ot: Raising chicken

 

I saw john's post about saving rice and I remembered my chicken
"farm", because every left over, no matter what is, including rice,
meat, pasta or vegetables, they eat. I don't think there is any other
animal that eats absolutely anything as chickens do. It doesn't matter
if it's sour, or if it's a poisonous plant, if its organic, it's food.
Quite amazing.

Right now I've got 4 "turken", 4 "cochin" and one unidentified black
baby hen. 8 females, 1 male!

Fresh eggs are excellent. Cochin eggs are small, but with a very
strong yellow yolk. Watching them sweeping around, looking for food is
more soothing than looking at a fish tank. besides, their excrements
(shit!) are great for the rose and pepper garden. dang, I'm down to
only one productive pepper plant. Got to work on that - fast -.

-- Tiago
  -> urban farmer wannabe, planning on expanding the chicken farm,
perhaps adding ducks, that goes with the obligatory duck pond... :)

 


Do chickens make noise if someone approaches at night?


Dave

 



nope, that's why I also raise two dogs, a Rhodesian Ridgeback - mel -
(this is a breed that you've got to have nerves of steel to raise,
they bite and chew everything and don't stop pestering for a second,
sometimes it grabs a wrench and run away with it. I blame her for many
of my missing tools, from time to time I find a rusty wrench partially
buried on the yard, just amazing...) and a sweet German Shepherd -
flor -, as obedient as a police dog. Both female. Planning on adding a
Great Dane and a French Bulldog... :) I just have to find a puppy for
the right price (free or almost free). Too bad that dog excrements
aren't good for plants: these two dogs produce way more excrements
than all 9 chickens together. I had to reinforce the chicken house
door, the German Shepherd would not miss the chance of eating fresh
poultry. The Rhodesian not so much.

Geese are known for running after intruders and making lots of noise
and eventually biting. I might get geese instead of ducks, too bad
these are too labor intensive to raise, so I might stick with the dogs
and chicken...

-- T
  -> everybody should raise animals, any kind.

 


chicken snooze fairly heavy at night...I had a cockatiel
that my wife picked up at desert storm... it would raise a fuss
if anyone approached closer than 100 yards... the birds
been replaced with alternative methods' but I do miss the
little guy, he used to say "I'm a killer" & other funny stuff...

typically small dogs are light sleepers and wake up big dogs
or other concerned folks...

for easy temporary perimeter security I like the
solar powered motion detection lights, easy
to install and hard to fake out... yes the deer
set them off but most smaller critters do not.
IR illuminators are a dead giveaway, so I prefer
a good low lux Black & white camera rigged to
motion detection software.
the computer then beeps and gives you a signal
without spoiling your night vision. you can set
up the computer to play wave files such as area
#2 southwest corridor..ect... sky's the limit
yes you can go hog wild with IR cameras &
such but it's typically $$ not well invested..

I've set up budget system with close pins & fishing line
9v battery to igniter fuses...
all the way up to some very expensive FLIR setups...
typically invaders aren't too smart and you
can funnel them into the path of least resistance then
catch them there with a hidden setup.

 

On Thu, 4 Feb 2010 09:13:17 -0800 (PST), Tiago


I had a friend once long ago who moved into a mobile home on some
rural acreage his folks owned. It wasn't hooked up to sewer or septic,
the toilet simply emptied onto the ground beneath the trailer, as did
the sink/shower drains. The chickens took care of the waste from there
on out...

Gives a whole new meaning to: "These eggs taste like shit..."

DJ