Spring! Oh glorious spring. It is on the way. Everything that can shed is shedding and it's a hairy business. The grass is starting to sprout in some areas.
With spring in the air I'm thinking of chickies. 50 of them, and some turkey poults too. I had been pondering buying another bovine, but considering how much hamburger you get out of a beef, and how much I don't really love hamburger, I think we're going to try the chicken thing. We eat a lot more chicken than we do beef anyway. Plus, chickens we can process ourselves. That will be a busy, messy day.I was trying to think how I would build a portable area for them, and Electronet fencing is so expensive... I finally stumbled across a video done by Heifer International showing how they used the top of a Costco-type tarp carport on skids. Bingo! We have two of those! Well, not on skids, but the frames and tarp covers. I think we even have some chicken wire. So easy. All we have to do is put them together. Here's the start of our pastured poultry operation:
We won't be selling the meat of course, since that isn't legal. But we will enjoy knowing that our chicken was raised humanely and was able to forage. Not to mention the sense of satisfaction when we have freezer full of meat, the fruit of our labors. Will it be cheaper than storebought chicken? Almost definitely not, but I could be wrong. I'll get back to you on that in a couple months.Oh, and you know how I mentioned hairy, shedding critters? Well, this one doesn't shed. She mats. So I will, once again, have the spring chore of shaving her. Fun stuff. I'll probably wait another month or more though so she doesn't freeze to death.
Oh, and speaking of Mama Cat, thanks to her I TOTALLY cracked up at this Get Fuzzy comic:
She definitely has that 6th sense. Just ask John.
I've never had chickens. I've had rabbits, cats, rats, hamsters, cockatiels, and a dog when I was little.
ReplyDeleteThe friend where I used to board/lease a horse at her stable, she has a few chickens that just wander the farm. Their numbers increase and decrease as chicks hatch and I'm guessing the occasional coyote has a snack. But there was one chicken, she was my favorite and would almost eat out of my hand. Her name was Skitty and if you called for the chickens (having a handful of grain of course) she would just come a running! It was hilarious to watch those chicken legs go.
Could be fun to have a couple of chickens to eat bugs and hang out with Cody, but I dunno if they'd know to stick around.
That's too bad you're still sick :( Shearing day sounds fun. Same friend, they used to have a few sheep. A couple of summers I remember a group of us would gang up on poor Scotty (the ram) and shear him. None of us could hold him by ourselves so we'd kind of end up with one half sitting on his head, one at the back end, and I'd get to handle the clippers. He put with so much, lol.
Are your horses shedding? I was petting Cody this evening before putting his blanket back on and the hair was just floating off with each stroke.
Hope you feel better soon!!