A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[ruth]

The mama hen is taking her babies out of the coop now for a walk and play in the sunshine.

Here she is taking a much needed dirt bath, her first since going broody over a month ago. The babies were watching her like they couldn't figure out what mama was doing.

She was very cautious when she first took them out of the coop but before long they were running all over the run area and did everything mama did.

It has been so much fun watching the mama and her babies. She attacked a peacock a few times for getting too close - I mean kung fu, Fighting Tiger moves.

Speaking of peacocks, they are getting big and pretty and love roaming around outside and flying up to top of garage, or hen house or duck house to roost.

I'm hatching like crazy - here's a batch just coming out of my new Sportsman.

Here they are all cleaned up - cute little Polish - and lots of them - from SCBirdfarm

I put the word out, at the two feedstores here, that I have baby chicks and ducks for sale and the phone was ringing before I could get home from the feedstore so I guess I'm officially in the hatchery business.

It's amazing the turns this Journey is taking.

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, my goodness, what a bunch of cuties! Love the peas, too. They are just gorgeous. You're making me want more room and a huge barn to add more birds.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Had my shoulder surgery yesterday so this is just a quick note.

Momma and babies look great. Congrats on the sportsman hatch and nice job getting them moving into new home.

How are the dogs and the goats doing.

 

[beefy]

how many peacocks did you wind up getting to hatch?

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Hi Beefy - I was never successful at getting any peachicks to hatch after months of trying and over 40 eggs and $300 so I bought 8 peachicks in July from Leggs Peafowl Farm - 6 made it.

Here they are in yard yesterday.

 

[Delta2 23]

Wow your chickens grow fast! Mine are still pretty small and already 10 weeks old. YOur lucky to have lots of chickens!

 

[hennypenny9]

Monique-

I just read this whole thread in three days. You're so awesome! I want to move back to the country so badly now. I live on a small lot (less then 1/4 acre) so free-ranging is out. I always had chickens when I lived at home growing up, and we weren't as cautious as some of the people on BYC are. For instance, we never had a thermometer in the brooder. We just watched them and moved the light accordingly. I know, heresy! But we never lost any chicks.

Also, we once took in a golden chicken (looked similar to your most recent broody, but with a longer tail) and we just dumped her in with the baby chicks, who were already outside. She never picked on them at all. We called her "Pretty Missy" because we'd never seen anything thing like her.

I had to laugh at some of your older posts about how ducks turn everything to mud. We had the exact same experience! They weren't "pets" like our chickens were, but give them fresh water, and they're your best friend.

I was so sad to hear about Ruth. I felt I really grew to know her. You should think about writing a book! I think you'd inspire a lot of people.

 

[ruth]

Hennypenny9 - thank you so much for all of your kind words. They mean a lot to me. Welcome to BYC where you'll meet lots of "awesome" people.

I am enjoying my little farm and I probably don't do anything by the book. I still have never used a thermometer in a brooder. I put chicks out in the cold weather with just a light bulb in hutch/cage if it's 50ish. Never lost a chick due to cold - but I just got home tonight from being out of town since early this morning at my grandson's birthday party to find a dead chick in an overheated brooder box.

I left home at noon today and it's been getting really cold here (40s) and this old house stays cold. Hubby and I are running around dressed in winter clothes inside the house. So instead of the regular light bulb I use in my brooder box in my spare bathroom I replaced it with a 150 watt heat lamp bulb, also covered half the box with a towel, and to make matters worse put a heater in there set to 70 degrees. Yep, they all overheated, the water was super hot and one died, thank God only one and not all 60 or so that are in two boxes in there. But I bet if I had a thermometer in brooder box it would have said 95-98 degrees but that's just too hot if they don't also have some fresh air. Tomorrow all 60 or so (I really need to count and see how many I do have) will go out in coop into hutch with just the heat lamp. My three week olds have been freeranging but still getting to sleep in hutch so they will get evicted and the babies will take their places.

I've been watching these chicks that have been hatching all week trying to gage the temps. I find when it's too warm they just want to sleep and can get lethargic and not eat and drink like they should - but when the temp's just right, they run around and eat and drink and play. I should have left well enough alone and just left for the day with just the regular light bulb I've been using but I was worried they would get cold. We have been having lots of power surges and the heater kept going off each time and would not come back on so I was worried that the heater would go out and the room would get too cold. Even so, it was only set at 70 and was still on so the room itself didn't get any hotter than that.

I really do find that baby chicks prefer fresh air and cooler temps than the books say and too many chicks in a brooder box is also unhealthy. There are weaker/slower ones that can't fight their way to the feeders and waterers. One thing I always do is to put the crumbles all over the floor of the brooder plus feed them scrambled egg - they love it.

For a brooder floor, I buy a bunch of cheap white towels at the dollar store and use one of those folded up. I get a few days use out of one then I can hose it down with pressure hose and leave it out to dry. When I get several, I toss them all in a bleach wash and dry and fold them up and they are ready to be used over and over. Makes for a nice no slip floor on brooder floor and absorbs any water they spill and I don't have to worry about them eating shavings.

 

[basicliving]

I always look forward to your updates, Ruth. Those babies are just TOO precious! I hope you thanked your daughter for looking after the egg cooker thingy while you were away

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I can completely relate to "country living" after being in the city for so long. I worked in DC for many years and then moved to our property and began working from home just over a year ago. I found I enjoy "communicating" with chickens more than with humans at this point - and probably do a better job with them. I actually worry I'll start clucking or crowing during conference calls......

Take care,
Penny

 

[hcammack]

Here just wanted to show you my blue and black copper marans chicks and how you have influenced me although it is to cold for them to be outside at night I send them out during the day and them come inside at night they love their outside time and eat grass and bugs they are very healthy chicks.

Henry