I Built A Bridge!

[Teila]

Good morning Bridge Club and TGIF!

16 paws I totally understand about the chickens being part of the family. I was reading a post the other day where the poster was considering getting four chickens and then a year later getting two more and then a year after that, getting rid of two of the originals and then getting two more so that if they continued to do that, they would have ‘peak’ layers all the time (or something along those lines).

While I totally understand the reasoning I could not comprehend! That scenario would mean that it was time to get rid of Cilla and Dusty .. are you kidding me! I don’t think so, they are my babies and not going anywhere!

How long does it take to get the results?

Just out of curiosity because there is no chance of me leaving Aus, a one way ticket would set a person back about $1,300 (Australian) .. might be cheaper to pay someone to punch your neighbour for me lol!

Hhhm TG you do have a dilemma! Sounds like you have JT and GB sorted but yep, BF is a dilemma. If it was me, now JT and GB are sorted, I would leave BF broody on some dud eggs (probably refreshing them every week or so so there is no chance of explosions). That will give you three-four weeks for the Houdan chicks to arrive. If they do not arrive, granted you will have to find chicks for BF but at least you will have given yourself more time and will have BF still broody in case the Houdan’s arrive?

No news of note from here.
The weather has gone crazy! Cold nights and not so hot days, but, I am not complaining, loving the cooler temps and lack of rain; we are drying out nicely.

Syba is not so impressed and has switched into ‘Warmth Vampire’ mode .. if you sit in a chair you instantly have a cat on you chest, drawing all your warmth. If you get out of a chair he quickly replaces you, again draining the warmth out of the cushion .. I have nicknamed him Frog because he does not do cold!

As I mentioned, loving the weather and looking forward to spending some time with the gals and nuggets over the weekend. Sadly, I probably only have a couple more weeks with some of the nuggets as the boys will have to be found new homes. But, on a positive note, it still looks like I will get to keep two from the hatch.

Princess Diva (aka Blondie

) appears to be attempting a run breakout via a large tunnel she is digging!

LuLu is still wandering around the place educating invisible babies and Dusty, while not being naked and ready for basting anymore is apparently enjoying the break from laying eggs and living up to her nickname ‘Dustbin’. She is the guts of the flock and appears to be on a mission to fatten up for winter!

The Nuggets are adorable! They have learnt that mealworms are yummy and whenever we go out during the day to check on them they all come running to see what we have for them!

They are so cute at breakfast time .. they are confined to the coop and small run overnight so in the morning they are all lined up at the door, waiting to get out and have breakfast.

I wonder sometimes how Cilla stays so patient with them … “Mum! He chest bumped me!!”; “Mum! She stole my bug”, “Mum! I wanna play piggy back”, “Mum! I want a snuggle” “Mum! Why can’t I swing off your comb and wattles?” “Mum! Why can’t I peck you in the eye?” “Mum! WHERE ARE YOU!!”

 

[lizgarf]

I am in love, with these two, Teila!! You are being so strong to believe they're boys, because I would be stringing it along forever, if I were in your shoes. So precious!

As for my boy, I took the collar off Diego after two days - it mostly just made his crow really high-pitched. But, I think it may have done the job, because he's been a lot quieter lately. It might have taken him down a notch or two, which sometimes the boys need. He's such a good rooster, though - not hard on the girls, always excited to find them treats, and so much quieter than Desi was. But, I still miss Desi. I hope he's well and making plenty of pretty babies for his cowgirl.

TG, your situation is over my head, so I don't have any advice to offer except, when things get too complicated, I take it as a sign to slow down and wait for the right path to clear. Right now, I'm enjoying having reached critical hen. Everyone gets along and they take care of themselves. There are plenty of eggs. Occasionally, someone decides to try being broody, but if I take the eggs away, they seem to give up. I'm not sure how this magic formula came about, but I'm very happy with this low-maintenance flock! The only complaint I have is we're going through feed like crazy. It's probably rats getting into the coop (luckily they can't get into the stored feed, but the cats and I can't keep them from raiding the feeder (and ground) at night.) And, feed prices are going up, so it's a pricey problem. Luckily, I still have my one, generous customer, and he's covering my feed costs, while still allowing me plenty of extra eggs to give away.

Oh, Teila, you mentioned the BYC'er with the plan to replace every 2 years. That's basically how I got Jan and Marsha - their people's habit was to buy chicks, raise them for two years, and then get rid of the whole flock and take a break for a couple years and start up again! Seems so crazy! My 3-year-olds really aren't that different from my young layers. I'm sure production hens slow down, but mine really haven't. It seems rare for Rousseau to miss a day, and she's a couple weeks shy of 3 now.

One more thought: do your chickens seems to like to watch you as much as you watch them. A lot of times, when I'm inside my house while they're in the back yard, I'll see them watching me through the window! Maybe they're just wondering when I'm going to come out and feed them, but it's like reverse chicken TV. What's that human cooking? Why does she and the canine nap during the day? Jan, especially.

OK, that's my contribution. Enjoy the weekend, y'all!

 

[Teila]

Hey there Liz, trust me, it is not easy; I adore them!

I know in my heart they are boys, these two and the black fight constantly while the Frizzle and the caramel stay out of any altercations. Just a quick post with some more recent pics taken yesterday:

 

[tommysgirl]

@Teila and @lizgarf I agree those two are lovely...I am not 100% sure they are cockerels though. I have had girls who have done quite a bit of sparring and your two seem to have feathered in quickly and that is often a girl sign...not wanting to give you false hope and of course you see them daily and know a bunch about this already. I just think they look like someone dipped them in a cloudy sky to get that color. They are so pretty that it would be a crime to have both of them be boys.

So I solved my issue. I bought 8 chicks on Sat. Two, day old Crested Cream Legbar pullets and 4 backyard mixes all under a week old. I gave 4 including the CL girls to Gracie Belle because she is such a phenomenal broody. and gave the other two to the long suffering on the nest for close to 6 weeks Julie Taylor who is also good at raising chicks but who has always hatched her own and never done the grafted thing before.

Anyway, both are happy now. The little families are sweet and clucky and chirpy and everyone is doing what they ought to.


That's one of the little CL girls with the chipmunk stripes and her nest mate with Gracie Belle

I decided to also go ahead and give eggs to Beakface. I may have another broody before my Houdan get here and I may not. I will just let the chips fall.

So what I have going on right now is:

Gracie with 4 chicks
Julie with 2 chicks
Norma with 8 of my own girls' eggs...all with lively little ones inside due to hatch in 1 week
Beakface with a full dozen of our home grown eggs due to hatch on the 29th of April...I will candle those and am sure she won't end up with ALL of them being viable

I forgot to tell you all a story. Last week Tyra was missing in the morning. I was sure she had been there the night before on the roost with Stella and her brother but I couldn't see her... But I could hear here so I started looking around the run to see if she had gotton herself into a situation. Then I noticed her all snuggled up in the nest under the broody miss Gracie. Tyra was about 8 weeks old at the time and the size of a grapefruit and Gracie happily took her in...and under. I think I could give that girl chicks when she isn't even broody and she would take them.

In an Able update. I am hoping to be able to keep him. He is perfectly fine and hale and hearty now and I found a rabbit hutch on CL that I am gong to transform into a coop for Cosmo and a few girls. They will all share run space but this way if it works out Abel will have his house and girls and Cosmo will have a separate house and girls and that is SUPPOSED to make having multiple roos in the same pen doable.

Edited because it looked like a drunken illiterate typed this the first time around

 

[16 paws]

WOW Tommysgirl, that is a lot of "chickening" you got going on there! I read your post and my head is spinning trying to picture all that. I love it! You go girl!!!!! Gracie is cute. Is she part Polish? I love how she took Tyra in. That is sweet.
hehe, I am sure that a lot of my posts sound like a drunk illiterate as well, but that is ok, thats just me.

Liz, thanks for your sympathy regarding my hen. It is always so hard to lose one. I do remember your story regarding the coop thing. That is very strange. You never did figure out who did it right?
So funny about them walking by and looking at you. Mine do that as well. I have 4 french doors in my computer room and they walk by as I am reading the posts. They cruise by and look in like, what ya doin in there? LOL

Update on the lab results:

So far all her organs were fine. No problems that they could identify yet. No egg bound issues or anything to do with that. They will now do further testing on her liver and look for poisoning. So we shall see....

Teila,
The littles are growing so fast. I love the frizzle girl, so pretty. I know it is so hard to re-home the boys. I wish we could keep them all. I will try and get a picture of my Marans babes with Taffy. Poor thing, she looks like a naked neck again! She might be giving Dusty a run....

Good to hear from ya all!
Marie

 

[tommysgirl]

@16 paws Hi there! Gracie is a bearded silkie. These are older pics of her. She has a cool little crest though. I forgot to thank you for sharing your picture of your bantam girl to help me figure out what mine was. I was informed over on the Cochin board that she is a silver laced cochin so I think that is what you girl is too right?

I am glad that the necropsy didn't show any reproductive issues. Those can be painful for the birds. I lost one of my Marans to it awhile back. I hope the mystery is solved and I really hope it wasn't the neighbor. That is just to awful to picture you living next to someone who would poison a pet.

The day passed smoothly in the coops. I moved Julie and her two into a dog crate to free up nest box space in the coop and they are settled in and doing just fine. Gracie is just going about her business...being a mommy is just what she does.

 

[tommysgirl]

This little girl was lifeless and freezing this morning. She hadn't left the coop with mom and her 3 siblings. Feet were icy legs were stiff. She was laying on her side and I seriously thought she was dead. But her eyes were open and she is one of my new little CCLs and I have heard so many stories of cold chicks being revived that I stuck her in my shirt. On the way to work, I cranked the heater and held her up to it. At about .25 mile from work she opened her beak. I sat in the parking lot figuring out what to do...all the while holding her up to the vent. When the dash got warm enough I plopped her up there but she was still immobile except for her beak opening. Little by little she started moving and chirping but I had to go to class. I left her on the dashboard with the motor running and the heater on, sending students out to check on her every few minutes to make sure she was OK. Then at quarter to 9 when I brought her in and put her on a towel with latex gloves filled with hot water underneath. I have no classes duing 2nd perioand currently she is eating drinking pooping and chirping. She is coordinated enough to scratch and preen

God wanted this one to hang out here awhile longer and I am still so excited and happy that I listened to my heart and didn't give up on her. She is back inside my shirt now, all warmed up and happy for contact with another living thing

Meet Milagros

 

[lizgarf]

This little girl was lifeless and freezing this morning. She hadn't left the coop with mom and her 3 siblings. Feet were icy legs were stiff. She was laying on her side and I seriously thought she was dead. But her eyes were open and she is one of my new little CCLs and I have heard so many stories of cold chicks being revived that I stuck her in my shirt. On the way to work, I cranked the heater and held her up to it. At about .25 mile from work she opened her beak. I sat in the parking lot figuring out what to do...all the while holding her up to the vent. When the dash got warm enough I plopped her up there but she was still immobile except for her beak opening. Little by little she started moving and chirping but I had to go to class. I left her on the dashboard with the motor running and the heater on, sending students out to check on her every few minutes to make sure she was OK. Then at quarter to 9 when I brought her in and put her on a towel with latex gloves filled with hot water underneath. I have no classes duing 2nd perioand currently she is eating drinking pooping and chirping. She is coordinated enough to scratch and preen

God wanted this one to hang out here awhile longer and I am still so excited and happy that I listened to my heart and didn't give up on her. She is back inside my shirt now, all warmed up and happy for contact with another living thing

Meet Milagros

Wowowowowow!
Congrats, TG! Hey there, Milagros!

 

[16 paws]

Tommysgirl,

Way to go! You thought and acted fast to save that little chickies life. What a great story. Good idea to keep her in the car with the heater on. When I get really cold sometimes that is the only way I can really get super warmed up. God is good and so are you...

Yes, I believe that Freckles is a bantam silver laced cochin. She is one of my favorites for sure. Very easy going personality.

Let us know how the chick does....

Marie

 

[16 paws]

Sorry to bring bad news again....

Found another hen dead. Yesterday she was in the nest box and we just thought she was going broody. This morning she was dead. Her body is on the way to UCDavis. I just called in sick this morning and went early to get her in the mail. I am so sad that this is happening. I just cant figure out what is going on. All my other birds look happy and healthy. I am going to call today and see if they have any other news on the first body.

My son is going to have a talk with our neighbors and let them know we will be watching out for someone maybe trying to hurt the chickens. We also may have to get a camera out there along the fence line to maybe see if they are throwing something over. Just wish I knew so I could protect them from this. It feels so bad not to be able to help.

What is going on??????????????????????