OT: backyard chickens

[huskypantz]

My best friends did for around ten years and we loved the fresh eggs, but they just stopped this year because they got tired of fighting the bears. They live in Litchfield fwiw.

Reminds me of this SNL skit.

 

[Walker11]

One interesting tidbit is the Fisher cat has made a comeback on the outer Cape. Fisher cats are not feline and don't eat fish (think large otter with claws). They decimated the porcupine (favorite food) population on the Cape and thus their population dwindled. Their second favorite is chicken and if they get into a coop will kill everyone in there drag them off and bury them for later dining pleasure.

Coyotes and foxes are all the rage here in Fairfield County. I had a friend return from an overnight trip to NYC to find her 4 chicken disemboweled in the coop. A farm I work with had a flock (is that what its called?) of 40-50 chickens wiped out in a night. There were a few decapitated heads left in the pen and the rest of the remains were found in a field an acre or so away. Gnarly.

 

[intlzncster]

Really didn't think my first post back on the BY would be about chickens, but cluck it.

Been raising meat and egg birds for nearly 10 years now. 1st, there's egg birds and there's meat birds, and there's no sense in mixing the two. A true egg bird is made to lay. It's shockingly light and has less meat on it than an anorexic rabbit. We have had several varieties, but the leghorn has been the best. As in the Foghorn Leghorn guy. They eat about as much as they need to make an egg each day, then a bit more to keep their Twiggy bodies moving. They're pack animals, and they're quiet. You will never hear them, unless they sneak up on you, which they do, and when you're on your back fixing the mower and you look to the side and there's one Eye Balling you sideways from a foot away like it wants to peck your eyeball out and play hacky sack with her pack, you get a Jurassic Park moment that makes you wonder why it took until the 70s for the bird-from-dinosaur theory to finally get traction.
In terms of cost, yeah, it's not worth your time, unless you make 8 bucks an hour, then it would be. In terms of product? Depends what you like. I used to be like August - home/farm eggs were weird. And then you get used to them and what you realize is that they are deep yellow because they have better nutrition (i suppose). You can't hard boil them and have peelable eggs unless you let them sit on the counter for 2 weeks, minimum, at which point you're fine. The implication, of course, is that all factory eggs are old. Which they are.
Regarding the crap on the eggs theory, that's crap. Eggs, unbroken, have a natural anti-bacterial molecular structure, and they can sit out for 2 or more weeks no problem. We do it all the time. To get peelable eggs. Yep.
Regarding product? What's organic? 90% organic can be labelled organic, right? Or something like that.
In terms of butchering, egg birds get whacked and fed to the pigs, which eat them head and toes and all. We don't have Chinese pigs either.
Meat birds are a whole different shebang. Avoid the rockX chickens. They are the factory farm birds and they are disgusting. They can't walk easily. Their chest feathers are matted with crap because they sit on their chests all day. Many have twisted and broken legs. We did that two years, then not again. Gross. The chicken meat you eat out and from the store is from that bird. They should not exist. They're like most of the female talk shows - an abomination.
We use freedom rangers. Great birds. Great meat. More in a PM if you want it, but I'm done talking about chickens. Could probably write a lot more. Have Amish folks out here will butcher for 3 bucks a bird. I do it for free. Good family work.
Good for the soul brother. Support your wife. It's a good thing to be doing.

ctrop

Atta boy maddog. get some

 

[80shusky]

If you want backyard chickens, the board is full of them this week.

 

[ElPresidente]

I introduce to you the 17-18 starting line up! Starting them off young! We do have plenty of ships available after all. They should be ready to go for first practice.

 

[formerlurker]

Backyard chickens become big business

 

[jibsey]

Saw a fox carrying either a chicken or bird of some kind Saturday, pretty torn up.

 

[IMind]

Meta heady

That'd be an awesome name for a beer.

 

[IMind]

Saw a fox carrying either a chicken or bird of some kind Saturday, pretty torn up.

I saw a bobcat the other day. It was cool. We just moved in to this place a year ago... and we have tons of fox. Never seen so many... so I thought it was a fox... but it had a really odd coloration. Then I realized it's face was to flat for a fox. So I decided it was a bobcat. Very cool watched it for 5 minutes. Nature is awesome. I also don't want chickens.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

The UCONN world is self destructing and we are worried about backyard chickens???

It's the post-season with no MBB participation and you aren't a fan of this thread???

 

[The Funster]

My cousin had an issue with some hawks. He got a rooster and problem was solved.

 

[huskymedic]

My cousin had an issue with some hawks. He got a rooster and problem was solved.

So tempted...

 

[The Funster]

c'mon, I'm playing the straight man for someone...

 

[huskymedic]

My cousin had an issue with some hawks. He got a rooster and problem was solved.

A big "rooster" can solve a lot of problems...

 

[Bryan Lord]

My cousin had an issue with some hawks. He got a rooster and problem was solved.

The rooster alerted the flock to the danger or did it scare off the hawk?