View Full Version : I am going to be a daddy!
Well, a chicken daddy anyway. :-D
They are rocking and I can hear peeping coming from one or more of them. No pips in the shell yet, but we should see a new arrival sometime in the next 48 hours or so.
8988
NA4BH
02-28-2013, 01:02 AM
They said you should be hung, and I think they was right. Chicken fscker
W7UUU
02-28-2013, 01:17 AM
That's really neat! Congrats!
Dave
W7UUU
KG4CGC
02-28-2013, 01:49 AM
Is it too late for an eggcam?
Can I name them? Purdue, Cookin' Good, Paramount...
Remember, chicken nuggets are made from the meat, not the byproducts.
Let's not even discuss chicken pellets.
Fresh peeps for Easter...yippee! :evil:
KC2UGV
02-28-2013, 09:05 AM
Meat, eggs, pets; or all of the above Mike?
K7SGJ
02-28-2013, 09:22 AM
When are you passing out the cigars?
Our chickens are just coming out of the short winter night I aint laying thingy, and starting to lay again. We need to replace about 6 that went to chicken heaven last year. Maybe we'll get an even 3/4 dozen.
When are you passing out the cigars?
Our chickens are just coming out of the short winter night I aint laying thingy, and starting to lay again. We need to replace about 6 that went to chicken heaven last year. Maybe we'll get an even 3/4 dozen.
How long do hens live, assuming the local canines don't get them?
KC2UGV
02-28-2013, 10:34 AM
How long do hens live, assuming the local canines don't get them?
8-10 years. The meat is really stringy by then, however.
Meat, eggs, pets; or all of the above Mike?
I plan on eating the roosters and enslaving the hens. They will be both egg producers and semi-pets.
Only reason we have a rooster is because my daughter named him and I have been forbidden from eating him. I got three roosters for free of Craigslist and managed to get two processed before my daughter got home from school. She got home while I was finishing up cleaning the second rooster and asked if she could at least pet the last one before I butchered it. He pecked at her, she freaked out, he made a run for it and for the next three days we were chasing that bird all over the pasture. He was finally caught by a neighbor and returned home. My wife and the girls named him and hence I cannot kill him without making the ladies cry.
His name is Ricky and is actually a pretty good rooster. Very protective of Lucy, our crippled little hen (another craigslist freebie).
8-10 years. The meat is really stringy by then, however.
Still makes a good pot of soup or dumplings.
Just found more farm babies this morning!
We have bunnies! Litter of 8 if I counted right. Little buggers were moving around quite a bit.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1998/20130228074842.jpg
WA4TM
02-28-2013, 11:18 AM
8993
K7SGJ
02-28-2013, 11:23 AM
Just found more farm babies this morning!
We have bunnies! Litter of 8 if I counted right. Little buggers were moving around quite a bit.
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/1998/20130228074842.jpg
We've had to raise them from scratch, too; After the dogs dug up the nest. If you are going to try to raise them, expect a 50% or better mortality. They have to be fedd every three hours or so, and then they have to be stimulated to go "potty" by rubbing that are with a q tip. They are a hoot when they get older. We had a litter last year that we lost two and released three. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. (Other than the nite feedings)
WA4TM
02-28-2013, 11:25 AM
8994
We've had to raise them from scratch, too; After the dogs dug up the nest. If you are going to try to raise them, expect a 50% or better mortality. They have to be fedd every three hours or so, and then they have to be stimulated to go "potty" by rubbing that are with a q tip. They are a hoot when they get older. We had a litter last year that we lost two and released three. A lot of work, but a lot of fun. (Other than the nite feedings)
We are letting momma bunny take care of them. She had 9, but one was stillborn. The rest look pretty good for now. Going to make a more detailed check in a few hours.
K7SGJ
02-28-2013, 07:19 PM
We are letting momma bunny take care of them. She had 9, but one was stillborn. The rest look pretty good for now. Going to make a more detailed check in a few hours.
Let me know hoe they do. The ones we raised over the years were orphaned by our dogs digging them up. Also raised several kangaroo rats, pack rats, and the obligatory gaggle of wild birds.
X-Rated
02-28-2013, 07:30 PM
We have chicken!
8996
Those are a blast to play with. Get some earthworms and put one in there in a box full of chicks. They run around like football players. Entertainment to last for hours.
Those are a blast to play with. Get some earthworms and put one in there in a box full of chicks. They run around like football players. Entertainment to last for hours.
I have a mealworm farm going in the closet. Will have to dig out a few and let the games begin.
Let me know hoe they do. The ones we raised over the years were orphaned by our dogs digging them up. Also raised several kangaroo rats, pack rats, and the obligatory gaggle of wild birds.
My sig line would have LOVED your house.
KC2UGV
02-28-2013, 08:53 PM
I have a mealworm farm going in the closet. Will have to dig out a few and let the games begin.
I'm going to start that next winter, to prep for the chickens the following year.
I'm going to start that next winter, to prep for the chickens the following year.
One of the advantages of the sticks....mine free range.
KC2UGV
02-28-2013, 09:40 PM
One of the advantages of the sticks....mine free range.
I could let them free range (And most likely will), but I want to ensure a steady protein input. I've got plenty of slugs to feed the 2 birds I plan on getting :)
K7SGJ
02-28-2013, 10:07 PM
We tried the free range thing a few years back. When we got home one day, there was nothing but chicken parts speard all over 5 acres. I'm not sure if the red tails got them, the coyotes, or the bobcats. Whatever it was, they were very through. Fortunately, we had the ducks locked up at the time. Bastids
KK4AMI
02-28-2013, 10:29 PM
I want to raise Cornish Cross chickens for meat. They have about a 10 week growth period until they get fat enough to butcher. Do 52 at the beginning of the year, clean 'em, pack 'em and freeze 'em. Then I have enough chicken for a year.
NA4BH
02-28-2013, 10:38 PM
Do you choke your chicken before the slaughter?
X-Rated
02-28-2013, 10:49 PM
Back on the farm, I raised thousands of chickens. All free range. The predator critters we had were skunks, opossums, and racoons. Skunks killed as many chickens as they could. Racoons would kill what they needed and come back another night for more, and opossums would eat their backs out first. Finally I got a wild turkey to put out there and predators seemed to stay away more.
Congrats Mike!
WE used to hatch ducklings when I was a kid. Sometimes they needed a little help and it was fun watching them come out all wet and then dry off.
One of the advantages of the sticks....mine free range.
I would free range mine, but we have a lot of coons and hawks around here. I made a chicken tractor that lets them get at the grass and bugs while keeping them secure. Just move it to fresh ground every day or so and the birds stay happy.
Just had a second chick hatch out a few minutes ago with a third working hard at it.
WA4TM
02-28-2013, 11:26 PM
Any plans for a chick cam?
Any plans for a chick cam?
I am not sure if my webcam is still packed in a box somewhere or if it was sold or given away before the move. Have not seen it in a very long time.
Up to seven chicks with more on the way. I am aiming for a 75% hatch rate or higher. Would give me 24 chicks if all goes well.
KG4CGC
03-01-2013, 02:46 PM
Peeps anyone?
8998
Hey! Now that's neat and a perfect segue to remind everyone with young children and grandchildren that you should not buy chicks and bunnies that are sold around Easter. They usually never make it to their first birthday and are brought about in cruel conditions. The only way to stop this type of thing is to make it so the people who sell these animals view it as unprofitable.
I remember when we were growing up, my brother and I got a pair of dyed chickens one Easter. They lived about 4 months and were never healthy even though we did what we could to take care of and feed them.
Hey! Now that's neat and a perfect segue to remind everyone with young children and grandchildren that you should not buy chicks and bunnies that are sold around Easter. They usually never make it to their first birthday and are brought about in cruel conditions. The only way to stop this type of thing is to make it so the people who sell these animals view it as unprofitable.
I remember when we were growing up, my brother and I got a pair of dyed chickens one Easter. They lived about 4 months and were never healthy even though we did what we could to take care of and feed them.
I hear you on that. I got after my sis-in-law for years for doing that stuff. She would always buy chicks for her kids (who were toddlers at the time) and they would smother or squish the poor little things in a few days. Silly woman could never figure out why the chicks kept dying year after year.
It is about a month after Easter that I plan on seeing lots of ads on Craigslist for free chicks and bunnies. I plan on taking in as many as I can.
The dyed birds are usually Cornish Cross which are the type you buy at the supermarket. They grow so fast that they are riddled with health issues unless you take special steps in their care. They literally grow faster than their legs and hearts can take.
Peeps anyone?
Hey, they look just like you, Mike! :mrgreen:
I hear you on that. I got after my sis-in-law for years for doing that stuff. She would always buy chicks for her kids (who were toddlers at the time) and they would smother or squish the poor little things in a few days. Silly woman could never figure out why the chicks kept dying year after year.
It is about a month after Easter that I plan on seeing lots of ads on Craigslist for free chicks and bunnies. I plan on taking in as many as I can.
The dyed birds are usually Cornish Cross which are the type you buy at the supermarket. They grow so fast that they are riddled with health issues unless you take special steps in their care. They literally grow faster than their legs and hearts can take.
We could never have chicks or little bunnies around here. The cats would take them down real fast.
My weenie California cats have been salivating over the wild bunnies that run through the yard all day. The cats won't go outside because it's too cold. Wussies.
We have a Cardinal pair nesting in the bush outside the front window. Magnificent birds.
We could never have chicks or little bunnies around here. The cats would take them down real fast.
My weenie California cats have been salivating over the wild bunnies that run through the yard all day. The cats won't go outside because it's too cold. Wussies.
We have a Cardinal pair nesting in the bush outside the front window. Magnificent birds.
I was afraid that my cats would do the same thing with the chicks and rabbits, but they have shown little interest in the birds. Even our hunter who brings us all kinds of dead critters ignores the chicks and for some reason is absolutely terrified of the bunnies. Brought in a couple of the younger rabbits and the cat freaked out at the sight of them.
Our cats came from the cold, so they are loving life down here. Lots of mice in the pasture for them to hunt and they seem to be making the most of it.
KC2UGV
03-01-2013, 11:18 PM
I hear you on that. I got after my sis-in-law for years for doing that stuff. She would always buy chicks for her kids (who were toddlers at the time) and they would smother or squish the poor little things in a few days. Silly woman could never figure out why the chicks kept dying year after year.
It is about a month after Easter that I plan on seeing lots of ads on Craigslist for free chicks and bunnies. I plan on taking in as many as I can.
The dyed birds are usually Cornish Cross which are the type you buy at the supermarket. They grow so fast that they are riddled with health issues unless you take special steps in their care. They literally grow faster than their legs and hearts can take.
Remember, that rabbit manure is almost perfect fertilizer, on it's own :)
n6hcm
03-02-2013, 03:25 AM
Remember, that rabbit manure is almost perfect fertilizer, on it's own :)
perhaps, but those would have to be awfully big rabbits for the manure to matter much ...
Come Spring, Snowman poo makes excellent water.
9000
KB3LAZ
03-02-2013, 10:05 AM
perhaps, but those would have to be awfully big rabbits for the manure to matter much ...
Depends. My parents raise rabbits for meat. When you have three dozen breeders popping out babies at similar times you end up with a lot of rabbit poo.
That aside, my dogs are afraid of the pet rabbits.
9001
This is Zilla, one of our flemish giants, at three months.
And here is the very first crop of new zealands we had.
9002
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6780/013cfx.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4006/012wme.jpg
KB3LAZ
03-02-2013, 02:22 PM
Cute little buggers.
KC2UGV
03-02-2013, 03:44 PM
perhaps, but those would have to be awfully big rabbits for the manure to matter much ...
Rabbits produce nearly a pound of poo each, every week :) 2 rabbits, 1 month, 8lbs of poo.
ad4mg
03-02-2013, 04:55 PM
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6780/013cfx.jpg
http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/4006/012wme.jpg
Is this where McNuggets come from? :-D
KG4CGC
03-02-2013, 04:58 PM
Is this where McNuggets come from? :-D
No. Chiclets.
Is this where McNuggets come from? :-D
McNuggets are made from genetically altered chicks. They come with soft beaks and batter flavored feathers.
KG4CGC
03-02-2013, 05:46 PM
If you want the truth, it's pink slime.
K7SGJ
03-02-2013, 06:19 PM
I also heard the McOnion Rings are really onion flavored, deep fried, buffalo assholes. Nothing goes to waste at that place.
When I had chicks, I always liked to count their toes.
This is the best way I knew to tell if they were genetically altered...
K7SGJ
03-02-2013, 08:57 PM
When I had chicks, I always liked to count their toes.
This is the best way I knew to tell if they were genetically altered...
I do the same thing. Anything over 7 on each foot, and I get suspicious. Anything under one raises my eybrow, too.
KG4CGC
03-02-2013, 09:22 PM
I also heard the McOnion Rings are really onion flavored, deep fried, buffalo assholes. Nothing goes to waste at that place.
Pink slime.
Now this one time at a pig roast ...
Biker guy cuts out the pig's asshole after if had been on the coals for a while.
Yeah, he bragged about it. While he was still living the story.
X-Rated
03-03-2013, 09:22 AM
We could never have chicks or little bunnies around here. The cats would take them down real fast.
My weenie California cats have been salivating over the wild bunnies that run through the yard all day. The cats won't go outside because it's too cold. Wussies.
...
Sorry to hear of your rodent infestation.
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