I Built A Bridge!

[lizgarf]

Velma is amazing!!
What are SLWs?

 

[MistyMountain]

Velma is amazing!!
What are SLWs?

Silver laced wyandottes. Willie is one. Not a "quality" one, but that is the breed he resembles most lol! The fancy ones, hens especially, are super pretty. I like velma because she is different than the rest. She's a keeper. To be honest... I will probably keep all the girls. Too hard to part with my first hatch! I would keep the cool roo in the group of four if I did not have two good roosters already. I would call him frosty... His body looks frosted. I will try to get some better pics soon. I hope to start letting them out to free range with the flock in a week or so.

 

[Teila]

Good morning

*Sigh of relief* .. oh, how nice it is to be back in my home office and not on-site today!

Liz thank you! I love “puffilicious”. Dusty’s little white tips did not happen until after her recent hard molt. I wondered if it was maybe a deficiency of some sort but she seems so healthy in all regards .. very weird but yeah, kinda cute.

Wow, only a week to go? That has flown past! Well, for me it has, probably not so much for you

If we knew “how they work all this stuff out” we could write a book and probably make millions .. Chicken Whisperers! It would be a big book though cos these gals sure do like to mix-it-up

MM oh dear, rooster wrangling does not sound like fun; especially when they have the option of heading for the trees!

Aaargh, having dramas with images today! Took 4 x refreshes and a log out and back in again before I could view some pics and then, scrolling down, read it may be an issue with your phone. Still did not get to see all of them but I note some of the earlier pics from others were not loading either

Luv ‘Naughty Maud’s’ expression; she looks so innocent! Beautiful colour! I can see why your chickens like that pine tree; so many roosting spots.

No news of note. I did get home in time to spend time with the gals on their afternoon free range. I missed being able to duck out during the day to see what they were up to; who had laid etc.

Anyways, I should be working and I have a heap of requests coming in at the moment so I probably should go and get stuck into them. Today and tomorrow to go and then my 4 day weekend starts … happy dance!!

 

[lizgarf]

Teila, I still can't get over your puffballs. Lulu is especially amazing compared to my half-bald frizzle at the moment. Poor little Rousseau. At least she's a reliable layer!

Yes, the first two weeks have really flown by! But, now this last week feels slow! I can't wait to meet the babies! I just did my last candle and there is no doubt that there are at least 9 little chickies moving around in there! One of the two marans eggs was too hard to see at this point (since it should be mostly dark inside anyway). What am I getting myself into??
In the meantime, thanks to my little urban ag. organization, which basically is just a big group that does bulk organic feed orders, I managed to find someone to trade some chick starter for layer feed, as our monthly order won't arrive until next Wednesday (unfortunate timing on Grace's part, but it is all working out). I patched up a a corner where a rat was getting in (I hope, it was crazy hard to reach). Everything is ready to go! Just 5 more days!!

 

[Teila]

Aaargh, 5 days, if it is at all possible, I think I may nearly be as excited as you are Liz!

9 little bubbies is way more than last time … can’t wait to see them!

LuLu has not started laying yet but she must be pretty close. She has a nice red comb and is reportedly 8 months old. The breeder said she was 3 months old when we got her but I am not convinced, I believe she may have been younger. Anyways, I have recorded her birthday as 15th December. She has also taken to emptying all the straw out of one of the nest boxes on a daily basis! That is fun for me because I get to put it all back, sometimes twice a day (sarcasm intended).

LuLu is actually hubby’s chicken! He picked her out of the pen of Frizzles and she adores him! She is definitely his favourite and he is definitely her favourite! I love her, feed her and keep her safe and clean but she follows him around at every opportunity.

I was mentioning to my sister on the phone the other day that “I now have 5 chickens” and this voice from the background sings out “No you don’t, YOU have 4” lol.

LuLu is also the clown of the flock. Her catch phrase is ‘Pull Your Head In”. She has this cute little thing that she does in that she pulls her head back into her curly feathers to the point that you cannot see it. If she is going to run anywhere she pulls her head in and then darts across the garden like a wind up toy! She also like to play ‘hurry up and chase me’ .. she baits the other gals so that they will chase her and she has a great time running around the place. When they stop chasing, she runs up behind someone else and starts the process again. I have watched her do this many many times and I truly believe she does it deliberately and enjoys it. She is the funniest little thing, always happy and bouncing around the place like a bouncy ball, not a care in the world!

While on the subject of hubby (Joel); I also have a cat who is obsessed with him! Syba was my cat when I met Joel but as soon as Syba met Joel I was on the outer. When my Charlie-Bear (definitely my dog and a one person dog at that) passed away I got Chimee (our female cat). She is her own cat and while she demands cuddles anywhere between 1am and 5am, you are not allowed to cuddle HER unless you give her 24 hours notice in writing! Joel had to go away for a week for work; when he got back I told him that next time he either takes me or Syba; "Do not leave me alone with that cat!". He sooked, he moaned, he howled at the front door for the whole week; could not be consoled. I love Syba very much but I tell him on a daily basis that he is pathetic! lol

OK, I have probably rambled on enough and have chicken breakfast to prepare so I shall leave you all in peace.

Happy chickens!

 

[lizgarf]

LuLu is actually hubby’s chicken! He picked her out of the pen of Frizzles and she adores him! She is definitely his favourite and he is definitely her favourite! I love her, feed her and keep her safe and clean but she follows him around at every opportunity.

I was mentioning to my sister on the phone the other day that “I now have 5 chickens” and this voice from the background sings out “No you don’t, YOU have 4” lol.

LuLu is also the clown of the flock. Her catch phrase is ‘Pull Your Head In”. She has this cute little thing that she does in that she pulls her head back into her curly feathers to the point that you cannot see it. If she is going to run anywhere she pulls her head in and then darts across the garden like a wind up toy! She also like to play ‘hurry up and chase me’ .. she baits the other gals so that they will chase her and she has a great time running around the place. When they stop chasing, she runs up behind someone else and starts the process again. I have watched her do this many many times and I truly believe she does it deliberately and enjoys it. She is the funniest little thing, always happy and bouncing around the place like a bouncy ball, not a care in the world!

Love it! I'm officially a Lulu fan too! I love how her feathers curl over, like she took a curling iron and spent an afternoon on them.
I wonder if my chickens would have favorites if there were more humans around. When my friend took care of them for 2 weeks, it was a big deal for her to realize she could actually put Desi in the man cave and called him "the sweetest rooster ever." Then, she was visiting the other day, and Desi had the funniest reaction! He almost looked scared, doing sort of a backward dance, like the giddy-up dance in reverse. We couldn't figure out if he was pleased or otherwise to see her.

Four more days! Do I seem cool, calm, and collected?

 

[Teila]

Hey there Liz I am on sort of a mini countdown myself .. 2.5 hours until I start my 4 day weekend!

You tell those eggs of yours that I want some action on Sunday my time so that I have time to celebrate! Monday I will be at work so I will not be able to check the site as often. I sometimes ponder how nice it is that when we have hatches, there is someone on the other side of the world cheering us on.
Those little bubbies better know just how special they are

Without getting all sentimental, I also remember doing the same thing when their daddy was hatched

Hhhm, Desi's reaction does sound a bit funny ... I wonder what was going through that little chicken brain of his

I will tell Joel that you are a LuLu fan, he will be pleased. He has also decided that the next broody is now not getting Pekin Cochin (bantam) eggs; which was my choice. Apparently the next broody is getting Frizzle eggs!!

I really do not mind, I would be happy with either. Not even sure if I can get fertile Frizzle eggs on-line; I probably can, just never looked. As I was typing, I was wondering if I have a favourite out of the girls and to be totally honest, I do not. I love them all the same; they all have their little chickenalities and quirks but I cannot pick a favourite.

I also wonder if your chickens would have a favourite if their were more humans around. It is something I never really thought about until LuLu came along and she obviously has a favourite; the others I believe are equally happy to see either of us, especially if carrying food

I would be interested to know if any of the Bridge Club has chickens that show favouritism?

 

[lizgarf]

I really do not mind, I would be happy with either. Not even sure if I can get fertile Frizzle eggs on-line; I probably can, just never looked. As I was typing, I was wondering if I have a favourite out of the girls and to be totally honest, I do not. I love them all the same; they all have their little chickenalities and quirks but I cannot pick a favourite.

Well, I'm sure you all know who my favorite is. Just today, I picked up and turned Bettina over to check her lice/nits situation and she curled up and snuggled into my arm like a baby. She is almost as cuddly with me as Penelope, my cat, who rarely lets my lap go empty while I'm working. Bettina seems to like having her belly rubbed almost as much as Reggie does. She is definitely a special one.

And, the bubbies-to-be and Desi may not know you're out there, but I'm very pleased to have the support of friends around the world for the upcoming hatch!

 

[ItalyChickie]

Hi everyone! I am so sorry, I only have a few minutes, so won't be able to reply to everyone or do more than skim through everyone's news... I'll make up for it, sooner or later.

Did I mention August is absolutely crazy? Well, it has been so crazy I barely remembered to stop turning the eggs (which I left in the bator due to potential twin egg/needing to help) on day 18... today is day 20, and guess what? There is a pip in that very egg!

Of course, candling after day 10-ish I could no longer make out anything, so by now I'm thoroughly convinced I was hallucinating when I saw two dots. Or maybe it was just a dancing embryo that moved his feet at a different time than his head? (or whatever embryos have on the two opposite ends....) Anyway, I guess we will know soon enough! It's alive and rocking, so I'm leaving it alone for the moment.

Ok, back to work for me. Beautiful pictures everyone! Looking forward to your new fuzzy butt pictures too, those already here and those due to arrive soon, and I'll keep you posted on mine.

 

[Teila]

Good morning

Howdy IC, lovely to see you!
I am chuckling at "dancing embryo"; that will be one happy little chickie

I understand totally about the work pressures and nice to know that you are OK. Looking forward to those bubby pics when you get a chance

Today is the first day of my 4 day break and I am off to shop for some new cutlery and saucepans. I am not much of a shopper but do not mind occasionally, especially when I have all day to do it and know what I am looking for.

I am not going to go into all the details; too drawn out and boring but to summarize, chicken bed time for the last couple of months has been a nightmare! Fights, squabbles, 5 chickens fighting for one small roost etc. Last night I had 3 gals piled on top of each other in one nest box; threw up my arms and walked off muttering something along the lines of "I am done, sleep wherever you want!".

The other night, Cilla and Dusty were shuffling for position on a nest box > nest box overbalanced > Dusty got 'thrown' out onto the balcony and Cilla ended up underneath covered in straw and nest box. Luckily no-one was hurt and when I figured that out it was actually quite funny

Basically, I have 5 gals trying to squeeze into one corner and this huge empty space with perfectly good roosts that no-one wants to use. Tonight is going to be Night #1 of 'tough love'. I am closing off the corner so that they have no option but to sleep in the more appropriate, roomier section!

Will let you know how I go