Eggs

[Blue Oaks]

No relation between the two but ................OK

Why would you say that?

 

[JRM]

Neighbor gave me 3 hens this weekend which puts me back to 5. Which is more than enough for the wife and I. The new hens thought they were going to establish dominance over the other 2 right out of the gate until Mr turkey which stands every bit of 4ft tall came to the rescue and flattened one of the new ones out with a sharp peck to the back. The others took note, fight over.

 

[StihlPotlicker]

Some people love them. I don't know enough about them to know if Some breeds are better than others. I had Pekins. They are messy. Crap everywhere much like a goose. I housed them with the chickens in the winter as they wanted in when it got cold. I have auto waters supplied by a rain barrel outside, they would sit there and play with the waterers non stop. The floor (dirt floor and sawdust) was thoroughly saturated. They are playful but mischievous. Always looking to get into something.

If you use your pond for drinking water it would obviously be a bad idea to bring in ducks. They will surely contaminate the water.

No, we don't use it for drinking, but it is spring fed. it is full of leeches too, I was hoping they would get rid of them?

 

[pdqdl]

It turns out that ducks and leeches are mutually predatory. Getting rid of the leeches might not be as as simple as buying a couple of ducks.

"Ducks have also been used to control leech populations, but an over abundance of ducks can create other more serious problems.In order to keep ducks near your area for leech control they will also have to be fed.Duck feed is high in phosphorus and travels rapidly through the duck's digestion system.A readily available form of phosphorus is then added to the lakes.If the lake is small and the ducks numerous, enough phosphorus can be added to the lake to cause algae to grow. Ducks are also an intermediate host for a number of parasites that may not be desirable in a swimming area."
https://www.maine.gov/dep/water/lakes/leech.html

I suppose it also depends upon what type of leeches you have. "Muscovy Duck Eye Leeches"

"These leeches are attached to the inside of the ducks' eyelids, but to avoid being scratched off, they are somehow finding a way to attach under their third eyelid."​

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Then there are duck specific leeches: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theromyzon

"Leeches of this genus parasitize birds and are sometimes called duck leeches, although their hosts are not limited to ducks. The Theromyzon species tend to feed in the nasal cavities of waterbirds in general, from ducks to penguins.​

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As parasites of birds, and in many cases migratory waterfowl, these leeches typically have a broad distribution range. Leeches of the Theromyzon genus have been observed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa."​

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You may wish to try this:

"A measure which can be successful in controlling leeches is bait trapping.A metal can with a reclosable lid (a one pound tobacco or coffee can is ideal) drilled with small holes (depending on the size of the nuisance species) and baited with raw meat may trap large numbers of leeches from a heavily infested area."​

 

[TNTreeHugger]

I bought the 1 1/2 doz. Great Value eggs today @ $8.50
Also bought a 5# bag of chicken legs for $5.50
Not a bad price for either and I would estimate that's quite a lot cheaper than raising my own.
Yes, I know, it's the quality you're paying for raising your own.
All things considered, not worth the trouble and expense for me.
I admire those of you who do it and do it well.

 

[JRM]

Not a bad price for either and I would estimate that's quite a lot cheaper than raising my own.

Right. This is what I tell people that inquire. If you are looking to get into it to make money or even save money you are in it for the wrong reasons. Mudstopper may be a good example of an exception to this statement out of the members on here.

 

[Mad Professor]

Right. This is what I tell people that inquire. If you are looking to get into it to make money or even save money you are in it for the wrong reasons. Mudstopper may be a good example of an exception to this statement out of the members on here.

You are in for quality food. IMHO you can't beat that. Same with beef and pigs.

 

[muddstopper]

Right. This is what I tell people that inquire. If you are looking to get into it to make money or even save money you are in it for the wrong reasons. Mudstopper may be a good example of an exception to this statement out of the members on here.

. Please explain. I cant tell if you are saying I am super smart, or a glutton for punishment.

 

[Bill G]

Our local Tractor suply is already selling baby chicks. They are selling out fast too,got to be on the ball of you want to buy a few. Personally, I dont buy hatchery chicks. Its not the hatery that turn me off, but its the post office that I have a problem with. You order chicks and the PO leave them setting on the dock in cold weather, and when or if they deliver, they set them on your steps where they set exposed to the weather until you got home from work, or the local stray dog or cat can get them, or in the bed of your pickup where you wont see them untill its to late. I just much rather buy from a local flock, but I have issues doing that as well. Bio security is pretty big for me. So many diseases can be carried in your lot on the soles of your boots. Our local NPIP inspector had a pretty great set up. For his shoes he had disposible covers. He even had disinfectant sprayers that where mounted in the wheel well of his car that sprayed the tires before he entered your driveay and when leaving your drive. I usually kept a pan of clorox mixed water you stepped in before you could enter my pens. Also kept spray bottles of the clorox mix in the event I went to a sellers house that wasnt as picky as I was abut biosecureity. folks that didnt want to wash off their shoes with clorox, well they just didnt get near my flock. I aint as much into the biosecurity now as I was back when I was NPIP certified and selling eggs all over the country. Now when I sell a bird, its to somebody local and usually the whole flock at one time. When I get new birds, I spray down the coop and run with clorox, and if I have a problem with mites a good misting of neem oil does the trick

Buy from the feed store

 

[Bill G]

Why would you say that?

Simple

you said...........

A dozen at Walmart here is $11.36. Wait until people's chickie-nuggies start getting affected.

The price of eggs at Wal-Mart has zero to do with the price of chicken meat. They are no where near the same animal. The eggs you buy at Wally World come from hens that take up to a 365 days to lay a single egg. The nuggets you eat at the choke and puke come from a bird that goes from hatch to harvest in 38-40 days. Meat birds are quickly repopulated as compared to egg birds.

 

[Bill G]

I bought the 1 1/2 doz. Great Value eggs today @ $8.50
Also bought a 5# bag of chicken legs for $5.50
................

That proves my point that the price of "nuggets" in Commiefornication has nothing to do with the price of eggs.

 

[Bill G]

You are in for quality food. IMHO you can't beat that. Same with beef and pigs.

My freezer/frig contents.
Home raised/harvested
Beef
Lamb
Pork
Turkey
Chicken
Duck
Rabbit
Deer (wild)
Squirrel (wild)

If ya want
Beaver
Coon
Muskrat
Quail
Pheasant
Pigeon

 

[Bill G]

. Please explain. I cant tell if you are saying I am super smart, or a glutton for punishment.

You raise them for the right reasons.

 

[Blue Oaks]

Simple

you said...........



The price of eggs at Wal-Mart has zero to do with the price of chicken meat. They are no where near the same animal. The eggs you buy at Wally World come from hens that take up to a 365 days to lay a single egg. The nuggets you eat at the choke and puke come from a bird that goes from hatch to harvest in 38-40 days. Meat birds are quickly repopulated as compared to egg birds.

Do both types catch bird flu?

 

[muddstopper]

The eggs you buy at Wally World come from hens that take up to a 365 days to lay a single egg.

Thats a pretty dumb statement. Most chickens start laying at around 5 months.. If a person is really lucky, you can start with a new hatched chick, get a egg in 5 months, hatch that egg in 21days and have another chicken old enough to lay in 365 days.

 

[Bill G]

Do both types catch bird flu?

One is repopulated in short order
The other is does not
It is common sense.

 

[Bill G]

Thats a pretty dumb statement. Most chickens start laying at around 5 months.. If a person is really lucky, you can start with a new hatched chick, get a egg in 5 months, hatch that egg in 21days and have another chicken old enough to lay in 365 days.

I guess single was confusing.
What breed lays at 5 months?
What is the production level?