Chicken (Poultry) Addiction Anonymous *Chat Thread*

[Muggsmagee]

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Congrats on the blue egg. We have 2 of the new chickens we have that lay really light blue eggs but I was told my Ameraucana's will lay really blue eggs.. I can hardly wait to see them. Most people are freaking out about the blue eggs and wonder if the inside is blue...uhm, we arne't talking green eggs and ham here....

I saw that egg. That is one beautiful egg and I would take a chick (or two) that laid that color as I'm not sure I want to get into hatching.....

I for one am glad the heat and humidity have gone by the wayside for the time being. I looked like I had taken a shower by the time I came in from caring for the chickens. The ended up with a cold and I'm sure it's from going in and out. I'm just not a person who likes it like we've had in the month of July.

This July was brutal for us too.

However, August seems to be more like September weather...we've had days in the 60's, nights in the low 50's. It is really weird.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Quote:
Congrats on the blue egg. We have 2 of the new chickens we have that lay really light blue eggs but I was told my Ameraucana's will lay really blue eggs.. I can hardly wait to see them. Most people are freaking out about the blue eggs and wonder if the inside is blue...uhm, we arne't talking green eggs and ham here....

I saw that egg. That is one beautiful egg and I would take a chick (or two) that laid that color as I'm not sure I want to get into hatching.....

I for one am glad the heat and humidity have gone by the wayside for the time being. I looked like I had taken a shower by the time I came in from caring for the chickens. The ended up with a cold and I'm sure it's from going in and out. I'm just not a person who likes it like we've had in the month of July.

This July was brutal for us too.

However, August seems to be more like September weather...we've had days in the 60's, nights in the low 50's. It is really weird.

60's

It's been 108+ all of last month and this month! The coolest we've had has been in the 80's!

Lucky!!

~ Aspen

 

[daisychick]

Ok fellow addicts I need some input.

I have too many chickens. I am wanting to thin it down just a little. I hatched a lot of nice purebred chickens and have raised them up to the point of laying eggs, only 1 pullet has started and the others are soon to follow. I am just waiting to see egg color and their full grown looks before I can thin out any of those. I have some wheaten/blue wheaten Ameraucanas, some Lavender Ameraucanas, and BBS copper Marans. Then I have my small little bantam flock of OEGBs and a few modern games. Then I have a mixed layer group of 11 to 16 various hens of all colors and sizes. Which would you pick to thin out???? I am having such a problem picking. I love the Ameraucanas the most, but want the Marans to make Olive eggers and of course to get dark brown eggs from. Just running an opinion poll here to figure out what areas I could thin out.

 

[Muggsmagee]

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This has been my perpetual dilemma. IT IS SOOOO TOUGH dwindling the flock!!!

I made a list of the birds I absolutely love...top two were no brainers...I adore my Lav Ameraucanas (need to keep some black to breed back to) and my Welsummers. That's all I want to keep for purebreeds anymore. Out of all the breeds I've tried, these have stayed my faves.

So, I have a random bantam pen filled with EE's (bantam Lav Am and Millie Fleur...OMG are they adorable little girls!...AmyJ here on BYC gave me eggs), Japanese, Light Brahma, Silver Ams (one roo), Buff Am, and a teeny tiny bcm/oe I hatched from a friend...Not sure WHAT she is, but she is just a peanut. I want these eggs for decorating!

I have a bunch of layers that I love and are laying really well for me. But this leaves the oodles of pullets I'm growing out. Some more EE's, Isa/JG's, and a few pures that I wouldn't mind throwing into the layer pen. Dwindling down the flock is tough, when you LIKE so many of them. And, I don't want to sell a layer that gives me a beautiful egg.

I've fallen out of love with the BCM's and the Wheaten Ameraucanas. All of mine are gorgeous and from excellent lines, but they haven't kept my interest. I'll keep some for the layer pen...the rest will hit the road. As will the Blue Ameraucanas (roo split to hookless feathering), the Coro/split coro sussex. I've focused on what I really like.



THIS IS WHERE YOU'D THINK I WOULD BE IN THE CLEAR....because I KNOW what 2 breeds I love and want to focus on, it could be assumed that I'd have more room- BUT NO!!! I've gone on a hatching frenzy for Lav Ams, Wellies and OE's!

How are your Isa/JG's doing? My girls look big and like they could lay an egg any day now!

 

[Muggsmagee]

This has nothing to do with chickens...just venting. Our 1 year old cat has all of a sudden decided her very clean litter box is no longer the place she'd like to relieve herself, so she has chosen my DD's closet and a corner of our guest bedroom instead!

My kids LOVE this cat, and tell me I can't get rid of her, but I have had my breaking point! She also decided the beautiful throw that I made for my DD (took me over a year to finish) makes for a perfect scratching post.

I'm sure you can all relate to the expression "so frustrated you could cry"...that sums me up lately.

 

[featherz]

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Did you take her to the vet? Sometimes it means it's a UTI. This coming from someone who also has too many cats and just had a stray kitten adopt her a few days ago that DH already wants to keep.

There's also this 'cat attract' cat litter you could try!

I am also trying to downsize the flock. I have one coop of seven layers, about 1.5 years old - I know I SHOULD get rid of those, but they are such sweeties not sure I could. Then there's the brown egg laying olive eggers.. Or the older brahmas. I just don't know! I have a brahma roo to rehome, am thinking of making a trio with my two older brahma ladies and see if I can send him off that way. Unfortunately I don't have anything fancy enough that BYC'ers would drool over.

 

[daisychick]

Meagan: First off on the cat, try moving her litter box to the closet where she has been going, maybe that will help. Also my cat didn't like a perfectly clean litter box. I had to leave one clump of litter in there so he could tell the "scent" was his. Maybe try those 2 things. Our cat has gradually became an outside cat and comes in to visit and never uses his litter box inside anymore so I am happy with that. He goes outside to do his business.

On the subject of picking what birds to keep. I so far love my wheaten Amers. and I love the lavs too. I think it may come down to not trying to breed Marans and just keeping like 5 of my favorite hens out of that bunch to throw in with the Ameraucanas for Olive egg hatching eggs. I have to keep my bantams because I love getting the tiny eggs and my hens are sooooo cute and talkative. I think it is going to come down to thinning out my layers slowly as they age. I kept 3 JG/isa girls, 1 beautiful splash, 1 total blue, 1 blue with copper on her neck. They are so pretty I can't wait to see how they lay. I have been wanting Wellies so bad, that I might just get a few to stick in with the Amers. to have other Olive egg projects. I want to be able to sell some hatching eggs to make a little money to help pay the feed bill.

Do you think Olive egger hatching eggs would sell just as good as the pure breeds?? I don't think I want to get into the Marans politics on selling hatching eggs. People are too picky when it comes to that. If you know what I mean.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I need to do some late summer cleaning in the chicken coops, like everyone else. I know there are around 10+ roosters that I need to get rid of, and then pretty much all my bantam and older standard hens in the layer coop. I only plan on keeping my Golden Buff hen ( she lays HUGE golden brown eggs), J.T. (older, worthless Buff Orpington hen, but she is so sweet and so full of personality!

). Then there is a bunch of assorted standard and bantam hens. However, I'm waiting to rehome them until late fall/spring. I don't want to be without eggs if I rehome all my layers.

Once my Black Australorps, and my Olive Eggers start laying I think would be a good time to get rid of my older layers.

After that, I would like to order some EE and somemore Golden Buff chicks just for more variety in the egg basket. Ya gotta have a more than 1 different shade of green, correct?

~ Aspen

 

[Cass]

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I'm with Featherz on the UTI. Have you tried putting small litter boxes in the area (or over the spot on the carpet) that the cat has chosen to relieve herself? Is the cat fixed? If not, doing that might bring her back into line also.

As far as scratching where you don't want, there are products that "repel" cats. Might be worth a try. (Personally I would wring the cat's neck, but I don't have children to censure me on doing violent things when I am really ticked off)

 

[Muggsmagee]

Quote:
I'm with Featherz on the UTI. Have you tried putting small litter boxes in the area (or over the spot on the carpet) that the cat has chosen to relieve herself? Is the cat fixed? If not, doing that might bring her back into line also.

As far as scratching where you don't want, there are products that "repel" cats. Might be worth a try. (Personally I would wring the cat's neck, but I don't have children to censure me on doing violent things when I am really ticked off)



That was funny! I looked for blood in the urine spots...I saw nothing, but that doesn't mean she is in the clear. I'll call our vet tomorrow. After talking with DH about it, he seems to think she was shut in upstairs a few times when we left for the day (we shut the dogs out so they can't go and play with all the kids toys upstairs) and the back guest room where she sometimes sleeps gets the best crossbreeze...so much so that it slams the door shut. He's talked me down from the hypothetical criminal ledge...for now.

I've cleaned the heck out of the spots and have made a valiant attempt at neutralizing the odors. Other than the throw she messed with, we'll see if this helps. If not, she will become an outdoor cat!