My Chicken, Elton

[Lisa Salas]

A customer asked if I wanted a rooster. I had never had a chicken, let alone a rooster so I said sure. 

I named him Sir Elton John because he was "extravagant" with his looks and I was going to get him a piano so when I walked into the barn he could play "The Bitch is Back". :)

I never expected to fall so in love with this guy. When I came home from work he would run so fast to me he had to put his wings out to slow down. He followed me everywhere I went on the farm. He sat with me on the porch in the evenings and shared some wine. (sometimes a sip of vodka but I don't think he remembered that)

I came home one day and no Elton. I searched 3 days for him before I found some feathers in the pasture. I think a hawk got him. It broke my heart. 

Never fall in love with a chicken.

Peace be with you, Elton.

the odd farm

[Ed & Wendy Hauser]

On 7/31/2014 11:01 AM, Lisa Salas wrote:

I had never had a chicken, let alone a rooster so I said sure.

Chickens are like drinks to an alcoholic:  One is to many, 10 is not enough. 

Moral:  Get a bunch and either a proper hen yard or let them be barn chickens.  They will earn their keep by keeping flies, ticks and grubs under control.

Ed

--
Ed & Wendy Hauser
5729 175th Ave.
Becker, MN 55308

Ed: (406) 381-5527
Wendy: (406) 544-2926

[Marv Walker]

Most of this is incredibly funny.

In case you missed it the message is, "Get another rooster!"

Marv Walker

At 12:01 PM 7/31/2014, you wrote:

A customer asked if I wanted a rooster. I had never had a chicken, let alone a rooster so I said sure.Â

I named him Sir Elton John because he was "extravagant" with his looks and I was going to get him a piano so when I walked into the barn he could play "The Bitch is Back". :)

I never expected to fall so in love with this guy. When I came home from work he would run so fast to me he had to put his wings out to slow down. He followed me everywhere I went on the farm. He sat with me on the porch in the evenings and shared some wine. (sometimes a sip of vodka but I don't think he remembered that)

I came home one day and no Elton. I searched 3 days for him before I found some feathers in the pasture. I think a hawk got him. It broke my heart.Â

[Carla Richardson]

I agree with Marv, get another rooster.

Carla

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[Lisa Salas]

Oh you people are so cold. :Ohnooooo!    You can't replace lost love, but you can love again. There will never be another Elton. That goofy rooster made me laugh everyday!!

I was really just sharing a different story about chickens. Trying to add a tad bit of humor. 

No matter what you read about killing and slaughtering animals for human consumption, it is not nice, or humane. No research needed. It just is. If it doesn't bother you than you will eat meat. If it does bother you...you won't. I am trying to eliminate meat altogether because it does bother me and meat is not that important in my diet. 

I run by a fairly large dairy farm on my long runs. Yes, the cows are out but that is about the only positive thing I can say about the whole operation. I would not drink milk that came from those cows. Not because it might not be safe, but if someone is going to make money on animals, the least they can do is put money back into the operation and make sure the animals are well cared for. That just doesn't happen as often as it should, so I don't want to participate. I don't drink milk, either. I know they are not all the same but with the regulations the government smothers agriculture with and the economy the way it is, it is not easy to farm. 

However, that is not an excuse to not take care of the animals that make you money. 

the odd farm where no one is making any money but we are having a good time.

[Lif Strand]

My horses (and chickens) have homes for life with
me. I figure they've worked for me for long
enough to earn retirement benefits.

At 01:10 PM 7/31/2014, Lisa Salas wrote:
>However, that is not an excuse to not take care

>of the animals that make you money.Â

>
>the odd farm where no one is making any money but we are having a good time.

_____________________________________

Lif C. Strand
Technical Writing
Non-technical Writing, too
The Thrivalist book series



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[Marv Walker]

the odd farm where no one is making any money but we are having a good time.

And somewhere, somewhere, there is another "Elton," or two, needing you.

Marv Walker

[Lynn White]

If you have never seen the documentary "Natural History of the Chicken."  I recommend it.   I used to keep banties at my place and had a name for just about every chicken we had.   One  never thinks the same about chickens until thye've spent summer evenings drinking coffee and watching the flock peck around.  In these times watching a flock of chickens is WAY better than learning about all the crazy things humans are doing to each other in this world.

--

[Maryben Stover]

I wish we could have chickens but we don't have anyone to put them in at night and we have lots of coyotes and even a mountain lion or two. 



..........mb

 

---

Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:45:55 -0600
Subject: Re: [RC] My Chicken, Elton
From: ldlw...@gmail.com
To: ride...@endurance.net

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[Cris Potmesil]

Coyotes and fox traipse through my yard every day. I don’t want to provide easy chicken meals or encourage them to visit more often. Had to move all the cats (8!!) indoors because the fox was snatching kittens, and the coyotes were getting the oldsters.

[Diane Trefethen]

Become proficient with a bow and arrow.

[Rae Callaway]

People keep chickens in all types of locations.  All you need to do is property predator proof your coop/run for the types of predators you commonly get.  All depends on how much you want chickens.  I love mine - they have dropped my fly population by about 90% and they pretty much pay for their own food/upkeep and then some with the egg sales.  

Rae

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[Lynne Glazer]

Oh, yeah, and have enough free time to sit outside in sweltering temperatures WAITING for a target.

I relocated my remaining chickens.

Sorry about Elton, Lisa. Sounds like he was quite a guy.

Lynne

[Roberta Jo Lieberman]

Our chicken population ranges from 15 to 25 or so .... lots of peeps right now. They free range all day and most put themselves into their coop at night (a few roost in trees). We close the door to the coop at dusk. There is an electric wire around the coop to keep critters from burrowing in.

We also have ducks (also very social), one pea hen, and two turkeys. Sadly, we lost several Sebastopol (curly feathered) geese recently to an unknown intruder.

The chickens are a constant source of entertainment.

Our dogs fend off most coyote attacks but occasionally we lose a chicken or the chicken loses his tail feathers.

But there are also foxes, raccoons, skunks and other critters lurking around....

Hope another Elton finds you!!

Bobbie
Hondo, TX

[Steve Barton]

Many years ago when I had chickens, I built an automatic chicken door that opened at first light and closed when it got dark.  It was a vertical sliding door driven by a windshield wiper motor.   For the most part, it worked great except the one time the limit switch failed and I came home to see the door indicator flashing on and off (I had a remote control panel and door position indicator in my bedroom) and I went out to find one chicken outside trying to go in every time the door started up and jumping back every time it went down.  It did make me laugh, does that make me a mean person?

 

Steve

[Don and Pam Bowen]

Get a llama and a few good dogs.  I don't "lock" my chickens up at night but the coop is positioned near the dog yard and the llama has access to the coop area.  I detest our llama, but he does his job!  If we see or hear about any predator activity around the 'hood we leave one dog out at night as well.  I have too many chickens now and wish all the guineas would drop dead.

 

Pam Bowen

 

From: ridecampre...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ridecampre...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Maryben Stover
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 2:13 PM
To: ridecamp
Subject: RE: [RC] My Chicken, Elton

 

I wish we could have chickens but we don't have anyone to put them in at night and we have lots of coyotes and even a mountain lion or two. 



..........mb

 

[Don and Pam Bowen]

To each his own.  And if you feel that strongly about it, then you will eliminate meat and all animal products from your diet (which includes fish because fish are indeed animals).  If you did so then I'd admire and respect your thoughts, even tho most true vegetarians end up looking like the cereal boxes they've been eating from, eating healthy as a vegetarian is a lot of work.  As the Duck says at his rides, they don't do special vegetarian meals, people are supposed to eat meat, if you don't like it, then don't order one of his meals.  But you are only TRYING to eliminate meat, how funny is that?

 

The food chain is not pretty, nor has it ever been.  If you want to eat meat, something will die, duh.  Milk products need cooperation (forced or not) from milk cows, duh.  Our modern US society is soooo disconnected from the real food chain it's not even funny.  Everyone seems to think everything comes from the grocery store with zero clue as to what it takes to get it there.  Years ago folks knew about the real food chain when they had to milk their own cow, churn their own butter, gather their own eggs and kill their own occasion chicken or rabbit.  If they were lucky they might have a hog occasionally.

 

I work for a beef cattle rancher, she sells me calves reasonable so we raise our own beef.  I can tell you our steers, as well as my boss', live a good life until that day.  The guy that comes to my place is very humane, very fast and swift. I don't find it horrible at all, it's very clean.   And anybody in the industry wants fast/swift, slows things down to have something flailing around and not dead yet, especially if it's a big animal.  If we have the opportunity we also buy the extra 4-H hogs that are also treated well until that day.  Not only am I confident the beef and pork we eat was treated humanely, it's wonderful on the plate, yummy!!!!! 

 

So while you're "trying" to eliminate meat, start buying organic.  Organic is more than just no hormones, worming, etc.  To be certified you have to prove living conditions (shelter from elements, water, etc).  Won't look or taste as good and very spendy, but whatever, don't eat the livers J……  Or you can seek out the folks that are raising in a good manner and pack your freezer.  Otherwise, keep trying J.

 

Pam Bowen

 

From: ridecampre...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ridecampre...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Lisa Salas
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 12:11 PM
To: ridecamp at Endurance.Net
Subject: Re: [RC] My Chicken, Elton

 

Oh you people are so cold. :Ohnooooo!    You can't replace lost love, but you can love again. There will never be another Elton. That goofy rooster made me laugh everyday!!

--

[deser...@aol.com]

Ed said,

"Chickens are like drinks to an alcoholic:  One is to many, 10 is not enough. 

Moral:  Get a bunch and either a proper hen yard or let them be barn chickens.  They will earn their keep by keeping flies, ticks and grubs under control.

"

I can vouch for that!  I keep about 30 or 40 banties (two dang many roosters...) and they earn their keep because I have five horses and hardly any flies compared to some of my friends' horses.  My horses don't seem bothered enough by them to want to wear their fly masks, as opposed to rubbing them off on every protruding object.
jeri 

[Cris Potmesil]

My husband is proficient with the necessary firearms. Mostly we live and let
live unless it becomes a problem. Creating a situation (backyard chickens)
for a problem to arise seems somehow unfair. Coyotes that poop on the porch,
and 'possums are on the hit list though. Yes, the coyotes are that
comfortable here. A neighbor claims the foxes as his since the vixen usually
dens in his ditch. The neighbor next to him bought the lot next to his
property and built a huge McMansion (aargh!) last summer so I suspect the
fox have relocated.

[Lynn White]

Big roosters are great mousers.  Who needs a cat when the alarm clock eats mice too?

 

[Truman Prevatt]

Too much work and you have to put down your beer. A 12 gauge works just fine;-).

I'm not opposed to fox. The fox is natural in the East. But coyotes who don't belong on the East! Growing up in the 50's and 60's in KY, we never saw Coyotes. Our interaction with Coyotes came form the old Western movies out during that era. The big threat to the cattle was dogs people brought to the country and turned loose. We had to regularly clean out the dog packs. We had chickens running all over the place. We would gather eggs in the hay bar, in the chicken house and just about any place else the found to lay them.

Now my rooster story. We had this big white rooster. I was six years old. The rooster weighted about as much as me and that sap sucker had it
in for me and he would regularly let me know it. He went after me more than once. Then one day after I came in with a spur mark and a nasty peck mark on my face, my Granddaddy handed me the brand spanking 22 rifle I got for Christmas and said - it's time for chicken dinner. That day I laid in wait and bagged my first bird - pretty good shot if I say so myself.

That old bird might have been tough but my Grandmother cooked it a long time and he sure tasted good;-)!

Truman

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“The belief that there is only one truth, and that oneself is in possession of it, is the root of all evil in the world” - Max Born

[Barbara McCrary]

When I was growing up on our poultry farm, a rooster made the ill-advised
decision to go after my father. The rooster landed on my father's head and
started pecking him. My father reached up, grabbed the rooster, wrung his
neck, and tossed his feathery body clear across the chicken house. One of
those long-ago memories...

Barbara

-----Original Message-----
From: ridecampre...@googlegroups.com
[mailto:ridecampre...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Truman Prevatt
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 9:32 AM
To: tr...@wakerobinranch.com
Cc: ride...@endurance.net
Subject: Re: [RC] My Chicken, Elton

[KSherman]

He was a special rooster for sure :)

Kathy

[SMW]

<<If you did so then I'd admire and respect your thoughts, even tho most true vegetarians end up looking like the cereal boxes they've been eating from, eating healthy as a vegetarian is a lot of work.>>>

Well said and I agree 100%.   I will not let my grandson grow up looking like a protein starved person from a drought affected country.  I have never met a vegan who looked healthy. 

Sharon

[Lisa Salas]

Really? This is where my post went?? Unhealthy vegetarians???  Aughhh! 

Lisa Salas, the odd farm

--

[Lynn White]

Sounds like you guys had the wrong breed for roosters.  We had Brahmas.  Easy going roosters.  Never went after humans and took care of their hens just fine.  My daughter even had one as a pet.  He'd ride around on her shoulder and just liked to hang out with people.  Neighbor's dog killed him one day.  Brahmas are the only chickens I will have.

--

[Truman Prevatt]

Former UCLA basketball and NBA start won the College Player of the year three times.  He won the NBA player of the year once.  However, he had a bone in his foot that kept getting broke and back in the early 80's sports medicine isn't

what it is today and there were "special shoes around" nor companies like Under Armor that builds special shoes for athletics today.  Walton was a vegetarian.  

Current NFL start running back - one of the top three at his position consistently over the last 4  or 5 years, Arian Foster - yep he's a vegetarian although he will partake of some chicken or fish from time to time. 

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/sports/201309/arian-foster-houston-texans-september-2013

So I expect it depends more of the quality of the diet as it does the type of diet.  You can have a quality diet that includes meat or a poor diet that includes meat.  Same for without meat. 

Truman

 

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   - Max Planck

[Darcy]

Very sad - sorry for the loss of your beloved Elton.  

Sent from my iPad

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