy to want to spend a few hours with me on this special day, I think I am pretty lucky.

You are very lucky! (I almost typed "clucky"!). Have a wonderful time!

 

[kian]

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

See what I got today?



The egg on the left is from my New Hampshire, Sunny. It's her 16th egg. In a row. They are all small like this one.

The egg on the right is from my New Hampshire, Rose. It's her 7th egg. All of her eggs have been big (like regular large size eggs) but this one takes the cake. Maybe a double-yolker?

Now my real question: Will Sunny's eggs get bigger? I also have a laying Cuckoo Marans whose eggs are a bit larger (20% say) than Sunny's. She's laid 13 eggs, with one day off.

All three layers are 25 weeks.



edited by me because two lefts don't make a right!

 

[NickyPick]

My sister called me at work today to tell me she saw 2 foxes at my Brahma coop! They bolted when they saw her and she said all the Brahma's were back in their covered run with one of my geldings standing guard at the pop door (they usually have the run of the horse pens during the day). I lost 2 pullets to these foxes 5-6 months ago. I don't want to lose anymore, but now I'm afraid to let them out. I've heard that they're really hard to trap. I live in a subdivision and I don't think I'd be able to successfully use a gun - especially since they seem to come during the day, I've never seen them and I don't know how to shoot. Plus, I'm deaf, so wouldn't be able to hear them when they show up anyway. I don't know what to do!

 

[poularde]

Just marking this thread for further reading. Have a few pages to go through.

 

[Bulldogma]

I have been pondering something for some time now. I live in a small neighborhood, on a small lot, in cold, snowy southern Maine. I will not have a rooster and will not breed, so would it be a bad thing for me to want to buy heritage birds from a breeder, rather than just feed store birds? I'd really rather have a real NH, Barred Rock, BCM, Cream Legbarr (or one of each) but since they are rare, should I not get Heritage birds and let the people able to breed them have them? I would be delighted with NON show quality...as long as they are healthy (no wry tails

) Thoughts/advice?

Do it! Get the ones you want and enjoy them! You are not hurting the breed in any way if you don't breed the ones you have. (Just my .02 cents.)

My DH is out of town for the week, He called last night and asked me to meet him half way for dinner. I am not much of a driver. I have to leave shortly to meet him by 5. I dread the drive home. If he was not the most wonderful man on the face of the planet you could not get me to drive such a long way. I think he is one special guy to want to spend a few hours with me on this special day, I think I am pretty lucky.

What a wonderful man you have!

My sister called me at work today to tell me she saw 2 foxes at my Brahma coop! They bolted when they saw her and she said all the Brahma's were back in their covered run with one of my geldings standing guard at the pop door (they usually have the run of the horse pens during the day). I lost 2 pullets to these foxes 5-6 months ago. I don't want to lose anymore, but now I'm afraid to let them out. I've heard that they're really hard to trap. I live in a subdivision and I don't think I'd be able to successfully use a gun - especially since they seem to come during the day, I've never seen them and I don't know how to shoot. Plus, I'm deaf, so wouldn't be able to hear them when they show up anyway. I don't know what to do!

Do you have a guard dog? If a guard dog won't work for your situation, mini donkeys and lamas will keep predators away. Donkeys can be noisy but lamas are a bit more expensive. Might not be a bad investment if it helps keep your chickens safe. Both of those animals will chase off coyotes and fox.

 

[loanwizard]

Knowing my family dynamic, I will own that dog and train it..... Probably be a youtube video of a malemute/husky mix and a chickendale dancing.....

Prolly time to break out the incubator and find some GOOD Buckeye or RIR eggs to hatch out.....