California - Northern

[Audio51]

Quote:

-Kathy

Thank you Kathy............you are such a great resource for all of us.

Male or female?

Pullet.................for my guess

Well...it seems my hatching season is winding down for the year. I am down ot only one incubator running right now and it is on lockdown. It is full of Mottled Ameraucana Project eggs and Guinea eggs. I am kind of ambivialnt about it. I think with the heat getting ready to hit I am leaning toard being relieved. I got the brooder box finished and the meaties are in it, along with the Grocery Store chicks. They are so happy to be out of the stock tank. They have more than twice as much room nowo don;t have to moved them back and forth between the tank and a smaller tub each night so they will fit in a secure place. The brooder box has wire tops that lock. I made so can separate into 2 halves for storage. I want to make it so it would fold up, but couldn't get the hinges to work right for that.


I used Window Sash Latches to hold the 2 halves together.


The center cross support here will lift out to add a divider. I haven't built that yet though.
I don't think I will need it this season, but will next.

Vicki, what a nice job you've done. Isn't it rewarding? I still have my divider stashed away but didn't use it this season. I use a hanging feeder because they kept filling that one up with shavings until I hung it on chains to elevate it. I use a cut down 5 gallon bucket with 4 nipples on it that I attach in a corner with a couple of cleats scabbed onto the inside of the corner to rest the bucket on & screwed the bucket into the wood on two sides of the top. I am able to fill it with a hose through the hardware cloth. When the chicks first go in I put some garden stepping stones under the bucket for them to walk up under it to get to the water. They learn so fast.
The hardware really does add to the cost. A $20 recycled peach bin ends up costing me about $60 and change by the time it is finished. I get a lot of use of them though & store them on their sides out behind the chicken carport when not in use.

.

Thank you! I am kind of proud of it.

I did it pretty much alone except for some help with cutting that required 2 people. They are so much happier and even quieter in this. I would love to see pictures of the feeder/waterer setup you have. They are constantly filling the feeder with shavings...which is even worse when they are eating fermented feed. The shavings really get stuck in it. I did put legs on the standard trought feeder to elevate it and it has helped, but they are getting bigger so I may have to go higher. I am planning a bucket waterer of some sort, but haven't really planned it out yet. I amd trying figure out to get the pipes thru the wire top and not have to have the lid lifted up. I was thinking if using 1/2 PVC and it may fit thru the bigger wires. I have 2 of thre pkug in nipples. I really have to do something...I am having to fill the standard 1 gallon waterer 3 times a day because they get shavings in it too. Any pictures would be a great help. I don't have a hose over on that sidre so will have to carry a bucket to fill the one that wil be in place

 

[BCollie]

My goodness! I go to my girlfriends house for the day and come back to a thousand new pages to read through on this thread.

Checked the FedEx tracking and it says that my blood sample was delivered at 10:17am this morning, so hopefully it arrived nice and cold/usable. They didn't contact me to say otherwise so I assume it's fine. I think I just worry too much about these things.

Gave the hens their last shots today, except for Splash who still has 3 days left as she didn't start treatment until yesterday. Once Splash is done with treatment, is it safe to put the non-sick birds(who were also treated) back in with the ones that were showing symptoms? I didn't see any symptoms in the sick birds today.

 

[BCollie]

By the way, Vicki, that brooder looks amazing!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

More worming pictures:

Perhaps these images might be useful here to be sure the syringe is being inserted properly:





(just to be clear, these pictures belong to Hopkins' Alternative Livestock http://www.hopkinslivestock.com/peafowl.htm)

-Kathy

Excellent pictures! I too squirt to their right side.

Quote: One by one is how I do it, but many of mine don't have wattles, so I have to open their beaks with my fingers.

Pictures here:
Please note that I was the one holding the bird and taking the pictures, please use both hands!

• Hold bird - I like to sit with my thighs parallel to the ground, feet firmly on ground and the bird in my lap. I hold it gently, but firmly and grab the head.

• Open mouth and wait for bird to relax.

• Insert syringe - I like to insert from left to right, across the tongue, behind the trachea, into the oesophagus. Again, wait for the bird to relax.

• Give wormer

• Repeat in ten days.

-Kathy
LOL. Maybe pull on their head tuft? Even if my birds have no wattles (EE's and OE's), I can still get them to open with tugging on their beard.

I had my very first zebra dove hatch a week ago.
Here it is, acting big & scary so I don't eat it (he, he).

I love how it puts its head feathers up like a mohawk.

Side view

Doves are my favorite birds. (well besides chickens) I love their call, it's so relaxing to me. What a little cutie you have there! (sorry, I meant it looks very big and scary! Rawr!)

 

[caychris]

Thank you! I am kind of proud of it.

I did it pretty much alone except for some help with cutting that required 2 people. They are so much happier and even quieter in this. I would love to see pictures of the feeder/waterer setup you have. They are constantly filling the feeder with shavings...which is even worse when they are eating fermented feed. The shavings really get stuck in it. I did put legs on the standard trought feeder to elevate it and it has helped, but they are getting bigger so I may have to go higher. I am planning a bucket waterer of some sort, but haven't really planned it out yet. I amd trying figure out to get the pipes thru the wire top and not have to have the lid lifted up. I was thinking if using 1/2 PVC and it may fit thru the bigger wires. I have 2 of thre pkug in nipples. I really have to do something...I am having to fill the standard 1 gallon waterer 3 times a day because they get shavings in it too. Any pictures would be a great help. I don't have a hose over on that sidre so will have to carry a bucket to fill the one that wil be in place

You could bring PVC pipe through a hole in the box.

You could also elevate the trough feeder and attach afix it to the side of the box. I would try and find some of those old slotted "L" bracket shelving strips and attach those to the sides of the box.
You could then use it as an adjustable shelf for the trough feeder. You could even do something similar with wooden dowels and holes.

Something like that. you could use clamps or something on the outside to ensure the dowels are not pulled into the box

A couple rows of vertical holes would allow you to move the shelf up and down depending on the size of the chicks.
You could use screws through the bottom of the trough to fix the feeder to the shelf.

to me the more I can attach to the walls of the brooder and give them more "running" room the better. You can also make a slanted guard over the trough feeder to discourage roosting on the feeder shelf.

 

[AlpineButterfly]

It takes time but what a relief when you don't have to tuck them all in!

My girls put themselves to bed, but I still say good night to them every night.

It's nice not to have to worry about bringing them into the coop though.

I got the brooder box finished and the meaties are in it, along with the Grocery Store chicks. They are so happy to be out of the stock tank. They have more than twice as much room nowo don;t have to moved them back and forth between the tank and a smaller tub each night so they will fit in a secure place. The brooder box has wire tops that lock. I made so can separate into 2 halves for storage. I want to make it so it would fold up, but couldn't get the hinges to work right for that.

Nice brooder! Good job! It feels great to make something with scrap lumber, doesn't it? But yes, hardware is expensive!

I had my very first zebra dove hatch a week ago.
Here it is, acting big & scary so I don't eat it (he, he).

I love how it puts its head feathers up like a mohawk.

Rawr! So adorable!

Meal worm and red worm bin are on my project list. I think they will come about after I clean out more of my garage to make room for the hydroponic lettuce grower.

Yay, worm bins!


Quote:

What a bunch of cuties! And that is a great pancake impression....

Yes, definitely a pancake!

 

[AlpineButterfly]

Hello all!

I wanted to let you all know that the Silicon Valley Tour de Coop is coming up in September, and they are currently looking for coops to be on the tour!
The more coops available, the better the routes will be! And just because it is called "Silicon Valley", if they get a few coops in an area further away, they can make a little local route there!



Last year I went, and had a really great time talking to people about their coops, and general urban farming and environmental ideas. They were just like me! So this year I signed up to show my coop.

If you are interested in possibly showing your coop, or helping to organize, or just want to register to go on the tour, visit the website www.tourdecoop.org

It's a lot of fun!

 

[EZFarms]

mY 8 montg old roo is losing feathers is he molting or is it something else?

 

[TheKeeper]

Doves are my favorite birds. (well besides chickens)  I love their call, it's so relaxing to me.  What a little cutie you have there!  (sorry, I meant it looks very big and scary!  Rawr!)

That's why i have these zebra doves. I grew up in Hawai'i & it's magical to me to hear their call in the mornings outside the bedroom window. This 1st hatchling is deep icing on the cake.
I started with ringnecks and have progressed to diamond doves & asian dwarf turtle doves, as well as zebras. In the past I've had emerald spots, australian crested, nicobars, & red turtle doves. My favs are the smaller ground doves - they seems less flighty than other kinds. One day i hope to have croaking ground doves (Columbina cruziana).

 

[caychris]

That's why i have these zebra doves. I grew up in Hawai'i & it's magical to me to hear their call in the mornings outside the bedroom window. This 1st hatchling is deep icing on the cake.
I started with ringnecks and have progressed to diamond doves & asian dwarf turtle doves, as well as zebras. In the past I've had emerald spots, australian crested, nicobars, & red turtle doves. My favs are the smaller ground doves - they seems less flighty than other kinds. One day i hope to have croaking ground doves (Columbina cruziana).

Would love to have Diamonds I think they are very pretty.