Fall Pictures

 

About My Facebook Page

 

I'm sure you all have seen a large number of your friends and family saying that they are finally leaving facebook. I've seen breeders and businesses saying it as well. 

I've left a few times in the past but always came back either for friends and family, or because I missed the poultry forums and learning from them. I think the truth has finally dawned in another large group of people's minds as to what's really going on.. control, censorship, loss of privacy and even ownership of your own content and family pictures! I won't even get into the election stuff here but, how does AOC's calling for extermination..uh I mean, accountability lists hit ya? 

I've taken about all I'm gonna take of the whole mess.

 So, at the end of the year I'll be leaving facebook permanently. 

I, my thoughts, and my dang pictures all belong to ME, not the facebook beast! And make no mistake, it's the same with youtube, twitter and Google period..different heads of the same beast. 

Unless I move my blog content to another server, which if I do I'll post that announcement here on my blog, you will still be able to contact me here, as well as by email.

If I want to SELL a chicken or an egg, I'm not going to ask facebook and their PETA nazis if it's ok! 

I'm also not going to be a willing participant in letting big tech tyrants mine for info on my phone, but tell me what I can and can't say. Until the constitution is officially ripped up and the US, as we know it, no longer exists, I will expect to have the right of free speech. 

Any extra birds, chicks or eggs that I don't have a waiting list for, will be listed here on my blog, on Craigslist locally, and I'll possibly at swaps occasionally, unless our ability to  meet to barter, trade and sell is also taken away. 

I've posted alot of good links on facebook with good solid info so I hope that you've bookmarked anything you've found helpful. 

For those of us who are jumping off the wagon, we'll have to go back to some of the old ways of doing things. 

I have a feeling we might be a whole lot better off!

Email: sissy_1973@yahoo.com

Member of Cochins International, my contact info also listed in their yearbook, as well as the APA.

NPIP Participant (for now), listed on their directory as well.

Rainy Months And Fancy Feathers

 

Rainy Months and Fancy Feathers

Here we go again guys..the cold, wet months are here. I wanted to just take a second to offer my 2 cents on housing feather-footed breeds, and more fragile breeds like Silkies and Polish. Cochins do well during cooler weather. The hot months are when they suffer. Having heavily feather feet though, it's best to keep them inside when it's very muddy, or in a covered run that's not sloppy. Besides damaging their feathers, they can get mud and ice balls on and between their toes. 

Fragile breeds like Silkies, Polish, and frizzles of any breed, absolutely need to be kept inside a draft-free and dry coop when it's cold and wet. 

I urge you to please reconsider keeping those breeds if you can't provide that type of housing for them. 

Frizzles can not puff up their feathers and keep warm like other breeds because their feathers don't lie close to their body. 

Silkies don't necessarily mind the cold, but if it's wet and cold, there's a good chance of them getting chilled and sick because again, their feathers are more like fur and they get soaked. They can also get mud and ice balls on their feet. 

Polish have profusely feathered heads, and if that crest gets wet in freezing temps, it freezes. How miserable for them?! Polish are just a fragile breed, period. 

During warm and wet periods, there's a whole other set of problems, for any breed, but respiratory illness and coccidiosis are two of the top problems of warm OR cold weather when wetness is also a factor.

Just passing on some advice from past and current experience. Consider the housing you're able to provide when choosing what breeds you'd like to own. 

Orpingtons As A Dual Purpose Breed

I've mentioned that one of the reasons I chose to raise English Orpingtons was not only for their beauty, but because thus far, they have proven to be very good layers, and meat for the table as well. They've also been docile and easily contained in our yard fence, which matters in our area.

I had a couple of boys that had wry tail. It's a disqualification at shows, and a defect that you don't want to pass along, so they were culled.
Hopefully I won't see any in the next generation. It's an actual deformity of the spine, and the pictures are to help anyone learning. It wasn't noticable until probably 4 months, and got worse as they got older.

So, of these two boys that were processed, one was going to be my backup rooster so that was disappointing. You can see in the pictures that he was shorter, and heavier fleshed than the other boy.
I have kept his brother as my main boy, who is in one of the last pictures. He and the heavier boy were from a brother of the rooster I used for breeding the following hatches. Their dad was mean as a rattlesnake, so I'm hoping that particular trait wasn't passed along lol.
Mom cooked one in the crockpot, and I slow-simmered the other and made noodles...they were very good. This one was 4.5 lb.s at 5-ish mo.s old (after processing)so I imagine that the other was 5 lb.s or more.
I hope this will encourage anyone who's interested to raise your own food if possible, to share info on why culling for wry tail is necessary, and to show those interested that this line is table-worthy.

If I Sell You Chicks or Eggs...

So, I wanted to mention something that I feel is important, and would like for anyone who's considering buying eggs or chicks from me, to read please.

Most people, including myself in the past, buy chicks or fertile eggs from someone having the expectation that they will hatch and or raise chickens that are as good as that breeder's best birds.

It doesn't always work that way.

It's said that it takes an investment of anywhere from 3-5 years for a breeder to establish a line of their own. That's if they are utilizing an actual breeding program, and select each year's keepers carefully. By year three and beyond, pretty consistent results should be able to be expected.
Even then, weird genes can still pop up, and out of 100 chicks hatched, there will always be the top 5-10 that are exceptional. The rest may be good, but not the best..and if they can help it, breeders will never sell you their best! They need them to continue their own line.

I've purchased hatching eggs for $80-$100, and have only hatched a few, and some of them had faults, disqualifications, or were only mediocre.

 Please be aware of the risk and willing to take it. 

 Many breeders will not sell eggs or day old chicks anymore because of these things, as well as not wanting to unknowingly sell their best bird that season. But for many, they will only sell started juveniles so they and you as well, know more about what you're getting.

With some of my breeds I will grow the majority out for several months before selling any. With some I may sell eggs or chicks if I've hatched all I need and still have alot of extra eggs, but I can't and won't guarantee what you will hatch or how the chicks will turn out.
I'd have to lie to do so.
Chicks may grow out to be amazing, or some fault could show up down the line. I have no idea and neither does anyone else who sells eggs or chicks, if they'd admit it lol.
Also, if fertility is low, I won't sell eggs. I don't want anyone wasting their money if I can help it. 

*The postal system can be brutal on shipped eggs. They can get scrambled inside the egg, or cells sometimes detach. They can get smashed and frozen..lots of scenarios can arise. You have to understand that and be willing to gamble. 

*With live birds, they will be healthy when they leave my hands. I can not be responsible for what they are exposed to or how they are cared for when they leave here. 

With all that said, I do not offer refunds on live birds or hatching eggs. If you decide to purchase from me, I will ask you to read this post. By going ahead and purchasing, you're agreeing to these terms. 

There are some people out there who make all of this process necessary, and ruin things for the rest of us!

If you understand these issues and the risks, I'd be happy to work with you!

Cheryl

English Lavender Orpington Chicks - 6 Weeks Old

A Book I Will Save Up For!

This is one I'm going to save for! The Brahma and the Cochin share history and origins. I've thought of doing a "project pen" with them. I've always liked the pea comb.
 I think we should all consider actually buying hardcopy books again, the internet may not always be accessable the way this world is going, you know? May create a small library of special books, important information such as basic survival and homesteading included.
Never know...
Plus, there's no substitute for having a book in hand to reference, anytime. For the young people especially, consider some Carla Emery books to learn the simple and old ways.
Just a little unsolicited advice from a grandma lol.

The Brahma Bible