If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote:
wafflycat wrote: Oh and you *don't* need a cockerel in order to have the hens lay eggs. Yeah, that bit of information was a real surprise to me, having been a city girl all my life, so never having had close acquaintance with domestic fowl! (Is that true of ALL birds, or just chickens?) Lots of egg-laying species lay unfertilized eggs, which the males fertilize afterwards. I don't know what the case is for different bird species, though. If you think about it, humans "lay" unfertilized eggs, too. It's just that our eggs are very, very small. -- Joyce ^..^ (To email me, remove the X's from my user name.) |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
"EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message ... Yeah, that bit of information was a real surprise to me, having been a city girl all my life, so never having had close acquaintance with domestic fowl! (Is that true of ALL birds, or just chickens?) You only have to have a cockerel involved if you want *fertilised* eggs. Many birds produce unfertilised eggs. And we ladies still produce eggs without having to have a male involved ;-) |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
"wafflycat" wrote in message ... "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message ... Yeah, that bit of information was a real surprise to me, having been a city girl all my life, so never having had close acquaintance with domestic fowl! (Is that true of ALL birds, or just chickens?) You only have to have a cockerel involved if you want *fertilised* eggs. Many birds produce unfertilised eggs. And we ladies still produce eggs without having to have a male involved ;-) It's a common misconception that a cockerel is needed for hens to produce eggs - and also that hens keep laying eggs all day, loads of them ;-) One egg a day is the best you can hope for. They have a 23-25 hour laying cycle as a young hen, which reduces with age. That's why they go out of the battery farms after a year and a half into chicken pies. My first hens were pullets that were about to go into cages. They laid like stink for two years then started to die of egg peritonitis. They are not designed to live for years. I got a couple of them up to 7 but it was rare. I got fed up with that so I went into pure breeds, which lay less, but live much longer. They almost always live until 7-12 yo |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
"Christina Websell" wrote in message ... It's a common misconception that a cockerel is needed for hens to produce eggs - and also that hens keep laying eggs all day, loads of them ;-) One egg a day is the best you can hope for. They have a 23-25 hour laying cycle as a young hen, which reduces with age. That's why they go out of the battery farms after a year and a half into chicken pies. Since I got The Laydeez, who are, as you know, ex-battery hens, they've produced (as of yesterday) 129 eggs between them. They do exactly what is expected of a hen, an egg a day until the clutch is done, a day off, then start again on another clutch. Anode, in particular, is a prolific layer, laying for 15-17 days straight: day off - back to laying. And it would seem my ex-batts are not unusual. So much for 'spent hens'! My first hens were pullets that were about to go into cages. They laid like stink for two years then started to die of egg peritonitis. They are not designed to live for years. I got a couple of them up to 7 but it was rare. I got fed up with that so I went into pure breeds, which lay less, but live much longer. They almost always live until 7-12 yo |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
"wafflycat" wrote in message ... Since I got The Laydeez, who are, as you know, ex-battery hens, they've produced (as of yesterday) 129 eggs between them. They do exactly what is expected of a hen, an egg a day until the clutch is done, a day off, then start again on another clutch. Anode, in particular, is a prolific layer, laying for 15-17 days straight: day off - back to laying. And it would seem my ex-batts are not unusual. So much for 'spent hens'! Make that 130.. Anode has just laid again |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
wafflycat wrote: "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)" wrote in message ... Yeah, that bit of information was a real surprise to me, having been a city girl all my life, so never having had close acquaintance with domestic fowl! (Is that true of ALL birds, or just chickens?) You only have to have a cockerel involved if you want *fertilised* eggs. Many birds produce unfertilised eggs. And we ladies still produce eggs without having to have a male involved ;-) True, but ours are not so visible (nor do they have any practical use). |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
wafflycat wrote:
Poor Francis. He adores his hens. He will sit watching them with an entirely quizzical expression on his lovely feline face as they tuck into grass; scratch about in the soil looking for bugs, worms, snails, grit... snip I now have a cat who thinks he's a hen. He has taken to eating their sweetcorn. Sigh... What a wonderful update! Best wishes, Polonca and Soncek |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
Jofirey wrote:
"Ted Davis" wrote in message news On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:33:14 +0100, wafflycat wrote: I now have a cat who thinks he's a hen. He has taken to eating their sweetcorn. Sigh... That *is* unusual: usually, they want it on the cob (http://67.54.246.139:9000/tdavis/cats/happiness/corn.jpg). I have two others that eat sweet corn - all prefer it on the cob. None like canned corn. I take it the LayDeez had a rough upbringing and are delighted with whatever form is available. I love these stories and keep wondering if it would be possible to keep a few hens in my back yard. What to they need? Shelter, water, food? Our city expressly forbids the keeping of chickens - and is one of the few municipalities in Canada to do so. Crazy really - I mean, we could save money, save gas and packaging, pesticide control (not that we spray anyway), and other good environmentally friendly things. Do cats *ever* take a run at a chicken? I'd be slightly worried about Otis' propensity to take down large jackrabbits. Of course, jackrabbits don't have beaks. Susan M Otis and Chester |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
identity crisis
wafflycat wrote:
Poor Francis. He adores his hens. He will sit watching them with an entirely quizzical expression on his lovely feline face as they tuck into grass; scratch about in the soil looking for bugs, worms, snails, grit... He is, however, confused in his sense of identity. He has not been the same since Anode stuck her nether regions in his face and popped out an egg as she did so. It doesn't help that The Laydeez have taken it upon themselves to follow me about as they free-range in the garden. They have discovered that if they follow me into the house they can see the fount of all wonder: the microwave. For, lo! From the fount of all wonder doth come forth delicious manna of the gods: warm sweetcorn. So once they follow me into the house, into the kitchen, and they stand in front of the fount of all wonder, heads bobbing about, happy clucking sounds made and behind them is Francis, watching... I feed The Laydeez their treat of sweetcorn out in the garden. I place it on a dish and this is leapt upon by merrily clucking hens, followed by hoovering up of golden yellow goodness and scratching it out of the dish, splattering it about and they chase up each scattered kernel. Francis looks on. Once The Laydeez have hoovered up the vast majority, they are joined by a lovely black & white boycat who has decided that as The Laydeez seem to be so obviously enjoying the yellow jewels, they must taste good. I now have a cat who thinks he's a hen. He has taken to eating their sweetcorn. Sigh... Love the story - thank you! Susan M Otis and Chester |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Pictures of the crisis | Mark Edwards | Cat anecdotes | 13 | November 21st 07 11:22 PM |
Article: A case of mistaken feline identity | Flippy | Cat anecdotes | 0 | March 2nd 06 08:43 AM |
saving my identity! | Barb from before | Cat health & behaviour | 0 | August 12th 05 10:30 PM |
Identity Microchips | Mike Crossland | Cat health & behaviour | 2 | April 13th 04 04:41 PM |