First Run of Cornish Cross Meat Birds and Super Excited!

[holm25]

Woke up to two new babies!!! The first one is in the bator because a demon of an ORP hen stepped on his tiny pipped egg and he tumbled out after it was crushed.

 

[holm25]

And I should add a pic of my geese. They r already lawn mowers. They skip the feed and eat the grass.

 

[Morrigan]

The baby geese are adorable.

 

[holm25]

The baby geese are adorable.

Thanks

 

[LindaB220]

What a nightmare yesterday was!!!! I spent 40 min getting the 23 or so babies out to the coop. Getting the cage area set up and all. I'm 68 and it's getting hot in La. I go back inside and just tumble into my bed. A couple of hours later I look out and notice that the chicks are in the yard. When I moved them out the door was opened to the coop and my 4 hens got out. I left the door open so they could go out and in. Wrong!!

I went out and all the babies were clustered in one corner. So I went to the cage area to try and fix where they got out. I was 18" away from the snake before I saw him. Eek. Called the neighbor to come shoot him and noticed he had killed one of my babies ( the XW pullet) and eaten another. sigh. I got all the babies back in the coop and fed them. They wouldn't go near the cage so I left them loose. I tried to toll the hens back with food and they looked at me. "Are you crazy? SNAKE !!!!!" So I closed the coop and left them out. Came back to the house and tumbled into bed.

Clint came in later and said that the storm was coming. They still wouldn't go back in. So they got wet. I set up a little area to keep them dry if they would use it. And later right before the big storm hit I was able to finally get them back in. Rain is expected later today and will continue for seven days. It taught me one thing. I don't want to breed and sell chickens. I'm going to downsize a LOT. When a hobby takes all your time, energy and money, it's not fun anymore. And I haven't had anyone to help me do stuff. I've thought about it a lot and I want a few hens for eggs. That's it. My family will not eat any chicken I raise. It's going to be the grocery store or nothing. I want to have container tomatoes, peppers and onions. Herbs.

Having made that decision, I want to plan to get my freezer next month and start the gardening. I feel right about my decision. Now what to do with the babies that are going to hatch shortly. I have 2 broodies sitting and an incubator with 30+ eggs.

 

[Double Kindness]

I tried to send off again to freezer camp today, but the cx meatie broke the rope we use. It must be 18+ lbs on the smaller side of the spectrum.

I feel dizzy with fever and cough still. Cx get another meal.. of cut up watermelon. They still waddle around. I'm going to try to talk my friends Mike and the bunny breeder James into doing the deed in exchange for a bottle of home made dandelion wine and a giant chicken for their freezer.

I think I grew them too big and need a big killing cone, because they are seriously the size of turkeys.

I have 2 bourbon red turkey eggs under a broody, but I think I am downsizing too. The indoor crowing contest is a bit much atm with me being so sick. My gardens are starting to take off and I need the space and time.

I'm keeping my layers, but the white bresse are not having a good hatch rate.

 

[mountain mom]

Linda and DK- I wish I was closer to both of you so I could help out! Well, I guess I wish Linda was closer to me... I am not a gator fan.

We lost our first layer (or any chicken for that matter) to a predator. The fox ate my favorite chicken, Dixie.
We had a bunch of company here for the weekend and gates kept being left open. I think she got locked out, once the gates were finally closed.

I know it was bound to happen, but it is still sad.

Anyhow, there is one bound and determined meatball who wants to be a coop chicken. Every night it escapes and heads to snuggle with the turkeys.

 

[holm25]

I'm sorry for your loss MM!! Is that escaping CX a boy?? Maybe he will have to miss the bus to freezer camp

 

[Turkeytruff]

What a nightmare yesterday was!!!! I spent 40 min getting the 23 or so babies out to the coop. Getting the cage area set up and all. I'm 68 and it's getting hot in La. I go back inside and just tumble into my bed. A couple of hours later I look out and notice that the chicks are in the yard. When I moved them out the door was opened to the coop and my 4 hens got out. I left the door open so they could go out and in. Wrong!!

I went out and all the babies were clustered in one corner. So I went to the cage area to try and fix where they got out. I was 18" away from the snake before I saw him. Eek. Called the neighbor to come shoot him and noticed he had killed one of my babies ( the XW pullet) and eaten another. sigh. I got all the babies back in the coop and fed them. They wouldn't go near the cage so I left them loose. I tried to toll the hens back with food and they looked at me. "Are you crazy? SNAKE !!!!!" So I closed the coop and left them out. Came back to the house and tumbled into bed.

Clint came in later and said that the storm was coming. They still wouldn't go back in. So they got wet. I set up a little area to keep them dry if they would use it. And later right before the big storm hit I was able to finally get them back in. Rain is expected later today and will continue for seven days. It taught me one thing. I don't want to breed and sell chickens. I'm going to downsize a LOT. When a hobby takes all your time, energy and money, it's not fun anymore. And I haven't had anyone to help me do stuff. I've thought about it a lot and I want a few hens for eggs. That's it. My family will not eat any chicken I raise. It's going to be the grocery store or nothing. I want to have container tomatoes, peppers and onions. Herbs.

Having made that decision, I want to plan to get my freezer next month and start the gardening. I feel right about my decision. Now what to do with the babies that are going to hatch shortly. I have 2 broodies sitting and an incubator with 30+ eggs.

Ah Linda, I feel your exhaustion! What kind of snake was it - yikes!
My DH is away for a month and I am scrambling around feeding, watering, raising chicks, hatching (just hatched 6 poults out for someone else) and letting out and putting in at night. Usually he helps. I also have a job that pays for the feed, etc. so going from 6 AM to 10 PM is not my idea of fun. Good luck with your decision whatever you do with them.

Linda and DK- I wish I was closer to both of you so I could help out! Well, I guess I wish Linda was closer to me... I am not a gator fan.

We lost our first layer (or any chicken for that matter) to a predator. The fox ate my favorite chicken, Dixie.
We had a bunch of company here for the weekend and gates kept being left open. I think she got locked out, once the gates were finally closed.

I know it was bound to happen, but it is still sad.

Anyhow, there is one bound and determined meatball who wants to be a coop chicken. Every night it escapes and heads to snuggle with the turkeys.

MM i am sorry you lost Dixie. That is hard. And good luck with the meatball - I also wonder if he escapes freezer camp. I have 6 MG that I will be harvesting with a friend on 7 June and they really are huge now. One of them in particular I feel sorry for - at least until he then goes over and rips feathers out of a poor hen's neck and then I think, yup, 10 more days for you, mate.. He waddles around like he's on a boat.
Holmes your geese look adorable - hahaha wait until they grow up. Tonight I was getting everyone in the barn and a randy little roo came tearing past Stanley and Gertie the geese, in hot pursuit of a hen. They went into their stable room in alarm and I shut them in without giving them their usual bedtime treat of some pellets. A minute later there was much kicking of the door and loud comments about the unsatisfactory nature of this restaurant and how slow the service was. They know what they are entitled to!

 

[Red Nugget]

You know mine are that way in the morning. I take my husband to work every morning at 6. When I leave they are all still sleeping. At 630 they are all waiting at the gate of the coop for breakfast. If I try to take my purse in before feeding them they all start in on me. Getting lowder now that they are older. It's like they know I don't want them to wake the neighbor. Thank god I only have the one house close by out here in the woods.