~*Third Annual Cinco de Mayo Turkey Hatch-Athon*~ all poultry welcome!

[GerbilsOnToast]

Yes, I big disappointment!! I feel lied to!! I hate angus, and I"m glad to see them at the super market-- dead!! I hated the cow I had to show for a livestock class-- she always kicked me. I muddled thru with no help, never handled a cow before, washing it , training it and she would kick me everytime she went back to the herd. HATED that cow. SO I think of her when ever I pass the meat case. lol Lost interest in beef because of that cow. lol

Edited for clarity: lost interest in working with beef, and raising them however, I LOVE eating beef. I think I could live on beef and turkye. lol

Ouch! I've never been kicked by an adult; got nailed by a couple of calves, but it was just a nice bruise. Nobody should be turned loose with an adult cow without help & training.
My first cow was a Hereford heifer I bought from a neighbor - she was 2 weeks old, I was 22 and had never contemplated owning a calf or cow.. I had a goat, chickens and ducks, but a cow was 'the big time'. I named her Bucket and had all these dreams about milking her when she grew up.. Didn't know (seriously) that she had to have a calf first

. That was the eighties, and I'd just gotten the opportunity to follow the 'back to the land' fantasies of the '70's. It was quite an education. As DH informed me (I now agree) she was a pet - a really BIG pet. I bottle fed her, then after weaning I mixed her grain & molasses fresh every morning, and built her a small barn. She wore a halter and I led her back & forth to the unfenced field where she grazed with a wire rope and fastened the rope to a barge tie-down. When the day finally came that she broke the rope and got loose while (my x & I) were at a barbecue, I was foolish enough to walk up to her from the front & grab both sides of the halter... and she was NOT ready to go in. That was about the most exciting ride I've ever had, and I'm now amazed I didn't get killed or maimed.
About that time (she was 2yo) we started having vandalism problems from neighbors... my chickens were painted green, my goat was poisoned, and my ducks were regularly released. I put an ad in the paper for Bucket, and she moved to a Dr's 'write off' farm to make baby cows. I hope she wasn't too fat to breed & had a good life, but I didn't go visit her.. Honestly, in those two years, she never kicked me or even bruised me once.
I know a lot more about handling them now, and there's a lot less hands-on directing with these because... well, FENCES, and sorting pens, and chutes. We visit them twice a day, move them every three weeks (often less) and they come to me when I call them. When hay feeding time comes, I hand-feed some of them each day (some EVERY day) - that's when I 'get in good' with the calves. DH says they see me as 'lead cow',

Some of them get combed on a regular basis, especially Holly, and some are more socially interactive than others. Everybody has a number, and about half of them also have a name. Because heredity has an influence on personality, any psycho cows were culled after the first year (there were 90 to begin with); not every one is 'cuddly', but all are calm & take direction well - for cows.
It's a very different herd than what we inherited. The original dams were completely uncivilized and very old, and tagging calves was a scary thing. These ladies have never known a cattle prod, or been yelled at or hit. When I came here, cows were 'driven' where they were wanted, now they are led, and life is MUCH better for everyone!

 

[GerbilsOnToast]

i know i had one crush my foot when i was milking it several years ago but don't worry I'm not getting into cattle until i have enough room for at least 5-20 of them. I don't know about the horns part my great grandma's cows never hurt each other, them, or us (but my foot, a stranger that tried to steal a few, and a newer bull that got ahold of some "loco weed") she always said that longhorns where the best because they couldn't stick each other if they tried but that was her opinion

All of the breeds we've used are polled, so I don't have any knowledge of whether they can stick each other or not - but I know if they don't have horns, they can't gore *me* ! Longhorns, or even shorthorns, would never fit those horns through our chutes and gates.

 

[winteree]

All of the breeds we've used are polled, so I don't have any knowledge of whether they can stick each other or not - but I know if they don't have horns, they can't gore *me* ! Longhorns, or even shorthorns, would never fit those horns through our chutes and gates.

yeah my great grams couldn't find a chute for the longhorns so she and davidson made their own

 

[JennaLynn122]

Do any of you raise/ breed game chickens? I have a few questions about Yokohamas and Pheonix. I think I want them one of them to be my 4th breed but I have some concerns with breeding and keeping them. Please PM me if you do! Especially either or both of those breeds.

 

[winteree]

Do any of you raise/ breed game chickens? I have a few questions about Yokohamas and Pheonix. I think I want them one of them to be my 4th breed but I have some concerns with breeding and keeping them. Please PM me if you do! Especially either or both of those breeds.

i raised (past tense) bantam game crosses and i would never do it again. they where some of the most mean, skittish, flighty birds you can own (their are several bantam breeds this was breed out of). All the male banies had to be at a minimum in breeding season because they will kill each other if not. hell one killed a hen during breeding season. but they have a great predator sense, they don't eat that much (the two banies I'm raising now only go through less then a quart of feed a week and they are 11 weeks old, my week old heavy layer chicks are eating more then they do!) But be for warned as the get older they will try to make breaks for the door here where i live that is a bird death sentence.
and watch out for those tails i can see a raccoon getting at that very easy

 

[JennaLynn122]

i raised (past tense) bantam game crosses and i would never do it again. they where some of the most mean, skittish, flighty birds you can own (their are several bantam breeds this was breed out of). All the male banies had to be at a minimum in breeding season because they will kill each other if not. hell one killed a hen during breeding season. but they have a great predator sense, they don't eat that much (the two banies I'm raising now only go through less then a quart of feed a week and they are 11 weeks old, my week old heavy layer chicks are eating more then they do!) But be for warned as the get older they will try to make breaks for the door here where i live that is a bird death sentence.
and watch out for those tails i can see a raccoon getting at that very easy

I dont think i want bantam games. My biggest concern is with selling them when i breed. Im concerned with cock fighting esspecially being in the south closer to Mexico/ PR. I know of a few people that would travel this far to get a good game roo. Then my other concern is the temperment of Yokohamas an Pheonix. Ive heard some say they are both wonderful breeds but ive heard of other that say they were horribly mean. The tails are actually why i'm looking at those two breeds. We dont have many coons here. I'm sure we have some but never seen any around and my dogs dont bark at anything much at night. They bark at anything that moves. Sometimes this includes grass and trees.

Just had another thought.... are those breeds bantams? I havent done much research into them yet other than they are very pretty.

 

[winteree]

I dont think i want bantam games. My biggest concern is with selling them when i breed. Im concerned with cock fighting esspecially being in the south closer to Mexico/ PR. I know of a few people that would travel this far to get a good game roo. Then my other concern is the temperment of Yokohamas an Pheonix. Ive heard some say they are both wonderful breeds but ive heard of other that say they were horribly mean. The tails are actually why i'm looking at those two breeds. We dont have many coons here. I'm sure we have some but never seen any around and my dogs dont bark at anything much at night. They bark at anything that moves. Sometimes this includes grass and trees.

Just had another thought.... are those breeds bantams? I havent done much research into them yet other than they are very pretty.

sorry they have bantam and normal sizes the only ones i have seen are the bantams through

 

[JennaLynn122]

sorry they have bantam and normal sizes the only ones i have seen are the bantams through

if I can find them I'd rather have standards. There is only one bantam breed I'm getting and that is Nankins

 

[winteree]

if I can find them I'd rather have standards. There is only one bantam breed I'm getting and that is Nankins

i'm sure you can get some i saw someone hatching out a clutch not 2 days ago on here

 

[Arielle]

Ouch! I've never been kicked by an adult; got nailed by a couple of calves, but it was just a nice bruise. Nobody should be turned loose with an adult cow without help & training.
My first cow was a Hereford heifer I bought from a neighbor - she was 2 weeks old, I was 22 and had never contemplated owning a calf or cow.. I had a goat, chickens and ducks, but a cow was 'the big time'. I named her Bucket and had all these dreams about milking her when she grew up.. Didn't know (seriously) that she had to have a calf first

. That was the eighties, and I'd just gotten the opportunity to follow the 'back to the land' fantasies of the '70's. It was quite an education. As DH informed me (I now agree) she was a pet - a really BIG pet. I bottle fed her, then after weaning I mixed her grain & molasses fresh every morning, and built her a small barn. She wore a halter and I led her back & forth to the unfenced field where she grazed with a wire rope and fastened the rope to a barge tie-down. When the day finally came that she broke the rope and got loose while (my x & I) were at a barbecue, I was foolish enough to walk up to her from the front & grab both sides of the halter... and she was NOT ready to go in. That was about the most exciting ride I've ever had, and I'm now amazed I didn't get killed or maimed.
About that time (she was 2yo) we started having vandalism problems from neighbors... my chickens were painted green, my goat was poisoned, and my ducks were regularly released. I put an ad in the paper for Bucket, and she moved to a Dr's 'write off' farm to make baby cows. I hope she wasn't too fat to breed & had a good life, but I didn't go visit her.. Honestly, in those two years, she never kicked me or even bruised me once.
I know a lot more about handling them now, and there's a lot less hands-on directing with these because... well, FENCES, and sorting pens, and chutes. We visit them twice a day, move them every three weeks (often less) and they come to me when I call them. When hay feeding time comes, I hand-feed some of them each day (some EVERY day) - that's when I 'get in good' with the calves. DH says they see me as 'lead cow',

Some of them get combed on a regular basis, especially Holly, and some are more socially interactive than others. Everybody has a number, and about half of them also have a name. Because heredity has an influence on personality, any psycho cows were culled after the first year (there were 90 to begin with); not every one is 'cuddly', but all are calm & take direction well - for cows.
It's a very different herd than what we inherited. The original dams were completely uncivilized and very old, and tagging calves was a scary thing. These ladies have never known a cattle prod, or been yelled at or hit. When I came here, cows were 'driven' where they were wanted, now they are led, and life is MUCH better for everyone!

"Bucket" -- an inspired name no doubt!! Those folks got a well trained cow!! YOu had a delightful beginning to your life with cattle. ( I don't really hate angus-- but the label at the meat counter does bring up crazy feelings about that cow.) I envy that you had someone to teach you how to properly handle big cow, because yes they can kill us. I have horses . . . .they can be dangerous too.

Do any of you raise/ breed game chickens? I have a few questions about Yokohamas and Pheonix. I think I want them one of them to be my 4th breed but I have some concerns with breeding and keeping them. Please PM me if you do! Especially either or both of those breeds.

THere is a pheonix thread-- I would ask there. My Son wants a silver pheonix bantam . . .