Recent content by clay

  1. clay

    predator defense?

    Your post brings two things to my mind: One, that newbies to our flock are skittish of things that the experienced birds ignore, such as running to hide every time a car goes down the road, which they later learn to totally ignore. The other is the warning sounds - our roos will growl as a...
  2. clay

    Dog and rooster pack love to sing

    We have two cocker spaniels, Charley and Harper, that are guardians and friends to our chickens and ducks. Our oldest (about 4 years) rooster, Skinny, has become VERY friendly lately, following people around and begging to be carried, kind of like a lovable puppy. He also seems to think he is a...
  3. clay

    Dandelions

    AFAIK, chickens are scavengers and like other carrion eaters, are pretty much immune to most of the stuff that would make us sick. Ever see them on the farm, merrily picking through cow and horse dung and compost heaps? Mine routinely eat mice, frogs, and even the little birds that fall from...
  4. clay

    what is DE and where do i find it?

    DE is the skeletons of microscopic sea life (diatoms). It is used to control insects because, "The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate." (Wikipedia) Mostly harmless to birds and mammals except can cause very dry skin and...
  5. clay

    Frizzling vs helicoptering

    They look like our frizzle cochin baby.
  6. clay

    A Van for a coop???

    Here's the link to the other BYCer with a vehicular coop: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=16313-maurice-chicken-coop-car
  7. clay

    Chickens really eat mice? (pic - warning)

    What really confuses me is seeing "vegetarian eggs" in the supermarket. So it's healthy or good to cage hens up and feed them an unnatural diet? I guess they fool folks who don't know better because they've never had chickens in their backyard.
  8. clay

    having a duck gender issue!

    Our first two ducks are hens, and the runner took on the drake role, dutifully mating the cayuga and trying to quack low like a boy. Once we got a drake, she completely reversed and is now just "one of the girls". I've read here in the BYC forums of similar behavior from chickens.
  9. clay

    Another great thing about ducks...

    I like to hear our mama ducks constantly talking to their babies, as well as their threatening squawks to anyone who comes too near. With that, and the peeping, and the drake with his little "wak-wak", it gets pretty noisy sometimes. (Never mind the geese constantly chatting and the roos having...
  10. clay

    Humidity in a Hovabator

    We didn't even use a hygrometer with ours. Just kept the one inside channel filled, then the two when it got within a couple of days of hatching time. Hatched a couple of chicks and a whole bunch o' ducks, about 90% success.
  11. clay

    Back Yard Dragons

    You've got to read Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Lady Sybil Ramkin raises pet swamp dragons and is quite the authority. There's a good reference at: http://wiki.lspace.org/wiki/Swamp_dragon All in all, sounds a lot like us and our chickens. (Well, except for the bit about dragons getting...
  12. clay

    How Do I use this Incubator??

    That's the one we just used, borrowed from my sister. Worked VERY well with too many duck eggs. I used our electronic indoor/outdoor thermometer with wireless outdoor probe to monitor the temp. You'll want to run it for a day or two to get the thermostat set before you put eggs in. Snug down the...
  13. clay

    ducklings Help!!!!

    Have you candled them? When we had ducks in the bator, we candled almost every day. You know you have a live one when you see it moving around. By 28 days, the large dark mass of duckling should just about fill the egg, except for the air sac.
  14. clay

    Help - Broody chicken at 18 days + Red Spider Mite

    I think your chickens will be okay. Red spider mites feed on plants, not animals. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_spider_mite) Unless, it's a different sort of pest you have. (http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html) ------------ (GiYF - Google is Your Friend)
  15. clay

    Had a Yogurt Storm, need container ideas...

    I have to agree with lurky. Pull up a chair and enjoy! Our 5 year old daughter will eat half a cup of yogurt and not want any more. So, put the half-empty cup in the yard and LAUGH and LAUGH!
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