Colorado

[coloradogal]

sorry, using the app. the ones inside when I lost so many 5 weeks ago are getting big. they are all mostly black with muffs and feathered legs. pozees 2 cochins that I have are almost indistinguishable from mine, only a chicken person could tell the difference. I suspect that means the silkie roo was probably the daddy on many of them.

 

[coloradogal]

black babies from two hatches ago.

 

[Pozees]

Been busy with being me. Hope everyone is having a beautiful time.

Wendell did I miss the update on Abe's fertility? Was that this week you were checking?

Skier I'm so sorry for your lose. Big cyber hug

I should have chicks hatching this week.

Pozees some nice little ones you got there.

Mayah how are the chickies doing?

WHATS TODAY? LOCKDOWN BABY! So total of 39 went into lock down, 2 of those were questionable they are either slow pokes or they quit a few days ago. Started with 51. We are having a birthday party for my son on Monday so I hope that the kids will be able to see some hatch. I think that will be fun for them. Of course lots of supervision since last year they got into bator and broke some eggs. That was gross.

Update on broody: So I asked about taking eggs from my broody hen to give her others. Well I took your advise and decided just to leave them. Candled those eggs couple days ago and all 7 are looking good.

I can't wait to hear how hatch goes! Sounds like broody is doing her job too, bless her heart

 

[Pozees]

Doorknob bird...

I went to close up the coop tonight and my beak count came up one short. Two of our girls have been escaping daily so we have started tearing down the run to rebuild it better (going to move grow out pullets and meaties in there in two months). Fencing is still up around most of the run (DH took down the decorative lattice work and is waiting for the rest until Monday) but I started leaving the run door open. We were just letting the gals have the run of the backyard because my EEs would escape and then freak out because they couldn't get back. There isn't anything back there that could hurt them and without a boost they couldn't get over the regular fencing so I didn't think it would be an issue.

Add to having a missing hen; I saw something scrabble over the back fence near the coop when I came out. I couldn't get a good look but it was either a large cat or a juvenile fox (??). It just seemed to move wrong for a cat but what I saw of the body shape was catlike but 'cat' just doesn't seem to fit. This thing had to seriously scrabble to get over the fence, whatever it was. I am hoping it was just someone's overfed lap cat.

Good news is we found Sunny. She had 'trapped' herself on the wrong side of the coop. Seems she forgot where the door to get in was so she perched on a wheelbarrow.

This is one of those chicken moments that would make Bob say, "Chickens are stupid!" as if this was new and shocking information LOL.

You probably need to figure out what got into the yard, it will be back in all likelihood. Could it have been a raccoon?

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

This is one of those chicken moments that would make Bob say, "Chickens are stupid!" as if this was new and shocking information LOL.

You probably need to figure out what got into the yard, it will be back in all likelihood.  Could it have been a raccoon?

It's possible, I have just never seen one in the neighborhood. There is a big grey tomcat, probably a stray, that visits and a fox that stopped coming around when the neighborhood dog population went up. Neither ever bothered my girls; the cat actually helped with the mouse problem.

Now I really need to move the girls into the other coop. The small coop is much more secure, particularly if it is a raccoon. The chicken door slides instead of opening like a flap.

 

[Pozees]

It's possible, I have just never seen one in the neighborhood. There is a big grey tomcat, probably a stray, that visits and a fox that stopped coming around when the neighborhood dog population went up. Neither ever bothered my girls; the cat actually helped with the mouse problem.

Now I really need to move the girls into the other coop. The small coop is much more secure, particularly if it is a raccoon. The chicken door slides instead of opening like a flap.,

Seems as though there have been a lot of wildlife encounters in town the last couple of weeks, maybe compressed into a shorter time period because of the late cold snap? I know I heard on the radio last week the bears came out of hibernation, went back into hibernation, then came back out again, and probably a lot hungrier than the first time.

It got me thinking about how the weird spring weather we've had this year will impact the summer. The cold snap affected food availability for all wildlife - all the trees we have that had started to bloom lost all their blossoms, so not only nothing for bees and hummingbirds now (except the feeders we hang, which they have been using a LOT), nothing later for the wildlife that eats the fruits on those trees. My Chokecherries had barely a handful of blossoms after the freeze, same for the Nanking cherries, and I don't think there will be anything on the New Mexico Privets - all of which have provided food for the local bird population for the last several years. Small animal populations are also affected, and together these food sources for midsized and larger predators are going to be diminished, meaning we will have to be extra vigilant in watching over our chickens, ducks, geese, quail, goats, sheep, etc. - particularly the newborns/hatchlings.

 

[WendyGeisler]

Quote:
Pozee- I couldn't agree with you more!
My garden has had such a late start that I worry about what I can produce for us.
This morning we had a bear on our property. First time we ever left the trash can out, our own fault. It raded that and left us a lot of poop, but left everything else alone.
But I panicked and ran to check the bees and chickens. All were safe.
Yep this will be an interesting summer for wildlife, and for us too, with the potential for another fire and flooding so high

 

[ColoBecky]

I moved my 3 8-week olds to the coop tonight, for now they're inside the brooder. My hens are freaked out, only 4 of the 8 made it to the roost; 4 others are piled into one nest box.

How do people handle feeding when you have multiple ages in the coop? The babies should stay on starter/grower for another 10 weeks. Is it possible to make sure everyone is eating the right thing?

Moved the babies to a rubbermaid bin with a hole just big enough for them to get in and out, they have food and water in there, and hopefully a retreat when the big hens go after them. One of them made it out to the run and is wandering around unmolested. The second made it out of the bin, chased by a broody barred rock, retreated back inside. The third is still hiding in the bin. Lots of unhappy chickens right now!

My noisy buff orpington won't stop squawking, she tends to freak out when anything different is happening. Wonder what the poultry dose for Xanax is?

 

[coloradogal]

I lost two more of the olmecs last night and one more isn't doing so well. I'm beginning to worry that perhaps maybe, olmecs won't do so well up here. The colloncas appear to be doing fine and the little panope is zipping all over the place.

I'm going to buy some medicated feed, even though I absolutely hate doing that.... just to combat a possible infection. I still have them all on kefir and today, I gave them kefir cheese and grains.

Fingers crossed the rest of them will pull through. All of the ones from last shipment are doing wonderfully. The Welsummers from Elizabeth, not so much.

 

[Pozees]

I lost two more of the olmecs last night and one more isn't doing so well. I'm beginning to worry that perhaps maybe, olmecs won't do so well up here. The colloncas appear to be doing fine and the little panope is zipping all over the place.

I'm going to buy some medicated feed, even though I absolutely hate doing that.... just to combat a possible infection. I still have them all on kefir and today, I gave them kefir cheese and grains.

Fingers crossed the rest of them will pull through. All of the ones from last shipment are doing wonderfully. The Welsummers from Elizabeth, not so much.

I wonder if a shot of protein, like scrambled eggs, might help? I don't know enough about these breeds, just wondering if maybe they need a bit extra.