Checking-In On Peeps - Post Here To Say Hello!

[igorsMistress]

Doing well and very busy. Have a beautiful young Wyandotte rooster and a hen I hatched myself. The Barnevelders are gone. They got very old. I kept them as pets for a long while even though they were not laying. A hawk got most of them though before I could build a new coop and protect them. Really miss the free range chickens. Also have some new young pullets of various breeds. We're all hoping for cooler weather soon. Photo of Tarzan.View attachment 3886103

Wow, he is a beautiful boy! So sorry you’re dealing with hawks, I hope it goes better this time around.

 

[ronott1]

Hello everyone - just wanted to pop in and let you all know that the issue with my hens was resolved last night. Get ready for a long post.
As a refresher - our neighbor filed a complaint with the village about our chickens. We got a registered letter telling us to rehome them within 30 days or face court action.
I called the zoning enforcement officer immediately. He was really nice and alluded to our neighbor as being a "Gladys". But, we had to prove that the chickens were of a benefit to us. Well, duh... I was really nice and asked him if we had to get rid of them even though we were going to protest the complaint. The zoning dude - we will call him Dude - said no. We were in the process of filing a variance so any further complaints would fall on deaf ears. And we could take our time, as long as we got something in before the summer was over.
My husband put together an amazing package to put before the zoning appeals board. It covered benefits of keeping chickens, the cost of eggs during the pandemic, the cost of eggs in the surrounding area, the laws in surrounding towns and villages, and he included a letter from his therapist/phycologist that said his hens were protected by the ADA as therapy animals. (he place the barrel which he had them over last)
A letter was sent to all our neighbors giving the time and date of the hearing so any interested parties could attend.
I was amazed by how many people actually showed up! But our cranky neighbor was not amongst them.
When the meeting was opened for discussion, the Dude said he had driven by our house and had to drive by a couple of times before he even saw the hens. He said they were very unobtrusive and not a problem as far as he could see. The board proceeded to ask us questions about husbandry, pests, and odor. Easy...not a problem. Then they opened it to the floor.
People we had never met were telling the board how to write up our variance and what to include to prevent our neighbor from filing another complaint. I was floored. Everyone in the room was on our side!
After the meeting, we were told that the board had 62 days in which to respond with their decision. The Dude came over and told us that he would pass by after the meeting and let us know if a decision was made one way or the other.
He did pass by and told us that we could keep our hens and add 3 more if we wanted - bringing the total to 12. But we were not to keep a rooster, they had to be contained, and he would like to put his name on the list for eggs.
So our girls can stay!!! And meet Onyx, one of our Shetland hens.

Nice job! It is nice to see so much support for your flock.

 

[Sophia V]

Life is very busy! I hope to catch my breath when I retire, hopefully in 6 months!

I'm trying to figure out my Barred Rocks. Our weather is so erratic their egg production is very low. I live near the California coast in Ventura County. We have what's called May Gray and June Gloom. We can have foggy days and then sunny warm days all in one week.

I have checked for everything, mites, illness, stress, can't figure it out. So, they are keeping me busy

 

[ronott1]

I'm trying to figure out my Barred Rocks. Our weather is so erratic their egg production is very low. I live near the California coast in Ventura County. We have what's called May Gray and June Gloom. We can have foggy days and then sunny warm days all in one week.

I have checked for everything, mites, illness, stress, can't figure it out. So, they are keeping me busy

Giving them calcium can help-- good oyster shell grit!

Also, light might be an issue. You can add some light to the coop if they do not get enough.

 

[Txpollock]

All good here. 5 duckies still doing well - managed to get through the odd health complaint - I’m becoming quite the vet!

I love my ducks, even on the lowest of days - they always cheer me up

This is exactly how I feel about my chickens!!

 

[Rainbow Chicken Girl]

We have such a vibrant community here at BYC... tons of active friendly members. Of course, life gets busy, so I was thinking it would be fun to start a thread welcoming some of our peeps we haven't heard from in a while.

If that's you, come say hello and let us know what you've been up to.

(if that's not you, feel free to invite peeps you haven't seen in a while and say hi to those that post here)

Hi there! I’ve been busy with my 14 hens and two roosters! I’m thinking of getting meat birds next…
Also took the plunge and now I have goats! 5 of them!

 

[Nodakj]

Hello peeps been a long time. My 12 hens are going to be two years old August 1st. I am down to 11 hens. Their egg production has plumented in the last month and a half. I only get 1-3 eggs nowadays. Looks like some soft molts going on and one broody hen. Heating up now and days are starting to shorten up. So all in all i can understand the low egg production. That said my son and I ordered a fresh batch of chicks. 15 was the minimun. Some will be going to a relative. So by next year i should have new layers starting around Feb. Looking forward to the new chicks next week !

 

[ronott1]

Hi there! I’ve been busy with my 14 hens and two roosters! I’m thinking of getting meat birds next…
Also took the plunge and now I have goats! 5 of them!

You have been very busy!

Post pictures when you can please!

 

[ronott1]

Hello peeps been a long time. My 12 hens are going to be two years old August 1st. I am down to 11 hens. Their egg production has plumented in the last month and a half. I only get 1-3 eggs nowadays. Looks like some soft molts going on and one broody hen. Heating up now and days are starting to shorten up. So all in all i can understand the low egg production. That said my son and I ordered a fresh batch of chicks. 15 was the minimun. Some will be going to a relative. So by next year i should have new layers starting around Feb. Looking forward to the new chicks next week !

It is exciting to get more chickens going!

I am expecting my hens to start molting soon too.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Hey chicken friends! I spent 8 months traveling around the USA in an RV with my family and now we're settled down in a new Idaho house. We're rebuilding our homestead and my chicks are now 3 months old! I have Bielefelders, Multipak Layers (a Cream Legbar cross), and a Plymouth Rock. Now that I have chickens again I'm sure I'll be spending more time on here again!