Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Who will own our ponds if the EPA gets its way?

And even if we are not politically aligned, my hope is that we should still be able to discuss relevant issues calmly, rationally, and open-mindedly. Subject matter such as that presented in this thread does have a direct link to our ponds, our lands, and or lifestyles. We should strive to debate and discuss intelligently.

With emphasis on intelligence.

On a lighter note, anyone remember my concern over my neighbor's chickens, from earlier in this thread? Here's what they look like today:





Yes, that is cracked corn on the ground. Any yes, now we're feeding them everyday. Turns out they weren't so bad after all.

You are just plumping them up now so you can eat later!

And I wouldn't blame him!

Both of you bite your tongues! I'm confident you're both aware of the scenario whereby livestock move over into the "pet" category?

And to be honest, I had forgotten how much simple pleasure could be had just from watching chickens. We had them around home of course, but that was a long time ago. One scored a cicada earlier and it was a free-for-all for a time. Very entertaining.

Naturally they are roosters, driven off by the dominant rooster next door. But maybe a hen will defect one of these days.

We've gotten several complaints about this thread, FYI, so it's good to see it return to a more civil and pleasant interchange.

Never been a firm believer of livestock being a pet. I am working on desensitizing my kids from that line of thinking, we always visit the cow we get at least once and name it prior to its departure to our dinner plates. So far so good, nobody has refused to eat. AT some point we will be getting chickens, some heads of cattle, and potentially a pig or two. I really do not want them getting attached.

My kids are old enough now we don't have to worry about that issue. But I remember how it was!

When I was growing up we always made pets out of the livestock, but there was never an issue having it for dinner. Guess our stomachs' overruled any emotional attachment. It was always understood that the reason for having that animal in the first place, was for food.

Yes ,we raise Delaware chickens here and they are comical to say the least.
Wait until you see one catch a mouse and free for all on who gets to eat it whole LOL
Some times when I want a break I just pull up to the chicken compound and sit back and relax . Watch the show.
Keep on throwing the corn and don't worry about age or sex as the crock pot makes em all tender.

It is even more fun when they catch a small snake -- less than about 20 inches. They play keep-away with it by continually catching and throwing it in the air until it dies of exhaustion. Then they all share in the feast. We let ours, plus our guinea fowl, free range most of the time. They sure keep the ticks down, and no snake in its right mind dares to come close.

What do you guys feed your chickens? We've been feeding the cracked corn since all we have are roosters, is there a more suitable feed? I don't remember what we fed at home.

I always got more steak if I reminded my little sisters we were eating "Pete" and "Tilly." Worked like a charm!

My dad's outfit in Vietnam had a pet snake (I think boa constrictor). Anyway they would feed it chickens. One day someone screwed up and got a live bird from the market that could evade the snake and even poke it's eyes out. I think he said it was like a road runner. It was quickly pointed out by a native that that was not the bird to have in the cage with it.

We feed Rock N Rooster pellets from southern states coop - put you can buy good scratch grains from almost any feed store and Tractor supply also.
Plain corn is low on the nutritional scale. But foraging around they are mostly after bugs .

Thanks Fin, I figured the corn was somewhat lacking.

Don't ever let your kids and/or grandkids name the catfish.

"Hello? People that live in the house, we're out here and we're ready for breakfast....hello? Anyone in there?"



Chickens in the yard, fine. Chickens paying me a visit inside the shop, I guess so. Chickens on the porch, staring in the windows, yeah that's not going to work for me. Note to family: Move feeding area further away from house.

LOL.

I see a little chicken poop on the deck too!

Get the fryer ready - this is ridiculous.

I had to remove the screens from my basement office windows. They are at ground level. Our chickens loved to watch me at the computer. They ruint the screens so they could make more noise pecking on the window.

I was at the neighbors this morning bushogging what was left of his garden and turning his big compost piles with my front-end loader. The compost pile had a family of young moles living in it. My young helper grabbed several of the moles, and we threw them one at a time into my friend's chicken pen. What an incredible spectator sport. Kind of like watching a soccer match of five year olds. When I told my bride, she said in the 40+ years she has known me, she never knew I was so sadistic!

Sprk, they weren't saying "we're out here and we're ready for breakfast." It was "we are out here ready to BE your breakfast!"

Hold on fellas', I may not remember every detail from my childhood concerning having chickens, but I most certainly do remember plucking them....it ain't happening.

According to this week's Illinois Farm Bureau's weekly newspaper, "Farm Week", WOTUS is scheduled to become law this coming Friday.