Surviving Minnesota!

[EMorical]

I fight hidden eggs all summer and winter long!

I think it is a fact of life with free ranging. I try to keep them locked up later in the day to get them to retrain to the nest boxes. I plan to lock everyone in the runs this coming summer for a couple weeks to force them to lay in the boxes. I have 2 runs off my coop a small one for turkeys and layer flock and a larger one for my CLB breeders. When I can put the breeders into the layer flock they will all be locked up. Besides it will force Sven to fight for his position as head rooster, Right now he just assumes he is. I have a feeling the old man in the legbar pen might feel differently about who is head man.

I have literally tried it all. Locked in for extended times; locked in for not extended times; "fake eggs" in the baskets; different material in the nests....they are just not havin' it. We have a less than ideal set up now that we've moved; but next summer I have plans....grand plans!

 

[duluthralphie]

I have literally tried it all. Locked in for extended times; locked in for not extended times; "fake eggs" in the baskets; different material in the nests....they are just not havin' it. We have a less than ideal set up now that we've moved; but next summer I have plans....grand plans!

So do I, the best things about plans is they always work, until they are implemented. Then new plans can be forged.

 

[I Love Layers]

Ugh!!
So far I'm the only 1st trumpet able to make it to our first pep band on Friday since one of the kids is playing and the other is working

 

[EMorical]

@EMorical Welcome to the thread. and BYC I see you do not have a lot of posts under your belt. We can change that for you.

I hatch a LOT of eggs. I have a fair number of birds. I am not going to get anymore single combs. (maybe).

I am finding the legbars while cute, and having great blue eggs are suffering the most damage to the combs. The SS seem to be standing up pretty good in the cold, but King George was winter trimmed pretty badly last winter.

The bird that surprises me is the Applttiniis! Aplehasuner Spritzinbabamers or however it is spelled. They are a small bird and cute as can be with their little feathered crowns. They are outside and the weather does not seem to faze them a bit. They have a three sided covered windbreak and a coop to go into and they stay right out in the cold doing whatever it is they do.

Those Swiss know how to breed a tough bird. I have yet to get an egg from them but it is early. They have no combs to freeze so that makes them cool too.


The Yokohamas gave me an egg today, it went into the hatching pile. It is the first one I have saved to hatch, but they are so small I worry the bird will be a dwarf (is that PC?)

I am not sure what size the eggs are suppose to be when they are able to hatch but I have gotten about 2 dozen from them so they should be Ok,,,,(maybe) We will know in 3-4 weeks.

I should head to bed, but the pain pills have not kicked in...BC the steroids to the knee did not work.



When I made the nest box for the toads I had it at 14 inches I think it was. but I left the end able to be swung open incase it was too small. They have opened it to about 18 inches now and it still looks tight for them. Them is some BIG gals!

SS --- Speckled Sussex??

Ohhhhhh, I had completely ruled out those Spitzhabens on account of they are probably not hardy but you have now intrigued me! Do you have any photos of yours???? I'm thinkin they might now be in the running now

I have two goals in my flock - a set of birds to provide me with a (somewhat) steady supply of eggs (enough for me + extended family); and a set of birds purely for entertainment. I have, as of now, no interest in showing or breeding or "breed standards" etc.

That being said! I would also like my eggers to be something I don't mind looking at. I've tried a few of the prolific eggers and just wasn't super happy with them as a bird, in general. So on my "will probably not get again" list are - White leghorns; Buff orphingtons; Production Reds; and one other heavy setter that I'm not really sure the breed of but was pretty useless haha. So I'm now trying to round up a few hardy, pretty, and moderately prolific birds. Wait, isn't everyone looking for that?

 

[Momof3plustwins]

That is the nice thing about toads. If you want the normal 6-8 pound bird you can have it in 10 weeks or less, If you want the ones I like you can grow them for longer The ones I have now were hatched in May and they are at Max weight. The girls are laying.

I will give you a dressed out weight next week, I think we are going to be processing one for a family dinner with your Great Aunt, the WW, and some of her daughters. If it is warm enough and if she is healthy enough to travel. I maybe overly optimistic, but I am hoping to push 18-20 lbs.

I have one that has pinkish ankles. His ankles are huge them look to be over an inch thick. I am trying to decide whether to harvest him or let him go. If it is just thick ankles because he is a big boy he is fine, if it is because it is the first sign of heart problems he needs to be removed from the breeding program.

I find with Toads I dare not take chances as the CX genes make them pretty fragile and I am trying to keep the size and remove the heart and leg problems. A friend that has raised birds in the past stopped over the other day and he could not believe they could be so big and get around so well..

As Ivie said when we went to catch them to put the dress on Bertha, we could not catch them. If Ivie was not half terrier and crawled into the small hole we would have never got them.

I am looking forward to visiting when it warms up and we don't have to truck through snow. Although It is possible because I may be traveling by myself with a child or two to WI this year as hubby may have to spray foam for my Mom and will have to go down sooner than I am planning. In the snow and cold I feel I could stop with only a couple kids instead of all 5 without complaint!

 

[Momof3plustwins]

Thanks @Momof3plustwins - I had a silver laced Wyandotte (Winnie, cuz I can't pronounce her breed name hah) this past summer; and I ended up passing her to the neighbor b/c she was the only hen who had learned to jump the garden fence! So it was either neighbor or crock pot and I don't usually eat the ones I name. The gold laced is on my "list" I think! Hows the broodiness? I have just a heck of a time with my hens hiding their eggs - is that related to broodiness or what??? Which worked out "ok" as I did get a batch of 8 chicks from them this past summer - but cmon! I need eggs to eat too!

I don't know on the Broodiness as they are Aug. 2016 Hatch so just getting ready to start to lay. An easy way to fix those that "get out" is to clip their wing feathers so they cannot go far. I do just one side as that is all you need to do with escape artists.

 

[lvie]

I guess its not too late to say good morning Chickeners . . . .
Welcome EMorical
Sorry to read about Zeus Holms. Darn animals come and go!

I have been busy - generally - in the mornings and get on here late. Lottsa reading to do when I do join ya all.

Hop, skip and a jump? about 20 miles as the crow flies I would say - could that be correct Ralphie?

Birds are doing great! Vaslined up combs again last night. Poor Reggie. I say that because when I caught him he was hanging by his neck. He is such a nice roo I felt so bad for him. It seems warm in their coop for what the temps are outside. The babes are mingling with the flock more and more. Good to see. All the birds have access to the outdoors all day but rarely seem to venture out the door and onto the cold ground. This is the second winter we are are experiencing together and it is definitely not as big a deal as last year when I had no idea what I was doing raising chickens. Lovin it though - thanks to all you posters and your help. Oh! Already pulled four eggs this morning. They are laying great so far! Knock on wood.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
Clipping the wings works great! It is what I do for the fliers. They don't mind.

 

[lvie]

Grandma Time! Leaving for Shakopee to pick up the kiddos after school. Have a wonderful day and stay warm.

 

[NathanZee]

Are you secretly Goldenflight too?

Goldenflight is my brother, I just forget to sign out of his and into my account sometimes.