The chicken thread

“We, having settled into our new 10 acre compound, have decided to get some chickens. just a few, for eggs mostly. Maybe a few guineas for eatin ticks, too.

My question is, what kind of chickens should we get? I rekon I'll be building some sort of small coup to protect them at night from our resident red fox. I want a low maintenance, high production bird.

Anybody have any advice?”

“Fantastic Mister Fox?”

“uhhhmmm........no”

“Poultry
Best Breeds of Chickens

The breed of chickens that a producer selects for his flock depends upon the purpose for which the chickens are intended. The types of chicken breeds to select from falls into one of three categories: 1) egg laying stock, 2) meat-type birds and 3) dual purpose breeds. Each type of bird is genetically developed to satisfy the best attributes for which they are intended. However, no single breed of bird will provide the best characteristics for all three purposes. Each category of birds will be discussed below.

The egg laying breeds of birds have ancestries that trace them to the Mediterranean Class of chickens as classified by the American Standard of Perfection. They have been genetically selected for high egg productivity, but usually have small bodies that make them undesirable as meat producers. The small bodies benefit these breeds because very few nutrients are wasted for producing great body mass. Instead, they direct more of their dietary nutrients into the egg production. The egg producing breeds are further divided into birds that produce white shelled eggs or brown shelled eggs. The best white shell egg breeds are descended from the Leghorn breed with several different feather color patterns to select from. The best brown shell egg production breeds are developed from Rhode Island Red stock. Regardless of which shell color breed selected, there are many modern varieties from which to choose.

The meat-type breeds of chickens are not really breeds at all. Instead, they are hybrid varieties or combinations of many different breeds. The combinations of breeds are selected to produce a variety (strain) with meat characteristics that the producer desires most. Some breeds grow faster and larger while others emphasis traits like larger breast meat yield, more efficient feed conversion, or more disease resistance. The strains are named after the breeding companies that genetically develop them, like Arbor Acres, Ross, Peterson and Hubbard, to name a few. The weakness of these varieties is that they do not lay as many eggs per hen as the egg laying breeds discussed above. These strains are used by broiler producing companies that commercially produce broilers sold in supermarkets.

The third type of chicken breeds are those that are dual purpose. They are not as good in producing eggs as the Leghorn or Rhode Island Red breeds, but they have much better meatiness. They are also inferior in meat production characteristics as compared to the commercial meat-type hybrid varieties, but they are much better egg producers. Typical breeds in this dual purpose category are New Hampshires, Plymouth Rocks, and Wyandottes.

The producer should select the characteristic that is most important for him and then contact a nearby hatchery to see if a suitable breed or variety is available. The hatchery manager will be able to advise the producer about the birds that are available. If a suitable breed is not available at the hatchery, contact the county Extension office for an alternate source of the breed you desire. The publication Breeds and Varieties of Chickens is a listing of all breeds/varieties recognized by the American Poultry Association.”

“Thank you minish. I've done some research also. 1st hand advice is also helpful.”

“Italians eat ticks? I though they like spaghetti?”

“Rhode Island Reds I have 30 birds get all the eggs I can eat.”

“I need a low-carb chicken”

“its all about food and water, and keeping them cooped up for egg collections. get a couple hens, a roster. geese make fine egg layers also. oh be sure to get you one of those fine gamedogs, hehheeh, and the fox will be gone.”

“Low-Carb I have no Idea.”

“True, it's always smart to have a roster of good chickens.”

“Here is a good link for chickens.

http://msucares.com/poultry/management/index.html”

“If you want chickens I would get a mix. When I was a kid we had White Rocks and Rhode Island Reds, then we had Banties for color and guard duty and Guinea Fowl to eat the ticks. Watch out for Mr Weasel!!! We lost over 50 birds one night to a weasel and 40 more the next. Lucky for us we caught him in a trap on the way out of the coop on the second night.”

“COOL! Do I need a rooster or can I just get hens?

OH! I also need some nomenclature clarification. For instance; What is a "st. run", or a "pullet", or cockerel?”

“You can have a c0ck and pullet.”

“Just get the gamedog first”

“Great link minish!”

“lol non, can prick you finger, but donnnnnnn't finger your prick”

“Wait for the pullet eggs! They are the first eggs a hen lays and from a white rock chicken they are huge! I always liked raising chickens and someday I will again.”

“I love it when city folk move out to the country on a tiny plot of land (say 10 acres), and role-play being a farmer on a "mini farm". Chickens - LOL

People who buy mini-farms and pretend like they have acreage inevitably think they're the only people around for miles. Chickens? Yeah, the neighbors won't mind the roosters in the morning I'm sure. They usually get a couple dogs, too, which they leave outside barking all day and night. And of course, they cut down their trees and tear up their land so they can blaze around on their atvs/dirtbikes, and shoot their guns - because after all, they're on "acreage" and don't have to be considerate of neighbors.

They usually take the "easier to apologize if caught than ask permission" mindset, and end up tresspassing - hunting, cutting down trees, riding their atv's on their neighbor's serious acreage that's been in their family for generations. Pretty soon, more and more of the real country folk sell out to the developers (to get away from the trashy city transplants) who churn out more mini-farms, and all the land around them fills up with these noisy, trashy people, and then those 10 acre plots start to get subdivided, and eventually they all end up living in the same sort of loud, ugly suburban hell hole they tried to escape from. LOL”

“BTW, it was Roald Dahl that invented the word Gremlin.”

“Ha! Another side of that, Mutt, is the family that is tired of the city and moves to the country, then files a lawsuit over the smells coming from the neighboring farm.”

“I've been living in the country my entire life. I have 50 acres I bought right out of high school. I have never encountered any of the problems you guys have brought up. I take it you guys have "neighbor" problems.”

“I will admit that I haven't seen the growth that alot of the areas around me have seen.”

“I agree with Mutt, I used to live in the country until the city caught up to me. I am thinking of leaving Wisconsin altogether due to the expansion and the crappy government. I just have to figure out what I want to do for work that I can do in the country and I will be set. I commute an hour to work every day and due to the career I am in I will always have to be close to a city unless I change paths. Oh well...”

“Can you get a rooster with a silencer on it?”

“I guess you could cut his cock-a-doodle-do out.”

“That doesn't sound Kosher.”

“get some rabbits, for meat. high protein, low fat.”

“and no noise.”

“and cheap plentiful porn”

“and manure for the garden. The garden loves rabbit manure. Easier then chickens.”

“LOL”

“And it's the time of year when rabbits lay eggs......”

“and mithrans bleed the bull”

“Get a DUCK.”

“pluck a duck
screw a guinea”

“You don't need a rooster if all you want is eggs.”

“lesbian chickens?




(i know, the eggs are only half the reproduction system)
last edited: 3/13/08 11:55:41 AM”

“I'm gettin' ready to put some chickens on my 40 (which is much bigger and better than 10, btw, j/k). I even read up on it a little and after getting all that chicken #&%!$ education, I'll do it anyway. Certainly don't need the eggs and sex with poultry was made illegal in Wisconsin (Illinois and Indiana still allow it) almost two years ago, so no practical reason for doing so.

Just the company, I guess (wink, wink)”

“Mutt, I didn't buy a mini farm, I bought land. Furthermore, I didn't ask for your opinion on how you feel I should use my land. I've very proud of what I've accomplished and don't need your permission to cut MY trees, or raise MY animals. I'm not "pretending" anything. I'm living my life the way I want, so STFU!”

“Mini farm is just a marketing term for small acreage.

And your attitude is EXACTLY what I was trying to illustrate about trashy townfolk moving out to the country. Like illegal mexicans, they don't want to assimilate and blend in. They're going to do whatever the hell they want and screw everyone else, 'cause they have land, dammit!”

“Does anyone do The Funky Chicken anymore?   Lost Art, I'm thinkin'.


Hey, this is pretty close to the real thing.   It's better the next day, though -----

GUTHRIE'S CHICKEN SPECIAL SAUCE

1/2 cup hellman's or best foods mayonnaise
1/4 cup heinz ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce

lots of black pepper

mix together the mayo, ketchup, garlic powder in a bowl. add the worcestershire
sauce and blend in. now, cover the top surface of the sauce with black pepper
and stir until blended again. repeat the process with another layer of black
pepper and stir until blended. you must let the sauce sit in the refrigerator for
about two hours prior to use in order for the flavors to mingle.

niki


http://www.myrecipefriends.com/recipe/13142.html?PHPSESSID=6905e8d66f0e0a402ba3ce8e76ab9f68

”

“Strat, if you really want to piss him, build a church on it and name it "St. Mutthew"”

“Remember that rash of church burnings a few years ago?

Good times...”

“OK mutt, how many acres, and how far out in country should it be, before I can get 10 stupid chickens, and teach my kids about something else besides PS2 or skateboarding?”

“80 acres minimum, with adjacent properties being no smaller than 40 acres.

Or you can simply be a considerate, untrashy person.
last edited: 3/13/08 1:35:55 PM”

“Ignore the ankle-biter Strat, and rock on.

I gave up my Vermont Hillbilly Estate in '92 and I'm back to being a city slicker.

I miss bustin' all that firewood and those sub zero mornings.

Nimblefoot, is your ass still frozen to the outhouse seat or are you waiting for spring thaw to take a dump?”