Savingdogs-Saving the chickens

[freemotion]

Enjoy your kindle! You don't have to read stuff written on bark with a piece of charcoal to be ss! It takes technology to print books, too, you know, and lots of fossil fuel. Consider it green to use a Kindle.

It takes a while to sell a buck. Don't give up. Get creative with your ads and post them a little further away from where you live. Pictures are good, too. There aren't too many people who want a buck, and there are some who are still hoping to find someone else's buck to breed to. It took me a while to sell mine. I would've let him go for meat, too. I'd give the current one for free if someone wanted to wether him, but I doubt that will happen. I'm still ahead of the game if I give him for free, and you will likely be, too. It will happen.

As for egg eating, have you tried putting stone or ceramic eggs in the nest? Look for egg yolk on beaks to know who is eating. You may have to get an entirely new flock.

 

[kcsunshine]

I sometimes find a broken egg in the nest but can't figure out which one is doing it. I think it's more an issue of a softer shell and one just steps on it. At least that's what I hope it is.

Hope you get your problem resolved soon.

 

[savingdogs]

Well, we are feeling a little better this AM.

We decided (with encouragement from BYC) to devise a roll-away egg laying system in the coop and lock them up until they finish laying (and give treats) to discourage egg eating. I have tried rocks and golf balls, but that is a good reminder Free, I have to put them back. We are going to work with these birds and can't eat them, for one there is a whole flock to replace and two, we are

SOFTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will probably get kicked off the SS bandwagon because we can't eat our chickens. Before you laugh, remember we are the transplanted city dog rescuers......and these are supposed to be layers.

We DID manage to really enjoy eating our ducks so there is HOPE. My hubby wants to raise meat rabbits and I think we need to prove to ourselves first that we could actually kill something that cute. We thought chickens were ugly when we got into them and never imagined we could love them or find them beautiful like we do now. I'm glad we chose an ugly breed of duck and don't have to eat the pretty females.

I'm glad to hear Kindles won't be embarassing to bring up.....I'm getting one for my mom for Christmas too, with a little help from the family. Heh, my first book was one about homesteading back in the olden days...... but I guess you are right, we don't need to go back to scratching on bark. I like to imagine how Kindles could improve education. If nothing else, the kids would not have to carry so many books and so many would not need to be printed and updated. Mine has been keeping my spirits up.

The buck.....well, it is good advice to hear we should be patient because there isn't much else to do. We have him listed with CL which covers pretty much the whole driving area of the west coast where I am. Perhaps I should advertise elsewhere? In the meantime, I can let the goats out here to eat in the forested part of our land. He stays right with my others, who never leave our direct sight (we are in a very remote area). At first I was too worried about predators to do this but now two of my dogs are trustworthy around the goats so they can be out at the same time, and we put the goats up before bedtime anyhow. The predators are pretty afraid of my dogs, maybe because so many live here? We have noticed our neighbors have a lot more trouble and only have one or two dogs each. One of our dogs is a Karelian bear dog and predators hate her, although she cannot be out at the same time as the goats as she chases them, the little turd. She is, however, very useful and beloved at other times so we just keep her under tight control. But she has been immortalized by our neighbors, who witnessed her chasing a coyote pack away from their horse single-handedly and I think she is also the reason we have had no predator problems.

But Free you are right, I did not buy Sebastian, my buck, until I found I could not find a reasonably priced buck for stud in my area, or even the right breeds (mini dairy), but there he was for sale. I found someone about three hours away from me wanting a Nigy to breed to, but that is all. I suppose we should consider selling him for slaughter, but again, we are SOFTIES.

I'm finally "giving up" today and officially filing for SSI. It is a bit discouragng, I had really hoped to get better, not give up, but I just can't keep up the regular job. I keep missing and letting everyone down. I'm going to start the paperwork tangle.......it is hard to get approved with Meniere's disease (although a few of my other health problems could qualify me as well) and could take a couple years to get qualified. But at this point I miss so much work I would get more collecting SSI and I cannot find other work, unless it could be completely at my own pace. That is why I need to be self sufficient from home and why I need all of you guys.....I have to learn how to be a new me. But it isn't going deaf that is making me do this, it is the vertigo. My co-workers are so helpful trying to communicate with me and one knows sign language and is even teaching it to me. But overall, it isn't working out. The only things a deaf person can do are fairly menial and manual labor and I'm a 51-year-old so it doesn't suit when I get dizzy spells and frankly, I'm too smart to be happy in a menial job. When you have ran the office, it is hard to sweep the floor and dump the trash. But I've learned to be humble, which I'm sure was the life lesson I was supposed to be on. But I'm just too sick to have that physical a job anymore, so I'm giving up. I wish it wasn't so hard to get approved.

Both of our foster dogs are getting adopted. Mookie went over the weekend and my little dog Harry will be adopted tomorrow. He is a little black-and tan scruffy terrier thing. I fancy Harry and I'm a little teary about him leaving, but a friend is adopting him, so I'm good with it. They want me to babysit him when they go on trips so it won't really be goodbye. I think his new name will probably be "Harley" because they ride and I suspect he will go-with (he only weighs 10 pounds). I'll have to have them send me some pics to share. It is hard giving up dogs over and over but I'm pretty used to it. About one dog in ten however is really hard to give away. I was happy to see the backside of Mookie but Harry, who we pulled from the shelter at the same time, will be missed. I always tell them "see you in heaven" when we part and in my imagination, when I die, they will all be there to greet me, since dogs have short lives. Hopefully I make it to heaven. lol But I know if there is one, dogs will be there, because it would not be heaven to me if they could not. There ia already a whole HERD of dogs there that I have known.
Guess I'm going to have to change my title to say we are official softies of SS.

 

[Javamama]

Nobody here will judge you We all have our soft spots regarding our animals. And most of the time I have to consider myself SS light. I don't put up nearly as much food as most - I don't have the energy. And I find it impossible to not rely on convenience foods sometimes. My kids blow through food so fast that I can't keep up some days. It's hard to plan for a growth spurt My son is on one now - he ate almost an entire bag a carrots yesterday! I planned on those carrots lasting for 2 weeks

 

[i_am2bz]

SOFTIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will probably get kicked off the SS bandwagon because we can't eat our chickens. Before you laugh, remember we are the transplanted city dog rescuers......and these are supposed to be layers.

You are not alone! My MIL asked DH the other night "are you at least going to eat the chickens when they die of extreme old age?" I looked at him like he was crazy! (But, I'm a vegetarian; I told DH he could have the chickens when they die if he did all the plucking, etc. himself)

I always tell them "see you in heaven" when we part and in my imagination, when I die, they will all be there to greet me, since dogs have short lives. Hopefully I make it to heaven. lol But I know if there is one, dogs will be there, because it would not be heaven to me if they could not. There ia already a whole HERD of dogs there that I have known.
Guess I'm going to have to change my title to say we are official softies of SS.

My tag line on my personal email account is a (supposed) quote of Will Rogers: "If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."

Glad there are other softies on this forum!

 

[fancy]

Just need to add a comment here. I love your tag line, I really, do but my Bulldog's name is Peaches!!!!!!!! LOL

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

We will probably get kicked off the SS bandwagon because we can't eat our chickens. Before you laugh, remember we are the transplanted city dog rescuers......and these are supposed to be layers.

ha! ok i DID laugh!!! but not because of what you think!!!

i laughed b/c you are so darn cute with your confession... and you thought we'd haul you off the SS site and tar and feather you.

oh honey.. you are pure and perfect just the way you are. dont you change a thing!

everyone has their limits and if this is yours thats just fine. lean in.. i have a secret.. shhh... we could never do rabbits. ever.

see!?!?

its all about what you can do. and trying new things - look at your success with ducks!

as far as that bear dog of yours.. hum.... i might just need me one of them...... how is she with foxes?

*hogs and kisses*

ps i kinda like the new you!!

 

[savingdogs]

Do you know the song? We don't really grow peaches here but the sentiment fits. We grew up in Los Angeles, always longed for pine trees and open spaces for our dogs. We finally moved to WA state 15 years ago, but it took "downsizing" our house before we managed to buy a place in the country. So here we are novices at this life in our middle age. Lucky for me I have a 14-year-old with a lot of energy and a knack with animals.

We actually have had a better time with the livestock than the garden even though we are experienced gardeners. Herbs and potatoes grow great but we can't seem to grow much else.....except, well, zuchinni! And everyone seems to have too MUCH of that. I think it is the altitude and the critters.

We had an asian pear orchard and apple orchard started, but we have goats and you can probably guess what happened. We learned they can open gates with their nimble little lips and can eat baby trees to the ground in no time at all! They were a huge financial investment for us so we haven't gotten around to replacing them yet. But I should have been getting lovely apples this year. I have two teenagers and you wouldn't believe how much fruit they can eat in a day!

Fancy, your Peaches is adorable! I love the bully breeds.

We had totally planned on eating the older chickens to phase them out and even bred "replacement" chicks this year......but I have a feeling my flock will just grow larger and we will lose a few chickens here and there but won't be eating them ourselves. We can't eat animals that like to snuggle.

The crazy thing is I have no trouble whatsoever eating chickens that I didn't know.

 

[TTs Chicks]

Just need to add a comment here. I love your tag line, I really, do but my Bulldog's name is Peaches!!!!!!!! LOLhttp://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/2188_imgp2152.jpg

I love your dog - she looks like a baby version of my Madusa.

 

[fancy]

My DH and I moved to the country 5 years ago when I turned 50. We have a lot in common, I'm the same way with my chickens. But really just getting started so don't have the problem yet of what to do with the "Golden Girls".
I've been lurking around and reading a lot, Peach is one of 2 rescues that we currently have. I must admit though that horses are my true passion but I am at the age and level of wisdom to know what I can handle and what I can't. Dogs are a very close 2nd, and they can snuggle better.

From one softie to another, keep your heart soft, you can always eat more veggies!


Fancy