How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] more chicken genetics

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Re: [CHICKENS-101] more chicken genetics

I have raised pigeons most of my life. The last 2 breeds I had were white homers and Giant Homers. The Giants are about the size of a bantam hen. I have raised several different types of poultry. We used to do a lot of hatching with incubators. I live in Oklahoma where we have been going through various stages of drought. Last year we got some rains where I live but the ponds are starting to get low again now. We could use some of your rain here.

Dale

On Wed, Apr 30, 2014 at 12:37 AM, DianeStraight <straight6@earthlink.net> wrote:

It is fascinating!

But I'm going to have to read it tomorrow. It's 1 a.m. already.

Where are you, anyway? It makes a difference.

I'm in southwest NYS, where we have long, cold, hard winters with deep snow. And late springs, like this year. Froze again last night. Rained again today.

It rains in the spring and fall, snows all winter, and in the summer it's humid. We do have lots of water. But I wouldn't think of spraying water to break down pellets, something like that. Keeping the coop dry is more of a problem because chickens give off so much moisture. I leave the windows open year round, except maybe when it gets down below zero for very long and there's wind.

In my 70's, had chickens all my life, my parents raised chickens, my grandparents raised chickens, etc. It's not a novelty, and I probably am a lot more relaxed about taking care of them than some people. They don't seem to get sick. Only real problems I usually have are predators and leg mites and sometimes a frozen comb.  Rosecombs do away with that problem.

I just keep a bag of the pine shavings on hand, dump in another one when I think it needs it.  Try to clean it out once a year. I go in there barefoot, it's soft, dry and loose.  They keep it scratched up, mixed up, dried out all the way to the floor.

I used to use feeders and measure it out. Getting old I guess, I just carry the 50 lb. bags in and lean them against the wall. Open one, tip it over and let them have at it. Seems to be working pretty well. It's just a hobby.

I have a regular wooden henhouse, like a room or small barn. Nothing fancy, been there 40 years, looks fine, big window facing south, sun comes in nicely in the winter, trees shade it in the summer. I let them outside in the large fenced in pen in good weather. When they can get out, they ignore the pellet feed completely.

Got a second, smaller box and cage for young ones.

I've tried a lot of breeds over the years. Some successes, some failures, some not as described. Being able to order a few of these and a few of those is great fun, and quite an education!

You have pigeons too? I raised them for a while. They seemed to have a lot of ailments. There are so many interesting kinds! I had white Indian Fantails, and white Homing pigeons, colored Fantails, American Fans, and a friend with roller pigeons and the ones with curls on their backs. And the ones with a ruff on their neck that covers their heads. All are great fun! And English Messenger pigeons are a lot bigger than you expect. American Fans bully the Indian Fans terribly, and so many people develop lung ailments from cleaning the droppings that I decided I didn't want to get that problem. Chickens make enough dust as it is.

Diane S.