Although the "Boss" looks at them as a meal, I love the cute little guys as long as I have them. We had two broods hatch this morning. The mother hen of this brood decided the (outside) kitchen was the best place for her to nest. So, for the past three weeks, that has been where she took up residence. The "Boss" and her Ma are moving them to the nursery chicken house now, where the other broody hens are currently laying. They are the cutest little things ya ever did see. Here is a photo of the first brood, 10 little chicks:
Keep the Rooster away from the chicks , HE will kill all males plus ugly females . We have 100 + chicken crop out & now the ducks started today , 3 of 150+ we hope. Ducks are smart & trainable , messy water etc, Chickens are JUST F,n DUMB, . We are thinking dropping the dumb chickens , Duck eggs are alkaline , acid are chicken ,,,,,, better for us , birds are nice & don't bitch as much. they will not kill for a pecking order , think your breed & stay away from USA MEAT (Disease ) Birds ...!!!!!!!!!! Hence why all the FAT ASS's plus sickness . I won't even go there . Plus every time im in USA (last week teaching) I come back with a BUG !! This one is crappy NOW ! I need to take my food & water NEXT !! Sloth
Baby critters are cute, a lot of life lessons, it should be a teachable moment to find Gods creation conforms to Gods design, and yet all have free will. I had a dog that nursed and raised a litter of kittens. Seen an eclectic groups of animals get along and some will attack and kill each other on sight like people without the malice. I learned a lot from animals and people as well as how people interact with animals and vice versa. Nature is not fair or reasonable and it is humbling and can bring out the best and the worst of itself. Anytime I see someone thinking they are bad to the bone or all that and a bag of chips it makes me want to watch them deal with a small wild critter or a orphaned baby critter that is when you see if they got any sense or heart. this in no way is linear I have seen people that have agreed to or had an abortion that would never allow or support a seal hunt, Life fascinates me, animals interest me people they just confuse me of what they are capable of convincing themselves is important, sensible or even sane.
That is exactly why we have a separate chicken house as a brooder pen / house. We've even had hens attack other hen's chicks. I will have to build another chicken house later this year. Maybe 300 m²? Our flock goes between 60 or so, and a thousand (or more), depending on the time of year. We raise both. I'm not a big duck eater, but the family is. And, the "Boss" sells / trades them when we have too many. We keep our flock away from other fowl, keep them inoculated from Newcastle Disease, and control their diet. We had a chicken adopt a duck's eggs, after someone came on the property and snatched the momma duck. Amazing how they do that.
Here they sell "meat "bird chicks , and feed them cheap GMO corn medicated feed . The birds are ready for processing @ 6-7-8 weeks old . They are so big they can't walk & are covered in their own poo . The meat is white since they don't see any daylight & are kept from moving so they just get fat quick , the are bleached after the process to kill any left over poo.. It's these birds that are the reason may are so over weight . Our birds are never given any GMO are the food is grown here for them . the meat colour is light tan and it has substance' It's those white meat birds that are the ones I stay away from , Costco sells them cooked for 5.50 -6.00 $ CDN at 1500 per day at the two costcos we have near us. Sloth
I hear ya, brother. Many sources here use chemicals on their crops. That's why we look, and pay more, for (truly) organically grown corn to feed our chickens and ducks. I don't even want the word "Monsanto", spoken at the farm. (Of course, that isn't a difficult goal to achieve, considering no one else even speaks English there. )
Lots of great reasons to live on a farm whether a hobby farm, homestead or small commercial farm. Food Security being the best reason IMO, Freedom that Urban dwellers can't seem to grasp and a billion little lessons of life playing out all around you every day if you take the time to see and observe them. Life is good out here where you work on natures schedule and not some bean counters time clock
I have a window in the wall behind my desk, at the farm. I am often on the computer throughout the night. Every morning, about 04:30, the matriarch of the family, and her daughter (the Boss's ma and elder sister), will be seen making the first rounds of the day. The brother, the eldest of the three, is visiting from Siem Reap. He too, along with the Boss (and others), also starts the day very early. There is too much to do at the farm for anyone not to pull their weight.
That is NOT here , And you are so lucky !! Kiss the boss 4me , Great Lady to do that . There is TIME to werk & time to play/relax and let it do . You build it , you may enjoy it. !!!!! Sloth /Nig
How's it go, Sloth? Nobody rides for free, except Ma. Oh, and the other one - the cherished Golden Rule. He who has the gold, makes the rules.
