First Chicken Swap

I went to my first chicken swap today. Actually, to my first two chicken swaps. The first was in Franklin, Virginia, at the Tractor Supply Company (TSC) there. The other was at Epps Farm Supply in nearby Suffolk, VA. I had a hankering for two new hens. I wound up with two new Rhode Island Red pullets and a young Beagle.

Lucky for me, my husband, Don, has a soft spot for Beagles!

If you found this post because you are looking for regional chicken swaps, try Pet Chickens of Virginia. I posted a link to its website but it's also on Facebook, which seems more user-friendly. Also check at local feed stores.

For the uninitiated, a chicken swap is an informal event, usually at a farm-supply or feed store, where folks gather to buy and sell poultry, small animals, and other related items. I was eager to augment my micro-flock of three backyard hens, one Delaware and two Buff Orpingtons, with two egg-layers of a different breed. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I wanted young hens that were laying or pullets that were close to laying. I wanted clean, healthy-looking birds. And I didn't want to go to the time and trouble of hatching and raising chicks.

The monthly chicken swap at the TSC in Franklin has the reputation of being one of the biggest and best-attended around our region, so I set my alarm early and headed over with anticipation. It was fun to see the variety of animals for sale there: goats, turkeys, ducks and ducklings, chicks and chickens, and rabbits. There were also some interesting-looking perches for chickens and even a model chicken-tractor.

It was still early in the morning at TSC, but the vendors were out and so was the crowd of shoppers

This Tom turkey looks as curious about me as I am about him!

Polish roosters looking like rock stars behind bars.

Another view of the Polish roosters. Phyllis Diller would be proud!

A kid (baby pygmy goat) crying for its mother

This is either a model chicken tractor or a design for some really small bantams!

The same builder makes perches for various sizes of chickens.

While the shopping there was interesting, I left empty handed other than for some garden seeds I'd bought from TSC. A few of the birds were dirty and unkempt-looking. Most of the hens there were old, past their prime, and probably destined for someone's soup pot. There were three juvenile pullets that caught my eye, but they were Buff Orpingtons, the breed I already have. Most of the chickens were roosters or straight-run chicks.

Straight-run means they are not sexed. Besides not wanting to raise chicks, I especially needed to avoid straight run babies, because I live in a residential area where only hens (female chickens) are allowed. This is because hens are generally more docile than roosters. They are also much quieter.

I drove about 25 minutes from the TSC to Epps Farm Supply in Suffolk. My GPS took me on a pleasant, windy, back-country route that was fun driving on such a pleasant morning.



There were fewer vendors set up at the second chicken swap, but fewer customers, too. And I met a nice young woman who had two young, female, Rhode Island Red chickens for sale plus a cute bantam rooster. They were in a large wooden box on the ground behind the tailgate of her truck. On the back of the truck in a crate she also had a small beagle that was looking around and shaking uncontrollably.

I found my pullets and something more!

She told me the pullets, female chickens that have not yet laid, were old enough to be on layer feed. They should start to lay in about a month, and they were $15.00 each.

Sold!

"And do you happen to need a dog? He's FREE!" she added when I accepted the terms.

I eyed the dog, still shaking in his crate. "My husband has a soft spot for Beagles. What's his story?" I asked.

She told me something about finding the dog at a local dump, where the dog seemed to have also been dumped. He'd been scavenging for food. She'd been feeding him some kibble regularly, but subsequently found him near her house. Her family's lab bitch had come into season, and that will draw males from miles around, including this guy.

"If I take this dog home," she said, "my mama will kill me! And if he hangs around our property, sniffing around and trying to get to our Labrador, my daddy will shoot him." Her look was earnest.

Don and I had recently lost a dog. I called him and asked if he were willing to rescue a Beagle I'd found. OK, I fudged a little on that part, but not by much.

"Let's try him out," was my loving man's reply. I smiled.

You, Loyal Readers, will know the truth. So does Don, now that I have this dog safely home. If anyone else asks, though, I'm going to say that the farmer's daughter got such a good deal from me on her two pullets, she threw in a free Beagle!

In case you're wondering whether he found a good home, he'll be getting Blue Buffalo premium brand dog food, a choice of Kuranda beds to sleep on, a doggy door and fenced in yard to relieve himself and get fresh air at will, a doggy seat belt in the car, walks, romps in the woods with Don, you name it...

Yeah, we spoil our chickens, too!

He'll be going to Dr. Virginia Vaughan at Veterinary Clinic of Chesapeake sometime this week for a checkup, shots, and an appointment to get neutered.

So here they are, our current menagerie, except for our house cat. So far the Beagle is getting along with everyone. We haven't named him yet, so suggestions are welcome.

Our two Rhode Island Reds in quarantine

Here's our rescued beagle. He stopped shaking around the time we put him in my car

Our new Beagle with our elderly Labrador mix

Our new Beagle with our Treeing Walker Coonhound

Athena, our Delaware hen, is the queen of the flock and rather put out by the pullets' presence

Our two Buff Orpingtons, Minerva and Nike, seem curious about the new chickens

Our beagle boy has one last thing to say to the folks who dumped him to fend for himself!

The Dog Park at Chesapeake City Park

As I mentioned in a previous post, my dog Elvis and I have started going to a local dog park at Chesapeake City Park. Elvis enjoyed his visit, and I plan to take him back.

Elvis the Walker Hound at the dog park

The park has several features I like. It is a large space, so dogs have room to spread out and not get too crowded. It gives Elvis plenty of room to roam around, to run, to sniff everything, and to mark the place up with urine, a favorite dog activity. Humans like their email, but dogs love their  "pee-mail."

The park has reasonable rules that are posted: no females in heat, no intact males over one year old, no food in the park, dogs must be off-leash and vaccinated, no digging, no young children, poop must be picked up, they must have special tags, etc. The rules are for the safety of the dogs and their humans and to prevent fights.

Doggy water fountain

I like how the park has a separate entrance and exit, and how there are double gates to help prevent escapes. The fencing is tight to the ground to discourage escape artists. There is shade, a picnic table and a bench for the humans, and a water fountain for the dogs. There are stations that provide waste pick-up bags and lots of trash cans, so I was disappointed to see that some owners have not been picking up after their dogs as they should. There's really no excuse.

Elvis and I met some nice other dogs: two Labrador retrievers and Buddy, an elderly miniature schnauzer.

Buddy

A chocolate Lab

I did some research when I got home from the park. Elvis had such a good time at the park, I felt a little guilty we didn't bring our other two dogs along. But there are online articles that explain that there are downsides to dog parks, that owners need to know about dog park etiquette, and that dog parks aren't good for all dogs. Dogs can learn to be bullies or aggressive at the parks if owners aren't careful. Other dogs find them annoying or even frightening. And while Elvis enjoyed his visit, I suspect our other two would have found it stressful.

Update on 11/10/12: I inadvertently upset some (human) patrons of the dog park today, when I insisted they round up their dogs and move them away from the entrance gate. After Elvis and I  entered, I explained that it's considered rude behavior to allow your dogs to crowd a dog as it's entering the park. That was news even to the folks who were regulars at the park. The reason is that dogs don't like to be crowded all at once, and the gate itself can lead to something called "barrier aggression," which is something we don't want our dogs to learn or practice.

For some other good Do's and Don'ts for dog parks, visit the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

SPCA of NENC Needs Help

The power of $1.00 bill... have you ever thought about it? The SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina, located in Elizabeth City, says:

Standing alone, it may not seem like much; but dollar bills put together

can add up to do great things! 

The organization has taken a leap of faith and bought property and a new, larger building to house shelter animals, but now needs funds to renovate the much-needed facility. The SPCA invites us all to join the "Power of a Dollar" challenge. Share with everyone you know, and send $1.00 to:

SPCA of NENC

P.O. Box 1772

Elizabeth City, NC 27906-1772

Attn: Capital Building Fund

Doggy Mystery Solved!

Don and I have three dogs between us: a lab mix, a Treeing Walker Coonhound, and a hound-mix of uncertain heritage. All three are rescues from the SPCA of Northeastern North Carolina. The lab- and the hound-mix both have health problems.  As you can see, the former is a senior gal:

She is starting to have health issues such as hip dysplasia, arthritis, and, most disturbingly, liver trouble. So she is on a special diet to help manage all three issues.

Before we got him, the hound-mix was found wandering the streets of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, with both right legs broken and bound up with Duck Tape. Luckily, Animal Control found him and took him to the SPCA, which patched him up and found him a good home, namely us. But his back right leg will probably never be completely right. He walks funny and he sits oddly due to his injury:

If there is trouble, he is going to find it, so he is the boy who started the mystery. 

Don and I watch what we feed all our dogs. We feed Blue Buffalo Dog Food,  we feed them on a schedule, and we ration their feedings carefully. Despite this, and despite their near-manic activity levels, both hounds were gaining weight. This guy was starting to have some trouble moving around, so we cut back his rations a little bit, but he kept gaining.

The mystery began to unravel when he came in the house and threw up one day. There seemed to be a hot dog in the vomit. I am a vegetarian and Don is a cardiac patient, so it has been years since we have had wieners in the house. 

Could somebody else be feeding our animals?

Two days ago, Don came home from work to see that the dogs had lapped up all the water he left out for them that morning, which is A LOT, and on a cool day, to boot. Intrigued, he inspected the yard. This is what he found, in a corner of the fence:

Our next-door neighbor works as a deliveryman of chips, crackers, cookies, etc. Yesterday Don found sugar cookies in the backyard, and this morning I found another kind of cookie that I had difficulty taking away from our Walker Hound, who looks terribly pleased with himself:

This morning I finally spoke to the neighbor who, after some hemming and hawing, admitted that her sister has been feeding all three dogs through the fence. Apparently, our canines are outstanding beggars, and she couldn't resist the eyes they were making at her. We have communicated our dogs' health needs and received a solemn promise that the illicit feedings will stop. Mischief managed!