NY chicken lover!!!!

[tao chick]

Hi all. I have integrated my two flocks. I was going to hold off and hatch some pure Brabanters, but my broody hatching 14 EE made me rethink numbers before winter. I cleaned the main coop in the barn and rearranged the roosts and nest boxes. It looks and smells so much better. Also, on a related note, my compost pile is almost ready for winter.

Most of my hens are molting. I've only been getting 4 eggs an average day out of 16 laying hens and pullets. No big deal right now because I have plenty.

The garden has been happy but I worry about the next two nights.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I have 3 new layers today. I only have 1 white egg laying hen and today I got 4 white eggs. Woohoo my spitzhorn girls are going to be my winter layers. Plus I got a cute little pink egg, or light brown I'm not sure, so either an EE or a spitztrolorp started today as well. I'm very excited, as the big girls are all slowly starting to molt. Icky yall never warned me about the disaster my coop would turn into.

 

[Beer can]

I caught slugs doing that. Only ripe one's. So now if it's happening I pick them just before they're ripe and finish them on our picnic table outside or our window sill.

 

[Beer can]

my rir look nasty. Almost as bad as a young cx.

Speaking of cx, do you want a couple of the slower growing pullets? They look good other than the grime all over them from free ranging today. Their bellies are a bit green because they didn't stand and fetch the worms, they laid down.

Yes. I actually be heading to Gary's U Pull It sometime this week to get a rear window for a car we just bought dd. Not sure what morning yet.

 

[Beer can]

Hi all. I have integrated my two flocks. I was going to hold off and hatch some pure Brabanters, but my broody hatching 14 EE made me rethink numbers before winter. I cleaned the main coop in the barn and rearranged the roosts and nest boxes. It looks and smells so much better. Also, on a related note, my compost pile is almost ready for winter.

Most of my hens are molting. I've only been getting 4 eggs an average day out of 16 laying hens and pullets. No big deal right now because I have plenty.

The garden has been happy but I worry about the next two nights.

Supposed to have had a frost last night. I covered a lot of maters just in case.

 

[CatMom]

My little flock of city chickens have started molting too. I'm glad they're not the only ones that are going early. One of my Ameraucanas lost a patch of feathers on her neck and looks like she has a hickey. This is pretty amazing since there's no rooster.

The inside of the coop looks like there was a pillow fight: feathers are everywhere. It's weird though, they all seem to still be laying although not as frequently. I thought that hens stopped laying when in molt?!

 

[CatMom]

@purpleiris & all re:Bumblefoot.
Hi sorry I was offline for that conversation. When I lived down south all 3 of my Ameraucanas contracted bumblefoot and I did this procedure several times, including the night manoeuvres; Epsom bucket soak; extracting the kernel and cutting away all the putrification until you get to healthy flesh. Then pack the wound with an antibiotic/antiseptic and cover with just a little gauze -or not, I ran out once & went with just more vet wrap to keep the dirt out- then vet wrap the whole foot for about a week. Recovery time varied among my hens. The best part is watching the hen run around with colored socks, Feeling mighty fine! I had worried about mine picking at the vet wrap but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Best of luck!

 

[CatMom]

RE: animal swap 1 October.

I seem to be mistaken about the location... I had searched Craigslist, I found the one last year at this time at TSC.
THIS one seems to be@ somebody's house/farm if Google Maps is correct.
SORRY for the misinformation.
This is where the ad says:

~{Animal Swap, Saturday, October 1st, 2016}{12pm-7pm}~
~{@ 1933 Coddington Road, Brooktondale, NY 14817}~

-Open to the public!

 

[nposluszny]

I keep reading about these molts, all of my girls look just fine and are laying like champs...out of 16 hens I got 15 eggs yesterday, 12 the day before, etc. I told my Mom that production might slow down so we are making all of our freezeable cookie batters over the next 2 weeks. Now, all of my ladies are quite young (from March), will they take a bit longer to get to molting or am I just oddly lucky?

 

[Purple Iris]

@purpleiris & all re:Bumblefoot.
Hi sorry I was offline for that conversation. When I lived down south all 3 of my Ameraucanas contracted bumblefoot and I did this procedure several times, including the night manoeuvres; Epsom bucket soak; extracting the kernel and cutting away all the putrification until you get to healthy flesh. Then pack the wound with an antibiotic/antiseptic and cover with just a little gauze -or not, I ran out once & went with just more vet wrap to keep the dirt out- then vet wrap the whole foot for about a week. Recovery time varied among my hens. The best part is watching the hen run around with colored socks, Feeling mighty fine! I had worried about mine picking at the vet wrap but it doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Best of luck!

Thanks, I gave the coop a good clean out today, lowered the roost, thick bedding layer in the coop, and a bale of straw into the run while the chickens are down in the veg garden in their temporary run.

Just getting all my supplies sorted out, aiming to work on their feet this evening - bit anxious, but has to be done! I will try and take pics as I go....