{"id":6609,"date":"2020-11-30T22:58:28","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T03:58:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=6609"},"modified":"2020-11-30T23:08:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T04:08:57","slug":"episode-179-keeping-chickens-the-ups-and-downs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=6609","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 179 KEEPING CHICKENS…THE UPS AND DOWNS."},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 179     KEEPING URBAN CHICKENS\u2026UPS AND DOWNS<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
nov. 29, 2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
THIS IS BIG RED\u2026THE KING IN OUR CHICKEN COOP LONG AGO<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cAndy bought some chicks for us from the Fabers\u2026mixed  breeds\u2026plymouth rocks, new hampshires, leghorns\u2026<\/div>\n
\u201dAny Silver Laced Wyandottes?<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, weren\u2019t they beautiful when we raised them years ago\u2026regal looking\u2026rare breeds \u201c<\/div>\n
\u201cNeighbours loved seeing them\u2026\u201d<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cNot all the neighbours\u2026someone reported us to the By Law Inspector, Remember?”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
The by law inspector dropped by.  Reacting to <\/div>\n
a complaint about our chickens.  Marjorie gathered  a bunch of supporting neighbours<\/div>\n
when he arrived.  I met him of the front lawn and asked, \u201cAre you sure you want<\/div>\n
to go in there? MY wife has and army of supporters on the verge  of  war.\u201d<\/div>\n
 We were cleared as a non conforming property having chickens before<\/div>\n
the by  law was written.\u201d  HE ESCAPED.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
SILVER LACED WYANDOTTE HEN\u2026REGAL\u2026AND ALONE.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Points to remember about keeping urban  chickens<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
1) Free range chickens lay wonderful eggs.  A thrill to reach<\/div>\n
in the nest and gather fresh eggs.  I am not sure the chickens<\/div>\n
liked that.  Must have damaged the psyche of those hens.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
2)  Backyards chickens attract kids.  If you do not want children<\/div>\n
around  then do  not keep chickens.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
3) Backyard chickens attract practical jokers like Kaye Donovan<\/div>\n
who sneaked into the coop one Easter and painted  all our eggs.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
4) Backyard chickens need lots of  care.  Chicken  dung can<\/div>\n
smell bad if allowed to pile up and get wet.  Believe it or not there<\/div>\n
are people who do not like the smell of  chicken manure.  I know<\/div>\n
that is hard to believe.  Chicken manure\u2026with age\u2026makes things grow.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
5) Backyard chickens get  lice.  Nasty little devils that can<\/div>\n
get out of control.  Control?  Yes, they have to be dusted with<\/div>\n
louse powder.  How?  Pick the chicken up by back legs and <\/div>\n
dust its bare bum with the delousing stuff.  Not a nice job but<\/div>\n
necessary.   The key was a piece of string.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
6) Predators soon arrive to assess the availability of backyard<\/div>\n
chickens\u2026foxes, coyotes, raccoons.   We  designed an ourdoor<\/div>\n
run with a cement floor and s heavy chain link fence that hung like<\/div>\n
a drawbridge door..   When loose in the backyard  the chickens were<\/div>\n
vulnerable.  One day a huge Osprey swooped down a picked up<\/div>\n
a one eyed hen.   How did the Osprey know that?  The odd skunk<\/div>\n
slipped around looking for the eggs.  Nice animals as long as they did<\/div>\n
not baptist you with fluid.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
7) Backyard chickens attract rats and mice since the chickens  like<\/div>\n
to throw their food around so traps small and  large are necessary.<\/div>\n
Enough  said  about that.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
8) Backyard  chickens  are beautiful to watch as  they wander around<\/div>\n
the yard cleaning up unwanted insects.   Friendly birds is well treated.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
9)  Backyard chickens to be avoided are the so called  \u2018meat birds\u2019\/<\/div>\n
We accepted  10 or 12 of these from Vic Laing and  For Root and the<\/div>\n
Parkdale C. I. science department.  Dreadfull creatures bred  for fast<\/div>\n
growth in weeks rather than months or years.   They grow immense<\/div>\n
and ours had lots of genetic  defects\u2026crooked  beaks  and feet\u2026some  staggered.<\/div>\n
They ate fast.  They ate lots.  And they dropped turds lots.  When  I got rid<\/div>\n
of them to a farm friend they managed to make our van unlovable.  Chicken<\/div>\n
shit everywhere.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
10) Backyard  chickens are perfect right now as we are in a Covid 19<\/div>\n
Pandemic and urged  to stay home.  IN normal times, however, backyard<\/div>\n
chickens travelled with us in the truck..  We could not leave them alone.<\/div>\n
Farmers must stay close to their farm animals.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
11)  Backyard  chickens and backyard gardens are not harmonious.  Choose<\/div>\n
one or the other.  Or build extra fences.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
12)  Backyard chicken farmers  are credited  with saving some of the <\/div>\n
breeds on the verge of extinction\u2026such as those Silver Laced Wyandottes that\u2019<\/div>\n
we grew to love.  We were never able to find a rooster of that breed  sadly.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
13)  If you do  not mind  me making a suggestion. Try backyard ducks after<\/div>\n
you tire of the chickens or after the predators have emptied your coop.  Get a couple<\/div>\n
of ducks.  Get them young.   They IMPRINT a couple of weeks after birth.  Imprint?<\/div>\n
They look around and  consider whoever they see on that particular day as their<\/div>\n
mother or father.  Our backyard pair of  ducks imprinted us as their parents.<\/div>\n
We just had to call them.  They would waddle over and up the ramp into the van<\/div>\n
or into the duck cage.   They got so familiar with human beings that occasionally<\/div>\n
they would go for a  walk around the neighbourhood gabbing away to each other.<\/div>\n
One day I caught them a block away\u2026called them and they came chattering<\/div>\n
in a language  i did not completely understand.  I put one under each arm and<\/div>\n
hot footed home with them.  My camel hair suit coat was never quite the same.<\/div>\n
I went to school with duck shit streaks under each arm.   But we loved  them.<\/div>\n
They would  go  to the farm with us\u2026swim all day in the swamps and ponds\u2026then come<\/div>\n
when called.  What happened to them?  We were never sure but suspected a fox<\/div>\n
or coyote got them.   It was  easier to think they fell in love with wild ducks and<\/div>\n
flew away.  Easier, yes, but the problem was  they were to fat to fly.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
14)  The same applies to a crippled  Canada  Goose we adopted  when it<\/div>\n
was  a gosling.  Imprinted.  Thought it was human.  Then one day it was gone.<\/div>\n
We think it could fly.  Happy ending.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
Baby Canada Geese are hatched and  raised every year on our big pond.  Once<\/div>\n
mobile the parents take them away because  your Big Snapping Turtle is a threat.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Nature \u2018red in tooth and claw\u2019.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
alan  skeoch<\/div>\n
Nov. 29,2020<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
Post Script<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
One day I gave Marjorie a nicely  carved  wooden pig.<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\u201cDoes this mean we are going to try to raise a baby pig?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot a chance.”<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EPISODE 179     KEEPING URBAN CHICKENS\u2026UPS AND DOWNS alan skeoch nov. 29, 2020 THIS IS BIG RED\u2026THE KING IN OUR CHICKEN COOP LONG AGO \u201cAndy bought some chicks for us from the Fabers\u2026mixed  breeds\u2026plymouth rocks, new hampshires, leghorns\u2026 \u201dAny Silver Laced Wyandottes? \u201cNo, weren\u2019t they beautiful when we raised them years ago\u2026regal looking\u2026rare breeds […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}