Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[jvls1942]

the more you can grow for yourself , the better off you will be,/ imho
a laying hen requires about a 1/4 pound of feed per day,
I would figure a meat bird would require 1/3 pound ,
average from chick size to butchering,.
we always did our meaties in small batches when we butchered, we would always pick out the smallest ones first,
I figured those were the ones not converting feed to meat as efficiently, if you feed them longer, you are just wasting feed,
for the two of us, we raised 5o birds, would butcher 12 at one week intervals, by the fourth week we had 8 pound hens dressed out,
we always ordered pullets, roosters do not fit into the freezer bags with their long legs, /, lately we quit freezing them whole, I would cut them up and make a package of drum sticks for mushroom soupe and rice, thighs, backs and necks for soup, breasts , and wings for buffalo wings,
takes up way less room in the freezer,.
one year I butchered 8 of them at 2 pounds, each person had a whole chicken for thanksgiving dinner,.
they all coould take their left overs home,.I cooked them in the Nesco,.

 

[babylady4]

So……. This happened….

 

[TOR]

Nice, I have broody gave her 5 eggs. maybe ill buy her some chicks, dunno yet. What kind? looks like the variety pack.

 

[babylady4]

There are 8 Whiting True Blues (unsexed), two Barred Rocks, and 4 Silver Laced Wyandottes. I am down to 16 chickens, and since the majority are six, time to add more to the group.

The Lav Orpington Roo that remains in my flock is going to the chopping block. He is such an idiot, he is not even breeding the hens. Hoping I have a few Roos with this group of chicks…. And they are not idiots.

 

[Debbie292d]

DoodleDuckies, we are about 3o miles east of you and also a touch north of 29
just east of the Marathon exit

And we are about 20 miles east of YOU, and just a touch south of 29.

 

[bigzio]

Good Friday FFF to all!
Nice rain last night, and one can see the grass starting
to green-up. The hens are out and about finding all
kinds of worms today.
Lock-up was late last evening with the hens refusing to
go into the coop until after 7pm.
For those that celebrate, I hope everyone enjoys Easter.
I'll be cooking breakfast for around 150 folks after the 6:30am sunrise service at church. It's an annual event that everyone enjoys.

Stay Safe ... bigz

 

[jvls1942]

yep, the grass is greening out here too
the trees should start budding soon
I got 23 gallons of rabbit poop from a lady in Merrill
my bil had rabbits and he said the rabbit poop is the best
we will see/
no fff for us. Taco bell tacos. Annie was craving them for three days, lol
I am planning a 12 x 16 ft garden shed for my sister
she already has the slab poured, the company that she was going to have build it wouldn't/couldn't put the door where she wanted it. I guess it didn't fit with their cookie cutter plans .

 

[DoodlesDuckies]

Is anyone surrounded by farm fields- who spray their fields?

My duck/goose huts are literally on the property line of a farm field. Last year they didn't plant the field due to poor weather. They did plant a cover crop. The farmers do not mind the ducks and geese go in there, at the moment. They plan to plant soy beans this year, can 7 ducks and 2 geese destroy a 100 acre field of soy beans...hope not. But my biggest fear is when they spray the fields. They sprayed last year and I did have a goose die. I am not sure why he died, nobody else got sick tho. The birds generally wander our yard when dry, and their fields when its a wet mess (they are loving it right now).

I guess where I am going with this is...has anyone had issues with sprayed fields and their birds dying from being near it or eating from those fields. Is there anything I should be doing? No, I cannot afford to build a barn or buy more land. Moving them will just put them near another field as we are surrounded by farm fields.

Thanks!
Renee

 

[Amer]

I've never had a problem with sprayed fields near our birds (I study crop science). Herbicides don't cause harm to things that aren't plants. I can see how fungicides might cause issues (I haven't really studied them, but I think one-off exposures would probably be fine.)
However, I could see insecticides causing a big issue. I'm not sure if they sprayed insecticides on the fields my birds were near. I was a crop scout this summer. From what I recall they don't spray bean fields with insecticides. Some of our chickens lived in the bean field for a while. But they might spray an alfalfa field, though some people don't bother. A corn field they also might spray for corn rootworm beetle, but birds don't tend to go into those either.
The only problem we did have (aside from our birds crawling into the beans and living there for weeks before we could recover them again (your birds won't make a dent on the beans but they will on a wheat field) is once a turkey of mine nested in an alfalfa field and she got hit when the hay chopper went through and died of her injuries a week later.

 

[DoodlesDuckies]

The east field will be soy beans. We have farm fields to the south also- not sure what they are putting in there this year. It was a corn field last year- a sad looking field but a corn field non the less. That field is usually hay or corn. We have only lived at this property for 2 years this summer so still learning what people are doing. I work in the Ag Industry (dairy supply) so I see the land owners all the time and ask dumb questions about what they are doing and why.
Cover crops were my interest as of today when I saw them. Very interesting how and why they do it-what they plant and why.

I was also worried about them disappearing into the fields or not getting a heads up when farmers go into the fields. Not that they HAVE to give me heads up as it is more my problem than theirs.

I may ask about the south field seeing as it is either corn or hay yearly and the bug spray. That field they don't tend to wander in to much. Even corn they stayed away for some reason last year.

Thank You for your response. Good things to know!!!

Renee