Chicken Talk Anyone?

[darkbeaver]

I am a small time chicken rancher. I like chickens. My chickens are fourteen days old today and none of them died yet, I think I dislocated ones leg today though, I was teaching them to go outside in the little chicken patio I built for them, they don't fly at low altitute very well. I opened thier front door to the patio and waited and waited but none would come out so I first took thier food dispenser outside and put it in the patio where they would see it, still no migration so I took thier water dispenser outside and put it with the food, no movement. I then went inside and through them out one and sometimes two at a time through the little front door, this is possibly how I injured the aformentioned bird. Luckilly my nephew is in first year vet training I will consult him tommowow, if the bird can't be saved I will eat it, there seems a guite good sandwhich there. Training them is hard work, they haven't much brain I understand, we're getting on fine with each other, they love me.

 

[lone wolf]

Why do you have to teach them? We used to get a hundred little yellow peepers from the hatchery and let 'em raise themselves after a week or so of acclimation. Instinct is a pretty good coach (and saves your maternal ones for other things) As long as the foxes or weasels can't get 'em, and you supplement the bugs with crushed-up eggshells and chicken feed, they'll live long enough to be great grandparents.

 

[karrie]

Eat 'im while his bones are still soft hey beav? :lol:

 

[quandary121]

I loved breeding chickens, when on the road with my horse and cart, one year a mother and her chicks were feeding not far from me ,when i saw a sparrow hawk swoop down to snatch one of the poor little yellow chicks, the mother hen went berserk and attacked it, the hawk flew away without its prize that hen was mad i can tell you,the sparrow hawk is a big bird but the hen was not put off by that hen "1" sparrow hawk "0"

 

[gerryh]

Why do you have to teach them? We used to get a hundred little yellow peepers from the hatchery and let 'em raise themselves after a week or so of acclimation. Instinct is a pretty good coach (and saves your maternal ones for other things) As long as the foxes or weasels can't get 'em, and you supplement the bugs with crushed-up eggshells and chicken feed, they'll live long enough to be great grandparents.

I concur with LW and would also like to know why?

 

[darkbeaver]

Why do you have to teach them? We used to get a hundred little yellow peepers from the hatchery and let 'em raise themselves after a week or so of acclimation. Instinct is a pretty good coach (and saves your maternal ones for other things) As long as the foxes or weasels can't get 'em, and you supplement the bugs with crushed-up eggshells and chicken feed, they'll live long enough to be great grandparents.

Why do I have to teach them? You don't want me to raise ignorant chickens do you? I waited for about two hours for them to get the message and they still wouldn't go outside, they're called "meat kings" obviously not 'brain kings". The chicken business is more advanced now than it was when you were a kid Wolf, we use modern methods now and try to include the birds in culturally uplifting experiance as early as possible, like going outside for fresh air and bugs.

 

[gerryh]

Why do I have to teach them? You don't want me to raise ignorant chickens do you? I waited for about two hours for them to get the message and they still wouldn't go outside, they're called "meat kings" obviously not 'brain kings". The chicken business is more advanced now than it was when you were a kid Wolf, we use modern methods now and try to include the birds in culturally uplifting experiance as early as possible, like going outside for fresh air and bugs.

SO in other words...you don't have a clue.

 

[darkbeaver]

Eat 'im while his bones are still soft hey beav? :lol:

Karrie you're a genious, the blender, I'll make chicken spread.

 

[darkbeaver]

SO in other words...you don't have a clue.

Hello Gerry, how are you? You are right I don't have a clue but I have raised lots of chickens on numerous occasions. I lived and worked on a farm when I was a kid.

 

[darkbeaver]

I loved breeding chickens, when on the road with my horse and cart, one year a mother and her chicks were feeding not far from me ,when i saw a sparrow hawk swoop down to snatch one of the poor little yellow chicks, the mother hen went berserk and attacked it, the hawk flew away without its prize that hen was mad i can tell you,the sparrow hawk is a big bird but the hen was not put off by that hen "1" sparrow hawk "0"

You have a horse and cart, now I'm envious quandry121, I'v been thinking of a pit pony and a cart for a while now. Where I live it's a short distance from the cross Canada trail, there are hundreds of kilometers of trail with pony fuel all along them, I could drink lots of wine and let the pony do the driving.
Last week I watched a red tail hawk try to take a duckling out of the pond behind my place.
My father put duck eggs under a hen one time, I will never forget the hen running franticly arround a big puddle in the yard trying to get the ducklings out of the water which they had made a bee line for.

 

[gerryh]

Hello Gerry, how are you? You are right I don't have a clue but I have raised lots of chickens on numerous occasions. I lived and worked on a farm when I was a kid.

Well...if that was the case, then you know you don't need to teach them to go outside and eat. I know I never had to. The only problem I had with my free range hens was finding all the hiding places they found to lay their eggs, and a 100 chickens can find alot of places to lay eggs.

 

[darkbeaver]

Well...if that was the case, then you know you don't need to teach them to go outside and eat. I know I never had to. The only problem I had with my free range hens was finding all the hiding places they found to lay their eggs, and a 100 chickens can find alot of places to lay eggs.

I was trying to be humourous gerry, I'm sorry. I'v never seen them not go outside before as soon as they had the oportunity. I'v never raised free range hens before but it would be a good thing to do wouldn't it? Did you sell eggs at one time? I believe that would be a good business right now with the cost of food getting very expensive what.

 

[darkbeaver]

Hey gerry what do you know about pasturing pigs using electric fence, I got six of them coming in two weeks.

 

[gerryh]

I was trying to be humourous gerry, I'm sorry. I'v never seen them not go outside before as soon as they had the oportunity. I'v never raised free range hens before but it would be a good thing to do wouldn't it? Did you sell eggs at one time? I believe that would be a good business right now with the cost of food getting very expensive what.

With 100 hens? You bet we sold the eggs. You can count on AT LEAST 1 egg every 2 days. That's over 300 eggs a week. There's nothing like a free range egg. They actually have flavour....lol

 

[quandary121]

You have a horse and cart, now I'm envious quandry121

, I'v been thinking of a pit pony and a cart for a while now. Where I live it's a short distance from the cross Canada trail, there are hundreds of kilometers of trail with pony fuel all along them, I could drink lots of wine and let the pony do the driving.
Last week I watched a red tail hawk try to take a duckling out of the pond behind my place.
My father put duck eggs under a hen one time, I will never forget the hen running franticly arround a big puddle in the yard trying to get the ducklings out of the water which they had made a bee line for.

unfortunately not any more darkbeaver, i was burnt out by vigilantes about 8 years ago and had to sell my horse, as i could not keep him where i live now, its a long sad tale im afraid :-(

 

[gerryh]

Hey gerry what do you know about pasturing pigs using electric fence, I got six of them coming in two weeks.

I didn't pasture mine...... pig pen with 2X12's dug into the ground all the way around. I sometimes thought that those damn pigs were part ground hog.:lol:

 

[lone wolf]

I didn't pasture mine...... pig pen with 2X12's dug into the ground all the way around. I sometimes thought that those damn pigs were part ground hog.:lol:

We've let the pigs roam. Electric fence is a good thing 'cuz the beggers will root on forever if there's nothing to stop 'em. You'll get leaner pork than feeder pen piggies. To each their own. A ring through the nose will save a front yard - and don't show them where the carrots, parsnips or potatoes grow....

 

[gerryh]

We've let the pigs roam. Electric fence is a good thing 'cuz the beggers will root on forever if there's nothing to stop 'em. You'll get leaner pork than feeder pen piggies. To each their own. A ring through the nose will save a front yard - and don't show them where the carrots, parsnips or potatoes grow....

Mine were for spit roasting only....fed corn and sweet oats only.....gawd damn they was good.:smile:

 

[talloola]

You guys make me wish I had a small farm, I love animals, and now I have lots of time,
and I enjoy staying around home more than ever before, but I don't have the room for animals,
just my cat and dog, and a little vegetable garden. I love horses, love to look after them,
not more than two, don't know about chickens though, they are quite irritating damn things, what is there to like, except the eggs. Pigs would be neat to raise though.

 

[darkbeaver]

I got the pigs june 21st, I put them on 3.5 acres behind double strand electric wire. Most days so far they ignore the pig pellets so I guess they're having no trouble filling up. The chickens are driving me crazy (crazier) I can't move in the yard without 39 of them following at my heels I'm moving them in with the pigs soon as I get the roof on the new chicken/pig house. I haven't done this in quite a while, I'm slowly getting back into better shape, the five hundred feet of potatoes will help in that respect as well.