California - Northern

[ronott1]

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it.

This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

Hi and Welcome!




I liked reading your Chicken Story!

 

[chicksnthestiks]

Here is an older post that talks about how to treat vent gleet and e coli.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ush-in-chickensthe-chickens-will-have-a-putch

I am currently culturing my own lactobacillus bacteria via the Korean natural farming method talked about on this link:

My culture should be ready to use on Friday. There are all kinds of ways to use LAB including using it to start fermenting feed.

Thank you for posting these. I watched the video and very informative. I was impressed with all you can use it for. I have one horse that is a pig in her stall so I am going to use it for that, when she potties in it the urine works under the stall mats. Oh and the ground in the chicken pen. Oh and the septic tank. The list lengthens!

 

[zooweemama]

it's quite misty and chilly here this morning, and i decided it was time to take some new chicklet photos:


out foraging under the trees



Max, looking handsome as ever



playing queen-of-the-hill on the rocks



broody eleanor on her nest



all three nesting boxes are full -- everyone's busy!

Beautiful pics!

Hi all!
I'm relatively new to the forums so thought I'd take a minute to introduce myself. I've had chickens on/off for a few years and heavily relied on advice given here but have hid in the shadows.

I live about a half hour south of San Francisco on the coast. I literally have 'backyard chickens'. We had 4 for a couple of years that went to a neighbor when we last moved. After months of getting organized, unpacked and trying to find the right spot to build a new coop...I desperately missed the fresh eggs and the hours of chicken entertainment...I took the plunge and bought a pre-fabbed coop and hatched out a couple of eggs in a homemade incubator. Of the 8 eggs that I received (from back east so fertility may have been bad after shipping) three developed. All 3 hatched into healthy happy chicks...a splash orpington, a black orpinton and an americauna. The black ended up being a boy - the local feed store took him and 'sold him to a nice family' - I think I could have culled him if I needed to...just not sure I could have eaten any of it.

This saved me having to make that decision. We picked up 2 more started pullets at that time - a blue laced red wyndotte and a California white leghorn.

We had some integration issues initially but all 4 have worked out their issues. It is interesting seeing the different dynamics at play...but I digress....

The girls have a 3.5'x3.5' coop with 3 nesting boxes and a 3.5' x 9.25' run. They are let out each day...typically mid-morning to 'free range' through the backyard and return to the coop each night. I'm building another 6 foot extension for the run for the occasions where we need to leave them for a weekend. We spent a LOT of time working with our lab when they were chicks - putting them on her when she was in a submissive calm state. The chickens still climb on her and 'groom' her but she completely ignores them.

We don't show our chickens - although that's how we talked my husband into getting them originally - 4H...but he likes the eggs and entertainment enough that we now just enjoy them. Our chickens are totally our pets. We get so much entertainment value from them. And I can't wait for this new batch to start laying to have fresh eggs in the house again. And what a pretty basket it's going to be. Eventually I want to add a welsummer or maran to get a chocolate colored egg and a cream legbar or true araucana for a blue egg to complete my rainbow. I'm just not sure I could convince hubby to let me have a brooder inside again right now...so would either need started pullets or wait until next year.

Kids went with a "P" naming scheme this time....
Pio - Americauna
Pippy - Splash Orpington
Pumpkin - Blue Laces Red Wyndotte
Penny - California White Leghorn

Anyway, thank you all for being such a great resource through the years! And I hope to 'get to know' you all a bit better and be more actively involved on here.
Kim

Welcome to the group!!

Congrats on the chick! I had one little quail hatch yesterday and quite a few have pipped but no other ones out this morning. The poor little one is hiding underneath the paper quail egg carton thing. I cut the tops of all the bumps and she has just been tunneling underneath all the other eggs. I hope more hatch out today so she has company!

Woohoo hatching!

So we treated for cocci per Ron's instructions (thanks again!) and Alice seems the same. Still very docile, puffed up and pale. She plays treat-football and explores the garden, and she'll practice flying and crowd in to be picked up to go outside. Here are some pictures of her and her sister (and brother):



Alice


Alice in the middle

Alice on the right

Alice in front

There are a few more pictures here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/761436/puffed-up-pale-chick-treated-for-cocci

What's the next step? Is there any chance this is just how she is? She's such a sweetheart, I really want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for her. Should we treat for worms? They're five weeks old. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Oh no That's what my cocci girl looked like. It took about 2 days for her to perk up and about 4 to begin really eating and acting herself. I hope you get some answers!

Our Easter:

Good ol' Balthazar


Malcolm and Buffle


Our Partridge Cochin roo. We call him Dino-Baby right now. The Polish in the background is one of Clementine's special girls. She's so sweet, Clementine named her Cotton.


Ducks! Rapunzel ripped off her back toenail yesterday. I put corn starch on it and it stopped the bleeding. Seems fine today.


Ms. Coulter, the Sultan. She's a weirdo, but I kind of like her.


Much loved SLW Huckle.


Our cat, Scout, hanging out on the dirt pile with the chickens.


Malcolm in time-out for throwing dirt clods at the chickens, but BO roo Gilbert is visiting him anyway


More chickens mob the hill and chase Scout off (she's in the top right corner)


Colombian Wyandotte, Anne





Iorek Byrnison is kind of ridiculous looking, but he broke up a squabble today. He's going to be a good roo.

Great pics! Love the one where he is looking at the chicken!

Pictures?

Bresse First egg:



Not bad for a first egg! 33G

This is the Bresse that laid her first egg today:




It was easter, so who couldn't resist a Lamb and the Lion picture:

Eeeh yay! First Bresse egg! Congrats!

 

[PetRock]

Thank you for posting these. I watched the video and very informative. I was impressed with all you can use it for. I have one horse that is a pig in her stall so I am going to use it for that, when she potties in it the urine works under the stall mats. Oh and the ground in the chicken pen. Oh and the septic tank. The list lengthens!

I am always excited to learn something new. In January, I started giving my girls fermented feed. They weren't too thrilled to begin with but grew to like it. But towards the end of February, I started having problems with vent gleet, etc. I spent a week in Denver in the middle of February helping my sister and no one took care of my feed bucket for 3-4 days. I started having problems with the vent gleet after I came home. My fermented feed wasn't bubbling like before, either. So I'm guessing that perhaps my good bacteria took a dive while I was gone and I had something else growing in there. I threw it all out and now I'm going to start it again with my own LAB cultures.

 

[Nikon]

Our Easter:

Good ol' Balthazar


Malcolm and Buffle


Our Partridge Cochin roo. We call him Dino-Baby right now. The Polish in the background is one of Clementine's special girls. She's so sweet, Clementine named her Cotton.


Ducks! Rapunzel ripped off her back toenail yesterday. I put corn starch on it and it stopped the bleeding. Seems fine today.


Ms. Coulter, the Sultan. She's a weirdo, but I kind of like her.


Much loved SLW Huckle.


Our cat, Scout, hanging out on the dirt pile with the chickens.


Malcolm in time-out for throwing dirt clods at the chickens, but BO roo Gilbert is visiting him anyway


More chickens mob the hill and chase Scout off (she's in the top right corner)


Colombian Wyandotte, Anne





Iorek Byrnison is kind of ridiculous looking, but he broke up a squabble today. He's going to be a good roo.

So cute! Love Buffle and the ducks

 

[Nikon]

Pictures?

Bresse First egg:



Not bad for a first egg! 33G

This is the Bresse that laid her first egg today:




It was easter, so who couldn't resist a Lamb and the Lion picture:

Love the cat and chick pic!

 

[zooweemama]

So today is day 11 for my goose eggs, day 10 for goose egg #6. So far #2 is doing great - I say movemement even! #6 is a mayyyyybe so far. I have a 3rd in there that I am giving 2 more days and then doing an eggtopsy. The other 3 have already been removed as duds and some just stopped developing. I cool the eggs once a day and mist them.

I am on day 8 for the duck eggs. I had set 12. 1 total dud. 11 all have amazing veining and I see visible movement on 8 of them.

I put in a couple of my blue laced bantam wyanodotte eggs today so day 1 for those. Not sure if I will get anything but thought it was worth a shot. We have 1 successful offspring from my pair that Jeff had hatched for me. So I know my roo is doing his job. Or at least was.

This is kinds fun although the goose eggs stress me out.

 

[Nikon]

I just love my chicks! It is so hard not to sit and hold them all day

Agreed! Chickee has awesome chicks! I'm in love with my little Ellie and Emma. Growing soooo fast!

 

[Nikon]

it's quite misty and chilly here this morning, and i decided it was time to take some new chicklet photos:


out foraging under the trees



Max, looking handsome as ever



playing queen-of-the-hill on the rocks



broody eleanor on her nest



all three nesting boxes are full -- everyone's busy!

Love all the pics!
That oak tree is AWESOME! And the chickens are cute

 

[Nikon]

Our little babes are doing better! Wether its cocci or just upset little tummies the couple that had he nasty runs are having better poos. They all slept right through that righteous thunder storm and hail we had last night :O