BYC Café

[igorsMistress]

Hi cafe,

@Bamabexchicks I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I hope your girls get better soon

I took the littles out to their coop this morning. Temps are very mild and they're running around exploring. Too cute.

As I was getting caught up here today I read that someone smuggled chickens here from California, they're less than 3 miles from someone active on my state thread. That makes me so mad! There's already been a confirmed case of vND in another county here. For someone to put all of us at risk is unspeakable. I'm considering confining my flock for the first time

 

[sourland]

I started mowing in March. I will need to start the sprinklers today or tomorrow

I do NOTHING to encourage grass growth. I don't like mowing that much.

 

[Shadrach]

That is interesting.
The other interesting thing about this is, the entrance to both coops is on their East sides.
Why did the girls go in but he didn't?

I don't know DL. I've not even managed to work out exactly why some hens do the 'tour of inspection before they'll go into a coop while others don't.
I think, with the roosters here, given they go into the coops first at roost time usually, that it's something to do with making sure the house doesn't have any bad guys in it.
However, on the few occasions that there have been bad guys in it; a rat for example nobody went in, they knew the rat was in there without going into the coop.

 

[ronott1]

I do NOTHING to encourage grass growth. I don't like mowing that much.

During the drought, we were encouraged to not water lawns but two days a week. Some took out the lawn but left trees. They did not water the trees and many trees and bushes died!

Trust me, If I did not water, the lawn would be dead in two weeks here. No rain equals a golden brown place.

I am connived that this is the true reason we are called the golden state! Because of all the dead vegetation in the Summer and Fall here.

 

[007Sean]

I'm not there obviously but that running around the coop stuff here at least isn't because they don't know how to get in. The roosters have done this with each change of coop and each new position of the coop. Bear in mind I move the coops around.
Cheepy used to do this every night.
I conducted a bit of an experiment here a long time ago when I still lived in the main house.
There had been a few discussions on how much more intelligent humans were than chickens.
You get a lot of that when you live with academics who deserve a round of applause when they lace their boots up without lacing both together.
As mentioned, I move the coops here. Sometimes quite a few metres and the door may face in the opposite direction to the way it was.
The fridge freezer here has a 'hang either side door. I swapped the hinges over so the door handle was on the opposite side. Even after a month of it being like that people were still fumbling about to find the handle where it used to be.
It takes the chickens here on average one day to learn that their coop has been moved and the door is now on the back rather than the front.

Those peeps are what I call, " Highly educated beyond their intelligence"!

 

[007Sean]

Afternoon everyone

Just made a fresh pot of coffee, if anyone's interested!

 

[DobieLover]

I don't know DL. I've not even managed to work out exactly why some hens do the 'tour of inspection before they'll go into a coop while others don't.
I think, with the roosters here, given they go into the coops first at roost time usually, that it's something to do with making sure the house doesn't have any bad guys in it.
However, on the few occasions that there have been bad guys in it; a rat for example nobody went in, they knew the rat was in there without going into the coop.

Again, interesting.
Tonight, everyone came into the new coop, Fabio was again the last to come in but he did it on his own. They are having a hard time figuring out how to get up to the roosts. They had to have wings clipped in December to keep them in their electrified pen. Two of the pullets figured out on their own that they could get where they wanted to go by going up the ramp and walking along the roosts. For some reason, they don't want to walk in the sand mixture on the boards. So I placed some of them in it to let them know it was safe to walk in. One by one, I guided the rest of them up the ramp, Fabio being last.
As you know, I've had some pretty bad episodes with him lately. He was totally fine with all my comings and goings today. After I walked him up the ramp and he hopped up onto the roost he turned around to face me and puffed himself up as big as he could and just stared at me.
He seems to have learned that "good boy" in a 'baby talk' voice is a good thing for him and non-threatening. So I very gently stroked his hackles and beard and kept saying "good boy" in that high voice. At first he was nervous and offered a weak peak at my hand but he eventually relaxed, unpuffed and seemed okay with it.
I'm hoping that we will make progress on coming to terms with my presence in his territory as being non-threatening no matter what I'm doing. We'll see. He does seem to respond positively to my speaking to him. I'll keep trying that.

 

[room onthebroom]

Good morning Cafe.
Coffee is on the stove.
Thank you everybody for the empathy.
It's all over now. Eight years is a long time to know a chicken. I'll miss her and so will her family.

I'm so sorry Shad!!!

Congrats on all the new babies!

Cap that avy is THE CUTEST!!!

 

[room onthebroom]

The Great Eastward Chicken Pilgrimage occurred last night. After roosting time so I left the brooder light on for them all night to learn the lay of the land.
I didn't get the door closed to the old coop in time this morning and some of the girls made it in there to lay. But two of them left their rent payment in the new nest box!

That looks fantastic!

I'm still about 60posts behind, but cant keep my eyes open. I'll leave the lights on cause I know the east coast crowd will be in soon.

 

[Shadrach]

That looks fantastic!

I'm still about 60posts behind, but cant keep my eyes open. I'll leave the lights on cause I know the east coast crowd will be in soon.

That would be me then; just a longer distance East on another continent. Still East coast though.