[farmers wife]

Have people left this group?  If so where have all the regular super experienced poultry people gone I wonder? I have a lot of questions but cant see them on here for a long time

[doganjo]

I'm still here 

[Dan]

Members come and go, most don't actually leave but take time out from the forum, or at least from participating. Looking at the profiles of a few who have been active in the poultry board in the past it looks like they're here from time-to-time but not posting.

Forums are also out of favour, with many people using Facebook instead. But we're clinging on for now. 

You could try sending a PM to a member or two if you have pressing or specific questions and maybe tempt them out of retirement. 

[landroverroy]

Have people left this group?  If so where have all the regular super experienced poultry people gone I wonder? I have a lot of questions but cant see them on here for a long time

What makes you think they're not still around, if you haven't yet asked your questions?

[Eve]

I haven’t posted in ages, but I look at the site most days. 


The facebook groups are terrible, drove me around the bend (e.g. you can’t eat the first few eggs a hen lays, or suggesting that a hen with obvious egg peritonitis would need garlic in her water to solve it...) so I left those after advising posters numerous times to look at this forum or the poultrykeepingforum.com one for much better advice.


But I can still ‘talk chicken’ for hours, so farmerswife, what are your questions? Pleeeaaase? 

[farmers wife]

I remember there was a cracking meat bird thread which had Princess and DaveC but see they haven't done anything for a while. I posted a couple of days ago.


I agree many of the FB pages are so annoying.  Same questions over and over again and some quite stupid people on many.  I only use them if I dip in the rest of the time I stop following.,  I have also stopped following many of the smallholders/permaculture ones as on one was an expert but most people making it up or you don't get an answer. Stupid posts. Sadly the pages get diluted by people who have no experience or like to add opinions yet when you post it doesn't get answered.  Surprising that the self sufficient pages no one can answer questions - so the real people doing it obv aren't on them or don't have time to join these groups.


Id like to find a group of people who keep poultry for self sufficiency. But think because of the sensitive nature it would have to be a closed email group.

[chrismahon]

We're intending to keep a flock specifically for self sufficiency, rather than as 'pets' Farmers Wife. It's been delayed because the area for the new enclosure was full of a toxic weed and has had to be rotorvated several times, fertilised and re-seeded with grass. We have a local supplier who breeds chickens for the table, but we discovered that the hens lay quite well also- no idea what breed they are. We are going to buy 6 hens and a cockerel to start. This is the main problem, finding a breed that is good eating and that lays a reasonable number of eggs for the feed supplied. When we came here we exported TNN's which are great to eat but the hens are really bad for going broody, so not a good choice. What happens with the local birds is just going to be an experiment as the breeder doesn't keep them long enough to get anywhere near the broody stage.

[Eve]

Birds for self sufficiency - you mean breed your own chickens for the table? We do it, since I started keeping chickens I can’t bring myself to buy chicken in a shop anymore.

For me, it’s nothing to do with the cost, it’s all about how the animals have lived and, more importantly, died. They’re prey animals and their character is just different from pigs and cattle. I used to buy Waitrose organic chicken but really, the poor things still have the same horrendous last journey. We don’t keep pigs anymore so buy British organic sausages and ham etca and also beef... or we go without.

Not fussed about large birds or feed v weight ratio. Grandaddy was an Ixworth and the grannies were Dorkings, and there’s the odd throwback which must be from granddad’s side. The girls are quite a bit smaller than the boys but there’s only the two of us so they’re plenty big enough. They’re placid, friendly birds who live for 5-6 months.

As for the ‘harvesting’? Broomstick method in the evening so they are half asleep and it’s over and done with before they’ve realised something’s up.

Definitely a sensitive subject, though, details depend on the audience!