Washingtonians

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Quote: there are a couple great videos on youtube. I think I have bookmarked them if you are interested...oh well, even if you are not let me see if I can find them:

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Well I tried to "quote" multiple posts and I seem unable to do so. So...:
VF: Love the place.
(sorry can't remember our tag): Yes, a BYC pool party would be a blast.
Farmin Mamma: No one has the right to judge. On our place...(even though daughter made me sign contract that exsisting birds are not sent to freezer) the "freezer camp pens" will be well fed, well taken care of and will have the best lives that we can give them. Then when it is time for them to do their "job"...we will butcher them in the most humane possible way. Here they either are to eat or to lay an egg. We have a few as pets. but no one has the right to judge me for doing this. My birds probably have better lives than many who are never killed for whatever reason.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Want to see some photo?:
Husband the turkeys. Oh, speaking of butcherng, some of these were suppose to go to freezer..guess what....not gonna happen. Next year, I will put some separate and those will go to freezer.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Want some more?

Barred rock cross momma with 4 FS bought Golden Comets (sexlinks) and 5 100% English Orps babies she hatched. The sexlinks are the smaller chicks.

Blue English orp baby.


This is Roy, he is a Lavendar Orp..tail is too high though, don't have the heart to freezer camp him...so he is in the layer pen. He has the job of encouraging the ladies to lay. LOL.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote: I'll probably list them on Craigslist for $5 a piece.

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Quote: One of my favorite slogans belonged to the minor league hockey team the Ice Dogs: "All bite, no bark". Loved it!
The blue Ameraucanas are doing well but still no sign of anyone crowing and their combs and feathers seem to keep changing daily, keeping me guessing on who's a boy and who's a girl. They are now outdoors enjoying my little grow out tractor.


Oooohhh, your birds are so pretty!!! =) I love my blue Ameracauna - Blueberry. She is my sweetest of all my chickens, comes running when I call, and she honks at me when she's happy! And the blue eggs are pretty awesome too!

 

[Breshcandra]

So, I am here in Mill Creek, wa. (Very happy there is this Wa thread) I am a victome of chicken math. I stared out with 5 hens that I got for free. (about 90% of my girls have been free!) They were 5 yrs old. I got to the point of 30 hens and one great roo. Then I got 5 chicks for free, RIR and BRs, they are 10wks old now. Decided that I would like to see what chicks would look like from my own flock, so I bought a incubator and tried. First time I got none. Then I put 30 eggs in to try again, at the same time my Black Cochin went broody and I gave her 4 eggs. I ended up in the hospital for 2 days for surgery to remove a tubel pregnacy ( sorry for the TMI, but talking about it is helping me cope) The day I was coming home I got a call from my Brother in law to let me know that my broody's eggs were hatching, I was so very excited. When I got home (after hugging my kids) I ran out to see these babies, as soon as the first one popped her little head out I just broke out in tears, so happy that I had babies of some sort.

Now when I decided to hatch chicks I knew I was not going to keep all of them, only a few of my favorites. Which was two from the broody and one from the 7 I got out of the incubator. So I put them on CL for free (cause they are mutts and did not cost me anything) Today a lady had her husband come and pick them up, all of them, 6 from the bator and 2 from broody...... I knew it was coming, I am the one who put them up for new homes. But I am feeling so sad now, not really for the ones out of the bator, but the ones from broody that brought me so much happiness the day I came home. As well as every day after. I was not supose to be up and about, I had to just sit in one place, not that I could have gotten up if I wanted to, so I had my amazing DH take me out and put my butt in a chiar where the babies and momma were so I could just sit and watch them. Now I feel like I made a mistake taking babies from momma and myself, even though she still has the 2.

I guess my point in posting this is just to vent a bit and to ask, am I weird for feeling like this? Is it a little over board to be this bothered by somthing I knew was coming? No one made me do it, I just can't be selfish to my girls and cram them all in together.

I really wish that I had friends or family that did the farming thing or even just chickens, but no one I know does and all think I am a bit off my rocker. I am only 27yr old so my friends really think I have lost it. I am so glad that this site is here, cause even if I am not as close to you all as you guys seem to be, I know that for the most part you all understand.

Thanks for letting me vent!

Its ok to vent and right now your emotions are going a little crazy. I should know.
3 years ago we started trying for our second child.
It took us 1 1/2 years to get pregnant. I lost the baby in December it was 2 months along due to a miscarriage.
We then got pregnant 6mos later and lost that one a week after we found out.
We are still trying and its been 9mos now.
My emotions do go crazy. I love hatching my chicks as it gives me a chance to have some kind of baby around.
So go ahead and vent.

 

[SweetSilver]

Re: butchering the old biddies. We have (had) such a small flock, we decided they were pets and not for butchering. They still turn our weeds into wonderful poo (did I mention I Love Poo? I think I did!)

But guess what? They all died from one reason or another. Or no reason sometimes. So, they never got old enough to stop laying. Oh, well.

*Sigh*

When we get more room on our property I am starting to think about raising my own meat birds, and the chances are good that the old hens might find their way into the stew pot. Being out of town, we will finally be able to have enough hens to keep us in eggs, so it's going to be more of an impact if we keep them all. However, with a 5 and 7yo I am having a helluva time just trying not to have to keep *all* the straight run cockerels, too. (**** 4-H!)


Re: the brooder pen mess. I started mixing some of their crumble with water twice a day. I noticed they went nuts mining the wet, possibly fermented stuff the waterer got wet. Amazingly, this trick worked. (Now instead of the food mess in the pen, I had brooder mess in the food.)

However, now they are OUT!

FINALLY!

PHEW!

 

[broodytood]

Hey, BYC WA peeps!
Been a long time!
Life is starting to get back to normal. Radiation is over.
I had my final check on my skin today and things are healing up great!
I have a new level of sympathy for burn victims. Wowsa!
Sorry to anyone that needed an answer or info from me in the last couple of months.
I did not realize how zapped I was going get.
Now that I am coming out of it, I can see how bad it was.
My kids are grateful to have their mom back!
I still take naps but am feeling soooo much better.
On the chicken side of life, We are having to beat off the broodys with a stick.
We sold 3 chickens that we hatch last spring to a friend and 2 of them have shared a hatch!
Very cool, indeed!
There is no way I can get caught up on all the missed stuff, so I just want to say...

to the many new peeps!
Hope everyone is doing ok.

 

[VelvettFog]

I am so excited. Verified my materials list today. Gave them a check. What wonderful enablers we have on here.

Have nail-gun will travel Who was it that said they needed a run built?

VF: Love the place.

Thanks

Husband the turkeys.

Did you just call DH a turkey ? Me thinks you did

Hey, BYC WA peeps!
Been a long time!
Life is starting to get back to normal. Radiation is over.
I had my final check on my skin today and things are healing up great!
I have a new level of sympathy for burn victims. Wowsa!
Sorry to anyone that needed an answer or info from me in the last couple of months.
I did not realize how zapped I was going get.
Now that I am coming out of it, I can see how bad it was.
My kids are grateful to have their mom back!
I still take naps but am feeling soooo much better.
On the chicken side of life, We are having to beat off the broodys with a stick.
We sold 3 chickens that we hatch last spring to a friend and 2 of them have shared a hatch!
Very cool, indeed!
There is no way I can get caught up on all the missed stuff, so I just want to say...

to the many new peeps!
Hope everyone is doing ok.

I hope you are doing ok. Sounds like you are rapidly getting there