California - Northern

[Papa Brooder]

Major thanks to Cheryl and Larry (and the lovely Dyann!) for the great party today. Your new digs are awesome. It was a lot of fun meeting so many other BYCers that I can now put a face to online. I look forward to getting more chances to visit with everyone soon. Also a big thanks to my travelling companions sewandgrow/Karen and lotsapaints/Denny. The journey to and from the party was icing on the cake! I'm looking forward to our next big adventure..

Following along as Walt went through the beautiful birds was very enlightening and enjoyable as well. Each time I get the opportunity to hear him critique birds, I come home and look at my own with a different perspective. Made it an educational day as well as fun-filled. Of course the raffle was a lot of fun and I'd like to thank you and everyone who donated all the cool prizes.

Nice job ladies!!

Thanks again!

X2. Thanks a lot. Great first experience gathering with other chicken crazies! Josiah had a blast as well and came home talking all about his brahma eggs that he's gonna hatch.

We will see how their round trip to the party goes. Great food, great advice, great location, great people, great prizes!!

Thanks all who helped make it happen.

Quote: Ha, ha, ha. Watch out Meg. I can already see the chickens multiplying over the next few months. An incubator is a dangerous thing. I had planned 3-4 hatches this year... well, I think that I am on my 9-10th hatch. I can't actually remember turning the incubator off since Feb!

Hatched out 96 chicks in the last 3-4 days. Have about 175 in the incubator right now. I swear, i swear, i swear I am going to turn off the incubator for at least a few weeks after this upcoming hatch at the beginning of August.

 

[cherylcohen]

WooHooo! Look what I found today

The first egg! Look closely, it's there!

Smaller than a golf ball, but otherwise perfect. Mystery pullet is 17 weeks. I think it was from the SLW as she has been extremely cranky and vocal for the past few days. Much calmer and more like her old self this afternoon.

woohoo congrats

 

[cherylcohen]

Have about 175 in the incubator right now. I swear, i swear, i swear I am going to turn off the incubator for at least a few weeks after this upcoming hatch at the beginning of August.

WOW be careful with those precious ones I gave you Sunday!!

 

[Hangtown Farms]

We're also in the foothills and out of town. We have the same type of predators. I have lost my whole flock of 20 (except the Roo) but not while free ranging. They were locked in a coop & run that we'd used for about 20+ years w/o a problem. We're not sure what killed them because they didn't eat any of them and they were left in a pile in the run. Our area is large acreage parcels so it's hard to even see the coop from any road but we felt it wasn't of the four legged variety. Scary! Over the years we have periodically lost to more skunks then anything but after building a hardware cloth encased run attached to the coop we haven't lost any. Knocking on wood!
We have a fox and bobcat that we see routinely in the olive orchard and have had coyotes that came right up to the house mid morning and the roo attacked but I can't bare to keep them locked up all day and for me, the benefits outweighs the risk.
I think it's a choice every chicken owner has to make for themselves. Doesn't mean anyone cares more or less for their chickens, just a lifestyle choice.
Did you hear that wolf they're tracking is here in Butte County? I'd hate to have him wander onto our property while the chickens are out free ranging!!!!!!!

maybe the wolf will keep the coyote population in check....

 

[MrsMoonCat]

X2.  Thanks a lot.  Great first experience gathering with other chicken crazies!  Josiah had a blast as well and came home talking all about his brahma eggs that he's gonna hatch.    We will see how their round trip to the party goes.  Great food, great advice, great location, great people, great prizes!!

Thanks all who helped make it happen.
Ha, ha, ha.  Watch out Meg.  I can already see the chickens multiplying over the next few months.  An incubator is a dangerous thing.  I had planned 3-4 hatches this year... well, I think that I am on my 9-10th hatch.  I can't actually remember turning the incubator off since Feb!

Hatched out 96 chicks in the last 3-4 days.   Have about 175 in the incubator right now.  I swear, i swear, i swear I am going to turn off the incubator for at least a few weeks after this upcoming hatch at the beginning of August. 

Jeff, it was fun meeting you and Josiah. He is a cutie! I hate to break it to ya, but you have your own little chicken crazy in the making He will need his own incubator soon as he will obviously excel in chicken math.

 

[chiqita]

Jeff, it was fun meeting you and Josiah. He is a cutie! I hate to break it to ya, but you have your own little chicken crazy in the making

He will need his own incubator soon as he will obviously excel in chicken math.

This.
He was so cute with the olive eggers. If only he had been there to add to the chaos when someone let them out...
There is a cabinet incubator on CL right now. Its tempting, but id have to find a local processor for all thse roos first, I'm not driving 2 hrs with 200 chickens in the car....

Its a tempting thought, there is no one selling local chicken around at the farmers markets, but I think it might make us all go insane here. This house isnt THAT big!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

WooHooo! Look what I found today!



The first egg! Look closely, it's there!

Smaller than a golf ball, but otherwise perfect. Mystery pullet is 17 weeks. I think it was from the SLW as she has been extremely cranky and vocal for the past few days. Much calmer and more like her old self this afternoon.

Yay! Congrats!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Also wanted to show off my new pullets from Chickee (Candace from Grass Valley). One is a wheaten Ameraucana and the other is wheaten x buff Ameraucana (EE!) They have beautiful blue legs and will lay blue eggs. As much as I love EEs, the hatchery ones we get locally seem to mostly lay a grayish-green, and now I will have blue too. They're 8 weeks and still peeping. So sweet!


They sleep in the garage at night. Getting a few Quaker oats for breakfast! Outside daytime. Attached at the hip (like teenage girls!).


First day inspection by the mob. "Is that food? Hey, that's food in there!" Peach checking things out.

They sure look healthy

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

congratulations on the egg! must be so exciting.

i've got my own exciting news -- doubled my nascent flock size today, adding two new chicks to the two 7-week-old cuckoo marans -- Lucy, a 7-week-old Delaware, came from Deann Disilva's farm in Novato, and a tiny australorp, Daisy (who i thought was the same age but clearly is not), was being raised by a friend's hen as an orphan. got them home, and they have taken an INSTANT liking to each other:



I swear Lucy has appointed herself as Daisy's guardian -- they've been almost inseparable, pecking around together, preening, and now they've snuggled together for a nap. I'm quite relieved the little one will have a friend!

and the two marans, Dixie and Ethel, finally ventured down the ramp from the henhouse for the first time since they moved in (two days ago):


they are being a bit bossy toward the newcomers, will peck or flap their wings if they get too close, but otherwise were totally preoccupied, first by the treats i spread around, and then by ANTS, which they seem enthralled with -- and have now settled into the extra nestbox i'd left on the ground level for the newcomers. so, i think all four will settle in together fairly quickly, and with minimal fuss -- so enormously pleased!

laura

My big black Jersey Giant doesn't like my Orpington (Hondo (yes she's a hen)). But the Red Dorking defends Hondo.

 

[capayvalleychick]

Cheryl,

I wanted to thank you for having us over yesterday. I had a great time and met lots of nice people. I really enjoyed following along and listening to Walt critique the birds.

I wish that I could have gone to the party. I've been looking to see if anyone posted pics.


Laura, you have the cutest little flock. Lucy is pretty.

Chickee, you are much kinder to rattlers than me. I saw one coiled up under the rose bushes a couple weeks ago and tried to behead it with a shovel, but it got away. My Dorkings were walking around in the same spot and didn't do anything. Back when I had mutt chickens, my little feral banty hen Pepper would teach her chicks to circle a rattlesnake and peck it. I thought these chickens were keeping the snakes away, since I haven't seen any rattlers near the house for a couple years. Now I'm being more watchful where I step.

Kim