A Personal Challenge: What Do @drwom, Chickens & A Subway Lunch Have In Common?
So there I was, sitting at Subway today eating my lunch and casually scrolling through my Steemit feed when I came upon a post from fellow Aussie @drwom. The post was on a topic that I'd often mused about; those who choose not to retire for fear of being bored. Read it here.
One thing that came to mind was chickens. I've often wanted to keep a few around the home, learn how to care for them and benefit from the fresh organic eggs that are nutrient rich.
It's something I've already researched a little in fact.
Here's a fun fact. DId you know that natural eggs have a biofilm over them which protects them from bacteria and as such, they can be left out un-refrigerated for weeks without spoiling? The washing process used in commercial egg handling removes that layer and hence eggs purchased from the store require refrigeration.
Did you also know how horrible the conditions are for a caged laying bird in commercial operations? One of the girls who works at a local produce store told me about one she rescued (commercial birds are sometimes discarded or sold cheap as they approach end of life). It had a wound on its side that you could see flesh and bone through. It was infected and untreated.
Caged birds don't have much more room than the space that their body consumes when standing. That's how they live their life. In fact they get so bored that they actually pluck each others feathers off. Bald and with a hole in your side is no life, bird or otherwise.
So I thought to myself, why not set a challenge of taking on a "retirement project" pre-retirement? Why not set up an area and bring in a few point of lay chickens (see, I even know some of the lingo already!) and then maybe progress to chicks and perhaps breeding.
I think it would be rewarding on a number of levels. So there's my project, thanks to inspiration from @drwom. Hopefully I'll be sipping eggnog sooner rather than later!
What projects have you always wanted to take on?
Great project nolnocluap - glad to be inspirational!
I've had bantams before - they're great, cause you can buy chicks of other breeds and they'll mummy them 🙃
Great tip, thanks mate!
I love my chickens, they are pretty easy to look after. Goats are little more difficult hehe. The project I want to take on at some point is horses! I can't wait to hear more about your work with Nayyerah!!! <3
Oh hi @wisewoof! Sounds like we can swap knowledge then! Thanks so much for your kind words. Goats are something we have considered too but the "eat through anything" stereotype put us off. How destructive are they in reality? Are they good for milk in any practical way?
Would be happy to chat about horses. We've been disgusted by almost every horse owner we have seen and know. Our gelding got scalped badly many years ago by rearing up and ripping off the top of his skull when his prior owner stupidly tried to force him into a float with a bum strap. Just an examole of the typical ignorance you see everywhere. Now walks on for us, sometimes without us even asking. He's still nervous in them however; they remember their experiences well, but he trusts us.
I posted some videos on some of our float training with Nayyerah on Steemit maybe 6 months ago or so. Being float trained from scratch by us the difference between her and Scarab (our gelding) in terms of behaviour around the float is stark.
I do their hoof care myself too as I didn't like how violently farriers can rip their legs around, especially with age and arthritis it's negligent.
Are you looking to get into horses for the first time?
Fabulous! Well the myths about them eating tin cans is for sure inaccurate but they explore the world with their mouths so most everything is for nibbling and they will certainly destroy your garden if allowed access to it lol. They also will strip bark off any trees in their pen. They are excellent for milk, providing a lot more than cows for their size and food consumption. The milk is also much healthier for you and very versatile in it's use. They're also a source of endless entertainment because they're so goofy & fun!
Tis unfortunate that most people are so ignorant when it comes to animal care, horses particularly get a bad deal. They are such intelligent beings. I hope to learn to do the floating & farrier work myself too. Yes, I am essentially looking to get into horses for the first time. I spent a fair amount of time around them when I was like 12 years old but not much beyond that. My plan is to volunteer at a friends ranch this year to gain more experience beyond just reading which I am very excited for!
The ranch time will be very valuable, hopefully! Maybe I should do some videos on handling and just basic stuff. Floating is one of those things that divorces are made of. It can cause so much grief for horse and human alike.
Interesting info on the goats, my interest has been renewed! Thanks so much!
Sounds like a difficult task! But one that must be done nonetheless. I took a course in vet assistance and learned a fair bit about their teeth so hopefully that gives me an upper hand of sorts. That would be fantastic to see more videos on the basics & handling :) I will be posting about milking my goats this year and also making cheeses! Also of course all their funny shenanigans haha
20 years ago, my husband and I decided to quit our jobs, sell our farm in Canada and move south to retire. We bought some land and started a homestead. The best decisions we ever made. The stress of high-pressure jobs is gone. Every day is different. We have all kinds of pet projects that we started. This is not work and it is never boring!
That just sounds like heaven to me @cecicastor! I'd imagine it's only after freeing yourself from the typical stress inducing job that you fully come to terms with how detrimental it was to health & heart! We live with the acceptance that work will deny us of a lot of time that we'd otherwise spend on more valuable things and simply try to achieve what we can with the resources available to us 😊
I have often thought that retirement would be awesome. I would have so much to keep me occupied. I don't understand those who delay retirement because they wouldn't have anything to keep them busy either.
I have kept chickens a bit over the last 7 years (I havenone at the moment but will get some more soon). They are wonderful creatures and love to be around humans. Very social.
Hi @bogglemcgee, thanks for the comment. The social side of them is very appealing to us. We are big animal lovers so I think we'll enjoy just having them around.
Like you I think it's almost sad that some folks seem to lack the creativity to occupy their free time. I'd hate to rely on work for life direction!
Once you get a couple of chooks, you will become addicted. I currently have 4, so it's a ratio of one chicken per quarter of an acre ( I think that qualifies for free range). Mine pretty much take care of themselves. I let them out in the morning, they wander around the back yard all day, return to their coop in the evening by themselves and I lock them away.
I do have one which is brooding at the moment (her mother instincts have kicked in and she wants to hatch an egg). I have to kick her out of her nesting box every day, but after a while, she starts scratching around the back yard with the others.
Nothing like picking up a couple of fresh eggs each morning. The first time you find an egg in the nesting box, I guarantee you won't be able to wipe the smile from your face. I grinned like an idiot all the way back to the house carrying that very first egg.
Oh you describe the feeling of achievement so well! I just can't wait to get this going. I can actually feel the grin growing already. We have a fenced off house pad which they'd be able to forage in (it's quite large and has an incline at the back with varied terain and surfaces) and beyond that 10 acres so theyll have lots of space. Thanks for describing the thrill so well @atnicholson!
I am quite interested in getting some chickens too. I am going to wait a year or so till the little boom is older then go for it. I can think of nothing better than fresh eggs all the time!
Sounds like a great plan mate. I think little boom will acquire some fun early memories with a chicken or 10!
He will, the first thing obviously is to find a suitable saddle for a young man. :OD
Indeed!
I used to have a few chickens running around. The kids love them and the eggs are great. I had the ones used for egg production as they pump out great eggs. Egg production drops after they get close to a year old and eventually they only produced 1 egg a week or so.
I love chickens!
Hey @scooter77. You know I didn't know how common it is for people to have chickens! Everyone is coming out of the woodwork. That's great as I'll know who I can ask tips of. I think even big kids would love them 😉
We have 43 chickens in total including pullets and roosters.... it's a lot of fun supplying your own eggs that taste better than shop bought, and its a kick in the nuts to the big corps that cage birds - a lot of our eggs also go to the neighbours which is a great way to get free chicken food. i say go for it get yourself a @minismallholding :)
Hey wow you're really into it. I'm excited already just reading about your setup. Thanks @realtreebivvy!
it is a healthy eating, I also eat it everyday, I like this
The eggs or the chickens? 😉
They both are healthy.