Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Slinglings]

Never have used a mask working with wood chips nor have I seen tree service chipper feeder guys where them. Wonder if it was certain types of trees?
Oh well. Hope someone near there was able to score on them.

For me, I think it is the mold that develops a couple of days after they are delivered. The pile gets super hot, and when you dig in lots of gray dust goes up in the air. I got my last wood chips in late August, spread them as fast as I could throughout early Sept, so they were never rained on or anything. If I dig in the garden even now where the chips are, I will cough the next day.

Fresh or dry wood chips don't bother me.

My last chips came from that same CL ad, btw.

 

[Nikki99]

Quote:
Carolyn,

You've gotten some good responses from others on this board. I think it really comes down to how you view your birds. Does the flockster see them as pets or livestock, or a combination of both. My birds are not pets. Even those who get names are not pets. I expect all my birds to do their job. To me that means they either lay what I consider an appropriate number of eggs a week, or they quickly achieve butcher weight. I try to stay with dual purpose birds, and I let them cross breed to take advantage of hybrid vigor. I do have a breeding project, but not to produce a show quality bird. I'm trying to create a dual-purpose auto-sexing breed by crossing New Hampshires and Barred Rocks.

When I get a hen who's gotten past the prime laying part of her life (usually between 36 and 48 mo.) I evaluate the bird. I tend to hang on to birds longer if they fit my breeding program. Birds who no longer lay at an acceptable rate (4 a week is a good cut off for me) will go on craigslist first, and if no takers, the go to the stew pot. I don't live close to an auction house, so that's not really an option to me, but if I did it would certainly be something I'd try out.

I have no trouble understanding that some people consider their birds pets and would never butcher them. If that were the case for me, then I'd certainly turn to craigslist or auctions should I choose to no longer keep one of my birds.

I think it was Mikey who said it best -- you will know what's right for you when the time comes.

HTH,

Dave

Dave,
Just curious how the older birds turn out after the swim in the stew pot? I've heard that the older they are, the tougher/more rubber like they are. Is this accurate? And does cooking them this way help with that?

 

[hallerlake]

Never have used a mask working with wood chips nor have I seen tree service chipper feeder guys where them. Wonder if it was certain types of trees?
Oh well. Hope someone near there was able to score on them.

One also wants to be careful what kind of trees are chipped. English Laurels and Walnuts are phytotoxic. They produce toxins to inhibit other plants. That would not be good for your garden.

The mychorrhizae don't exist in any number until the chips have started "cooking". They start cooking pretty quickly after being chipped, but not during chipping.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
Carolyn,

You've gotten some good responses from others on this board. I think it really comes down to how you view your birds. Does the flockster see them as pets or livestock, or a combination of both. My birds are not pets. Even those who get names are not pets. I expect all my birds to do their job. To me that means they either lay what I consider an appropriate number of eggs a week, or they quickly achieve butcher weight. I try to stay with dual purpose birds, and I let them cross breed to take advantage of hybrid vigor. I do have a breeding project, but not to produce a show quality bird. I'm trying to create a dual-purpose auto-sexing breed by crossing New Hampshires and Barred Rocks.

When I get a hen who's gotten past the prime laying part of her life (usually between 36 and 48 mo.) I evaluate the bird. I tend to hang on to birds longer if they fit my breeding program. Birds who no longer lay at an acceptable rate (4 a week is a good cut off for me) will go on craigslist first, and if no takers, the go to the stew pot. I don't live close to an auction house, so that's not really an option to me, but if I did it would certainly be something I'd try out.

I have no trouble understanding that some people consider their birds pets and would never butcher them. If that were the case for me, then I'd certainly turn to craigslist or auctions should I choose to no longer keep one of my birds.

I think it was Mikey who said it best -- you will know what's right for you when the time comes.

HTH,

Dave

Dave,
Just curious how the older birds turn out after the swim in the stew pot? I've heard that the older they are, the tougher/more rubber like they are. Is this accurate? And does cooking them this way help with that?
Joy of Cooking has a recipe called Supreme of Old Hen. It stews from one to three hours depending on the age of the hen.

 

[Flaming Chicken]

Hi All,
I'd like to hear from as many of the seasoned chicken farmers here as I can. This is a topic that's been on my mind for quite a while and I just seem to be forever kicking it around in my head. So here goes....

I have just 3 hens. I got them because I wanted eggs and never thought about them becoming pets, and I've tried to remain as objective as possible knowing that at some time they will 'move on', one way or another. The way is my topic of discussion.

As the girls age their egg production will drop to the point that it's unreasonable for me to keep them. My EE has never been a heavy layer and by next summer will probably being giving us only 2-3 eggs per week. I know everyone has to deal with this issue eventually. So I'd like to know... at what point do you say good bye to a hen, and when you do what do you do? Sell, butcher, give away, send to a chicken retirement community? I went to the Enumclaw chicken auction yesterday and it sort of surprised me that I felt bad watching the birds getting sold, thinking how rough they were being treated, what their new home would be like, etc.

So, those of you with a few years experience, please add your voice to this. I'd really like to know what you feel is a practical solution.

Thanks very much

Hello, I am going to weigh in on this discussion because, I have people ask me all the time what to do as my hens stop laying. I have pet chickens. Lots and lots of pet chickens. As high as 50 this year. After I sell the chicks in the back room I should be back to about 25 and 11 of those are under 1yr of age. I have never eaten mine and have killed them only to relieve suffering.

I have sold young roosters on craigslist-usually to people who are looking for a specific type to add to their own flock. And this last week I gave some laying hens (that I got from a friend) and an unwanted rooster to someone who was just starting out. I have only 1 hen that is older than 3 years and she is probably going on 5 or 6 years old. The others succumb to all sorts of things from Respiratory problems, tumors, preditors etc. Usually it is the older hens that get grabbed. Those hens that are 3 years old are still reliable layers also. In the future, I may learn to process cockerels since I seem to be falling for the auto sexing breeds but not while my daughter (age 12) is helping me raise the chicks.

So really, I think I am feeding 1 hen who is not laying. I can afford to do that.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
I would agree with this. I only have 2-5 hens at a time, mostly for yard art, eggs are an added benefit. I don't eat many eggs so they can live here indefinitely. I have yet to reach that point where I get no eggs because the hens are too old.

Russ

 

[VelvettFog]

Dave,
Just curious how the older birds turn out after the swim in the stew pot? I've heard that the older they are, the tougher/more rubber like they are. Is this accurate? And does cooking them this way help with that?

Certainly the older the bird the longer it needs to stew. I've not personally ran into one that was inedible - but CL has made comments before that she's cooked a rooster for days and it was still tough as a car tire

 

[Greg Richardson]

FREE Stepping and flag stones (Sammamish)

Date: 2012-10-22, 1:15PM PDT
Reply to this post [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

Fish are interlocking cinder/cement. Approx. 18" x 8" x 1.5". About 50 count.

Stepping stones are grey granite of various sizes.

You pick up. Taking all is most preferred.

Call, or Text is preferred. 425-351-6050

​

​

​

• Location: Sammamish
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

 

[Hinotori]

Dang, if that was closer, I'd go get them. We always have spots that could use them. I think it would be great in the silkie pen, I currently have chickenwire down to keep out the voles.

 

[Nikki99]

Quote:
Carolyn,

You've gotten some good responses from others on this board. I think it really comes down to how you view your birds. Does the flockster see them as pets or livestock, or a combination of both. My birds are not pets. Even those who get names are not pets. I expect all my birds to do their job. To me that means they either lay what I consider an appropriate number of eggs a week, or they quickly achieve butcher weight. I try to stay with dual purpose birds, and I let them cross breed to take advantage of hybrid vigor. I do have a breeding project, but not to produce a show quality bird. I'm trying to create a dual-purpose auto-sexing breed by crossing New Hampshires and Barred Rocks.

When I get a hen who's gotten past the prime laying part of her life (usually between 36 and 48 mo.) I evaluate the bird. I tend to hang on to birds longer if they fit my breeding program. Birds who no longer lay at an acceptable rate (4 a week is a good cut off for me) will go on craigslist first, and if no takers, the go to the stew pot. I don't live close to an auction house, so that's not really an option to me, but if I did it would certainly be something I'd try out.

I have no trouble understanding that some people consider their birds pets and would never butcher them. If that were the case for me, then I'd certainly turn to craigslist or auctions should I choose to no longer keep one of my birds.

I think it was Mikey who said it best -- you will know what's right for you when the time comes.

HTH,

Dave

Dave,
Just curious how the older birds turn out after the swim in the stew pot? I've heard that the older they are, the tougher/more rubber like they are. Is this accurate? And does cooking them this way help with that?
Joy of Cooking has a recipe called Supreme of Old Hen. It stews from one to three hours depending on the age of the hen.

Thanks Hallerlake, I will keep this in mind!

Quote:
Good to know, thanks!