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duluthralphie said:
Well. Seems not a lot of "news" here today.....
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I'm finally up and moving.... Ok I'm already to my desk at work but finally getting clear thoughts. I could have used an extra hour or two this morning. Zzzzzzzzzz


I remember something last night I thought was neat to share. The sun was just getting low and most of the flock was starting to congregate near the coop as usual. The. About 8-10 hens grouped up and left the masses and went and did a full sweep of my 1 acre hay field. On end to the other in a more or less organized fashion covering every foot of it, then they group up and came home. It was so neat to watch their little tails poking over the grass as they hunted to fill their crops.
 
Minniechickmama said:
@duluthralphie
 I find most birds like warm water if they are just sitting in it, at least once you get them submerged anway.  The CRX don't like it, but there is no washing those until they hit the scalder tomorrow morning.  I am glad I could wait another week to take these ones in, they will make more of a meal than those ones last week.


I took a spill yesterday during chores.  The CRX pen is the last one I come through coming out of the coop and they were getting wet a mushy by the waterer (can't keep those things clean for beans at this point), and some of that mush stuck on the bottom of my boot.  I went to step out of the door and when I stepped on the threshold, my foot went out, I lost balance, landed on my butt, but not before whacking my shoulder on the door and my hip on the casing.  I came down hard enough that it rattled my cage a little.  I have a couple of scrapes and bruises, but I am otherwise okay.  It made me glad those filthy birds are going to be in the freezer by tomorrow night.  I am just hoping the shrink bags get here before I have to pick them up.  I get the back bagged, but their bags have so much air, I like putting them in shrink ones to keep better. It is extra work, but worth it.

I will be taking 3 fewer birds to Hutch.  I thought I would sign up a trio of White Silkies, but after looking at how dirty they were, and the fact I was going to just sell them right after anyway, I went ahead and sold all the pullets and a cockerel to a couple from Iowa today.  So, I am out of those foo-foo birds, except the few extra males to sell off now.

I am disgusted with how my Buckeye cockerels are turning out, and yesterday I found one dead without a clue what happened.  My rooster that was in the breeding pen last got a really bad infection in one ear and I think I am going to just have to put him down.  He can't stay very well and his head is twisting to the side that has the infection.  I keep cleaning it and have treated him, but it isn't getting better, it doesn't seem.  That is a gross and nasty thing to mess with.

I am selling a few Cornish at the show to a young man, and more are getting shipped to Arkansas as soon as the boxes are here.  I won't mind fewer birds to feed.  I will miss the Cornish, they are really a different kind of bird, but I need to do this.  Who knows, maybe I will get stuck with a trio of WLRs ? ;)

I didn't get the washing of birds done this weekend like I was planning.  I better get a move on and get it done though.  I have to clean pens and pick the show birds out so I can get rid of the extras around here.  And there is that winter prep that needs finishing.  :oops:
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Ouch! I mashed my thumb real bad with a hammer this weekend (surprisingly for the first time since starting building the garage) and that made me say a few naughty words. The nail is turning purple in the middle.
I hope you feel better today!
 
Momof3plustwins said:

The 3 Silver Wyandottes 2 cockerels and a pullet. I like the pullets markings way better than the cockerels. The golden ones seem to have WAY better lacing.

Buff Orpington pullets. There is also a cockerel in the pen.


Barred Rock pullet

Both of the Barred Rock pullets here.

Golden laced Wyandotte pullet. There are 2 pullets and a cockerel in our pen.

Cuckoo Maran cockerel. Way more organized in barring than the pullets. Must be because he carries two of the barring gene??

Another Golden Laced Wyandotte. I think this is the other Pullet. The Golds are way more friendly than the silvers.

Cuckoo Maran pullet

Most of the August babies are in this picture.
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LOVE the penciling on those Golden Laced Wyandottes. I was just looking at breeds yesterday and dreaming. Looking for (when I am down in chicks in a couple of years) cold hardy and calm. This breed is a must have. I will only have a few (like Bogtown) and I want layers but beautiful layers. I want it all!!!! LOL
 
Momof3plustwins said:
Klop my husband is a carpenter so I can envision all that you say because it is my daily life. It always feels good to build something with your own hands!
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Ditto. I know that facia!
pop.gif
Looking for pictures of the finished project and the new chicken coop when done.
 
While I posted pictures of some of the birds I never indulged our weekend happenings.

Saturday was a lot of this and that BUT I did take care of 5 extra roosters. They went to freezer camp. I just skinned them and marked soup rooster on the bag. So while I was handling roosters we opened up the run into the Aug. babies and the flock started to mingle. I am happy no one is being especially mean to the babies just the usual chasing away. They will go into the coop and huddle in a corner together so it is a start. I figured there would be a lot of reestablishing the pecking order going on with the removal of 5 birds so it was the best time to merge them together before it gets too cold. I have at least one hen that needs to go too. I just forgot about her while I was concentrating on roosters. So we are now down to 3 more or less mature cockerels in the pen. Then all those babies. There are a few more cockerels there also. But they have to mature more before I decide who goes to which camp.

Sunday I started digging out the carrots. The chickens have been in the garden now for about a week and have cleaned off most of the tops and started eating the tops of the carrots so it was time. Some of them are gigantic! I dug up 3 buckets yesterday and there is still another half of the row left to dig. I froze 16 cups last night and barely dented the top of one bucket. I gave the other 2 buckets to my sister in law down the road from us. So now it is onto freezing carrots today. My Mother In-law is also going to take some carrots. She wants to can them. I just freeze them. So easy for soup prep too! Just pull them out and in the pot they go.

So there is some news for you Ralphie.
 
lvie said:
LOVE the penciling on those Golden Laced Wyandottes. I was just looking at breeds yesterday and dreaming. Looking for (when I am down in chicks in a couple of years) cold hardy and calm. This breed is a must have. I will only have a few (like Bogtown) and I want layers but beautiful layers. I want it all!!!! LOL
Click to expand...

I am hoping that by breeding the golds and the silvers I have to look up the way it needs to go with which color covering the other I can improve the silver penciling. I know I read about the color genetics somewhere and if I use them together I will still get some of each color. I have to look it up again to figure it out again. I have some months to come up with a plan. I also hope the more calmer disposition of the golds will improve the silvers also. They are beautiful! Thankfully I have pullets and cockerels in both colors. I should be able to improve them somewhat.
 
Thanks MO3...

If there is no news I accept gossip too....



Foggy here. hard to motivate myself when I can only see a short distance. I need to run to town, I need Propane. The big decision of the day will be Orrock or Zimmerman.....

It could take me hours to decide.



I have sauerkraut that needs canning. I wish I had time to do it. The longer I wait the more it ferments.
 
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