What did you do in the garden today?

[CNJ]

I thought the packet of Beef Steak tomato seeds I got from Lowes were duds, so I mentioned I put them in a petri dish with the hope of getting at least two plants. However, an over whelming amount of them sprouted, so I put 12 sprouts in a seed starter tray and set them out in the sun. I'll throw the rest out if the ones I set out can handle the sun.

I have 3 Better boys, 3 Katana Beef steaks, and 2 Burpee giant tomato plants that might make it to the transplant size. The 12 Beef Steak tomato sprouts I set out is too much for me to handle, I'll probably keep only 3 of them. I have other tomato varieties incubating like, Black Pineapple, orange peach, Rutgers improved bush type, and Early Girl improved bush type.

I also have 5 different varieties from Bakers Creek in transit. I think I am in over my head. I have never grown this many tomatoes plants in my life.

 

[CNJ]

but if yo udid hatch some of those to keep your flock alive over the years, will they all have a tendency to be mean or what? When you breed fighters, are the girls mean too or just the boys?

They start handling the roosters at an early age and cull the man eaters. Its too dangerous for them to put the man eaters in the ring. The hens and roosters are like dual purpose breeds. There are good natured ones and bad ones. Individual roosters are typically kept on a string next to a triangle shelter with a perch extension in front. Its easier to catch and tame them this way.

• Fighting chickens is illegal in Hawaii, as well as at the federal level. But animal wellness advocates say prosecuting anyone beyond those in the fighting pits may prove difficult because of Hawaii’s relatively weak animal fighting laws. For chicken fights, getting caught would only result in a misdmeanor.

www.civilbeat.org/2020/09/hawaii-animal-rights-activists-want-feds-to-investigate-cockfighting/
Hawaii Animal Rights Activists Want Feds To Investigate ...

 

[jerryse]

Spent about 3 hours outside yesterday. The dog also spent a lot of time outside. Today not so nice so indoor stuff. I saw seed racks out already. I resisted the urge to browse.

 

[Ascholten]

I think cock fighting is illegal pretty much everywhere, but you can see it all the time in certain places. Everyone KNOWS what's going on, it's just a matter of them finally being caught. My thoughts are with, ok so now what do you do with the 50 birds this jackass had? Do they have to be destroyed because the only thing they can do is fight, or can they somehow be tamed down and integrated back into a normal flock without it causing grave issues with the flocks overall disposition, somewhere down the line?

Since you got nothing but cocks on your hands, you are going to have a real rough time getting rid of them to begin with. It's that whole Rooster - Eww -- no thanks, thing. So how do we handle a room full of unwanted roo's?, besides a fried chicken lunch at the homeless shelter?

some of those birds are insanely expensive too. Ive seen people pay 500, 700, sometimes over 1000 dollars for a bird. Even if it's for 'show', it's a show 'FIGHTING' bird, so, the illegal fighting, stigma, is still following that bird around.

It's just bad all around.

Aaron

 

[CNJ]

Since you got nothing but cocks on your hands, you are going to have a real rough time getting rid of them to begin with. It's that whole Rooster - Eww -- no thanks, thing. So how do we handle a room full of unwanted roo's?, besides a fried chicken lunch at the homeless shelter?

When I was a kid, we used to practice tying knife and we would bet our allowance with other kids in the same neighbor hood. After the fight, we would pluck and soup the dead chicken for everyone and practice sowing up the wound on the winner.

They sold chicken knives at my local Ace Hardware store at that time.

My friend's father use to take us to the big organized fighting rings where we could place bets with people near us. The old men around us use to entertain us with dollar bets. The best thing about these organized events were the local style food stands. Pork or chicken adobo, chicken long rice, lau lau, poke, shoyu chicken, pork gisantes, pinakbet, dinardaraan (pork blood stew), pansit, fire roasted salted tilapia, huli huli chicken etc...............

My friends father had a white speckled color imported Kelso chicken that won 13 fights and had to retire with no one wanting to fight it. The chicken in the ring are mostly red, so the white color on it was too unforgettable. Everyone would bet on it when they see it and it never lost. It was a very intelligent rooster that look like its getting beat up when sparing with gloves. However, when they put a knife on him, he would one shot and kill the other rooster.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I just caught this little guy, he was starving and came right up to me. This chicken belongs to someone, but I don't know who? He was too tame to be wild.
I know the kid who came to catch his red color cockerel the last time told me it was a Round Head fighting chicken. I am not sure if this is a blood line chicken. This is a baby chicken that is just beginning to crow.
I put him in the cage, so he doesn't mess up my meat bird project. I am so close to setting my line.

Poor fella

 

[TJAnonymous]

Grabbing roosters from the wild. Keep him quarantined for a bit, you just never know what bugaboo's he may have on him that you don't want getting into your flock.

This whole avian flu thing, I don't believe most the crap I see anymore. Sadly you can not trust anything you see or hear in todays terrible world, but they sure seem bent on killing off birds for any reason they can find.

Just don't want him accidentally making the rest of your sick. You might end up with a decent pet. Keep him away from other males if he's a fighter but should not be an issue.

With that.
Honest question:

Lets say someone gets a fighter or three. Is there ANYTHING you can do with them to reduce that urge they got to fight, to kind to kind of normalize them, or are they going to be that way until they die essentially? What happens when you DO breed them with regular chickens? Yes I know you now got an easter egger mix coming out of that, but if yo udid hatch some of those to keep your flock alive over the years, will they all have a tendency to be mean or what? When you breed fighters, are the girls mean too or just the boys?

Aaron

I've followed the game hen threads a while back since DH was "gifted" with 5 game hens. Those roosters are bred to fight to the death. According to people who raise their roosters but don't fight them, there's nothing you can do to remove that instinct. That's why most of those BYC'ers put leg shackles on their roosters so they can be uncaged but unable to reach the other roos.

 

[Ascholten]

What was the purpose in practicing sewing them up?
Yes I get it, knowing how to do stitches is always a good thing, but was there any specific reason, ie to sew up your birds who may lose in fights (unless it was mandatory fight to the death fights) or just general 'boyscout knowledge' or what? Not fingering you for any bad reasons, just genuinely curious as that's something id not expect people to make a point of teaching the others to do, without a specific reason for NEEDING that specific skill.

Aaron

 

[Ascholten]

I've followed the game hen threads a while back since DH was "gifted" with 5 game hens. Those roosters are bred to fight to the death. According to people who raise their roosters but don't fight them, there's nothing you can do to remove that instinct. That's why most of those BYC'ers put leg shackles on their roosters so they can be uncaged but unable to reach the other roos.

That is kind of what I understood them to be as well, they have ONE purpose in life, kill other roosters. The pretty feather part of it is secondary to the 'kill the other rooster' part of their existence.

I was just curious, as once you break these rings up, is there ANY hope for these birds of a normal life or do they all get destroyed, because of what they are? The show ones I am sure you could sell for a nice pretty penny but we all know they are not going to be bought just to be 'shown off' for their purty feathurz...

Aaron

 

[WthrLady]

22'F this morning and the winds are howling and it only feels like 8 out.
I'm inside.
DH ordered his hearing aids this week. They'll be in tomorrow.
Took me years of convincing him.
He's JUST below prescription strength need, which would be paid for 100% by our insurance.
But as it is he cannot hear well enough when teaching, at meeting, or in crowded places anymore, so I'll gladly foot the bill.
Almost done sorting out these rooms.
Still no real plans for the garden, besides flowers in the center this year, and enough in the greenhouse to sell some. It's far too early and I already have all my seeds.
Story on local talk radio yesterday about avian flu, culling, egg prices, that had me rolling with laughter. Wish I could remember it all. The gist was, egg prices are high as they culled a gazillion birds because Earl sneezed, which is funny cause Earl isn't going to be laying eggs, but since EARL sneezed they all must have the flu, so all the birds must die.
But wait! Does having the bird flu mean the birds will die? No, but it will stop the spread, and if the bird gets the flu it MIGHT die, so to prevent you from dying from the flu, everyone gets culled. It was all done from the point of view of a flock of chickens. Egg production on the ranches around here should be to egg laying date by Easter.

No problems around here yet, but considering locks for the hen house.

Have a great day everyone.