http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html

August 4, 2009

Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests

By WILLIAM NEUMAN

"As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
buying new cars.

And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.

"It's because times are tough. You never know what's going to happen," Mr.
Romriell said. Although he manages a feed store, he had not kept chickens
since he was a child. "If you lose your job tomorrow, you've still got
food."

As a backyard chicken trend sweeps the country, hatcheries that supply baby
chicks say they can barely keep up with demand. Do-it-yourself coops have
popped up in places as disparate as Brooklyn, suburban Chicago and the rural
West.

In some cities, the chicken craze has met with resistance, as neighbors
demand that local officials enforce no-poultry laws. In others, including
Fort Collins, Colo., enthusiasts have worked to change laws to allow small
flocks (without noisy roosters).

For some, especially in cities, where raising chickens has become an emblem
of extreme foodie street cred, the interest is spurred by a preference for
organic and locally grown foods. It may also stem in part from fear, after
several prominent recalls, that the food in the supermarket is no longer
safe.

But for many others, a deep current of economic distress underlies the
chicken boomlet, as people seek ways to fend for themselves in tough times.
Even if spreadsheets can demonstrate that raising chickens at home is not
cost-effective, it may instill an invaluable sense of self-reliance.

"I'm not into that organic stuff," Mr. Romriell said. "I think people in
bigger cities want to see where their food comes from, whereas us out here
in the West and in small towns, we know the concept of losing jobs and want
to be able to be self-sustained. That's why I do it."

Commercial hatcheries, which typically ship baby chicks around the country
by airmail, say they are having one of their best years, on top of
exceptionally strong sales last year. Most of the birds go to farm supply
stores, but many hatcheries are increasingly making small shipments directly
to people who want just a few birds for a backyard flock. The postal service
said that in the first six months of this year, it shipped 1.2 million
pounds of packages containing chicks (mostly chickens but also baby ducks
and turkeys), a 7 percent increase from the comparable period last year.
That volume equals millions of birds, as the average chick weighs slightly
more than an ounce.

Marie Reed, a sales representative for Ideal Poultry, a large Texas
hatchery, said that managers of rural feed stores that sell the company's
birds told her they had seen a spike this year in demand for baby chicks,
along with an upturn in sales of garden seeds - and ammunition.

"People are buying up guns and chickens and seed," Ms. Reed said. "That
tells me people are wanting to depend on themselves more."

Yet, even as many people see raising chickens as a hedge against hard
times - and a way to get tastier eggs and meat - they often acknowledge that
it is not really a way to save money on food.

"You can buy eggs in the grocery store cheaper than you can raise them,"
said David D. Frame, a poultry specialist who works with the Utah State
University Extension. "You're not saving money by doing it."

He said that feed represented 75 percent of the cost of raising a bird.
Commercial poultry operations that buy huge amounts of feed at wholesale
have much lower costs per bird than the backyard chicken enthusiast can
typically achieve.

Jasmin Middlebos, 36, a librarian who lives with her husband, a sheriff's
deputy, and their three children in a rural area outside Spokane, Wash.,
began raising chickens last year. She now has 26 birds, which produce up to
two dozen eggs a day. (In hot weather, production can drop by half, and in
winter it can stop altogether.) In September, she began selling some of the
eggs - she gets $2 to $3 a dozen - and started keeping track of her income
and expenses.

Since then, Ms. Middlebos said, she has taken in $457 from egg sales and
spent $428, mostly on feed. That left $29 in the Mason jar where she keeps
her earnings, to spend the next time she buys feed.

But that accounting does not include the cost of buying the birds as
chicks - $1.50 to $4 each, depending on the breed - or the $1,500 she spent
converting the old shed in her yard to a henhouse.

Ms. Middlebos said that she was pleased to be covering her immediate costs
but that she viewed her small flock more as a hedge against an even deeper
recession.

"Because our economy is going so bad," she said, "I feel like I have a trump
card in my hand."

In New York City, where it is legal to raise chickens, Declan Walsh, 41, has
been doing so in his backyard in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn for
several years. Mr. Walsh, the director of community outreach at the John Jay
College of Criminal Justice, has 25 hens and, to cover his costs, sells eggs
to a local restaurant for $6 a dozen.

But this year, Mr. Walsh, who is married with three children, is trying
something new. He spent about $300 to build a coop and a fenced-in chicken
run on a vacant lot and is raising 49 broiler hens for meat. A share of the
birds will go to the lot's owner and others who are helping him.

The economics are very different from raising egg-layers. Broiler birds eat
far more than the laying hens, and the organic feed he gives the broilers is
expensive (the layers often eat kitchen scraps). He estimates that once he
has slaughtered the birds, he will have spent about $8 a chicken, including
the cost of the bird and its feed.

In contrast, he pointed out that, in a promotion, a restaurant chain was
advertising whole cooked chickens for $1.99.

"I don't know that, for small-time folks, you're going to be able to beat
the factories," he said, referring to large poultry producers. "But it
definitely will taste better."

Chicken hatcheries say that it is typical in a recession for their business
to do well. But some hatchery veterans say they have never seen a year like
this one.

Nancy Smith, whose family owns Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, Mo., said there
were times over the last year, as the economic news grew worse and worse,
that her customers seemed to be "in a panic mode" to buy birds they could
begin raising at home.

"I see it as a sense of security," Ms. Smith said. "If they don't have the
dollars that week to get the meat they need at the grocery store, they can
go kill a chicken."

</>

On Aug 4, 1:18*am, "Gregory Morrow" > wrote:
> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html
>
> August 4, 2009
>
> Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests
>
> By WILLIAM NEUMAN
>
> "As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
> safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
> They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
> buying new cars.
>
> And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
> Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
> The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.

<snippage>

Not my backyard, even though I have 2 acres and a structure formerly
used as a coop. I just refuse to deal with shit.

Cindy Hamilton

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Aug 4, 1:18 am, "Gregory Morrow" > wrote:
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html
>>
>> August 4, 2009
>>
>> Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests
>>
>> By WILLIAM NEUMAN
>>
>> "As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
>> safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
>> They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
>> buying new cars.
>>
>> And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
>> Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
>> The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.
>
> <snippage>
>
> Not my backyard, even though I have 2 acres and a structure formerly
> used as a coop. I just refuse to deal with shit.
>
> Cindy Hamilton
>


I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. (I
might actually get some worm-free apples that way)

Bob

On Aug 4, 8:09*am, zxcvbob > wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > On Aug 4, 1:18 am, "Gregory Morrow" > wrote:
> >>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html
>
> >> August 4, 2009
>
> >> Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests
>
> >> By WILLIAM NEUMAN
>
> >> "As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
> >> safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
> >> They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
> >> buying new cars.
>
> >> And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
> >> Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
> >> The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.
>
> > <snippage>
>
> > Not my backyard, even though I have 2 acres and a structure formerly
> > used as a coop. *I just refuse to deal with shit.
>
> > Cindy Hamilton
>
> I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. *(I
> might actually get some worm-free apples that way)
>
> Bob- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

So are you saying the worms come up from the ground, climb the tree
and get in the apple?

On Tue, 4 Aug 2009 10:09:55 -0700 (PDT), Chemo the Clown
> wrote:

>So are you saying the worms come up from the ground, climb the tree
>and get in the apple?

http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com...et-into-apples

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"sf" ha scritto nel messaggio
Chemo the Clown
> > wrote:
>
>>So are you saying the worms come up from the ground, climb the tree>>and
>>get in the apple?
>
> http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com...et-into-apples

That's so cool I hope it's true. A perfectly round idea.

Chemo the Clown wrote:
> On Aug 4, 8:09 am, zxcvbob > wrote:
>> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>> On Aug 4, 1:18 am, "Gregory Morrow" > wrote:
>>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html
>>>> August 4, 2009
>>>> Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests
>>>> By WILLIAM NEUMAN
>>>> "As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
>>>> safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
>>>> They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
>>>> buying new cars.
>>>> And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
>>>> Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
>>>> The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.
>>> <snippage>
>>> Not my backyard, even though I have 2 acres and a structure formerly
>>> used as a coop. I just refuse to deal with shit.
>>> Cindy Hamilton
>> I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. (I
>> might actually get some worm-free apples that way)
>>
>> Bob- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> So are you saying the worms come up from the ground, climb the tree
> and get in the apple?


Yes (indirectly.) There's actually several apple pests, and one of them
does climb the tree trunk (I can't remember which one.) Apple Maggots
pupates in the ground under the apple tree and an adult fly emerges.
Chickens would take care of all of them except flies or moths flying in
from another yard.

Bob

On Tue, 4 Aug 2009 21:28:38 +0200, "Giusi" > wrote:

>
>"sf" ha scritto nel messaggio
>Chemo the Clown
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>So are you saying the worms come up from the ground, climb the tree>>and
>>>get in the apple?
>>
>> http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com...et-into-apples
>
>That's so cool I hope it's true. A perfectly round idea.
>
If true, I imagine chickens could put a dent in the population.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Aug 4, 11:09 am, zxcvbob > wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> > On Aug 4, 1:18 am, "Gregory Morrow" > wrote:
> >>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/bu...4chickens.html
>
> >> August 4, 2009
>
> >> Keeping Their Eggs in Their Backyard Nests
>
> >> By WILLIAM NEUMAN
>
> >> "As Americans struggle through a dismal recession, many are trying to
> >> safeguard themselves from what they fear will be even worse times ahead.
> >> They eat out less often. They take vacations closer to home. They put off
> >> buying new cars.
>
> >> And some raise chickens. Lloyd Romriell, a married father of four in Annis,
> >> Idaho, recently received seven grown chickens and a coop from a relative.
> >> The hens lay a total of about two dozen eggs a week.
>
> > <snippage>
>
> > Not my backyard, even though I have 2 acres and a structure formerly
> > used as a coop. I just refuse to deal with shit.
>
> > Cindy Hamilton
>
> I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. (I
> might actually get some worm-free apples that way)
>
> Bob

Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
legal coop.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
> are great.

Just don't make the mistake of letting the kids name them. HTH :-)

Bob

Gregory Morrow wrote:
>
> In some cities, the chicken craze has met with resistance, as neighbors
> demand that local officials enforce no-poultry laws. In others, including
> Fort Collins, Colo., enthusiasts have worked to change laws to allow small
> flocks (without noisy roosters).

One of my neighbors has a rooster, I often hear it
in the early morning. But it must be far away, because
it's rather faint. I'm glad it's not right next door.

> Yet, even as many people see raising chickens as a hedge against hard
> times - and a way to get tastier eggs and meat - they often acknowledge that
> it is not really a way to save money on food.
>
> "You can buy eggs in the grocery store cheaper than you can raise them,"
> said David D. Frame, a poultry specialist who works with the Utah State
> University Extension. "You're not saving money by doing it."

Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
are great.

bulka wrote:
>
> Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
> would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
> legal coop.
>

One of my friends recently graduated from college, and she just built a
chicken coop. Maybe young folks are becoming interested in raising
chickens?


BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more eggs.
That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster crowing all
the time.


Becca

Mark Thorson wrote:
> Gregory Morrow wrote:
>> In some cities, the chicken craze has met with resistance, as neighbors
>> demand that local officials enforce no-poultry laws. In others, including
>> Fort Collins, Colo., enthusiasts have worked to change laws to allow small
>> flocks (without noisy roosters).
>
> One of my neighbors has a rooster, I often hear it
> in the early morning. But it must be far away, because
> it's rather faint. I'm glad it's not right next door.
>
>> Yet, even as many people see raising chickens as a hedge against hard
>> times - and a way to get tastier eggs and meat - they often acknowledge that
>> it is not really a way to save money on food.
>>
>> "You can buy eggs in the grocery store cheaper than you can raise them,"
>> said David D. Frame, a poultry specialist who works with the Utah State
>> University Extension. "You're not saving money by doing it."
>
> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
> are great.
You're welcome to all the snails in our garden. I'll furnish the garlic
butter. <G>

zxcvbob wrote:
> Mark Thorson wrote:
>> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
>> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
>> are great.
>
> Just don't make the mistake of letting the kids name them. HTH :-)
>
> Bob
That's why all our goats had names when we had milk goats. The babies
had names like Sausage, Barbecue, etc.

Becca wrote:
> bulka wrote:
>>
>> Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
>> would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
>> legal coop.
>>
>
> One of my friends recently graduated from college, and she just built a
> chicken coop. Maybe young folks are becoming interested in raising
> chickens?
>
> BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more eggs.
> That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster crowing all
> the time.
>
> Becca
Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
lay an egg a day until they're butchered.

Becca wrote:

> BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more eggs.
> That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster crowing all
> the time.

Over the years a couple of my neighbours have raised chickens. The sound
of the roosters didn't bother me. I liked it.

George Shirley wrote:
> Becca wrote:
>> bulka wrote:
>>>
>>> Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
>>> would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
>>> legal coop.
>>>
>>
>> One of my friends recently graduated from college, and she just built
>> a chicken coop. Maybe young folks are becoming interested in raising
>> chickens?
>>
>> BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more
>> eggs. That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster
>> crowing all the time.
>>
>> Becca
> Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
> lay an egg a day until they're butchered.


And as we recently learned, the young and exceptionally productive hens
sometimes drop double yolk eggs.

Dave Smith wrote:
> Becca wrote:
>
>> BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more
>> eggs. That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster
>> crowing all the time.
>
> Over the years a couple of my neighbours have raised chickens. The sound
> of the roosters didn't bother me. I liked it.


I cant imagine life without chooks about and the fresh eggs of course.

When I lived in Asia what used to drive me mad were the blasted
peacocks now they *are* noisy buggers .Only thing that drowned out
their sound was the poor bloody gibbon that the neighbour had imprisoned
a cage.

Eventually rescued by Irish and Canadian folks from WWLF. But we still
had to grease the palms of some local cops to make that happen .

Gibbon is still alive and well and reportedly happy in a national
park although a bit psycho because of her early years of mistreatment.

On the other hand no fan of her simian relatives that took delight in
destroying any and everything in sight . There is a spot in Thailand
where I also lived for a while where the Monkeys actually own the
town. The little *******s (some not so little and are ferocious evil
agro *******s) destroyed the new vehicle in about ten minutes

Left the window down a fraction to let air through and two young ones
got inside chewed dashboard leather seats mad dreadful mess pulled
knobs of radio chewed CDS mangled the mirrors and sun visors

While their mates on the outside tore off the wipers, mirrors, Radio Ariel
scratched paintwork ate the mud flaps even got the dust caps off tyres
and were having a go at the valve stems (liked the air hissing out
apparently that is their favourite ) Locals put cyanide on the valves
That takes the pace off the things and they know the smell and leave
those tainted vehicles alone.

So if you ever go to LOP Buri take the bus

Weird place, you pay a local a few bob to mind the car .
Minding the car service includes some really accurate sling shot
folks . Every one has a sling shot and pebbles because of the damned
monkeys .

Trying to eat a meal at an outside stall is certainly entertaining
Oh and they (the monkeys) bash up the chickens there .

Once a year the locals throw a banquet for the things

see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-wfVgwl-3E

The presentation and effort that goes into preparing this feast
is just amazing
worth watching for the food prep alone

Cheers

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
m...
> Becca wrote:
>
>> BTW, my mother says having a rooster, makes the chickens lay more eggs.
>> That is sad, because I can not handle the sound of a rooster crowing all
>> the time.
>
> Over the years a couple of my neighbours have raised chickens. The sound
> of the roosters didn't bother me. I liked it.

Roosters crowing doesn't bother me, I barely notice anymore. My neighbor
around the corner has a small cottage egg business and has a few pet
roosters too. One beauty is named The Emporer, each evening they open the
back door and he struts into their kitchen and spends the night in his
cage.. why should he sleep with all those cackling sluts.

In article >, "Phil..c" <invalid@invalid>
wrote:

>
> So if you ever go to LOP Buri take the bus
>
> Weird place, you pay a local a few bob to mind the car .
> Minding the car service includes some really accurate sling shot
> folks . Every one has a sling shot and pebbles because of the damned
> monkeys .
>
> Trying to eat a meal at an outside stall is certainly entertaining
> Oh and they (the monkeys) bash up the chickens there .
>
> Once a year the locals throw a banquet for the things
>
> see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-wfVgwl-3E
>
> The presentation and effort that goes into preparing this feast
> is just amazing
> worth watching for the food prep alone
>
> Cheers

Ugh. Reminds me of this place:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGzXQ3i-XNw

Time for lots of warfarin!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>Becca wrote:
>> bulka wrote:

>Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
>lay an egg a day until they're butchered.

Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more happily...

Alex

On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:27:39 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>zxcvbob wrote:
>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
>>> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
>>> are great.
>>
>> Just don't make the mistake of letting the kids name them. HTH :-)
>>
>> Bob
>That's why all our goats had names when we had milk goats. The babies
>had names like Sausage, Barbecue, etc.

It is *so* obvious from this thread, that we LOVE our food....

Alex

Chemiker wrote:
> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:27:39 -0500, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
>> zxcvbob wrote:
>>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
>>>> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
>>>> are great.
>>> Just don't make the mistake of letting the kids name them. HTH :-)
>>>
>>> Bob
>> That's why all our goats had names when we had milk goats. The babies
>> had names like Sausage, Barbecue, etc.
>
> It is *so* obvious from this thread, that we LOVE our food....
>
> Alex


I'm still wondering what kind of names Mark is gonna give those garden
slugs. ;-)

Bob

In article >,
Chemiker > wrote:

> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
> >Becca wrote:
> >> bulka wrote:
>
> >Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
> >lay an egg a day until they're butchered.
>
> Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more happily...
>
> Alex

Up to a point...

This is discussed on poultry lists quite a bit. If you only want to
keep 3 or 4 hens for eggs, having a rooster is a bad idea. The ideal hen
to rooster ratio is around 20 hens to one rooster.

The average rooster mates about once every 20 minutes. Over-bred hens
actually lay _fewer_ eggs due to the stress.

There are patterns for hen vests to protect a hens upper back and the
top of her wings from having the feathers ripped out by over-aggressive
breeding.

Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

zxcvbob wrote:
> Chemiker wrote:
>> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:27:39 -0500, George Shirley
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> zxcvbob wrote:
>>>> Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>>> Snails, on the other hand, can be raised for much
>>>>> less than they are worth. Snails in garlic butter
>>>>> are great.
>>>> Just don't make the mistake of letting the kids name them. HTH :-)
>>>>
>>>> Bob
>>> That's why all our goats had names when we had milk goats. The babies
>>> had names like Sausage, Barbecue, etc.
>>
>> It is *so* obvious from this thread, that we LOVE our food....
>>
>> Alex
>
>
> I'm still wondering what kind of names Mark is gonna give those garden
> slugs. ;-)
>
> Bob

Perhaps speedy, flash or even ------------- add your own suggestion ---
here <g>

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> Chemiker > wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Becca wrote:
>>>> bulka wrote:
>>> Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
>>> lay an egg a day until they're butchered.
>> Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more happily...
>>
>> Alex
>
> Up to a point...
>
> This is discussed on poultry lists quite a bit. If you only want to
> keep 3 or 4 hens for eggs, having a rooster is a bad idea. The ideal hen
> to rooster ratio is around 20 hens to one rooster.
>
> The average rooster mates about once every 20 minutes. Over-bred hens
> actually lay _fewer_ eggs due to the stress.
>
> There are patterns for hen vests to protect a hens upper back and the
> top of her wings from having the feathers ripped out by over-aggressive
> breeding.
>
> Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.

I cant resist this is an OLD joke but I am by your post reminded of
it . Here we go .Dont flame if you have heard it before .

Rooster

A farmer wanted to have his hens serviced, so he went to the market
looking for a rooster. He was hoping he could get a special rooster -
one that would service all of his many hens.

When he told this to the market vendor, the vendor replied, "I have just
the rooster for you. Rooter here is the horniest rooster you will ever
see!"

So the farmer took rooter back to the farm. Before setting him loose in
the hen house though, he gave rooter a little pep talk. "rooter ", he
said, "I'm counting on you to do your stuff." And without a word, Rooter
then strutted into the hen house.

Young Rooter was as fast as he was furious, mounting each hen like a
thunderbolt. There was much squawking and many feathers flying, till he
had finished having his way with each hen. But young rooter didn't stop
there, he went in to the horse paddock and mounted all the horses, one
by one and still at the same frantic pace. Then he went to the pig house
where he did the same.

The farmer, watching all of this with disbelief, cried out, "Stop,
rooter , you'll kill yourself." But rooter continued, seeking out each
farm animal in the same manner.

Well the next morning, the farmer looked out and saw a pretty sad and
sorry looking roother lying there on his lawn. His legs were up in the
air, his eyes rolled back, and his long tongue hanging out. A eagle was
already circling above the what appeared shagged and very dead rooter
the rooster .

The farmer walked over to rooter saying, "Oh you poor ******* , look
what you did, you've gone and killed yourself. I warned you you stupid
shagger ."

"Shhhhh," rooter whispered, "The eagle is getting closer."

Stop me if you have heard it <g>

bulka wrote:
> On Aug 4, 11:09 am, zxcvbob > wrote:

>> I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. (I
>> might actually get some worm-free apples that way)

> Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
> would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
> legal coop.

This thread reminds me of a sign on a house I pass by now and
again. Chickens for sale. PETS ONLY!!

Raises questions. If they lay eggs, can I eat those? Are they some
special kind of chickens not good for eating, and do you check up
on them?

Just goofing. It amused me that they would have to add PETS ONLY,
like they had people stopping in expecting them to butcher a chicken
for them. What did they expect in a residential neighborhood.

nancy

Omelet wrote:
> In article >,
> Chemiker > wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Becca wrote:
>>>> bulka wrote:
>>> Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
>>> lay an egg a day until they're butchered.
>> Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more happily...
>>
>> Alex
>
> Up to a point...
>
> This is discussed on poultry lists quite a bit. If you only want to
> keep 3 or 4 hens for eggs, having a rooster is a bad idea. The ideal hen
> to rooster ratio is around 20 hens to one rooster.
>
> The average rooster mates about once every 20 minutes. Over-bred hens
> actually lay _fewer_ eggs due to the stress.
>
> There are patterns for hen vests to protect a hens upper back and the
> top of her wings from having the feathers ripped out by over-aggressive
> breeding.
>
> Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.

I had thought that if reincarnation exists I would want to come back as
some rich lady's lap dog. Now that I've read this post I think I want to
come back as a rooster.

Nancy Young wrote:
> bulka wrote:
>> On Aug 4, 11:09 am, zxcvbob > wrote:
>
>>> I would love to have 2 or 3 chickens living under my apple tree. (I
>>> might actually get some worm-free apples that way)
>
>> Illegal here, though I know a couple of people who have a few. Things
>> would have to get a lot rougher before I'd be willing to build even a
>> legal coop.
>
> This thread reminds me of a sign on a house I pass by now and
> again. Chickens for sale. PETS ONLY!!
> Raises questions. If they lay eggs, can I eat those? Are they some
> special kind of chickens not good for eating, and do you check up
> on them?
>
> Just goofing. It amused me that they would have to add PETS ONLY,
> like they had people stopping in expecting them to butcher a chicken
> for them. What did they expect in a residential neighborhood.
>
> nancy
Wonder what they would think if you stopped and bought a chicken and
then sacrificed it on their front lawn while doing a voodoo dance?

George Shirley wrote:
> Omelet wrote:
>> In article >,
>> Chemiker > wrote:
>>
>>> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Becca wrote:
>>>>> bulka wrote:
>>>> Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and
>>>> they lay an egg a day until they're butchered.
>>> Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more
>>> happily... Alex
>>
>> Up to a point...
>>
>> This is discussed on poultry lists quite a bit. If you only want to
>> keep 3 or 4 hens for eggs, having a rooster is a bad idea. The ideal
>> hen to rooster ratio is around 20 hens to one rooster.
>>
>> The average rooster mates about once every 20 minutes. Over-bred
>> hens actually lay _fewer_ eggs due to the stress.
>>
>> There are patterns for hen vests to protect a hens upper back and the
>> top of her wings from having the feathers ripped out by over-
>> aggressive breeding.
>>
>> Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.
>
> I had thought that if reincarnation exists I would want to come back
> as some rich lady's lap dog. Now that I've read this post I think I
> want to come back as a rooster.

Mr Shirley!!!!!!!!!

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > In article >,
> > Chemiker > wrote:
> >
> >> On Tue, 04 Aug 2009 18:28:40 -0500, George Shirley
> >> > wrote:
> >>
> >>> Becca wrote:
> >>>> bulka wrote:
> >>> Hens in those egg factories never even get to meet a rooster and they
> >>> lay an egg a day until they're butchered.
> >> Yes, but the others, rooster-familiar, lay their eggs more happily...
> >>
> >> Alex
> >
> > Up to a point...
> >
> > This is discussed on poultry lists quite a bit. If you only want to
> > keep 3 or 4 hens for eggs, having a rooster is a bad idea. The ideal hen
> > to rooster ratio is around 20 hens to one rooster.
> >
> > The average rooster mates about once every 20 minutes. Over-bred hens
> > actually lay _fewer_ eggs due to the stress.
> >
> > There are patterns for hen vests to protect a hens upper back and the
> > top of her wings from having the feathers ripped out by over-aggressive
> > breeding.
> >
> > Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.
>
> I had thought that if reincarnation exists I would want to come back as
> some rich lady's lap dog. Now that I've read this post I think I want to
> come back as a rooster.

<lol>!!!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:19:52 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.

They're noisy and mean.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:19:52 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >Keeping a rooster is not all it's cracked up to be.
>
> They're noisy and mean.

Noisy, yes, but not always mean. :-) Depends on the bloodlines.
Personality is very much genetic in poultry, including emus. It's been
proven over time.

I've had very tame roosters, and some that were only good for the
stewpot. Any good poultry forum will have experienced members that
recommend you do NOT keep any males hatched from eggs from an aggressive
rooster.

When you purchase chicks from a hatchery, it is worth the extra cost to
get pre-sexed chicks so you can get pullets only.

Unless of course you want a few meat birds.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein


Subscribe:

George Shirley wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:

>> This thread reminds me of a sign on a house I pass by now and
>> again. Chickens for sale. PETS ONLY!!
>> Raises questions. If they lay eggs, can I eat those? Are they some
>> special kind of chickens not good for eating, and do you check up
>> on them?
>>
>> Just goofing. It amused me that they would have to add PETS ONLY,
>> like they had people stopping in expecting them to butcher a chicken
>> for them. What did they expect in a residential neighborhood.

> Wonder what they would think if you stopped and bought a chicken and
> then sacrificed it on their front lawn while doing a voodoo dance?

(laugh) I think they'd be traumatized. I hate to tell them, I don't
know anyone who has pet chickens, I don't think there's a huge
market for them. Maybe the local 4H Club.

nancy

On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:54:15 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>When you purchase chicks from a hatchery, it is worth the extra cost to
>get pre-sexed chicks so you can get pullets only.

There are always mistakes! How many depends on how lucky you are.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Nancy Young wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> Nancy Young wrote:
>
>>> This thread reminds me of a sign on a house I pass by now and
>>> again. Chickens for sale. PETS ONLY!!
>>> Raises questions. If they lay eggs, can I eat those? Are they some
>>> special kind of chickens not good for eating, and do you check up
>>> on them?
>>>
>>> Just goofing. It amused me that they would have to add PETS ONLY,
>>> like they had people stopping in expecting them to butcher a chicken
>>> for them. What did they expect in a residential neighborhood.
>
>> Wonder what they would think if you stopped and bought a chicken and
>> then sacrificed it on their front lawn while doing a voodoo dance?
>
> (laugh) I think they'd be traumatized. I hate to tell them, I don't
> know anyone who has pet chickens, I don't think there's a huge market
> for them. Maybe the local 4H Club.
> nancy
I was in 4H as a kid and so were my kids. 4H kids generally understand
that the critters they're raising are meant to be eaten. Those that
don't understand that don't stay in 4H long.

zxcvbob wrote:
>
> I'm still wondering what kind of names Mark is gonna give those garden
> slugs. ;-)

I'll name them after people in rfc.

George Shirley wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:

>>>> Just goofing. It amused me that they would have to add PETS ONLY,
>>>> like they had people stopping in expecting them to butcher a
>>>> chicken for them. What did they expect in a residential
>>>> neighborhood.
>>
>>> Wonder what they would think if you stopped and bought a chicken and
>>> then sacrificed it on their front lawn while doing a voodoo dance?
>>
>> (laugh) I think they'd be traumatized. I hate to tell them, I don't
>> know anyone who has pet chickens, I don't think there's a huge market
>> for them. Maybe the local 4H Club.

> I was in 4H as a kid and so were my kids. 4H kids generally understand
> that the critters they're raising are meant to be eaten. Those that
> don't understand that don't stay in 4H long.

I went to a couple of country fair type things lately, that's the only
place I ever saw pampered and named chickens. But they didn't
look like the eating kind, they looked like the decorative variety.

I'm sure there is no such thing, of course.

nancy

Mark Thorson wrote:
> zxcvbob wrote:
>> I'm still wondering what kind of names Mark is gonna give those garden
>> slugs. ;-)
>
> I'll name them after people in rfc.


Touché :-)

Bob

Decorative chickens. And rabbits. Humans will do very strange things
with too much spare time.

Found an escaped fighting cock in Chicago, just walking down the
street. Took it to a neighbor, who had to get rid of it when people
complained of the noise.

B