The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[Rachel'sFlock]

Ok, now I am finished failing the breeding quiz on the OT thread

, I can answer the question here.
(IMO, this seems like a much more important question and I grasp the importance of knowing the answer to it)

Why do I keep chickens?
I keep chickens because:
1. eggs. My husband is an egg fanatic.
2. Meat. I looooove chicken in its many varied forms, and I prefer to eat food I have seen to myself. I know (as much as a free ranger wants to know) what my flock has been eating, how they live and what condition they were in at time of butchering.
3. I live in a place where I have room and suitable conditions to keep them.
4. I enjoy keeping them. They make me laugh every day, and I believe this makes me a more relaxed person.
5. I want a sustainable flock of chickens from which I can make more chickens to make eggs, to make meat, and for enjoyment. I chose my breed, Black Australorps, for their reputation as a layer, and also because they breed true- ie, breed a BA hen and a BA roo, and they will always make BA chicks. They are heavy enough a breed to make decent eating (there is merely my husband and I to feed) and I get aprox 3 meals per mature cockeral. They are also delicious.

On a rather foo foo note, they are also really curvy and glossy and pretty out in my yard. Sorry. I know that isn't very OT, but it's true.

I have also added a couple of CW pullets because I would like some white eggs for the house. I can't sell them, but we can sure eat them! They have a reputation for making lots of pretty, very large white eggs, and being less spastic than their hatchery WL parentage. They are much lighter birds, but I imagine, when their day comes, they will stew up just as fine as the BAs.
I will not be hatching their eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

hilarious. What do you call your now coop?

a friend's dog. Not mine just thought he was worth showing since he is so unusually cute.

He is unusually cute.

 

[Beekissed]

Bee,
I love your Mr. Dad rooster with the meaties. So cute! Love a good rooster.

What happened to this guy? Is this a really old picture?

Some nutty guy foisted that bird off on me unawares...just showed up one day with it in a cat carrier a few days after I got the meaty chicks. One of Bat's neighbors that live clear at the bottom of the state and only comes in every once in awhile.

He was a young WR and a poor rendition of the breed, but big and pretty nonetheless. I kept him for a bit and he was really great to the chicks for awhile but long about 3 wks in he started breeding them. Yep...tried to breed them and killed one. He was killed the next day. Tasted good.

I think he would have been fine if he had some hens but here he is coming into his big hormones and all he has are chicks that are too big for their age and he finally just goes bazurk and starts sexing them up.

This sweet boy wanted so bad to be a mom that I let him brood them. He kept getting in the nest boxes and trying to call them up there and wouldn't roost but kept trying to get in the brooder with the chicks, so I let him. Here he is trying to brood 54 meaty chicks at once.

Rudy the Broody

 

[aoxa]

I called my first coop Fort Cox. Still have the sign in my new barn

hilarious. What do you call your now coop?

a friend's dog. Not mine just thought he was worth showing since he is so unusually cute.

Still call it Fort Cox But it's not really a coop. Just kept it the same for old time sake

 

[aoxa]

Bee,

I love your Mr. Dad rooster with the meaties. So cute! Love a good rooster.

What happened to this guy? Is this a really old picture?

Some nutty guy foisted that bird off on me unawares...just showed up one day with it in a cat carrier a few days after I got the meaty chicks.  One of Bat's neighbors that live clear at the bottom of the state and only comes in every once in awhile.     He was a young WR and a poor rendition of the breed, but big and pretty nonetheless.  I kept him for a bit and he was really great to the chicks for awhile but long about 3 wks in he started breeding them.  Yep...tried to breed them and killed one.  He was killed the next day.  Tasted good. 

I think he would have been fine if he had some hens but here he is coming into his big hormones and all he has are chicks that are too big for their age and he finally just goes bazurk and starts sexing them up. 

This sweet boy wanted so bad to be a mom that I let him brood them.  He kept getting in the nest boxes and trying to call them up there and wouldn't roost but kept trying to get in the brooder with the chicks, so I let him.  Here he is trying to brood 54 meaty chicks at once. 

Rudy the Broody

Oh my dear God that is cute! Such a shame that he started mating them.. My Mr. Broody is a silkie rooster, but he doesn't mate any bird that is not ready. He always tells me when they are close by mating them. I'll see an egg from that hen Within two weeks every time!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Sally8]

Mountain Momma, what a gorgeous puppy. When ours showed up on our doorstep 8 years ago, I should have found him a home. He has more energy than 12 of me could ever have.
My reason for having chickens, again was mainly for the eggs. This past week we butchered 2 roosters and I wanted to see how that would go. My husband has several illnesses from being exposed to agent orange and over the past couple years I've been trying to get things back to basics for him.
Something that I couldn't have seen coming was that he is losing his job after working decades. They are closing their doors for good. He was 13 months away from retiring anyway but he is taking it very hard. He has taken a huge interest in the chickens so I'm hoping that they can become his new hobby and give him a renewed interest in life.
Finally, nothing can compare to sitting at breakfast table, looking out the window and enjoying Whiskers talking to us.


My very first chickens were Delaware's, they lay huge eggs almost every day. I lost 1 due to the heat and 1 to parasites (I'm sure)
My neighbor was looking to get rid of 4. Then I bought 1 White Leghorn, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Rhode Island Red and 2 EE's. I like them all and was wondering, Bee, which one you like the best and which one you don't. I also have 4 Black Copper Marans hens and 1 roo. They all come from great blood lines. Not sure why I have them but they are very docile and I really like the choc brown eggs
After I posted I read another post. I don't have the attachment that some of you have to the chickens. At this point they are for eggs but I do have 5 that are 2 - 3 yr old and as soon as slow down, they'll be gone. I don't like seeing my pets become old. I've said it before, I believe that God gave us animals for food, warmth and enjoyment. I just don't like to be the one that ends a life IF I don't have to. I do like dissecting tho..... We have 2 turkeys. Not sure what was in my head the day I took those eggs but we have Chuck and Rosie and Rosie is so annoying. She's friendly to a fault and watch out. Don't nobody harm grammy's babies!

 

[Beekissed]

Of those breeds? I like the BR, RIR, Leghorn...you will get plenty of eggs. You might get one of those EEs to go broody for you, but I'm not hugely fond of the breed. Mediocre layers at best and the few I've had went broody all the time but were not good mothers, which presents a problem.

 

[Sally8]

What is the difference between the a Rhode Island Red and the New Hampshire Red? Do you know why chickens were named after states (Delaware)? Not a production question but am curious.

 

[Beekissed]

Usually where they were developed the most as a breed. Back in the day when they had poultry shows they would say, "those Rhode Island birds" or "those Delaware birds", depending on what birds from what locale had won something of distinction. Say a RIR breed kept winning the shows over and over, when the people referred to them they probably wouldn't remember the guy who did the most to bring the breed to that point in the show, but they would remember from whence he came.


Quote:

 

[Mountain Momma]

Mountain Momma, what a gorgeous puppy. When ours showed up on our doorstep 8 years ago, I should have found him a home. He has more energy than 12 of me could ever have.
My reason for having chickens, again was mainly for the eggs. This past week we butchered 2 roosters and I wanted to see how that would go. My husband has several illnesses from being exposed to agent orange and over the past couple years I've been trying to get things back to basics for him.
Something that I couldn't have seen coming was that he is losing his job after working decades. They are closing their doors for good. He was 13 months away from retiring anyway but he is taking it very hard. He has taken a huge interest in the chickens so I'm hoping that they can become his new hobby and give him a renewed interest in life.
Finally, nothing can compare to sitting at breakfast table, looking out the window and enjoying Whiskers talking to us.


My very first chickens were Delaware's, they lay huge eggs almost every day. I lost 1 due to the heat and 1 to parasites (I'm sure)
My neighbor was looking to get rid of 4. Then I bought 1 White Leghorn, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Rhode Island Red and 2 EE's. I like them all and was wondering, Bee, which one you like the best and which one you don't. I also have 4 Black Copper Marans hens and 1 roo. They all come from great blood lines. Not sure why I have them but they are very docile and I really like the choc brown eggs

After I posted I read another post. I don't have the attachment that some of you have to the chickens. At this point they are for eggs but I do have 5 that are 2 - 3 yr old and as soon as slow down, they'll be gone. I don't like seeing my pets become old. I've said it before, I believe that God gave us animals for food, warmth and enjoyment. I just don't like to be the one that ends a life IF I don't have to. I do like dissecting tho..... We have 2 turkeys. Not sure what was in my head the day I took those eggs but we have Chuck and Rosie and Rosie is so annoying. She's friendly to a fault and watch out. Don't nobody harm grammy's babies!

I'm envious of your chickens good bloodlines. They are a very handsome group. I think the chickens will help. Sorry about your DH. I had two uncles exposed, one of the reasons I'm so mad about GMO etc. They both died too young and childless. Korea and Vietnam. Drank too much etc. The typical stuff but back then no one knew how to help those poor guys. Anyway, chickens have such a pleasant peaceful aspect. Yeah, that puppy is not mine. Mine is part Old Englishso she manifests as a highly energetic dog that gets calm on command and can maintain a relaxed attitude for long stretches. She is such a good fit for me. She was trying to herd the chickens the other day and they were beside themselves. I said Emma sit! and she did it instantly then when I said good shewalked off and laid down to watch them from a distance.Good luck to you both.-L