[IceHorses] OT - Chickens
>>... I think I could write a book for the silly chickens, however, we needed the space for the hay, cause we just could not get help to throw the hay up on the loft this year, so we took apart their stall, wel, they are sitting on the hay now, that is in their stall, dang... Debbie K.<< Y'all chicken owners would enjoy the book "Zen and the Art of Chicken Maintenance". I'm a wannabe chicken owner who can only dream Trish (who feels like I'm back in California with 80 degree days and a 3.1 earthquake on Friday morning) ;-)
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
I love my roosters, but there are some that can be TROUBLE, the best thing I have found is to handle them everyday while they are little, get the day old, and get them right away, handle them a lot, then they are very loving... I have had some really funny and sad experiences with our chickens... I think I could write a book for the silly chickens, however, we needed the space for the hay, cause we just could not get help to throw the hay up on the loft this year, so we took apart their stall, wel, they are sitting on the hay now, that is in their stall, dang... I need to find a better system for my 5... I have a buff, 2 blue layers, a lace one, and a Lacy rooster... -- I and my horses love our track system, take a look~~~ http://picasaweb.google.com/dakota.charm/TrackForHorses
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
>>> Now we're getting down to the real issue...Karen is scared of roosters! ;) Hey, what can I say? I love animals, and animals almost unfailingly love me...EXCEPT FOR ROOSTERS! They HATE me! Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.17.0/1180 - Release Date: 12/10/2007 2:51 PM
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
> Now we're getting down to the real issue...Karen is scared of roosters! ;) now that just makes her a big CHICKEN dont it yuk yuk' janice -- yipie tie yie yo
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
> Actually, we had chickens when I was a kid and I'm not anxious to go back to > those days. The bantam roosters would sometimes chase me Now we're getting down to the real issue...Karen is scared of roosters! ;) Sue
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:59:49 -0500, you wrote: >That's what I was wondering - I think we use about 2-dozen eggs per year! We sell all we can produce apart from a few for ourselves. I get £1.50 a dozen for them, and just stick a sign at the end of the drive. The eggs are kept in an old picnic cooler in the garage, with a pot of change, and people just help themselves. Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen --- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ---
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:48:12 -0500, you wrote: >I am determined to have chickens once we are permanently settled here and I >want to hear as much as possible from y'all. Especiall how to house them >safely. We get a lot of foxes here too, so we have fenced off an area of about a quarter acres for the chickens, with stock fence and electric. They are shut into a foxproof wooden house at night. If you only have a few, just a small area is fine as a run for them - say, about 10 x 15ft for 3 or 4 chooks. Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen --- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ---
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On 12/10/07 7:04 PM, "Janice McDonald" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > annaleise, I have some very tiny bantams called serama, the worlds > smallest chicken they say, and some golden phoenix, and they can fly > as well as a dove or other bird it seems! But when predators come > they fly to the trees and are safe. also a very aggressive mean > rooster will protect his hens, even to the death, also a big male > gander will fight a predator and can fly if need be Thank you Janice: When the time comes I will ask you where to get them. I will first get some type of moving housing for them. Anneliese
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Now we're really wandering. I love this list. We had a Kommondor to guard our dairy goat herd. He was an absolutely amazing herd guard and all around best-ever dog. Considering that Cary and I only use 2-3 dozen eggs per year, and let's see...I'd need a mobile hen house and fence, another huge dog...hmm, and added emotional stress due to potential coyote/fox attacks on the chickens I'd be bound to get attached to...? And Kommodors/Great Pyrenees live what? 7-8 years? And they sell for what? $1000+ each? And the dogs eat how much...? That sounds like an expensive way to get my two dozen eggs! Oh, wait - didn't someone say something about having chickens donated to feed their dogs? Now I'm confused --- do the chickens support the dogs, or do the dogs protect the chickens...? Actually, we had chickens when I was a kid and I'm not anxious to go back to those days. The bantam roosters would sometimes chase me, and occasionally a dog or cat would kill one of the hens or biddies, leaving me all teary. (Once the neighbor's dog got a whole batch of cute new biddies...) Oh yeah, I remember the HUGE copperhead I found in the henhouse one time - THAT was scary! Chickens were not that much fun when I was a little kid. And yes, I really do understand the phrase, "running around like a chicken with his head cut off" - yuu-uck! No thanks! Karen Thomas, NC
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
annaleise, I have some very tiny bantams called serama, the worlds smallest chicken they say, and some golden phoenix, and they can fly as well as a dove or other bird it seems! But when predators come they fly to the trees and are safe. also a very aggressive mean rooster will protect his hens, even to the death, also a big male gander will fight a predator and can fly if need be -- yipie tie yie yo
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Now we're really wandering. I love this list. We had a Kommondor to guard our dairy goat herd. He was an absolutely amazing herd guard and all around best-ever dog. Nancy
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Our chickens free roam, but man they make a mess of the hay.. I have only 4 hens and a rooster, I need to figure out a better way to keep them, or my hubby will want me to get rid of them, and I LOVE THEM... Any ideas??? -- I and my horses love our track system, take a look~~~ http://picasaweb.google.com/dakota.charm/TrackForHorses
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Our chickens live in a cute wheeled a-frame chicken hut that can be closed up at night for extra protection they are fenced inside a movable plastic mesh electric fence. When the grass gets all torn up, I just move the whole thing to a new area. A Great Pyrenees is also a great coyote/fox deterrent. Cherie Western North Carolina Lilja, Roka (Icelandics)and Tyra (Fjord)
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
We have a Wyandotte, a Bantam Barred Rock, a Buff Orpington, and a Bantam Cochin. All lay brown eggs. The banty Barred Rock lays and egg a day all year with a brief time out for molt. The Wyandotte and Orpington lay almost every day. The Bantam Cochin is a great pet, doesn't know she's a chicken and probably thinks it is beneath her to lay eggs! Cherie
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
>>> Do you eat all the eggs? V That's what I was wondering - I think we use about 2-dozen eggs per year! Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1179 - Release Date: 12/9/2007 11:06 AM
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Dec 10, 2007 1:30 PM, Janice McDonald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > buff orpingtons are good! so are rhode island reds. Aracuanas are > fun, prolific and hardy but eggs are easter egg colors not brown and > reputed to be lower in cholesterol. I have one that lays pale green > and one that lays pink. but my buff orpington hens lay an egg a daqy, > large pale brown. Do you eat all the eggs? V
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Chickens are so much fun we have wondered why we keep parrots. Chickens are vastly less expensive to buy. I'm sure there are other websites, but I like this one: http://www.backyardchickens.com/ We have plenty of predators here and a Jack Russell terrior rescue that is not a good pal for chickens. We keep ours in two huge chain link dog kennels. It keeps chickens in and predators (domestic and foreign) out. The chickens would probably be much happier roaming free, but that woudln't last long. We one of Southern Oregon's only wheelchair accessible chicken yards, but have since moved the chickens a little farther from the house. Nancy
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On 12/10/07 4:05 PM, "IceDog" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Okay I've always wanted chickens, but Bill says no way. Even though he loved > the chickens he cared for as a kid. You guys are making me so envious with > all your chicken talk! > > Cheryl More chicken talk, please. I have never been able to keep chickens here because of Coyotes and Foxes. I tried a few times with chicken that like to roost in trees so I thought they were safe. But the last 6 hens and their rooster disappeared fast because the rooster cried "come and get me" all day long. I am determined to have chickens once we are permanently settled here and I want to hear as much as possible from y'all. Especiall how to house them safely. Anneliese
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Dec 10, 2007 2:44 PM, Mic Rushen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:40:01 -0600, you wrote: > > > I just got an incubator but haven't got any eggs in it yet. I want to > get some silkies and some call ducks. My lot don't tend to set very > well, I think it's too windy and exposed up here for them to get very > broody! (but the ducks love it...) > > > Mic > i put old moldy bad hay in piles for them to scratch around and nest in. they love it and keeps them warm from the north wind and rain. janice -- yipie tie yie yo
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Okay I've always wanted chickens, but Bill says no way. Even though he loved the chickens he cared for as a kid. You guys are making me so envious with all your chicken talk! Cheryl Sand Creek Icelandics Icelandic Horses & Icelandic Sheepdogs website: www.toltallyice.com
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:40:01 -0600, you wrote: > we >dont have black rocks either! Black rocks are a hybrid of Plymouth rock and something else, to make them more hardy and prolific. It's quite easy to get Welsummers around here. I have a Welsummer cockbird and a couple of hens. I love the cockbirds, they're like "proper" cockerels. I've heard they can be nasty, but I've had several and they've all been fine. Saying that, I've never yet has a nasty cockerel in 30 years of chicken keeping with lots of different breeds, even some weird ones like Old English Game. I just got an incubator but haven't got any eggs in it yet. I want to get some silkies and some call ducks. My lot don't tend to set very well, I think it's too windy and exposed up here for them to get very broody! (but the ducks love it...) Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen --- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ---
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Dec 10, 2007 1:10 PM, Mic Rushen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:49:33 -0800, you wrote: > > >So, the question: is there a breed of chicken that produces as well as the > >leghorn, but lays the brown eggs that people love so much? > > Speckledys and Welsummers lay around 280 - 300 eggs per year that are > dark chocolate brown. > > Black rocks lay around 320 eggs per year and have slightly lighter > eggs. > > People here love the eggs from my Cream Legbars (blue eggs) and > Barnewelders (pinky brown) as well as my Welsummer x Araucanas (green > eggs) but none of them are such prolific layers. > > Mic > i almost said that mic but welsummers are real gard to find around here. I have three cuckoo maran eggs in my incubator tho :) and we dont have black rocks either! We have barred rocks tho and they are good layers... what did the poster mean by "non setting" ?? Do some not set? my orpingtons set. janice -- yipie tie yie
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
BUFF! That's what I have. She's really nice and a good layer. I also have the Araucanas...lovely eggs. Great around Easter as Janice said. Mary
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:49:33 -0800, you wrote: >So, the question: is there a breed of chicken that produces as well as the >leghorn, but lays the brown eggs that people love so much? Speckledys and Welsummers lay around 280 - 300 eggs per year that are dark chocolate brown. Black rocks lay around 320 eggs per year and have slightly lighter eggs. People here love the eggs from my Cream Legbars (blue eggs) and Barnewelders (pinky brown) as well as my Welsummer x Araucanas (green eggs) but none of them are such prolific layers. Mic Mic (Michelle) Rushen --- Solva Icelandic Horses and DeMeulenkamp Sweet Itch Rugs: www.solva-icelandics.co.uk ---
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
> So, the question: is there a breed of chicken that produces as well as > the > leghorn, but lays the brown eggs that people love so much? > > Nancy I don't know about producing as well as a leghorn...but around here, Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rocks are good non-setting brown egg layers. (Connecticut :) ) -Dee the lurker, with chickees :)
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Rhode Island Reds were what we used to have and I loved the hens(roosters were aggressive). go to link... http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html if you scroll down gives lots of info ...plus there are 6! eggs in the litttle egg box!! Ashley
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
On Dec 10, 2007 10:49 AM, Nancy Sturm <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > So, the question: is there a breed of chicken that produces as well as the > leghorn, but lays the brown eggs that people love so much? > > Nancy > buff orpingtons are good! so are rhode island reds. Aracuanas are fun, prolific and hardy but eggs are easter egg colors not brown and reputed to be lower in cholesterol. I have one that lays pale green and one that lays pink. but my buff orpington hens lay an egg a daqy, large pale brown. Janice-- yipie tie yie yo
RE: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Nancy~ I have a lovely hen that isn't a leghorn and she alone is giving me many eggs (brown). I will take a picture...have no idea what she is...got her at a feed store with a different 'blue' hen (which, BTW, is a rooster) I sell my eggs for $1.50, too! I can't afford them in the store, and these are healthier, anyways. Pic coming later. Mary
Re: [IceHorses] OT - chickens
Isa Browns are very prolific egg layers. PLus, they are a cute brown & white speckled bird, though they don't grow as big a comb as the leghorn. We have 25 donated to us each spring and fall (for our sleddogs), just after their first molt. A farmer friend buys them as ready-to-lay hens, then keeps them 'til their first molt. If we accidently keep them too long (ie, they are given to us as dog food), they begin to lay within about 3 weeks (when their feathers grow back), and continue to produce well (average of 5 eggs per hen per week) for 2 or 3 years (some are going strong 6 yrs later). CindyF
[IceHorses] OT - chickens
My sweet husband loves chickens (and all other birds, I suspect). He has what I secretly think of as the "chicken ministry". He does all the care for and provides all the feed for a nice little flock of hens. He sells eggs for a $1.50 a dozen and gives Stephanie $1.00 because the original leghorn hens were her 4-H project. These are very inexpensive eggs here, compared to supermarket prices, but he says most of his egg customers are struggling financially. So, the question: is there a breed of chicken that produces as well as the leghorn, but lays the brown eggs that people love so much? Nancy
Re: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
On 12/4/07, IceDog <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Here are a couple of my grandkids with an emu. > > Cheryl > I have been reasearching. From what I have read, if you spend a great deal of time hands on with them while they are very young they can be in petting zoos etc. and not be dangerous. I didnt read any articles that said they kicked, but many/most said they can be very dangerous in that their front feet are as sharp as razors and when used defensively can cause really deep life threatening slashes. It said they do that when cornered. Then gave lengthy advise on what to do if you need to catch one for any reason, which involved chasing it into a fence and two people grabbing the small wings while always careful to be in the rear so you wont get slashed. was enough to put me off really. That and the news from Cherie that you have to feed one as much as you feed a large horse every day and feed is expensive. so. My usual hatch rate is around 50%. I read most places the chicks go for 100-200 bucks even when real young so what I will do is if any hatch I will nurture along and sell it/them. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
Re: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
> Emus! Now I know you're crazy! Do you know they eat minimally 1 1/2 to 2 lbs > of special pellets a day? maybe donny wont feel bad to kill them and we will eat them. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
RE: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
Janice: Emus! Now I know you're crazy! Do you know they eat minimally 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of special pellets a day? They also have to be fed those special ratite pellets, otherwise you'll get growth problems in the legs. While you're raising them you have to be very careful that they don't eat a lot of rocks and other indigestible items.They are much nicer than ostriches but can still pack a punch when they kick and they do peck at shiny objects! That said, they are cute and look like little striped tumbleweeds when they hatch. Cherie
Re: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
On 12/4/07, Laree Shulman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Only I would > > hope it would not peck any horses in the eye. > > > Janice - if they are anything like ostriches, the least of your > worries would be the pecking - an ostrich kick could easily break a > horses leg. oh my gosh! a man down the street has one in with some goats and some horses and minis. It just grazes and stares over the fence. Janice-- yipie tie yie yo
RE: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
>I am so excited!! I cant wait to get film of an emu> living with Teev and >Noss! will that be cool or what. < Cool stuff, I had a woman come to my farm years ago to hire my geese to sit her eggs she bought. I couldn't charge her anything and they didn't hatch, but she bought them from someone saying they were fertile and she just had to keep them warm and turned. Also got a call from a neighbor last night to say some loose chickens about a mile from my farm. My husband told our boys and gave them 2 nets, off they went to bring home two hens and two roosters, they must have been blown to our farms from the 40-50mph winds we had yesterday. Not much relief of winds today.
Re: [IceHorses] OT-chickens
Only I would > hope it would not peck any horses in the eye. Janice - if they are anything like ostriches, the least of your worries would be the pecking - an ostrich kick could easily break a horses leg. -- Laree in NC Doppa & Mura Simon, Sadie and Sam (the "S" gang) "Yet when all the books have been read and reread, it boils down to the horse, his human companion, and what goes on between them." - William Farley
[IceHorses] OT-chickens
hey you guys there are list newsgroups for people who like to swap hatching eggs and for people who sell hatching eggs. I am going to get 3 emu eggs! I am so excited!! I cant wait to get film of an emu living with Teev and Noss! will that be cool or what. Only I would hope it would not peck any horses in the eye. Janice -- yipie tie yie yo
