For the love of chickens

[blackemerald1]

She'll be ok.. she's got a qualified health professional to look after her and she's tuff!! :hug:

 

[DharmaGirl]

Thanks, @blackemerald1, she is doing so much better today. My son and I check her often. We have been putting antibiotic ointment on her foot, where the wound is, and the wound looks amazingly well. She is young and healthy and should be fine soon.

Oh, and @MrMoonlight, little MrM is a rooster after all. There were so many roosters that he didn't bother to crow until I gave away all but Mini. So now I have a beautiful rooster to breed, and a beautiful smooth rooster who is protective.

 

[MrMoonlight]

That's just great @DharmaGirl , thank you for the update, I'm happy to know he's getting settled. Hopefully, he learns to let his voice be heard, probably advice I could use myself.

 

[DharmaGirl]

He has started crowing now that the two bullies are gone! He does need to practice though, since he doesn't sound like a rooster yet, lol. I'm so excited he's a roo!

 

[DharmaGirl]

Update: Doc knocks on the backdoor, and had taught several others to do it. I was so tickled that I gave them treats. Now there is knocking all day!

Corn Flakes is doing really well, and went over a 6 foot fence to visit the neighbors. We got here back safely, and she chatted the whole time my son carried her home.

Mr.M is still amazingly beautiful, but all boy now. I will get pictures as soon as my camera battery charges.

Ladee is looking beautiful, laying well, and knocking at the door for snacks. She is the smartest chicken next to Doc. She and her buddy Rooroo attack Mini when he is being obnoxious to the ladies. He has to learn the proper courting dance.

Mini is a good rooster, but when he fluffs himself up and minces around, he looks like an officious little prick. It cracks me up. I will try to get a video of him. He is good at controlling the flock, and puts them to bed every night. He won't go in until they are all in.

Disco is in the middle of a molt, and lost her disco hat, but now it's back and she is beautiful. She lays olive green eggs with brown speckles. They are so pretty.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Mr.M is still amazingly beautiful, but all boy now.

The story of my life, haven't felt like a man for a long time. It's a shame I feel like that because I deserve better.

 

[DharmaGirl]

You do deserve better. You are a kind, compassionate man. What is your definition of a man? Maybe it's your definition and not you. In the creature world, the males are always more attractive than the females, to keep the prey away. It doesn't make them less virile. Mini is beautiful too, with his white bob head feathers and his beautiful green and purple shimmering black feathers.

 

[MrMoonlight]

Thank you @DharmaGirl .

 

[Deleted member 47099]

@DharmaGirl

Is it okay to ask a chicken related question here? :)

??????

 

[DharmaGirl]

Sure, @Sophy !

 

[DharmaGirl]

MrM is crowing well now, and *ahem* has become a man. His one hen will lay fertile eggs.

 

[Deleted member 47099]

Sure, @Sophy !

Cool, thank you :)

So I moved to a small farm a couple of years ago, and would like to get a few chickens in 2019. Maybe 6 to 8 ?

So I have a weird question about what breed to get... It's a bit back to front, but I'll do my best to explain it and hopefully it will make some sense :laugh:

So, over the years, chickens have been bred to become ever more "highly productive" especially for mass-production farms.
So, chickens that grow really fast, have lots of meat, lay lots of eggs. So kinda high-efficiency chickens.

I kinda wonder whether this is really healthy for the chickens, or whether it's not kinda a massive stressor on their bodies, and it's just something that mass-production farms have done to maximise profits, and never mind about what it's like for the chickens.

So... I'm wondering whether there are older breeds that are more "natural" so that the chickens can have kinda a more healthy/ normal life?

Like, are there chickens that aren't famous for laying tons of eggs and having heaps of meat, etc?

I feel like it's kinda backwards, cos I'm asking for a "not so good breed of chicken" :facepalm:

How can I research/ work out which kinds of species are as I'm describing above? Robust health, lay eggs but not too many, aren't artifically selected to be maximum-productive?

Any ideas/ pointers would be much appreciated :)

Cos I dunno who to ask these questions without sounding a bit dumb, but I guess on a trauma forum I've asked dumber things so it doesn't feel as stoopid :laugh:

Thanks! :)

Edit to add: Out in the wild, birds would lay maybe a maximum of 20 or 30 eggs per year. I assume that's what their biology is set to cope with. With domesticated chickens, they lay upward of 300 eggs per year. I really wonder how good that is for them?