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[backyardjack]

Hi guys, I recently bought a goldtop hen with some babies for a country show solely for the reason that they were too cute to leave behind. Anyway twelve weeks later I have totally fallen in love with everything that is silkie about Martha the mother hen and I NEED MORE! So does anyone know of anywhere that is not too far away from me (I'm in Lincolnshire) that I can get some good quality silkies

 

[chickens galore]

I've got some lovely bantam white silkies some sizzle some smooth, but I'm in south Wales

 

[backyardjack]

I've got some lovely bantam white silkies some sizzle some smooth, but I'm in south Wales

As amazing as that sounds I am gutted your so far away!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Hi everyone

How are you all doing? All good I'm hoping
Is everyone ready for the winter? Been getting things sorted here or trying at least to get things sorted before the winter sets in. Funny old wether at the moment isn't it. Was warm and humid in Yorkshire yesterday, 19 Celsius in October That's better than some of the summer weather we have had.
I've still got some polish pullets looking for new homes if anyone is interested. Also my Mum needs to rehome her cockerel, a frizzle cross breed if anyone fancies something a bit different.

Any how's, I best got off my backside and get some jobs done here.
See you all later!!

 

[GGBEAR]

You got any pics of your polish pullets

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I will get some up to date ones of them tomorrow and post them

 

[rebrascora]

Hi Kim

All good here.

How is Harry? Are you managing to ride much?
I've had to bring the horses in as the field was starting to break up and turn into a mud bath. I'm now riding every day, sometimes twice a day, having hardly ridden at all over the summer with the building work at my yard. Nights are drawing in quickly though so I'm going to have to get myself more organised to keep on top of things. Winter routine with the horses is hard work as you know. Not sure I actually change anything as regards the hens. Must psych myself up to dispose of those excess cockerels pronto though. My neighbour has just dispatched the 4 that his broody reared from my hens eggs, tonight. He was going to bin them.... they are only about 12 weeks.... but I said I would strip the breasts off them at least, so I have them to sort tomorrow. It just seems such a shame to waste them although they are pretty small still! He is also going to do away with 4 of his hens as they have failed to produce eggs at even a half acceptable rate. He's kept them for 3 years and they are not even keeping him and his wife supplied and there are 6 of them. He's going to keep the best two and get some black stars which he's had before, to boost production, so I may well have his hens to process as well in the near future. They are Croad Langshans so there should be plenty of meat on them!

My chicks are doing well still. Out of 5 that the leghorn has, 3 of them are cockerels though, and it's looking about even with the other broody's 8 chicks, although they are only 3.5 weeks so it's still a bit early to be sure of sex. I'm really hoping that the pullets from earlier in the spring/summer will come into lay before winter as most of my older girls are moulting and egg production is right down. My two stalwart broodies, Tasha and Frances, who have spent the summer raising chicks, are now laying their hearts out to make up for the deficit. I really couldn't ask for more .... lay eggs all winter when the others don't produce and then raise chicks in the summer when I'm getting plenty of eggs from the others. They don't seem to go through moult like the others either or maybe they do it at a different time of year and I don't notice.

Anyway, that's all my news I think.... now off to sharpen my knives for the job ahead tomorrow!

Best wishes to everyone else

Barbara

 

[GGBEAR]

Oh God I read the post and cannot help feeling rather sad :'(
Thanks Yorkshire look forward to seeing them
I will leave now

 

[rebrascora]

It is sad, but it's also sad having too many cockerels running around raping hens one after the next. If you specifically buy pullets because you don't want cockerels, you are, in my opinion, still complicit in what happens to the cockerels that you didn't want. It takes me a lot of courage to kill and I cry every time, but I have a responsibility to the creatures I raise and I try not to shirk that responsibility just because I can't face it. I eat meat and therefore I shouldn't expect someone else to get blood on their hands for me. I have seen the young cockerels pester the life out of my hens and I can't allow it to continue. There is no other purpose for these birds. I've kept some of them penned away since last year because I couldn't psych myself up to it, but it's no real life for them and I need to sort it.

Sorry if that comes across as harsh but I'm pretty tetchy about this subject because so many people choose not to think about what happens to all the cockerels in the world or believe that there is some loving home somewhere that they can all go to..... but reality is not like that.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

@GGBEAR Here are some updated pics of the blue pullets.

I'm sorry you found Barabaras post to be sad but I'm afraid when hatching and raising young ones it is a fact of life that you are going to have boys. Many of them dont find homes or if they do they end up in unscrupulous hands for all the wrong reasons. At least 15 of my boys have been culled this year due to the fact they are unwanted. I would much rather them have lived a happy and well cared for life with me and the end be very quick than some of things that could have become them. I would certainly butcher and eat them if they had any meat on them.