Meyer Hatchery Chicken pics anyone??

[autumnhearth]

Thank you...we've been dealing with so many issues and learning as we go. Sometimes I wonder why on earth we decided to remodel the kitchen. We're getting there. Thanks for the Magic Eraser idea too!

Thanks! Yeah, don't be jealous of all the hard work for sure and all the snags along the way. There are things we have done wrong...so many things that we did wrong...seems like we are moving one step forward and two steps back every day.I'd love to see your progress on the bathroom. So sorry about your husband's job. I hope things get better for you guys soon.

We have the heater kit for our nipple system which has copper for each nipple which is supposed to transfer the heat to the nipples so they do not freeze and I just received the bird bath heater that goes inside the unit to heat it. I still need to somehow cover the unit a little more so it is out of direct cold wind. Then I still have to worry about the hose freezing, which if I was rich I'd just buy a heated hose, but I am not rich so I may just have to refill the waterer each morning still but at least it won't freeze throughout the day. At least it is better here with the weather, not like some of you with a lot of freezing days all Winter long.

My parents remodeled their kitchen when I was high school, I remember being camped out in the dinning room for what seemed like months. I love the cabinets you picked out! Our kitchen in our house is so small and our sink so impractical, its shallow, single welled, white porcelain and doesn't have a lip so it makes a mess. We would have to completely change out the surrounding cabinets to fit a new sink in there, we also need some refacing done but want to move and don't have a lot of money so none of that may happen, probably just leave it to the next owners to expand the kitchen with an addition like many of our neighbors have done.

Question, do you think the heater kit you got would work for a bucket nipple system and/or does the company sell individual parts like the copper?

It's so miserable outside and I'm sick and so sore. I gave the girls a pie plate of warm feed and scratch (just added a cup of 175 water- I'm a tea drinker so I have a hot water dispenser). But I feel bad for them huddled under the coop. Not looking forward to this aspect of winter. Speaking of which we need to get some think clear plastic for the two windows, back vent, under the coop and some of the run. There is plenty of other ventilation on the top of the sides and front but the windows and back blow too much on their roost bar.

And to get back on topic, anyone have any recent pics? rnchick we haven't heard from you in awhile! And who had the Buckeye chicks? I would love to see how they are growing. I won't take up too much space since I just posted photos yesterday but there are lots of pics of Victoria in my Week 29 album and good shots of Amelia, Morgaine, Victoria and Baby in the bottom portion of Week 28: https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/u/258296/autumnhearth/photosets/1/

 

[NanaLynn]

My parents remodeled their kitchen when I was high school, I remember being camped out in the dinning room for what seemed like months. I love the cabinets you picked out! Our kitchen in our house is so small and our sink so impractical, its shallow, single welled, white porcelain and doesn't have a lip so it makes a mess. We would have to completely change out the surrounding cabinets to fit a new sink in there, we also need some refacing done but want to move and don't have a lot of money so none of that may happen, probably just leave it to the next owners to expand the kitchen with an addition like many of our neighbors have done.

Question, do you think the heater kit you got would work for a bucket nipple system and/or does the company sell individual parts like the copper?

It's so miserable outside and I'm sick and so sore. I gave the girls a pie plate of warm feed and scratch (just added a cup of 175 water- I'm a tea drinker so I have a hot water dispenser). But I feel bad for them huddled under the coop. Not looking forward to this aspect of winter. Speaking of which we need to get some think clear plastic for the two windows, back vent, under the coop and some of the run. There is plenty of other ventilation on the top of the sides and front but the windows and back blow too much on their roost bar.

And to get back on topic, anyone have any recent pics? rnchick we haven't heard from you in awhile! And who had the Buckeye chicks? I would love to see how they are growing. I won't take up too much space since I just posted photos yesterday but there are lots of pics of Victoria in my Week 29 album and good shots of Amelia, Morgaine, Victoria and Baby in the bottom portion of Week 28: https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/u/258296/autumnhearth/photosets/1/

I don't blame you for not changing the kitchen. We plan to stay here for a long time ourselves.

The company does sell the copper http://shop.chickenfountain.com/Heater-Accessory-Kit-HAK.htm it is now $9.50 and I have heard that people use the same bird bath heater in their bucket systems too. Here is the link to that: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006HRQMC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I guess I need to start shutting the doors and windows for the chickens at night now since it is dropping down to 27 degrees here tonight. Probably should open that bird bath heater box and get that plugged in too. This cold weather is arriving way too early.

 

[wermnmnmnm]

This is Eleanore... I think she may be a he... 24 1/2 weeks old, no crowing... thoughts? My other 3 are laying... Eggnes just started... getting 2 eggs a day out of my 4 chickens.

 

[NotableNancy]

I think I have an egg eater, too. I am still getting 17-18 eggs a day from 23 layers but I have not had an egg from one of my EEs in 2 weeks. She was a very consistent layer - almost every day. Now, nothing! She is only about 9 months old and is not broody or molting. I have found a little egg goo in the nest boxes on occasion and I believe that she sometimes lays under the coop and they may be eaten there. It's weird that it seems that it may be only hers that is getting eaten. Could she be eating her own egg? I need a video camera in my coop!

Yes, they are very opportunistic eaters so they will eat their own eggs. I had that happening when their shells were getting weak from lack of calcium and molting combo. But, I also had one of my EE's stop laying last winter and she was the same age as yours. I had 4 EE's and she was the only one to stop laying. Well, actually, one was not even laying but I didn't know that at the time. So out of 3 laying EE's one of them stopped for no apparent reason. Didn't molt and not broody. Just took the majority of the winter off. She restarted in Feb after the days start getting a bit longer. So it could be either of those situations. If you found a bit of goo it was probably someone's egg getting eaten but not necessarily hers. Maybe a weak shelled egg and it turns into a little snack for the girls.

That is exciting!

So Morgaine finally laid her first egg today! I knew it was coming soon, she's been going into the coop and checking out the nest boxes and squatting flat to the ground when I extend my hand to her. I guessed she was waiting for Halloween and I was right! Lots of crows cawing while she was sitting in the nest box, I call them her people, lol. Victoria stayed in the coop with her the whole time and when she laid everyone was in the coop. They were all making little urgent egg laying sounds, even though two of them had layed hours ago. And while she took quite awhile getting set up, she didn't make a fuss at the end, she just stepped out and joined her sisters scratching.





Front left is Baby the Buff Orp's, middle is Clara the EE's, left Morgaine the BCM and back three are Amelia's the Golden Buff.

Congrats on the egg!!! Very pretty. I love your curtains too. When my little ones are ready to lay I'm going to put them up in their small coop to hopefully keep the big girls from bothering them to much when trying to lay.

Love that you caught the moment. The egg is beautiful. Our BCM is 23 weeks old and doesn't look even close to laying. Our BO and BLRW are both almost 7 months old and showing no signs of laying soon. Argh! With as many girls as I have of age I should be getting nearly 4 dozen a week just from mine and my friend should be getting similar or more! And we got 3 yesterday. So aggravating! I got some ceramic eggs today. I'll put one in one of my nest boxes and one of hers and we'll see if they are still there tomorrow or the next day. If it is an egg eater hopefully it will break them of the habit! And if it's a snake or skunk same thing!

Hope this helps get you some answers.

Happy Halloween Everyone! !

Someone's getting ready..... did you buy this??

Scary pic! Maxi our dog is our raccoon and opossum trap. She has killed about 4 opossums, one raccoon, a rat, a few salamanders and 2 squirrels over the past several years. I feel sorry for the squirrels and the salamanders. The others would have eaten my chickens, so I do not feel sorry for them for sure.


Those dogs! So sorry you have to deal with people and their dogs. Knowing first hand the damage they can do, I understand why you cannot let them free range unsupervised.

Good news that you have a new chicken friend or you will soon hopefully!

You are so lucky to have a dog that will take care of possums and coons. I'm not a fan of squirrels either so I wouldn't mind a squirrel eating dog either. Long bad history with them.... long story short ... I woke up with a squirrel on my bed when I was about 10 yrs old because they chewed right through our house... never a fan since then.
And every time I see a stray dog in my yard I think of your horrible ordeal!

This is Eleanore... I think she may be a he... 24 1/2 weeks old, no crowing... thoughts? My other 3 are laying... Eggnes just started... getting 2 eggs a day out of my 4 chickens.

She looks like she will lay any day now to me!!! At 23 weeks there would be long pointy feathers around the neck and hanging over her back. She's a cutie pie!!!

 

[christine9]

This is Eleanore... I think she may be a he... 24 1/2 weeks old, no crowing... thoughts? My other 3 are laying... Eggnes just started... getting 2 eggs a day out of my 4 chickens.

I agree! Looks like you'll see eggs from her any day now.

 

[daniellea2912]

YAY!


How's Beardie doing?

Awwww, poor thing. But I would think if you see her foraging, preening etc she would be on her way to feeling better. Does she eat chicken feed too?  Every morning I feed my girls feed moistened with water  (not fermented just wet) and put probiotics in there and whatever else I really want to make sure they need.   They really inhale it... I feed them by hand so its my time to check them out and see if all are looking well and eating.  Maybe try that?  You'll be able to see how much she is actually eating for at least once during the day.  

Beardie seems to be holding her own, each day she has eaten a little more for me (I tried softened feed but found she was much more interested in canned cat food so I've been going with that). Im gonna start the probiotics tomorrow. Tonight her crop was more full than it had been for awhile so that seems promising... however I've been really keeping an eye on her bc there's been a bit of a cold snap around here, flurries this am and getting down to 27 degrees tonight.
I'm starting to wonder if she has just a bit of sour crop? Crop doesn't seem overly soft or liquidity but sometimes when I squeeze or massage it, there's an odor, and her poop is soft at times (and much more stinky than usual, it could knock you out). I've never dealt with sour crop so I'm not sure.
I'm going to weigh her tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed she up or at very least hasn't lost any more weight!

 

[jtn42248]

Beardie seems to be holding her own, each day she has eaten a little more for me (I tried softened feed but found she was much more interested in canned cat food so I've been going with that). Im gonna start the probiotics tomorrow. Tonight her crop was more full than it had been for awhile so that seems promising... however I've been really keeping an eye on her bc there's been a bit of a cold snap around here, flurries this am and getting down to 27 degrees tonight.
I'm starting to wonder if she has just a bit of sour crop? Crop doesn't seem overly soft or liquidity but sometimes when I squeeze or massage it, there's an odor, and her poop is soft at times (and much more stinky than usual, it could knock you out). I've never dealt with sour crop so I'm not sure.
I'm going to weigh her tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed she up or at very least hasn't lost any more weight!

Have you tried just a tiny bit of plain yogurt? The probiotics in it might help and my chicks really like it a lot. It also helps if you have pasty butt and can't seem to get rid of it.

 

[COChix]

This is Eleanore... I think she may be a he... 24 1/2 weeks old, no crowing... thoughts?  My other 3 are laying... Eggnes just started... getting 2 eggs a day out of my 4 chickens.

What a cutie.....

 

[NanaLynn]

@ NotableNancy I think I would fear squirrels too if I had one in my bed at 10 yrs old too.
I didn't buy the baby chick costume, although I was very tempted.
Maxie is a great dog, but the one problem is that she wants the chickens for herself and that's probably one of the reasons she protects them so well.

 

[NanaLynn]

This is Eleanore... I think she may be a he... 24 1/2 weeks old, no crowing... thoughts? My other 3 are laying... Eggnes just started... getting 2 eggs a day out of my 4 chickens.

I bet you'll see an egg from her real soon. She looks like my EE's.