Eastern Washington

[lovinchickypoos]

:'( Terribly sorry, Fosterson! Wish I had some to spare but I had an awful year myself and need to replenish too!
You are probably right about an egg strike. They seem to quit for a bit after these situations.

 

[Vickis Girls]

Just read on the random ramblings forum that Costco in CA.is selling organic chicken feed. I think it was 20. for a 40# bag. Has anyone seen it in our state yet? I've seen their little coops at Yakima and Wenatchee, but not the feed. Sometimes it's easier to get to Costco than the feed store. If anyone spots it, please let me know.
Thanks and a good weekend to all.
Fosterson, did you ever find stumpy?

 

[fosterson]

D'oh! Things were busy here yesterday.

Believe it or not, I got the weirdest trick-or-treater EVER on Halloween just as the sun set.

My puppy kept going to the sliding glass door and scratching (usually he's just playing with his reflection) and whining. I finally got up to look and lo and behold, Stumpy was there, in the neighbor's side yard, looking really CONFUSED and bedraggled.

Needless to say, it turned into a Benny Hill routine for me to try to CATCH her, even with her having a bad limp but I DID finally catch her.

She's a bit gimpy on that side but doesn't seem to have any obvious skeletal damage. She had some big patches of missing feathers and a few bad scrapes, which I cleaned up and put ointment on (BTW, it is NOT easy to clean up a peeved hen...or put medicine on her), and returned her to the coop. She promptly laid 2 eggs.

Funny thing is, there's a hole under the neighbor's house on that side of the yard, and his outdoor mouser kept coming to me EVERY time I came out of the house...and she isn't a friendly cat by any means. I guess she was trying to tell me she had an unwelcome guest! LOL!

 

[Vickis Girls]

Fosterson, you just made my day!!! So glad to hear about Stumpy. She's probably been eating the mouser's mice. Lol. Great story. Thanks for sharing!

 

[fosterson]

Heh. And the girls are also requesting that someone turn off the sprinklers. They are NOT amused that it is raining this morning! Not the least little bit!

 

[lovinchickypoos]

Yay for Stumpy's return!
I let the flock out late, as they've been naughty little egg hiders, and the were out for about a minute before running back into the pen. THIS WIND IS HORRIBLE!!

 

[fosterson]

I have to say, chicken folks are amazing.

I had a lady whose Seramas and call ducks did VERY well at the county fair this year just give me a cute little Silkie-X rooster and a (most likely) pullet, both about 4 months old. The rooster's adorable (though they named him Fugly)...he's got Silkie-like feathers, black skin, 5 toes on each foot, ear muffs like an Araucana, a crest like a Polish, feathered legs and likely some random other genetics in there as well. He's quite smug to suddenly be the only roo on the property and has been calling to the rest of the hens to announce his bad self.

The other youngster is from a Blue Orpington over an Easter Egger type...and I'm pretty sure she's a splash by coloration. She is adorable and we've named her Bling...even if she turns out to be a roo, I think we'll keep "her" for the pretty that's hiding in the genes, because s/he's a very nice, solidly built bird.

The rest of the flock is eyeballing them, because I'm pretty sure my flock of red heads have never even SEEN other colored chooks before.

 

[PalChick]

Vickis Girls, was at the Clarkston WA Costco yesterday and no chicken feed. I sure wish I could find Scratch and Peck locally!

Fosterson, I love your stories! Glad Stumpy came home.

The wind was crazy yesterday, but everyone seems to have weathered the experience ok. The girls are still laying, even with the shorter days. Averaging 5 eggs a day. Hope it lasts! I'm not going to put up a light unless they quit, so we'll see what happens.

 

[Vickis Girls]

Thanks for checking,PalChick. I'm hoping that as Costco expands organic feed sales, that our state will be included. If that happens, then maybe some more feed stores on this side will carry Scratch n Peck. Would be really nice.
Yesterday was miserably cold and wet. All the hills around here turned white. It's so hard to acclimate this time of year.
So all of my seven chickens have been integrated into one flock!!! I got three hatchery chicks in June, ordered six eggs but only one hatched in July, ordered six more eggs and three hatched in August. So of the four hatched eggs, only one is a pullet.

I hope all three cockerels can get along. They're family now. Is it the usual thing with shipped hatching eggs that 75% will be males? Maybe just bad luck, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I had never watched a chick hatch before. The sole hatchling from July is in my avatar. Didn't know if he was male or female for the longest time,so his name never evolved from "Baby." Look, he's still got his little egg tooth! Baby is almost twice the size of the hatchery girls, and such a gentleman. It was a lot of work keeping him entertained that first two months. What a pleasure he is. I'm so lucky.

 

[fosterson]

LOL. Baby. I had a horse who suffered from that name...at least she was a mare and I didn't name her to begin with

If you're ever finding yourself in need of a home for an excess roo, I've got room...and my one roo is a bantam cross, so he's not exactly making any points with my big laying hens LOL.