"F" For Fabulous Farm Flock

[DatCampG]

My FIRST hatch are now fourty days old (ones on outside of cages).
August 9, 2021 was my SECOND hatch of chicks. I decided to let them out of their cages about two days ago and all has been well, no peck-bullying. I fixed the cages -two inches- where the baby chicks could go in and out, but, my first hatch of chicks squeezed their way into the new baby chicks housing and bum rushed them out of their housing, ate up all their food, drank all their water and decided to just stay in there.

I noticed this Friday at 3p when the second hatch were all together in another area in the barn. The temperature was in the upper 90's. I got the bum rushers out of the cages, cleaned and refilled everything.
I -left the cage doors completely open- and put a different wire in front of the cages with some bendable wire, two on the left and one on the right, easy access for me. Once I put in fresh shavings, water then food, those little tweeters came from the area they were at one by one, directly to the water.

When they were inside the cage, they started eating and drinking. I tied the wire and that was that. I stayed long enough to watch them bed down with a sigh of relief.
I put my tomato cages all around the outside of the big cages too and some {big wire in front of the cages} where they enter and exit. The bigger chickens won't be able to invade the tiny ones space upon entering and exiting. The baby chicks can go in and out as they please now and no other chicks or chickens can get in.

My THIRD hatch of chicks will start hatching a week after Labor Day, on a Friday I expect. I will keep them in the house in a swimming pool, wrapped in chicken wire with a 250w light above for two weeks.
The middle of September I will place two pet carriers, one in the barn and one in the covered chicken run so the second hatch can continue to eat undisturbed until they get thirty days old. WHEW!
The moral of the story is: I'm satisfied with what I have until I can build something better next year, next hatches.

 

[DatCampG]

This will be my third hatch for 2021. It is always exciting to me when I hear those little TWEETS coming from the incubator.
I will set up the swimming pool and wrap chicken wire around it, secure with some bread ties, put the shavings, water down and plug in the 250w heat lamp. I'm happy with my calendar timeline. The chicks will have feathers by the time cooler weather arrives.
The end of my summer, now barn cleaning time before the rainy days.

 

[DatCampG]

Two assisted hatches at 1a, helped the third pip at 7a...going to set brooder up later on this a.m. I will have a lot of August 19th and 20th eggs hatching at once. I'm hoping for twenty chicks. It is so exciting to hear those little TWEETS come alive in the incubator. Rolling thunder and lighting flashes outside this morning. Wed 8/9

 

[DatCampG]

Wow! Fourteen more days left in October 2021 and twenty one days until it is daylight savings time. Friday, October 15th I started putting my chickens up ninety minutes before dark. I am preparing myself now to have all outside chicken chores completed three hours before the sun goes down.
I am going to be finishing all repairs on my chicken barn doors, trim, replace some wood, check all wires and roof. Double check and verify everything, predator proof. I do not want to be out Nov-Feb fixing anything, only to clean out as needed.
I love my chickens, I enjoy the exercise I get from working with my chickens. I want them to be happy when the nights are going to be long. Batten down the wires and latches now!

 

[DatCampG]

IfThereWasAShortageOfChickenFeed
🕷
I would definitely just let my chickens free range and give them corn if there was a serious shortage of chicken feed.
It is itchy-most definitely-chiggery work, but this is a reason I keep fifty gallon drums and I harvest the fields in the early and late summer after the farmers load their eighteen wheelers. There is always waste/spills of sorghum, wheat, corn and with permission to go on the land, I will gladly pick up. I can get many fifty pound bags. It is hard work and time consuming, especially when I have other things to do, but, when winter rolls around (the extra work) it was all worth it. Where I live, people who have chickens load up their connex with feed bags from the co-op before halloween and up into the second week of November to prepare for a shortages due to weather or logistics like we are having now. 🕷
Ahhhhhh, we love our eggs and chickens!

 

[DatCampG]

My Guinea fowl are used for pest control and are usually not fed during the day so that they will forage for their food. Free ranged guinea fowl are always happier than cooped guinea fowl. In the evening they sure enjoy their treat. Goodbye November.

 

[DatCampG]

Thank goodness for insulated coveralls!
Last week I chose my weekly set of outdoor (check on the chickens clothing) kept in a box, wool socks, gloves scarf and hat. I have been pleased that no water has frozen in the barn yet. I keep two 250w heat lamps going. I keep lots of hay in the barn. As a winter treat, I pitch them some Big V Feeds (black rooster) around and about on the floor and the chickens scratch and fluff up the hay. It keeps them warm too I think. It seems to work.
I get concerned when the temperature stays cold for a week. I completed all my cold weather chores early last year before the rain and cold set in. I maintain all of this by myself.
I work slow doing chicken chores, (don't want to fall). I do keep ahead on things to make the quality of life for my flock healthy and happy. It is hard for me in the cold but they are worth it. Temperature high today 40° I'm good with that.