Christina Websell wrote:
> "pecan" <pecanNOSPAM@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:1211904136.490979@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Christina Websell wrote:
>>> " Jill" <news@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>> news:69shvoF34nap2U1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>> Christina Websell wrote:
>>>>> So, what a pity it would be if my Sicilian Buttercups, Appenzellers,
>>>>> Lakenfelders and Barnvelder bantams will be gone because of the cost
>>>>> of food.
>>>>>
>>>> You are not alone, its happening already. ;(
>>> They won't go short of something to eat, but I do have to question now
if
>>> I can afford to keep them. Maybe I should buy a dozen eggs at the
>>> supermarket instead.
>>> It's my own fault that I let my birds get old and unproductive. I
don't
>>> want to kill them, hey I'll be old myself eventually, and they've
given
>>> their best here. I want them to die of old age not because I can't
>>> afford their food.
>>>
>>> Tina
>>>
>> The cost of our food (South Africa) seems to be the same as that of the
>> UK, and I'm struggling to keep mine fed. It's winter here now, and the
>> land I have them on is not giving them enough. From 15 hens I was
getting
>> three eggs a day, and now the cold weather is going to make that even
less
>> (fewer).
>>
>> So after debating with myself for a good long time (all the while
di****ng
>> out more food) I finally decided to sell some of the hens to the local
>> people - they prefer to buy them and slaughter them themselves. I sold
>> three of the 6 I want to sell, and the worst part was that the catching
>> was so easy as they are really tame, and each of those had names. They
>> don't all have names - it was just the luck of the draw. I would
really
>> like to get to that point where I can slaughter a chicken for home use
as
>> and when I want one, but of the last 6 chicks that hatched, 3 were
taken
>> by predators and the other three are all hens. So I am still eating
>> (mostly) shop-bought chicken and extremely expensive eggs.
>
> There is nothing to eat on my rare breeds, they are all light LF, and a
> couple of bantam Barnies. I would like to eat the Barnie cock,
actually, he
> is so bad tempered ;)
> I suspect what I will do is let them pass away of old age and perhaps
get a
> few rescue ex-battery hens to give me enough eggs for myself.
>
> Tina
>
It's a religion thing here - the chicken must be white. The meat isn't
as im****tant, which is just as well as they could do with fattening up.
Catherine
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