17 Buff Orpington eggs peeping in our small incubator. The first chick should be out in a couple of hours. Another incubator filled with Buffs, Aracaunas and Leghorns due in a week! Our previous batch is at the roosting stage now, and our main flock is giving over 2 dozen eggs a day! We don't need more chickens, we just love doing it. We love to watch their antics, enjoy seeing their different personalities, love having the different colors to brighten up the yard. We miss some of the birds we've had in the past and we'd always have space for an additional breed. Anyone share these feelings?

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

Answers

Peep,peep,peep! Alright David.Knock it off.Quit talking my kinda talk!

Actually haven't had any for a number of years bc of moving too much. But will shortly,just as soon as the workshop is done and the tool shed emptied and turned into the overnight coop.Trying to decide btwn Buffs and dominiques.What do you think?

Had certain chickens that I made pets of, growing up.The would come in the house with me.Mom was very tolerant,and kind enough not to butcher my favorites.I took care of all the poultry for her,til I left home.Very fond memories.Part of my "quality time" with my mother. We still talk poultry together,even tho she no longer has any either. She's my expert!

However,some will become supper.Nick loves poultry too.Ducks are his special treat.Me and the boy gave him wild muscovies that a friend had provided for father's day one year.He got a big old grin on his face when he saw them and said it was the best father's day present ever.

But he likes to eat them too.He does the butchering.That is one time I just have to go away.I get too softhearted about some things. Oh well.

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

I get the strangest looks if I tell anyone how much enjoyment I get out of just watching my flock!!! It is refreshing to know that others enjoy watching chickens also. Between the chickens, goat kids, and calves, we are always well entertained. Who needs T.V.???

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

I'm so jealous! I live way to high up the mountain for critters. I'm afraid they would just be dinner for the wild life. I may build a fortress for them and try again when I git more time......Kirk

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

We had chickens and ducks when I was a kid. I'd like to have some again sometime. I especially like ducks. I like their sense of humor and sarcasm (we had Mallards, maybe others are different). I have an indoor flock -- mostly cockatiels and various other birds. They are entertaining. Some of them love me, and I love all of them.

Julie and I think the cutest thing in the world is a newly hatched Mallard duckling! So, David, I don't think you're weird. Now, when you start posting about how you've combined your tomato AND chicken obsessions, and start bragging about your Buff Brandywines or your Roma Orpingtons, THEN I will think you're weird -- and scary! ;-)

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

If I weren't so badly allergic to birds, I'd want chickens again. I used to have a bantam hen who would dance all over your feet to be picked up. She wanted to ride on your arm or shoulder. She also loved being petted and cuddled. She used to try and incubate golf balls and light bulbs (she wasn't accepted by our chicken flock and had to live with the ducks instead).

She had been raised by a duck, so she thought she might be a duck -- she would swim with them, and although she rode kind of low in the water and paddled slow, she'd still swim.

Eventually she sat on some duck eggs that were fertile and hatched out three ducklings. You never saw a prouder mom! She would walk her three babies down to the lake every day to swim and then back up again. I had to give her away because I was going to college, and she ruled the roost at the place she went to, and would kick their black Lab in the head to make him move if he was lying where she wanted to take her babies. Unfortunately, one day she kicked the wrong black Lab.

Darn, she was a good chicken.

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001

Hey Julie I had one of those pet Bantam hens too! Oh now you've done it. I'm feeling meloncholy!!!!....Kirk

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001

Well, gee, Kirk! I didn't mean to go and depress you! It's always hard when you get them so tame and interactive, because they hardly ever have very long lives, altho Tessie did make it to 9. We had a duck that made it almost to 12.

There are so many beautiful chickens to choose from...if I had my way, I'd have some Buffs too, and maybe some silver Wyndottes, and some Silkies, and.... (shh! That's how I got the bird allergy in the first place! Always 'one more bird'.)

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001

Hi Kirk,

I have a suggestion for your livestock problem. Great Pyr. dogs. We live in a very rural place in the ozarks and were told we could never keep sheep here because of the coyotes (we also have wolves, bears, mountain lions, and elk but coyotes are the worst threat). We have lost, to our knowledge, only one chicken to a coyote. Our dogs (we have a pair) patrol all night. We put up with a lot of barking but have never had to go our with our rifle! When we moved here everyone said we had to have a gun to protect the livestock, BOLOGNA!!!

We had a neighbor who lost their whole hen house to coyotes, but they bought a Pyr from us and no attacks since. We have a litter due in two weeks. Our dogs don't have papers so we just sell the pups for $75. The dogs pay for their food and we are happy to provide good farm dogs at a decent price.

Kim

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001

Kim: Yeah I here those are great dogs! That may be a good solution but I'm really nervious about our mountain lion problem. A rotwiller was recently carried off. That is if the neighbor is to be believed. Ha. People are starting to move in around here so maybe that will help. I really want some chicken tho. Maybe in about a year.....Kirk

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001