We're Moving!

Hey everyone! Chicken Chat is moving to a new blog IndianaMagnum.blogspot.com 

We've got lots of tips and stories about farming, prepping, disasters, gun safety, zombies  and other good stuff. 

Please follow us there! 

Brian

When Pigs … Swim? Unraveling the Mystery of the Bahamas’ “Pig Beach”

Pigs Cant Fly But They Can Swim...

There’s an island in the Bahamas where feral pigs play in the sand, lay in the sun like overweight beach-bunnies, and swim out to boats to be fed by tourists. About 20 pigs and piglets live on the uninhabited island of Big Major Cay, in Exuma, the Bahamas, on what has been dubbed “Pig Beach.”

Read More.......
Swimming Pigs

Chickens Help Scientists Study Dinosaur Death Pose

Is this T Rex just a big Chicken?

To address a long-standing mystery in paleontology, scientists went to the grocery store.
Many dinosaur fossils appear in the same pose, not so much “terrible lizard” as “terrible limbo accident.” Their tails are stretched out and their necks thrown back grotesquely. But it’s not clear why this is. Researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada got a fresh take on the puzzle—or, at least, a recently killed and frozen take—by using dead chickens.

Read More.........
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/inkfish/2015/08/28/chickens-help-scientists-study-dinosaur-death-pose/#.VeNnUZd2y7s

Winnipegger wants to use sheep for eco-friendly lawn trimming business

A Winnipeg man raised eyebrows on Wednesday when he swapped his lawnmower for a group of sheep.
Clint Pinder owns a home in St. Boniface and has a rural property near Stony Mountain where he keeps some animals — including sheep.
"I'm not a big fan of mowing the grass, and the sheep are, so I figured I would bring them and see how they did on our lawn," said Pinder. "They were eating the grass and really enjoying it!"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipegger-wants-to-use-sheep-for-eco-friendly-lawn-trimming-business-1.3206392

"Pigs Get Fresh Bedding" - my video you can see live on Periscope TV for the next 24 hours

Pigs on the farm.

I have been using Periscope for a few weeks now so here is a link to a little video of my pigs. Hope you enjoy it.

"Pigs Get Fresh Bedding" - my video you can see live on Periscope TV for the next 24 hours
http://bit.ly/1LEiNrR

More and More Urban Chickens

We love Backyard Chickens

With the prices of eggs going up many people are raising chickens in their backyard so they can have farm fresh eggs.


 Read more at ........

http://www.kpho.com/story/29914363/urban-chickens-take-wing-as-egg-prices-soar

Pot Belly Pigs Join the Zoo

This is our new animal to raise here on the funny farm. We got into pigs with Emergency Preparedness in mind but it quickly became the usual petting zoo for hubby.

We started out with 3 pigs and now have over 20. Hubby refuses to use them for food although that was how he got me to agree to have them in the first place. 

So we ended up  with pig pets. But they are cute even though they constantly break out by climbing over or digging under their fencing.

Then they end up at our door looking for company and treats. 

If you want to see something funny, check out our video of the baby pigs screaming when picked up. 

Panic Grows in China as Bird Flu’s Death Toll Now at 6

With confirmation that a sixth person has died from the mysterious avian-borne virus H7N9, Chinese officials escalated their response on Friday, advising people to avoid live poultry, dispatching virologists to chicken farms across the country and slaughtering more than 20,000 birds at a wholesale market in Shanghai.

Bird Flu Kills 6  in China

Barred Plymouth Rock Chicken

Here's a Great Bird for the Small Farmer or Backyard Chicken Owner  - Barred Plymouth Rock Chicken

The Barred Plymouth Rock, also known as the Barred Rock, is the most popular variety of the Plymouth Rock breed, and it is also one of the most popular brown egg layers for small farm and back yard chicken farming. 

They will lay between 200-300 eggs in a year, and when they no longer have any laying utility they are large enough to produce a good amount of chicken meat. They are very hardy, so good for cold weather climates

They can be tamed easily and thus are great for children

Facts (from EFowl.com)

• Adult Weight - Male: 8-9 pounds ; Female: 6 pounds
• Color - Black and White Barred, Yellow Skin, Smaller Comb
• Purpose - Dual Purpose - Egg Laying and Meat Production
• Egg Production - Excellent
• Egg Color - Brown
• Country of Origin -United States

Preppers Storage of Emergency Food

Dry Food Storage

These pails are one of the ways we store our dry food for emergencies.

They stack so there's little unused space.

They are rodent proof.

They provide a dark area for the foods stored inside.

They are easily labelled with markers. We label with the name of the food item, the amount and the date stored. We also use a symbol to indicate that oxygen absorbers have been placed inside.

These pails are great for such items as bags of pasta, wheat, corn, oatmeal, Kraft dinner, beans and so on.

We buy in bulk, then we open the containers and pour them into these pails. The only items we don't open before placing inside is bags of pasta.

All opened food items get oxygen absorbers and I'll talk more about those important items in a future blog post. 

These sealed pails are waiting to be moved to our storage room. Remember many of your food items need to be kept cool and in the dark if possible.  Pasta can survive extreme temperature changes but most dry foods cannot.

Abandoned farm becomes chicken hell

Dozens of dead chickens have been found at an abandoned free-range egg farm where starving birds are suspected of turning to cannibalism.

About 50 carcasses were found at the rural Martinborough property last month after council inspectors were tipped off by a concerned neighbour.

The few surviving birds were found living without supplied food, in manure more than half a metre deep, according to a neighbour.

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The Urban Chicken Backlash

At this point in the locavore narrative, urban chicken-keeping has vocal advocates and an adamant opposition. Some cities welcome backyard poultry with open arms, while others are more skeptical. As the practice grows, the two sides seem prepared for a long, drawn out war on the value and propriety of chicken-keeping within city limits.

Read More

The Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival April 13th through the 15th.

The Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival will be held in Moulton April 13th through the 15th.

Choose chicken. Not beef.

A study published in the journal Stroke concluded eating lots of red meat raises the risk of having a stroke while eating poultry lowers it.

Need chicken recipes? Try Ollies Yummy in Your Tummy

‘Obama Fried Chicken’ restaurant spotted in Beijing; KFC considering legal action

A restaurant called “Obama Fried Chicken” has been spotted in Beijing.Read More

Does banning chickens make sense?

Nr 1: The domestic dog: a wolf descendant whose bite is responsible for about 1000 hospitalizations per day (mostly facial injuries of kids), and 34 deaths in 2010 in the USA alone. Known for producing loud noise at all hours of the day, often roaming freely and leaving unsightly and smelly poop everywhere. Perfectly legal in Nelson.

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Farmer's chickens lay green eggs

Just a little story about a farmer and his chickens.
Farmer's chickens lay green eggs

First Potatoes From the Vegetable Garden

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Our Yukon Gold Potatoes from the vegetable garden. This is our first attempt at growing potatoes and we're pleased with the result!

I made mashed potatoes from this batch and they were yummy!

Chicken Bone Chain Reaction

A man who initiated a four-car pileup by tossing a chicken bone across a busy thoroughfare in England was conditionally discharged. While standing on the sidewalk, Andre Varciana tossed the remnant of a KFC snack pack at his pals who waited on the road divider, prompting an unmarked Criminal Investigation Department police car to slam on the brakes. Other cars followed suit, causing a chain reaction of fenderbenders and minor injuries. One vehicle wound up on its roof.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/chicken+bone+cross+road+cause+multi+collision/5176430/story.html#ixzz1TVc2DsAd

Yellow Pepper in the Garden

Yellow Pepper

Yellow pepper growing nicely in the garden! Not sure how much longer until it can be harvested but hubs is keeping a close eye on the vegetables.