How is your flock today?

[thanai]

Mine are doing well, thanks! My silkie roo has recently discovered how to crow... he has that beginning-to-crow-sound we all know and love

 

[Sally PB]

Very cold here, with colder weather to come in the next couple days. Birds are doing fine; two are laying now. The third girl is getting redder headgear. The last two days when I've gone in to clean the coop, she has come in and looked at the nesting box as if to say, "Hey, I remember hanging out here last fall. It was fun!" She is my "lounger" pullet who will sit for a couple of hours to lay her egg. She's the lowest in the pecking order, but lays the largest eggs.

I've been taking two bowls of chickie snack when I go in, to be sure she gets some and doesn't get shooed away.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Hello all, Thank you for your participation by letting others know how your flock is doing today? I had started this thread topic posting in the Random Rambling section of the Forum figuring it was the right place for members to daily ramble about their flocks.

I guess someone ( BYC Staff ) thought it best to move my thread post for me without asking first and or explaining why they were moving it? I have no clue how my thread post fits into Pictures and Stories of my Chickens when members are going to daily ramble about their flocks.

We started our small flock this spring with two small Mallard hen Ducklings from a private breeder who wasn't 100% sure, but guessed they were both hen Mallards and then four sexed Isa Brown hens chicks from TSC with the intention of having fresh chicken eggs on hand.

We are not new to chickens only ducks, so this is how I found the BYC Forum by doing a google search looking for duckling info. and Wah-Lah! BYC Forum popped up.

At the time six poultry seemed like the perfect size flock for us until we started talking about the two Mallard hens and possibly finding them a BF? So four weeks later we added a batch of ten, one week old unsexed Rouen/Pekin mix ducklings to the flock from another private party, figuring at the time we should be able to get a Drake for our two girls and rehome the rest after.

This all sounded like a perfect game plan at the time until a person gets attached and falls in love with them all and now our new small flock is a solid sixteen in number. LOL So from the ten we ended up with four Drakes and six Hens and having learned our ratio is off, so far we have been very lucky with no aggressive mating issues that others post about. I am sure by spring this will change and they will have to be separated over having to rehome anyone.

This new duck experience has been quite the journey for sure, I can now see and understand why ducks are not the perfect pets for everyone. They can be very messy and a LOT of work daily, all in all I am very glad we have them. We have been very, very fortunate to have not lost anyone and or have had any serious health issues that couldn't be addressed.

I feel I am very fortunate to get the opportunity each morning to start my days with a cup of coffee at sunrise as I let our flock out to free range. This gives me the opportunity to take a quick head count and watch them to make sure none of them have any issues that needs to be addressed. So after everyone has been feed and they all have fresh clean water, I can now go and get my day started.

Hopefully this thread post sparks interest for other members to chime in and let others know how their flock is today? For us, each day is a new adventure with our flock, always something new going on and never a dull moment. LOL

Thanks again to all members who enjoy this thread topic and help keep it alive.

Mine are happy to see the sun appear after 3 cloudy , snowy days. But then they stuck heads out! What the heck how can the sun be out and it sting my face? Well at -19 that's how. So it's been mostly an inside day today even coop door is half open to conserve heat. They don't like snow! But caught them outside for this picture. Will be happy to have some 20 degree weather later this week. Thanks for asking .

 

[BlueBaby]

It was windy here and that made it feel colder than what the thermometer said it was outside. Today wasn't as windy though. It seems that all of the rest of you are getting snow now?

 

[Sally PB]

Tonight might get down to 8 above, with 5-6" of snow. So far in this cold, everyone has been ok. They hang out inside the coop, mostly, but will come out for snack time in the afternoon.

It could be -8 Tuesday night.

 

[BlueBaby]

Tonight might get down to 8 above, with 5-6" of snow. So far in this cold, everyone has been ok. They hang out inside the coop, mostly, but will come out for snack time in the afternoon.

It could be -8 Tuesday night.

Burrrr!

 

[ackie]

Moonflower is broody
considering if I want to give her eggs or not

everyone except the ones that sleep in trees have been locked up the past couple days because 3 days ago a hawk got one of my boys my roommate is crushed.. he was her favorite.

and of the ones that sleep in the trees, I think one may be missing so SHE might be on a nest somewhere too. the last 2 times I counted, several days apart, I was one chicken short for my tree ladies. or the hawk but I think I'd have found a carcass if that was the case.

 

[BlueBaby]

Moonflower is broody
considering if I want to give her eggs or not

everyone except the ones that sleep in trees have been locked up the past couple days because 3 days ago a hawk got one of my boys my roommate is crushed.. he was her favorite.

and of the ones that sleep in the trees, I think one may be missing so SHE might be on a nest somewhere too. the last 2 times I counted, several days apart, I was one chicken short for my tree ladies. or the hawk but I think I'd have found a carcass if that was the case.

All of my egg's are fertile right now, but I keep taking them away several time's a day. I don't want any of them to get any bright idea's on trying to hatch them. I had broodies 5 time's last year.

 

[ackie]

All of my egg's are fertile right now, but I keep taking them away several time's a day. I don't want any of them to get any bright idea's on trying to hatch them. I had broodies 5 time's last year.

I've taken her out of the nest box a couple times but she seems committed, so I could hatch... but idk if I wanna hatch my barnyard mixes. I wish I had hatchery chicks I could give her instead but they're not coming till may.

 

[BlueBaby]

I've taken her out of the nest box a couple times but she seems committed, so I could hatch... but idk if I wanna hatch my barnyard mixes. I wish I had hatchery chicks I could give her instead but they're not coming till may.

Would your local TSC have any in yet?