A Day With My Flock

[crazyfeathers]

I love your chicken stories, I hope you keep them coming as they make me feel normal lol. I too sit with my girls and have a beverage or 3 they don't seem to mind. None of my girls sit on my lap or shoulder, the best I get is when they follow me around or come running for treats. I have had many broody hens this summer and have 11 chicks right now with most of the chicks having two mothers. My serema (spelling) Steve (oh she's a hen, long story) just showed up with 5 of the smallest chicks I have ever seen, so adorable. My EE's are very standoffish but are good layers, I would say my production reds are the sweetest. I am a chicken lover (not to be confused with hoarder) I have production reds and blacks, BA, Barndelvers, cuckoo marans, deuccles, seremas, EE's, Ermonots, NJ, WE, GLW, Cochin and lots of mutts to me they are all beauties. Keep the stories coming, no one listens to me about my chickens either, people who don't have chickens don't understand chicken talk lol.

 

[wchepooh]

I love the chicken stories too! Everyone thinks I'm crazy! Its nice to know, I'm not.

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

Oh My Bawking GOD! I have committed the most heinous of crimes!

I sold 2 big roos at auction on Sat and now today 3 P.O.L. hens to a lovely senior who is close by who promises to love and keep the hens until the day they die. I have messed up the entire pecking order even tho these hens and roos had nothing to crow about in their order.

Poor tiny Gorgeous George is beside himself with the clucking going on.

Imagine 3 broody monsters in 3 of 6 nests and 3 more wanting to lay. The noise is astronomical! The broodies have plugged their ears and left their empty nests but keep returning!

Too many visitors in the coop this weekend and to many of their flock mates have "disappeared". Chaos!

Apparently a little scratch works the magic for a very short while....

Then DH decided the fence apparently ain't going to build itself so has started work at the worst possible moment.The faithful Jack Russel by his side to get any mousies or moles at any given second!

So last update I was on Vaca. A tiny bit ashamed about my last post. I should have known I could eventually trust someone else....My next door neighbor friend took such good care of my hens. She sent me pics of the eggs everyday! Pics of hens giving her love and her giving them treats. Everything went swimmingly. She waited until I came home to tell me she lost a hen that did show up the next morning. Probably sleeping under everyone else. Don't know if I would have freaked or not...

Funny how it is my 3 big girls making all this racket!!!! SHHHHH! A person can't think here. Trying to blog you know!

Oh my Frankie the "not a rooster" just told Harmony the "Growling broody monster" to Buckooooffffff! This is what we have come too..... There use to be such rest and peacefulness here. I dare say I screwed up... I think George is in hiding.

This is my 4 y/o Grandson holding the ever amicable Lily who is now his and known as Widdle Wiwy.
He could carry her around by a wing and she'd be happy!

This is my 9 y/o nephew Liam with his roo, George.



Maybe you see why my hens are upset so much? I do....

Both kids are very good at moving slow and gentle as can bet. I do not tolerate my hens being chased!

I was very happy to get $16. a piece for the Barred Rock Roos. The auction house took 25% tho which I think is high. I had no luck selling them privately and the 7lb Bruce was going for the only hens he could out step and squishing the tiny OEG bantams. Elvis could have stayed as we and he hadn't figured out he \she's sex but the day at the auction is a long one and one I can only handle on a blue moon.

So now both frizzles are laying but the tiniest eggs. I find myself making scrambled eggs after the first 14 to feed back to the hens. It has been so dry and hot the worms have gone deep and the bugs are hiding. I needed to get some protein into these ladies some how. Especially the broodies that just won't quit!

I am taking another Vaca next Sat. for 5 days. I think I should try to at least put Harmony who has been broody for 8? weeks now in the broody breaker. Problem is that as soon as I break all 3 the first will be broody again as always! I don't want another hatch til spring!

Hmmm all is quiet suddenly. I must go see why.

Still love my noisy relaxing hens....

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

Been a long time friends.... I don't know if anyone is still listening. But I write to share my ideas and thoughts so here we go!

By my signature you can see what kind of flock I have now. They are so sweet. Got a record 8 eggs outta the 11 hens yesterday! Not bad for having one broody at this time and only 8 hours of daylight and sub zero temps 24/7 lately!

George the most Gorgeous, has turned into the friendliest to humans roo, loving and gentle to his ladies but still he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer... He will always run and jump on my lap and if I am standing he will fly up on me. He can't figure out which end is which on the Frizzles I am embarrassed to say and he falls off the OEG's more often than not. He makes googly eyes at the big hens that kick him *** over tea kettle for it! He weighs maybe 24 oz and they weigh in at 6 to 7 lbs! However he is really good at watch dogging and showing his favs the good stuff. Harmony got disgusted with him though when he showed her a piece of gravel many times... Yes. She tossed his butt across the yard. Poor George. I fear I have a made a sissy outta him.

Frizzles aren't much smarter I am afraid to say. Found the 2 of them perched in the green house trying to stay warm together long after dark. I love how I can pick them both up together with one hand, tuck them close and take them into the coop. They are so squishy! Not near as big as they look! 2 lbs each maybe. I hadn't noticed little Gracie the OEG bantam, between them, must have dropped outta the hug but came running behind us.

DH has finally wired the coop for POWER!!!! This in itself was worth marrying him for 22 years ago!!!

2 outlets and a light! Now I can see all that poop to be cleaned before work and do a head count and find eggs when I get home from work! Those OEG's and Frizzles will lay eggs anywhere like right in front of the door! Or in a tipped over metal watering can in the green house that will freeze and pop before being found...

My big girls are doing so great... Matilda still loves to cuddle with me and so does Josie, if the roo isn't on me already, curled up in my coat... He is so tiny and I worry about the cold and the Littles. I adore him what can I say.

OK I know your all waiting for the funny part!

So my boss has nothing for me to do. His wife suggests if I want to, would like to, have time to, maybe, I could clean their coop??? I think, heck I already look out for the birds and there are worse things.... I really don't care what I do as long as I get paid and trust me I got paid better than most coop cleaners!

I climb up 20+ ft on green house roofs with NOTHING for support and just plastic below me with a 6 inch walk way, I drive trucks I am pretty sure are ok but not my responsibility to upkeep. I put myself on the line WAY too much for $..... But then again I am getting educated at their cost. IF and EVER I chose to move on I can make more money.

But back to the Chicks! So I cleaned his coop. They have 6 hens that their son wanted for his last birthday... bad choice from what I know.

A few weeks ago after taking one of his hens into my care I decided that separation wasn’t the answer. And then after cleaning his coop I now know the major problem. Wild birds and the vermin that come with!

This is the funny part! Not so much for me though...

Cleaned the coop. Came home.

Next morn put on my shoes with ankle socks and short pants and hopped in my car! Within seconds....mites crawling, biting up my legs!

I had important deliveries to do and turning back for home wasn’t a choice I had. I survived that way with them making their little ways up my entire body! BITING!

By 3pm I was done and headed for home. I stopped at the pharmacy to see if I needed help with some sort of product.

I was embarrassed to say what my problem was in a store full of people. I wanted to speak privately but refused to go into a carpeted small office. They must have thought me nuts!

In the end, the very pregnant Pharmacist stood well back and told me I just needed a shower.

I didn’t believe her.

I came home on that freezing dark nite of rain and hail, grabbed the DE from the green house with hens excited to see me!!!! Stripped done to nothing on my back deck and doused myself from head to toe and EVERYWHERE!!! in between!!! Dogs bouncing back and forth calling me names like weirdo and fat. Threatening to tell the world of my nudist activities! I was trying to get them to stay away to no avail…

Tossed my clothes in the washer and headed for the shower. Stood for ten minutes entirely covered now in Selsun Orange, yes the dandruff shampoo (Selenium Sulfide) freezing further!

SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB!!!!

Finally outta the shower to wash my clothes. DE all over my shoes and the carpet in my car! Once my clothes were washed in cold water, I froze them wet for 24 hrs. Next day I thawed out my clothes and dried them. Shook my shoes out and Monday morning back to work to treat those poor hens with Eprinex!
I am happy to say I don’t have any more bugs on me!

Now after all this I realized I went into the chicken yard wearing said shoes and clothes to get the DE.

I had left my shoes in the hall way the nite before I got attacked by the mites.

And I am embarrassed to say I was so tired the nite of cleaning the coop I failed to have a shower until morning. They hadn't bothered me a bit!

So did I take some to bed with me? Did I let them outta my shoes and onto passing dogs? What about my coop and chickies the nite of?

Dogs are fine. Bed is fine. But I still dusted my coop and treated my birds with Eprinex!

My boss’s hens are looking and acting a lot better too!

In other news, as I said Lil Bo beep is broody again! Has been for 2-3 weeks so far. I am going to try artificial insemination tomorrow to guarantee George gets his sperm into the Frizzles (in the right end) and the OEG hens too. Probably going to have to do it twice a day both Sat. and Sun. once each for the 4 hens.

My friend is reluctantly going to assist. I plan to give Bo a dozen eggs on the 9-10th of Dec to make sure I am home on the hatch date!

I’ll let you all know how that goes…

Maybe I can get pics of my GF's face!

This week I am grateful that I have been given enough notice to quit smoking at just the start of emphysema (sp). I guess it’s time to give up smoking my dear relaxing habit. I love my hens. I love my children and their spouses. I love my 2 grandchildren and the 3rd that is on its way…. I love my husband and my good dog Hannah!

Take care friends.
A Merry Christmas to all!

Becky

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm still reading updates since I subscribed. I thought the funniest part of the update was about the antics of little George the gorgeous. Considering that I have had a run in with mites, my reaction was more a mix of sympathy, humor and a strange feeling of itchiness. Wild birds are probably the culprit, as you say. Don't forget to retreat to get any hatched eggs. Well, you may not need it in your coop since they had so little exposure. After reading about mites, I decided to do the second treatment with a different product to reduce the risk of resistant mites. I came across an active ingredient that is used in both organic gardening and Veterinarian medicine called Spinosad and started a thread to let others know about it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-treating-chicken-mite-infestation-that-works

I have also read that garden sulfur added to the dust bathes or a bit to the bedding can be an even better deterrent than DE.

I wish you well in quitting smoking. All the loves of your life listed are great reasons to quit even though it isn't easy.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Mite Free New Year along with many years of easy breathing to come!

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

Gracie finishing up the pumpkin carving.

And Gorgeous George keeping a watch over the flock.

Scratch and peck, they look like your hens and roo but these are bantam and weigh 17-24 oz only. I am surprise how they can be so identical but so tiny!

Thank you for your support. Unfortunately I have already failed to quit smoking. I put everything away, put the patch on and charged up my all natural nicotine free e cig looking forward to having it in bed in the morning. (I don't smoke in my house and thought this was a bonus) Well, at 1am I reached for the patch on my upper chest and it was gone.... Being exhausted I couldn't find it and the house being only about 15 degrees I opted to stay in bed rather then look for another patch. At 4am I woke to find the patch stuck to my neck the wrong way around. At 5 (my usual wake time) I was craving and went out for a cig.

I will try again tonite. This time I will put it on my arm with the top end of a sock around my arm and duct tape it there!

I felt crawly for days after the mite stuff but since they were not biting me any longer I figured it to be all in my head. I did retreat both flocks at 10 days and all seems to be going good. My boss will never be free of them and it will quickly go back to being just as bad if he doesn't change his practices. I have told him I can't do any more for him and put my flock at risk.

Now to make a tiny beaded curtain with big beads for the chickie door to thwart the wild birds at my coop!

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

George helping my study for my pesticide applicators course.

Hello!

Gracie cuddles for warmth.

Morning Lily Frizzle!

Can you really spoil a roo?

Can you?

 

[Jaimesweet]

Beautiful babies ! I know what you mean about when you say friends are tired of hearing about chickens !! Lol we are a community I think I just realized that from reading your post ! We all have great sad different stories to share on a daily !!! BYC is a blessing to us all ! Ty for sharing I love your picks! ))) Jaime

 

[Hannahs Hollow]

Welcome Jamiesweet! BYC is a great place!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Can you really spoil a roo?

ADORABLE PIC! Spoil or indulge? Either way it is so worth it for the chicken cuddles, especially from someone as gorgeous as George.


Keep up the quitting effort. Its all about the persistence after set backs.


The beaded curtain to keep out wild birds is a neat idea. I think I would have to add one strand at a time so as not to make my chickens nervous about the door way, LOL.