NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

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?

They don't molt until their second Autumn

 

[rancher hicks]

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.

Missed the original post but the Slug thing made me say that dusting with DE can help against slugs.

 

[rancher hicks]

Frenchy hatched out two EE chicks, but I think the Maran egg is a dud. Buckwheat hasn't been in the nest box with Frenchy all summer but is not in the box. I think she wants one of those new chicks. OR she's gone broody.

I don't think Buckwheat has been laying but if she's broody I'll give her some eggs. I was really hoping the Maran egg would hatch. I can't understand what the problem is, but it has to be genetic. I do know there is Copper in there some where. If I can't get more Birchens I may swap out my rooster for a Copper rooster. No one local has Birchens.

I have a friend who wants eggs for her hens. She doesn't have a rooster. There is an article in the Hobby Farms, I think on fall hatching.

 

[Beer can]

Don't know why gramma's quote didn't post? rancher, it was ate up ripe tomatoes. If they came out of garden that way I suspect slugs. Several yrs ago I had something eating the nicest ones over night, sometimes big tomatoes were half-three quarters gone, sometimes just chunks. Looked like teeth marks on them also. I was suspecting mice maybe?
Must have been October, bow season headed out before the sun came up and hit the plants with a flashlight, ripe tomatoes had HUGE slugs on them! They must have hid during the heat of the day. They must have some sort of tooth to make marks like that. Like I said I just pick them now just before they turn soft ripe.

 

[tao chick]

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

I covered my tomatoes and cukes last night and tonight. Hoping it works.

 

[Beer can]

I covered my tomatoes and cukes last night and tonight. Hoping it works.

Light spatchy frosts right now, cover of any sort helps. I've got some big beefmaster tomatoes and others in my makeshift trampoline greenhouse I haven't finished, just threw a tarp over it. Rest, including some cukes I replanted late for fresh cukes (have enough pickles...) I just put whatever on them, some sheets, couple small tarps, plastic. Hard frosts you have to get them above the plants, leave some air space, right now I think we are safe with just draping.
Everything in my garden that was not covered last night was fine, down below in the open...picked what butternut squash, pumpkins and watermelon we had cause they did get hit, dead.Watermelon did good for what we had, butternut squash also, worst pumpkin harvest I've had since growing them....Big Max, dad had same results yrs ago, going back to pie pumpkins and field jack o latern pumpkins again next yr.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
These Assassins were chickens ...I left them on the deck and someone spotted them

Don't know why gramma's quote didn't post?

You probably wiped out the post by doing highlight and backspace thats how I do it

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
So can putting out a little dish of beer

 

[nposluszny]

They don't molt until their second Autumn

I am totally good with that! Still, I plan on letting them take it easy over winter.

 

[CluckerCottage]

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?

Your girls won't molt this year since they were hatched out in March. Molting usually takes place in chickens that are over 1 yr. old. Some juveniles have mini-molts but not always.
None of my March-born pullets are molting now but several of my older ladies are. My WL's and BR's especially. Poor girls.
Got them on Feather Fixer feed in addition to their regular layer feed. Hope they get it done and over with because it's getting chilly!
Can't believe I had to scrape my windshield Saturday @ 6:30 a.m. so I could get to work!!! BRRRRR! Come back SUMMER!