BYC Café

[sourland]

When I move and you get rescues, let me know. I always have room for beagles or any dog and Lucy needs a friend. We should move by next year!

I almost always know of dogs looking for homes. Three of the dogs presently here I regard as 'rescues' . One has made his championship, and a 5 year old that I recently rescued may very well achieve hers.

 

[ValerieJ]

Have you braved my coop article yet? I love it and it makes my life so much easier.

Read it! Good article...passing on to DH.

New coop....new coop.....what could be more exciting!!? I know you'll share the build with us when time comes?

Absolutely! I'll probably start a new thread on it too. I'm really excited! No more standing on my head, or climbing in coops to clean them!!!

70 is about my maximum temp that makes me happy.....much beyond that and I get cranky....I love winter...I love snow....but I don't say it too loudly because most folks shake their fists "You love SNOW!?? How can you love snow!??" They get upset so I just enjoy it in silence.

I'm totally with you. Although snow complicates caring for the chickens, I love the crisp air it brings. And I've been complaining about all the rain this month, but it is unusual for us to have so many down pours. Usually occasional showers. I love Washington weather. Hated Virginia weather in the summer! Hot and humid!

There have been two hawk strikes here today.
The first on Tribe 3 and Notch took the strike. I don't know how he did whatever he did but his hens made cover and he just has a small handful of feathers missing from his left wing.
The second strike was from a Goshawk; someone from the main house heard one of the dogs barking and saw the Goshawk trying to drag Hinge down the bank. Hinge has survived two strikes before and she seems to know she is to struggle and not freeze. She managed to get free and the dog arriving scared the hawk off.
I've had a brief look at Hinge and apart from a few feathers missing I can't see any other damage. I'm goinng to get her off her perch in a while and give her a better checking over.

Wow! Such a brave Rooster, Notch is. I'm so glad both survived it!!!

@FortCluck have you ever gone to Chincoteague, Va. ? Very laid back and still somewhat rustic - it's my all time favorite place to go. We started when the kids were small and go there every year for my birthday.

We went to Chincoteague several times when we lived in Virginia. We moved to VA from FL, where we had met a couple who owned our favorite shop in St. Augustine, called Metal Arts. When we were visiting Chincoteague we walked into a little store that reminded us so much of it, we thought someone must have copied their little shop. But, lo and behold we turned around and were greeted by Margie and Tom, the same owners! They had moved! Small world. Cute shops!!! We stayed in a really nice B&B there.

That is good because soon he'll have 8+ hours (plus commute time) to find something to occupy his time 5 days a week.

haha We have enough projects planned that he'll be busy for years to come!

 

[FortCluck]

I almost always know of dogs looking for homes. Three of the dogs presently here I regard as 'rescues' . One has made his championship, and a 5 year old that I recently rescued may very well achieve hers.

My beagle was trained to hunt, but something happened to her where she's deathly afraid of guns now. She hides when she hears gunshots, shes scared of men, and she hates loud voicea. Not sure what happened to her before we were given her. I love her to pieces.

 

[Shadrach]

So, we were talking about the wonderful free range life the chickens and I live here.. As I mentioned Hinge took a goshawk hit.
If they make it back to the coop and eat, I wait until they are roosting to give them an examination. I mentioned to the main house that I could use a hand but they were off to dinner apparently. The track is now open and the three or four days they've had to spend here has all been too much for them. Nobody to talk to and no one to impress makes this lot fray around the edges.
Notch is fine. He's just lost a few feathers. Well done him.
Hinge isn't so fine.
It's quite difficult to take pictures with one hand while holding a chickens wing up with the other with a point and squirt camera. The chickens don't like the flash etc etc.
This is a shot under one wing. All that white is bare skin and the red is of course blood.

This is more of the same side.

This is the other side under her wing.

It looks as if she has two puncture wounds, one under each wing. A goshawk claw across her back sideways on could account for the wounds. She also has a small wound on her belly.

Her feathers are matted with blood on both sides and a lot have been ripped out. Others feel out during cleaning.
She was very calm as I cleaned her up. I stand them on the kitchen table or on the floor and don't restrain them. If they flap away or panic I let them go and gently steer them back to where I want them.
Hinge is pretty feral. There is no way to catch her during the day.
She's back on a perch in the coop with her family which is a lot less stressful for the chicken than being shut in some strange container. I'm the one who deals with the stress overnight hoping she is still active in the morning.

 

[Shadrach]

YIKES!!! Very scary. Good job Notch and Hinge! Yay for hero dog!

The dog is no hero. It's as thick as a brick and lives on a sofa. It was just luck it was outside.

 

[Building Bridges]

The dog is no hero. It's as thick as a brick and lives on a sofa. It was just luck it was outside.

Maybe that's where the saying "EVERY dog has his day". He's probably walking around proud as can be....."YEP....I saved them!"

 

[sourland]

The dog is no hero. It's as thick as a brick and lives on a sofa. It was just luck it was outside.

Shad, you won't even consider inadvertent hero status ?

 

[FortCluck]

So, we were talking about the wonderful free range life the chickens and I live here.. As I mentioned Hinge took a goshawk hit.
If they make it back to the coop and eat, I wait until they are roosting to give them an examination. I mentioned to the main house that I could use a hand but they were off to dinner apparently. The track is now open and the three or four days they've had to spend here has all been too much for them. Nobody to talk to and no one to impress makes this lot fray around the edges.
Notch is fine. He's just lost a few feathers. Well done him.
Hinge isn't so fine.
It's quite difficult to take pictures with one hand while holding a chickens wing up with the other with a point and squirt camera. The chickens don't like the flash etc etc.
This is a shot under one wing. All that white is bare skin and the red is of course blood.
View attachment 2010903
This is more of the same side.
View attachment 2010901
This is the other side under her wing.
View attachment 2010902
It looks as if she has two puncture wounds, one under each wing. A goshawk claw across her back sideways on could account for the wounds. She also has a small wound on her belly.
View attachment 2010900
Her feathers are matted with blood on both sides and a lot have been ripped out. Others feel out during cleaning.
She was very calm as I cleaned her up. I stand them on the kitchen table or on the floor and don't restrain them. If they flap away or panic I let them go and gently steer them back to where I want them.
Hinge is pretty feral. There is no way to catch her during the day.
She's back on a perch in the coop with her family which is a lot less stressful for the chicken than being shut in some strange container. I'm the one who deals with the stress overnight hoping she is still active in the morning.

When my feral chicken was attacked, I went outside at night when she was roosting and checked on her. I did try to check under her wings and she attacked me like crazy... She lost only feathers from the attack, but I lost skin on my hand from her attack!

 

[Shadrach]

For those of us who have no rooster having a broody hen is a bit more than fewer eggs and more hassle. It is unhealthy for the hen. A hen trying to hatch pine shavings doesn't behave like one trying to hatch eggs. I do not know this as a fact but there must be something about fertile and developing eggs that tells them it is OK to leave the nest once a day to eat, drink, poop. I've NEVER seen one of my broody girls leave their shavings voluntarily.

As I understand it, a hen on fertile eggs will park on them for about 3 days, then get up once a day to deal with their needs but will clamp back down for the last 3 days before the chicks hatch.

Well, I don't know what a broody hen in a hen only flock does because I've never kept such a flock. The people I know here don't keep hen only flocks either. But, my sister does now. The two roosters she has both died. Her hens free range and she does much the same as me and hasn't mentioned needing to do more than take the eggs and destroy the nest.
I would agree that it is not healthy for a hen to sit on an empty nest for 21 days or more.
The hens here (mostly) get off the nest every day right up to hatch day.

 

[N F C]

Hey, there's an empty coffee pot here! Must...remedy...now