Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

lostinrates

fedupfreda wrote: »

Thanks for the tips, lir. TBH the reason we want bantams is because they are going to be pets really - pets with eggy benefits and the eggs are so lovely. A mate of my DH keeps them, and quail too. Now quail - theres a thing - if you want cute, see the day old chicks - guaranteed to bring the smile out on anyones face.:) And the eggs are just the best. We were given some last year and made mini scotch eggs with them. Such delicate morsels.

Sounds great, enjoy them!

We had trouble with redmite for the first time last year, just couldn't get rid of it...I'd recommend a could preventative measure before moving your chooks in. I've heard wD40 isn't a bad preventative, sprayed anywhere the mites might huddle in...yuckies.

quail eggs are delicious. I used to make a pasta dish with asparagus tips and poached qauils eggs....it was fantastic and going in my book...;)

carolt

lostinrates wrote: »

I'd do a book happily, but the trauma of hundreds of rejections could be a bit galling. anyone know any publishers who like chickens.
also, isn't the dairy of ECL illustrated. I can draw a stick man,,,but that's it! and i'll have you know I DO have tea with th upper class country set (but more often booze). and the lower class country set, who drink more tea.

A blog would be cool, but only if I could make money from it, and i don't know how to do that:o MSE is more fun for a hobby, more interactive. and my spelling etc is getting better, even i can see that now. I know its not perfect but i think it probably will be as good as average soon.

edit: just realised I'm picturing a different book than the one you recommend...I'll have to check yours out. I'm having difficulty with concentration and reading, which is a huge regret for me, and have been thinking of some chick lit or teen lit to make it easier...how embarrassing, i love childrens literature but not because is easy usually!

Don't recall pictures though there may have been? - more the quality of the writing. In comparing you to her, it's more the gentle humour and countrysideishness; your style is unique.

I know what you mean about a blog; it's more interactive on here. Maybe you can collect them into a diary entry format every few months or so? See if you like the look of it?

Don't know what you mean about your spelling though - it always looks perfect to me. Typos, yes, but I'm rubbish for them too, esp if I have longish fingernails - I skip keys and OH hates being in the same room as me when I'm typing, as it's so NOISY!!!

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

Don't recall pictures though there may have been? - more the quality of the writing. In comparing you to her, it's more the gentle humour and countrysideishness; your style is unique.

I know what you mean about a blog; it's more interactive on here. Maybe you can collect them into a diary entry format every few months or so? See if you like the look of it?

Don't know what you mean about your spelling though - it always looks perfect to me. Typos, yes, but I'm rubbish for them too, esp if I have longish fingernails - I skip keys and OH hates being in the same room as me when I'm typing, as it's so NOISY!!!

no, for me its a weird neurological tick. also, I often start sentences or words then forget and post leaving them unfinis

carolt

I think I spotted that one.

Pobby

Lir, have you ever started with day old chicks? An old penny each they were. Dad would get them and they would live in a converted aquarium. In the middle was a light bulb enclosed in a metal tube that was insulated so the little fluffy things would not harm themselves.

At first they were fed on mashed hard boiled eggs.

When they were bigger they were taken to the hen coop. That had laying boxes filled with straw. They could walk down the ramp and be in the open but that also was enclosed. Had to watch for foxes. When they were small rats would try to eat them.

The adult chickens were fed on corn, just like the ones that you can buy at the super markets. Mind you, ours were never yellow! Methinks a marketing job.

The c o c k birds ( lol ) lived in their own run. Boy those things can get huge and aggressive. One day my Mum went down to feed them. A c o c k had escaped and attacked her knocking her to the ground.

For Christmas one of the males were killed. Won`t go into details. It would be hung for a while in the garden shed before being made oven ready. Roast chicken, unlike today, was a special treat and one I loved.

lostinrates

Pobby wrote: »

Lir, have you ever started with day old chicks? An old penny each they were. Dad would get them and they would live in a converted aquarium. In the middle was a light bulb enclosed in a metal tube that was insulated so the little fluffy things would not harm themselves.

At first they were fed on mashed hard boiled eggs.

When they were bigger they were taken to the hen coop. That had laying boxes filled with straw. They could walk down the ramp and be in the open but that also was enclosed. Had to watch for foxes. When they were small rats would try to eat them.

The adult chickens were fed on corn, just like the ones that you can buy at the super markets. Mind you, ours were never yellow! Methinks a marketing job.

The c o c k birds ( lol ) lived in their own run. Boy those things can get huge and aggressive. One day my Mum went down to feed them. A c o c k had escaped and attacked her knocking her to the ground.

For Christmas one of the males were killed. Won`t go into details. It would be hung for a while in the garden shed before being made oven ready. Roast chicken, unlike today, was a special treat and one I loved.

I've never bought day olds, no, but I've reared my own from eggs plenty of times....:D Last year was really depressing in fact...never had a chickless summer at home)

when I buy in stock its to keep, because i want something in particular. Like the partridge cochin...so I prefer to buy once the feathers are through. Mainly, I'm not a great sexer of chicks..I need to see some adult plummage and also that gives me a chance to evaluate the actual bird, for some quality beyond having good toes. :o

vivatifosi

Sorry lir, missed the post yesterday as I was early to bed, so here's wishing you a belated happy birthday!

StevieJ

Pobby wrote: »

Lir, have you ever started with day old chicks? An old penny each they were. Dad would get them and they would live in a converted aquarium. In the middle was a light bulb enclosed in a metal tube that was insulated so the little fluffy things would not harm themselves.

At first they were fed on mashed hard boiled eggs.

Is that not how BSE started in the cattle :eek:

lostinrates

StevieJ wrote: »

Is that not how BSE started in the cattle :eek:

Well, not quite....but sort of.

Chicks, all chickens, like eating egg...and the egg has been the source of their nutrition as weel..in the egg and for the first day or so. chickens are omnivorous NOT vegetarian, but we don't feed meat...it can cause issues of cannibalism...not great for happy chciken society...and as you rightly point out, not brilliant management, far from it. However, worms, etc they pick themselves and the molest the cats for anything they've caught rodents and slowworms drive our chickens wild. Its accepted practice t feed egg if you can't get hold of chick crumb.

Pobby

Don`t think there were chick crumbs in the 50`s. In fact there wasn`t a lot of things. One thing for certain, people ate a great diet by and large. Turkey Twizzlers in those days was a fair ground ride.