Probably watered 'em too much......
Anyone raise chickens?
- Thread starter bgrafsr
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Probably watered 'em too much......
Never knew you raised chickens Bill. I can remember when you brought hard boiled eggs to the club to share. That's cool, now I see why you moved out to the country. Larry
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
Have a duck left over from Easter. Follows my wife around like a puppy quacking her head off at her. Cracks me up. She recently has started to lay eggs (the duck not the wife) which are pretty good. Named the duck Quackers. She sleeps under the house with the yard cat-they share food-cat eats duck chow and the duck eats cat chow and it is cute to see them napping together in the sun in the back yard.
This thread needs a soundtrack.
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[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TSkN9m7kh9A[/ame]
We've always had a flock of chickens around the place for the last forty-some-odd years. You can't beat home-grown eggs. Besides, I think there was a news item once that said the eggs in the stores can sometimes be a month old or more. Not so with the ones straight from our hen house.
We keep our hens for a little over two years, then egg production starts to wane. We get rid of the old gals and get a new batch of chicks...and the cycle starts over.
We've sometimes had a little trouble with the occasional racoon, fox, or skunk, but a Hav-A-Hart trap usually takes care of that. The culprit is caught, dispatched, and buried either in the garden or the bottom of the compost pit.
Over the years, we've had a rooster or two, but they usually don't last long. Most of the time they just eat the feed and bother the hens. When they start getting aggressive, which most do, they also wind up at the bottom of the compost pit.
We keep our hens for a little over two years, then egg production starts to wane. We get rid of the old gals and get a new batch of chicks...and the cycle starts over.
We've sometimes had a little trouble with the occasional racoon, fox, or skunk, but a Hav-A-Hart trap usually takes care of that. The culprit is caught, dispatched, and buried either in the garden or the bottom of the compost pit.
Over the years, we've had a rooster or two, but they usually don't last long. Most of the time they just eat the feed and bother the hens. When they start getting aggressive, which most do, they also wind up at the bottom of the compost pit.
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We raised chickens , tame geese Canada geese ducks etc etc. We had a 2 acre pond behind the house and the waterfowl congregated there of course but everything came up for breakfast and Din Din so they were aroubd the house a lot. Well when the Baltimorons started to move down on the Eastern shore course they had kids...and easter chicks and ducks...wabbits too. Well every May or so the county animal control gal would call asking if we would take ducks and chickens. Most of the ducks were mallards of course...and the chickens were usually roosters The roosters even got to stay...for a while.. them Baltimorons bought chicken ducks geese wabbits etc...not realizing they grew up. Daughter raised the wabbits and later took them to a local farm sale and made pretty good money. The ducks geese...even one swan(Big Birds)...lived in the pond. All those roosters?? We kept them separated from the hens under a big ol Lodi apple tree. When they got big enough made great chicken and dumplings. BTW...those Baltimorons moved the the Eastern shore to a plywood orchard....put in a cement pond and couldn't figure out why the ducks geese and swan wanted to live in their swimmin pool.
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We've had them here for about 4 years. They're fun, and the eggs can't be beat.
We protect them as well as we can, but the hawks and foxes have more time on their hands than I do, so we occasionally lose one or two.
We don't eat them when the production falls off, so I guess it's like social security. The new ones pick up the slack.
Anyone have any tips on hard-boiling fresh eggs? The shells seem to stick too much.
We protect them as well as we can, but the hawks and foxes have more time on their hands than I do, so we occasionally lose one or two.
We don't eat them when the production falls off, so I guess it's like social security. The new ones pick up the slack.
Anyone have any tips on hard-boiling fresh eggs? The shells seem to stick too much.
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Had chickens on farm when a kid. Pretty good as we always had eggs and chicken and dumplings. Had a green and black rooster as a pet. He got Big but would roost on my left arm and eat corn out of right hand, name was " blackie" and would come when called. The large white geese were something else, mean as snakes.
OP
Actually it's Penny who is raising them. She collects the eggs everyday, feeds them, and takes care of the coop. Due to my infirmities, Penny does all the work around the place. I do mow the lawn, but since she is a farm gal, she has been taking that chore away from me also.
When we get a big snow and the driveway needs cleaning, she hops on our tractor and using the front bucket cleans the driveway off. I ask if I could do it, and her usual response is "stay in the house and keep warm".
I don't argue with her.
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OP
We have Garter snakes around, but we have only seen a couple of them. I do worry that they will get in the coop and go for the eggs.
OP
I have tried vinegar in the water and other so called cures to remove the shells. I've heard that the fresher the egg the harder it is to peel hard boiled eggs. I really get frustrated when peeling the eggs and you lose most of the egg doing so.
My wife does something to make 'em shell easier. Don't know what. Most peel easily. garter snakes??? as far as garter snakes eating the eggs. Nah...Not unless they are giant ones. Black snakes...of yeah. they'll eat 'em... Back in Md we'd let 'em have a few eggs. They keep mice and rat populations down. If you feed chickens you will definitely have them too. We even had some big ol roosters that wouuld hunt down and eat mice
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I like my hard boiled eggs with well done/firm yoke, so I boil them for about 13 minutes. To peel them cleanly, I take them straight from the boiling water and put them into a large bowl with a lot of ice and enough water to submerge the eggs. I leave them in a few minutes, and then roll them on the counter or cutting board hard enough to crush the shell around the circumference of the middle of the egg. The shell detaches very cleanly with the membrane sticking to the shell but lifting off the egg. Works very well for me.
Too bad there isn't a roadrunner around. They can't help with the hawks, but they eat snakes. And, as we all know from Warner Brothers, their presence leads to accidental death of coyotes, with a little help from Acme.
LOL! Actually there are roadrunners in this area. Maybe not a lot but I do see one now and then.
The very best hen house snake control is using golf balls as nest eggs. The golf balls do the same job, but when a snake eats one or more, it's his last meal. He can't digest it nor regurgitate it.
LittleCooner
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My daughter is "next door" on my farm. She has been in "chickens" for several years now and they are the most interesting pets. A fox got into her collection of pets over a year ago and got all of them over a one month period before I put a 6.5 CM bullet between his eyes one morning. He was 100 yards away, watching for more food.
She obtained 12 eggs and hatched the latest group. Three roosters and nine hens. They are all lap pets, every one of them. When I show up, the rosters announce my arrival by starting a crowing contest. The dog stays in the house most of the time, but he is my buddy and when I show up sometimes, they let him out to come and greet me.
Two weeks ago, I show up mid day, grandson opens the door and lets the dog out, and of course, here he comes, jumping up and down and happy for my arrival. I would win the funniest home video contest if i had the next two minutes on tape. The boss rooster starts chasing the dog, and they do three or four trips across the yard and back before the dog says ok, I need to go visit a tree in the corner of the yard. Then this rooster runs in a dead run up to within 2 feet of me, looks me in the eye and crows two or three times. Welcome back to the place.
I am amazing at the thinking of these birds with such a small brain. They always come to visit when I show up.
She obtained 12 eggs and hatched the latest group. Three roosters and nine hens. They are all lap pets, every one of them. When I show up, the rosters announce my arrival by starting a crowing contest. The dog stays in the house most of the time, but he is my buddy and when I show up sometimes, they let him out to come and greet me.
Two weeks ago, I show up mid day, grandson opens the door and lets the dog out, and of course, here he comes, jumping up and down and happy for my arrival. I would win the funniest home video contest if i had the next two minutes on tape. The boss rooster starts chasing the dog, and they do three or four trips across the yard and back before the dog says ok, I need to go visit a tree in the corner of the yard. Then this rooster runs in a dead run up to within 2 feet of me, looks me in the eye and crows two or three times. Welcome back to the place.
I am amazing at the thinking of these birds with such a small brain. They always come to visit when I show up.
When I go out in the morning the rooster comes running, hoping I feed him and the deer
handejector
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Long term keeping of a flock of 20-25 chickens or more, containing at least three roosters, will teach you just about all you will ever need to know about human nature.
