First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[mountain mom]

I have the picture!

You crawling under the deck in your robe and nightie, covered in chicken poop, with the dogs wanting to lick your face waving a stick like a mad woman..... The visions scares me!


I have one question though, Are you wearing fuzzy "lucy" slippers or mukluks? The picture is not complete without this info.


My chickens have learned to ignore snow again. I did not let them out until late today because of the cold, I got bawled out for that! One chicken went through the human door, looked out the outside door, then turned around came back to the human door and wanted back in the coop. silly birds!


The CX's seem to not even notice the cold. They are doing great in their new coop. The CX is the only rooster that does not have frostbite on his comb. Dang Moisture!

Luckily there was not a robe involved. Just sweatpants, mukluks and an old coat. Still, classy.

Glad they all ignore the snow... kind of impossible not to up there!

 

[Double Kindness]

It is -7f here this morning. Crowing contest began at 430 this morning. Make it stop..

I'm seriously thinking of removing the rope light from the layers coop in hopes that since the days are getting longer, that it won't make all my babies drop all their feathers. We put up the light b/c everyone had started molting really badly and we wanted to prevent the massive molt during below zero weather. Now I am second guessing myself.

430 is too early for this stuff.

 

[duluthralphie]

DK Your chickens have a crowing contest?

Mine are pretty quiet. I have just the three roosters left but they seldom crow and when they do is normally right after I let them out of the coop.

Of course. my coop is patrolled by the "gang" of guinea fowl, I doubt they would allow anyone else to make noise. Even if the roosters crowed I doubt you could hear it over the racket the guinea fowl make. I am not sure guinea fowl are worth the trouble they cause. I enjoy them in the summer because they are so psycho, but in the winter they are just an expensive bird to feed and care for that has no worthwhile purpose. They may be going the way of the goose here.

MY chubbies came running to me today! Finally they are back to normal after the move. I am letting them feed at will in this cold. I bring them a bucket of water everyday and they have started running to me with the water. I do not have a way to keep the water from freezing in their coop. so they get watered once a day, Hopefully it stays liquid for a few hours for them. They do have all the snow they want to eat though!

I am a little worried about one of the chubbies she is gaining weight even in this cold. 2 of them are in fairly good (slimmish) condition and one just keeps growing. I am thinking she would go close to 20 pounds right now. Her butt is bare with no feathers, I thought that might help her metabolize some food for warmth, I guess it is not. She is not acting cold at all, just getting bigger. Is it possible for the hen to get so big a rooster cannot mate with her?

Bert, The rooster, is in good shape his breast is not overly large so I think he can do the job, when and if my hens ever lay an egg. 22 weeks old tomorrow!

 

[JessicaThistle]

Double Kindness: I'm so glad you are feeling better. I have a rope light in my coop that is solar. It is quite dim thanks to Oregon weather. My roosters haven't started crowing yet. There are 4 of them so I am sure that I am in for it any day here. The two roos that I re-homed earlier in the year did enjoy crow off time. I hated it and yes, it started at 4:30 am also.

Our weather is cold, cold! What do you all do to protect combs from frost bite?

 

[duluthralphie]

I am worried! again.

I went out last night to lock the chickens in. It was good and dark. I always look in the coop before locking it up for Rick. Rick, for some unknown reason likes to sleep outside the coop on the ground, behind a piece of OSB I have leaned against the coop. Rick seldom roosts.

I locked the gate to the paddock/covered pen. I then went inside and did not see Rick. I checked all the roosts even the high one ( 8ft 6 inches high) Rick was not there. I know it was silly to look on the top roost as Rick would get a nose bleed that high in the air.

I went outside and found Rick behind the OSB sheet. I then had to get a rake and use the handle to inch him out of there. I cannot reach him down there. I shine one light in front of him to help him see, knowing his is missing a few rods in his eyes. I finally got him to the corner where I could reach him. When I picked him up he protested. I then found myself comforting Rick and reassuring him it was ok. I carried him into the coop and set him on the ground and held the light for him until he got all comfy.

This morning I went out to let the chickens out, I saw a little partridge colored EE running around. I wondered where and how she got out. Then I saw the "Turken" standing by the coop, I was perplexed. THEN I saw the gang of badly behaved guinea fowl roaming! I started to worry some critter had tunneled through the frozen ground, my wire barrier and had got into the coop. I went inside and found I had left the chicken door open all night!

This was a senior moment bordering on Alzheimer's. At my age I worry about all of these little oopsies. Luckily they all made it through the night and I got my 18 eggs. I am hoping it was just the sub zero temps and being distracted with Rick that caused this.


If not and I start drooling more and seem even more incoherent than normal, and there is a lack of Schnapps or vodka bottles in the area, Please call my Doctor.

Thanks..

Happy New Years.....***



**Also be sure to tell my Doc if you happen to catch me welcoming in the new year in my birthday suit....After checking for bottles, of course...

 

[Turkeytruff]

Very interesting reading! Last year we ordered 100 Mistral Gris meat birds and crazily grew them out from January to March.12 weeks free ranging which conforms to the red label here. Although I would not repeat growing them at that time of year due to heating bills, I certainly would do it again for all the good reasons you mentioned Jessica Thistle. And yes the not so free feeding (we did 3 x daily until last 3 weeks), the vigilance whenever you see a droopy chick, the joy of seeing those meaty legs running towards you -Never fall down in a meatie pen at feeding time LOL!All so true

 

[JessicaThistle]

Turkeytruff: Welcome to the thread! Yep, you have found the small group of people in the world that treat their meat birds with respect and actually love them! We delight in watching our chubby little goofy birds run about. We are a crazy bunch! Oh and absolutely no falling down anywhere around chickens! Haha!

Some of us are even so crazy that we have kept some. I'm guilty. I just love Sunny, my little CX hen. She makes me smile. I was just watching out the window while my husband opened all the doors to let the chickens out. I love to watch her waddle-run over to the community unfrozen water dish. She is social and sweet, a good buddy to my two silkies and now is laying me lovely eggs. She has also changed my mind on thinking that white chickens are ugly. Her pristine white feathers are quite pretty.

Who would have thought a lowly meat bird could be such a great pet?

 

[Turkeytruff]

Yes also guilty! I have 4 out of 20 from my last meat birds (also mistral gris). they are all pellets and they are inquisitive, intelligent little food hounds. 2 of them love to talk to me. i put out food twice a day for my flock so I don't give them the opportunity to gorge and I hope they have a long life...

 

[Turkeytruff]

Pullets not pellets! Blooming spellchecker...

 

[LindaB220]

Double Kindness: I'm so glad you are feeling better. I have a rope light in my coop that is solar. It is quite dim thanks to Oregon weather. My roosters haven't started crowing yet. There are 4 of them so I am sure that I am in for it any day here. The two roos that I re-homed earlier in the year did enjoy crow off time. I hated it and yes, it started at 4:30 am also.

Our weather is cold, cold! What do you all do to protect combs from frost bite?

I saw your idea of the solar rope light and immediately went to Amazon and ordered. I bought some ping pong balls that you are supposed to cut a small cross in and thread it over each light. It makes it very soft and not bright at all. Ready for some by gosh eggs again. Although I did get my first egg from one of my two Super Blue egg layers. Very slight tinged blue. So that leaves the other one , and the Coronation Sussex pullet and the three White Rocks. I'll be glad to not have to buy eggs again.
I'm going forward with my mini co-op plans. I'll be ordering 40, not 30, ISA Brown pullets. That will give me about 24 dozen a week starting in about June or so. I'll be canvasing the area and the 6 new subdivisions within 5 min of me to sell eggs and veggies. Maybe artisan bread. It depends on what I can physically accomplish. I do know that I will need a helper for a couple of hours twice a week for small pay and egg and veggies. To pick veggies and wash and pack eggs. I'll be offering to deliver for $2 extra. The nearest co-op is over an hour away. And people will love the idea of not having to go downtown for their fresh veggie fix. I'll be gardening organically and feeding the organic layer from Azure. I'm not going to pay hundreds of bucks extra a year to advertise organic.

Everybody, Happy New Year, I have a gift for you. On being thankful.

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