The ups & downs of novice chicken owners.

[roohugger]

Thank you... much better

 

[NovaAman]

Well, it has been over two weeks... I am wondering how things are going. Has anyone heard anything?

 

[galanie]

Nope. She hasn't shown her face anywhere. I really do hope they are doing fine. I'm thinking she's having remorse over TMI or something. We love her though. I just hope they are learning to adjust and doing well.

 

[mrsamplias]

When I went to San Angelo Wednesday to buy more chickens and some equipment that the man had for sale, I was sort of excited to 1) see how his operation was set up. After all, showing chickens for over 30 years, he had to have everything needed for the sport. And 2) I wanted to check out his chickens, his pens, his bedding, his roosts, nest boxes, feeders - EVERYTHING! And 3), I wanted to ask questions - if a crotchety old man would answer questions from someone who barely knows which end of a chicken eats and which end the egg comes out of!

Now, 28 years ago, when I was born, the Good Lord saw fit to assign a host of guardian angels to watch over me and guide me where I needed to go. Those Angels have worked overtime throughout my lifetime, and Wednesday was no exception. When I got there and met Mr. Welling, I had an overwhelming sense that this man was special. Indeed, my family has been, and will be blessed by the gentle, giving, caring nature of this man. He was more than delighted to show me around his place, show me his chickens, coops, feeders nest boxes. Everything. The twinkle in his clear blue eyes told me he was having as much fun as me! Sadly, his advancing arthritis and osteoporosis is forcing him to give up his beloved chickens, for he can no longer "tote the feed they need," and he hasn't anyone to help him. He has to walk with a cane to keep his balance, and "it's hard to do with a sack of feed tossed over yer shoulder!"

I saw all kinds of chickens: Sebrights, d'Uccles, and tons of modern game chickens who all look like they're on tippy toes because someone unexpectedly stuck something up their fannies! Even down to the surprised look on their faces! Of course this is just my opinion, and there, evidently, are lots of people out there who think these are beautiful birds because someone had bought his entire flock of moderns that morning, and are to pick them up this coming weekend. They were obviously Mr. Welling's favorite, too, because he had a lot of them. Must be their personalities.

Mr. Welling even taught me how to give a chicken a bath! Now, I never would have, in a million years, thought to give a chicken a bath! But he demonstrated to me just how it was done, even giving me a tip on how to make a white chicken even whiter! Laundry bluing! Yep! He put just enough laundry bluing in a bucket of tepid water to make it blue-ish and soaked that little chicken up to her eyeballs nearly for about 5 minutes. He then rinsed her well, and wrapped her in a (warmed) clean towel. He carried her around under his arm as we walked through his "shed." Finally, he put her in a "drying box." A 24"h X24"d X36" long box. It was painted plywood, bottom, ends, back & top w/ a framed hardware cloth front. It had light bulbs covered by kitchen strainers in the corners to warm the box, pine shavings on the floor, and was fairly warm inside. He said he would leave her in there over night to dry.

In the shed, there were tools of all description, three incubators (one of which I bought, old but very reliable), a multi-level brooder, banding equipment, bands, toe punches, bales of bedding straw, 55 gallon drums full of feed, wagons for transporting feed, a long, long table with 24"X24" wire cages all down one side for his conditioned show chickens. Everything he could possible need. It was quite educational, and he took the care and time to explain anything I had a question about. He would sit, often and rest while talking, but every time I would try to excuse myself, he'd say "wait! You need to see..."

After we lingered over a good lunch, I told him I had to go if I was going to beat my kids home from school, he gave me a most wonderful gift. It was a 3 right binder that he had covered and recovered, finally gluing a jacket of denim on the outside of it with a hip pocket from a pair of bluejeans on the front of it to hold his pens. Inside, were worn pages of notes all about chickens. 30 years worth of notes! Can you imagine? And he gifted me and my family with all this wisdom. I cried half way home!

I called him, and asked him if I could share it, and he said, "Little lady. That is a gift. You do with it as you see fit." And so, when I post something, I will try to include something from Mr. Welling's notebook. Most of what I have read so far is just common sense stuff, but in my adult life, I have learned that "common sense" is in short supply out there...kinda like putting a sore-toed chicken back in the general population! Ha!

Mr. Welling's first tip: "If you're going to raise chickens, it's probably best to have someplace to put 'em before you get 'em."

YEAH! WE DID THAT!

Brie

just found this thread! Can't wait to learn more from you and Mr. Welling!!

 

[WendyJeepchick]

Happily subscribed!