My Chickens

[Traveler]

Ben and Stanstress70: Interesting view in the raising chickens. My input: I do not think there is a dumber more filthy animal on the face of this earth that you could put into you yard. I do not think there is a more disgusting job than cleaning out the chicken coop.

I can agree that many children grow up with out any understanding of raising and taking care (including slaughtering) of animals. I agree such work is good for raising children. I agree such things are lost in our society of video game and TV children. Just that; like so many things in life, somebody is going to be doing the “dirty” work.

The Traveler

[Dr T]

I've always loved that song!

[john doe]

Ben and Stanstress70: Interesting view in the raising chickens. My input: I do not think there is a dumber more filthy animal on the face of this earth that you could put into you yard. I do not think there is a more disgusting job than cleaning out the chicken coop.

The Traveler

One word: turkeys. They are at least 10 times dumber than chickens, they don't even know enough to come in out of the rain. As far as dirty jobs, I can think of a few worse than cleaning the coop. Ever watch the show Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel? The one where he had to clean the old sewers in San Francisco with a shovel did it for me. And that was a tame episode. I refuse to even watch most of the jobs he visited.

[Blessed]

I understand chickens or some types of them will eat ticks too. WIll you have ticks in the summer, Shan?

[shanstress70]

I understand chickens or some types of them will eat ticks too. WIll you have ticks in the summer, Shan?

Not this summer!

Yes, we do have ticks in our yard, although not as badly as we did when our backyard backed up to the forest. Each year they get fewer and fewer, which is a good thing. But I find a few each year.

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

Ever watch the show Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel? The one where he had to clean the old sewers in San Francisco with a shovel did it for me. And that was a tame episode. I refuse to even watch most of the jobs he visited.

I LOVE that show! My favorites: artificially inseminating pigs and processing fish . . . although dog groomer was a good show too.

[LT04]

My wife looks for it now. She used to hate every thing on the discovery channel. With this show we seem to have found a happy medium. I kinda favor the ones where he helps the military, b/c I'm a dogface vet.

[shanstress70]

Here are my chicks! They're doing great and I'm getting quite attached to the little boogars!

Hopefully this slideshow link thingie will work...

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v734/sha...=1175381966.pbw

[Dr T]

Shan,

Those made me smile. What did you name them?

[shanstress70]

Henrietta, Emily, Lizzie, Owey-Ba-goey (a play on my child's name, which is Owen). He named them all except for Henrietta... we HAD to have a Henrietta. :)

[Dr T]

Thanks for even more smiles Shan.

[lannesackman]

I had chickens once.... We got some of the rejects from a local egg farm so thier beeks were cut... They looked rather pathetic! Then my DH said... well you have to have a rooster so they will lay eggs... So he bought a rooster from a guy on a corner... unbenounced to me the rooster was a cock fighting rooster (in NM cock fighting was legal at the time)

Well that rooster LOVED to be the king of the coup... and apparently I was a hen that was in serious need of being disciplined... I swear that rooster attacked me when ever I got in a 5 foot radius of the coup! The rooster didn't last long after he attacked my son! After he went away I found the neatest little bante and a silky roosters.. they were cool.

But after life took over and my DH and I divorced I didn't ask for custody of the chickens... My DH now grew up on a farm and has no real desire to deal with chickens... Up here in Alaska there are ALOT of additional predators... I say this as I watch a bald eagle soaring by my window... and saw a wolf last night! My SIL raises them though... and I helped her pluck them this summer... ick! I think I like my chickens in a package!

Shan... good luck they look like really cute chicks

[shanstress70]

Wow... I'd love to visit Alaska. Bald eagles and wolves! How cool would that be? But yeah, not if you're a chicken, I guess.

That is a myth though about a rooster being necessary for hens to lay eggs. They produce eggs whether or not they get fertilized. I wouldn't want to eat a fertilized egg, although they are sold in some select places, at a higher price. By far, most of the eggs we buy are unfertilized. In fact, hens lay more when there's not a rooster around to stress them out.

And I'm with you regarding the chicken meat... no way I could kill and pluck them. I don't even think I could eat my chickens if someone else did it for me.

[Dr T]

LOL-I figured that would be the case as soon as you told me the names of those chickens. :)

[Sugarbay]

Tisha, I saw a bald eagle and 14 wolves yesterday. The eagles were sitting in my trees down at the creek and the wolves are in a pen beside the house. Not quite the same as Alaska but I get teh same thrill here in Montana. At least these wolves I can hug and feel their fur and howl with them. haven't learned to fly with eagles yet. Maybe in the next life... Good salmon fishing up there too. Sounds like heaven to me.

I had chickens once. They aren't a stupid as people think they are. I really liked them. I had an Austalorpe hen that followed me everywhere and would lay her egg in my lap if I sat down. She was a riot. Had a banty rooster named Larry. He would try to breed the big hens with no success . They would just keep eating bugs, pecking, almost chewing their gum, so to speak, and then he would jump down and ruffle and preen and crow. He was a great guy. Raccons got all of them. I miss them.

Enjoyed the chickens, Shan. I could never have eaten mine either. I had 13 of them and loved the eggs but I think I fell in love with how the chickens felt, feathers and such, and a warm egg after is was laid. I loved hearing the eggs peep a day or two before they hatched. This really brought back some good memories. I am sitting here smiling and missing them. Thank you, Shan.

[Blessed]

I see eagles nearly every day. Each time I do I feel a great reverence for them. In the news today, though, it mentioned the bears are waking up and have been spotted. Ya still wanna come to Alaska, SHan??? :-)

[john doe]

We used to slaughter and pluck our chickens-- I can't think of many worse smells than that.

[BenRaines]

I agree john doe, nothing smelss worse that a dead chicken dunked in boiling water so you can easily pluck the feathers out.

Ben Raines

[Palerider]

This thread has gone right to the Birds.....LOL.........."I kill Me"........

[Sugarbay]

This thread has gone right to the Birds.....LOL.........."I kill Me"........

you are such a goofball. Hugs.

lol.