Hudson Valley NY *chat thread*

[DoubleC]

The duckies watching a hawk circling overhead (the run is all enclosed, but I have the chickens out roaming). I think the cats and dogs are a good deterrent. ;-p

 

[LSzajko]

Gooood Evening Lexi & Laura! Looks like we're all alone in the Hudson Valley once again~

There's a robin's nest in my rose bush. The eggs hatched sometime while we were away. There were 3 eggs, then 3 babies but today, there was only 1 baby. We found one of them on the ground (couldn't find the second one) and used a shovel to put it back in the nest but when we checked on it a short time later, it was gone, Do they destroy their babies if there's something wrong?

I let the girls out this afternoon and not 2 minutes later there were 5 hawks lurking overhead. That's the first time I've seen hawks so soon after letting them out. That sound they make gives me the creeps. It's so sinister.

Lexi,
I thought they needed access to food 24/7 but as long as they won't starve, I'll definitely try taking the feeder out of the coop.
Should I keep water in the coop at all times or can they do without both until they're let out in the morning? We have a PVC feeder and a 5 gal. waterer in the run.
I LOVE the Hamburgs! Looks like they're getting added to my Chicken Wish List. Our brown leghorns are kinda flighty. The others will climb all over me at one time or another but those two keep their distance. The babies are adorable! Tell your BF he's the handsomest thing you've ever seen and maybe he'll forget they're in the house?

Laura, how does your DH feel about the chickens? My husband tells everybody they're my gig but he likes them just as much as I do.
My girls' names are Lindsay, Samantha & Rylee Medon. Lindsay graduated from NFA in 06; Sam in 08. Rylee is graduating this year. Are you going to the awards ceremony at NFA tomorrow night??

How many times/day do you ladies give your chickens and ducks treats? Tonight I made 3 bowls of leftover chicken, chopped celery leaves, applesauce and peas that I'll dole out over the next couple of days. Is the Italian in me overdoing the treats? Probably.....lol

Have either of you been to the Habitat for Humanity store in the City of Newburgh? A friend of mine from work said she found gorgeous antique wall sconces there. I guess when they renovate older homes they salvage what can be sold. Sounds like a cool place to browse around in.

Anyway...hope you're both having a nice evening~ !

 

[Coupe]

Gooood Evening Lexi & Laura! Looks like we're all alone in the Hudson Valley once again~ There's a robin's nest in my rose bush. The eggs hatched sometime while we were away. There were 3 eggs, then 3 babies but today, there was only 1 baby. We found one of them on the ground (couldn't find the second one) and used a shovel to put it back in the nest but when we checked on it a short time later, it was gone, Do they destroy their babies if there's something wrong? I let the girls out this afternoon and not 2 minutes later there were 5 hawks lurking overhead. That's the first time I've seen hawks so soon after letting them out. That sound they make gives me the creeps. It's so sinister. Lexi, I thought they needed access to food 24/7 but as long as they won't starve, I'll definitely try taking the feeder out of the coop. Should I keep water in the coop at all times or can they do without both until they're let out in the morning? We have a PVC feeder and a 5 gal. waterer in the run. I LOVE the Hamburgs! Looks like they're getting added to my Chicken Wish List. Our brown leghorns are kinda flighty. The others will climb all over me at one time or another but those two keep their distance. The babies are adorable! Tell your BF he's the handsomest thing you've ever seen and maybe he'll forget they're in the house? Laura, how does your DH feel about the chickens? My husband tells everybody they're my gig but he likes them just as much as I do. My girls' names are Lindsay, Samantha & Rylee Medon. Lindsay graduated from NFA in 06; Sam in 08. Rylee is graduating this year. Are you going to the awards ceremony at NFA tomorrow night?? How many times/day do you ladies give your chickens and ducks treats? Tonight I made 3 bowls of leftover chicken, chopped celery leaves, applesauce and peas that I'll dole out over the next couple of days. Is the Italian in me overdoing the treats? Probably.....lol Have either of you been to the Habitat for Humanity store in the City of Newburgh? A friend of mine from work said she found gorgeous antique wall sconces there. I guess when they renovate older homes they salvage what can be sold. Sounds like a cool place to browse around in. Anyway...hope you're both having a nice evening~ !

Birds do tend to push babies out of their nests if they feel somthing is wrong with them. They also will kill a runt.

I hope thoes hawks dont get any funny ideas!! I would keep a close eye on your girls for the next couple of days. You dont have a Rooster, right? i know a Roo will attack a hawk if it swoops down. My boy always sounds the alarm if anything is flying over.
My chickens get fed in the morrning, i give them enought to last most of the day. Iv never had food out 24/7 for them, sounds like a good way to attrack mice and rats! Also i dont shut the coop door that leads to the run. My run is really secure, well atleast i think so. Sense we put the chicken wire on the top, i havnt had any problems. I think your chickens will be fine with out food or water over night...they will be roosting all night and aslong as you dont forget to let them out, theyll be fine.
What do you mean by "treats"? I throw in leftovers all the time..fruits and veggies they get almost every morrning! When the garden is ready, the chickens get fresh stuff all the time aswell. Afte we mow the grass, i throw abunch of clippings in the run for them too. The ducks love grass clippings lol.
Sounds like my kind of store! Ill have to check it out next time im in newburgh!!
Tomorrow im heading to fishkill to pick up some Silkie hens!!! I know silkies are sopose to go broody and i need some broodie chickens.

 

[DoubleC]

Hi Ladies! Lucky Lexi! Silkies are so cute!! Yeah, our birds get all kinds of scraps everyday too. My hubby has wondered what has happened to his favorite wheat bread lately. lol My hubby didn't want chickens for years now...until we rescued the RIR... now he loves them...even if he didn't want to. lol Oh, and my oldest, Garrett, does know Rylee. He's friend with Jimmy and Ricky Petro..says that he met her there. Just last week I gave their Mom fresh eggs from my aunties chickens...she slipped Mr. P two duck eggs without him knowing.lol I have to see how that went. lol Night night!

 

[DoubleC]

and no....I haven't been to that place either...but sounds like it's worth the trip!

 

[Coupe]

Hi Ladies! Lucky Lexi! Silkies are so cute!! Yeah, our birds get all kinds of scraps everyday too. My hubby has wondered what has happened to his favorite wheat bread lately. lol My hubby didn't want chickens for years now...until we rescued the RIR... now he loves them...even if he didn't want to. lol Oh, and my oldest, Garrett, does know Rylee. He's friend with Jimmy and Ricky Petro..says that he met her there. Just last week I gave their Mom fresh eggs from my aunties chickens...she slipped Mr. P two duck eggs without him knowing.lol I have to see how that went. lol Night night!

Haha if its in the fridge to long, its chicken food lol my bf always asks what happend to the bread and fruit!!
My boyfriends father wont eat eggs from my chickens..only store bought..little does he know iv been giving eggs to my BFs mom for awhile now!!!

 

[LSzajko]

Yup we realized the other day the Blue Orpington is most definitely a rooster although we suspected it for awhile. He got really big very quickly and his comb and waddles developed early. AND he was ummm..."practicing" on the Black Orpington the other day which was the defining moment!! I call him Blue the Roo. He's so beautiful~ it's going to be hard to make the decision whether to keep him or not. The older girls aren't nice to the 2 Orps so they pretty much separate themselves from them. I'm hoping eventually they'll all get along. And RE: the robin...I guess we shouldn't have bothered to return the baby to the nest. My daughter (an RN), was ready to give it medical attention

I was too squeamish to even touch it. I really have to get past that soon, don't I...?

I'm glad to see you give your chickens/ducks 'people food' daily. I give mine leftovers all the time but was afraid I was overdoing it. I buy yogurt especially for them (we don't like it) although yogurt is only a 1x/week treat. They mostly get dinner leftovers but sometimes I'll cook something specifically for them. Spoiled! A couple of weeks ago Rylee took a video of their first taste of spaghetti and posted it on Facebook. I still LOL everytime I watch it.

Lexi, does your Fishkill silkie person have a lot of silkies? I LOVE them. They're soooo stinkin' cute! How many are you going to get? Post pictures!

And Laura, it's a small world! What grade is Garrett in? I have to admit I'm a bit green...I'm DYING for eggs!! I've never tasted a fresh chicken egg. I heard they're better than store bought. How many eggs/day are you getting? Let me know how Mr. Petro liked those duck eggs! Do they taste different than chicken eggs? I wouldn't be surprised if my friend Karen showed up at my door the minute I tell her one of the girls laid an egg. She can't wait either.

Well stay cool today Ladies~ I'll be the one crying in my cube cuz I wanna go home!

 

[Coupe]

You should ask your neighbors if they mind you having a Roo! Its worth a shot!
Haha i think my dogs get mad at me when i give the chickens the left overs and not them!

She said she had babies...but i bought 2 adults..ill get pics ASAP..They sure are cute!! They are much smaller than i thought they would be..Are all Silkies small? Is there a Bantam silkie?
The ride to go pick them up was horrible!! I had to lock my brakes up twice from people cutting me off!! The 2nd time a guy pulled in front of me and the light turned yellow and he slammed on his brakes!! I screeched tires pretty far and had my truck sideways when i came to a stop..he is so lucky i didnt hit him! i drive a Military CUV .. Its built like a tank so i would of distroyed his car. But thankfully i stoped about a foot away from his bumper! if iwould of hit him, it would of been his fault for failure to Commite! who the hell slams on their brakes for a yellow light? I could see maybe if the light was yellow for awhile..butnit had just turned yellow!!! AAaahhh im done venting now!

 

[Coupe]

They were not happy about the pics lol..plus my cell sucks at pics..so when i get the energy to go back out in the heat ill take pics with my real camera!

 

[LSzajko]

I have no patience for inconsiderate jerks especially on the road. Were you on Rt. 9?

How old are the silkies? They're adorable! They have a lot of attitude in those little faces, don't they?
I have a bantam silkie and she's much smaller than the others. But I wonder if that's because she's a bantam or because ALL silkies are small whether they're a bantam or not. I'd love to get Rapunzel a friend but I'm afraid to introduce a newbie right now because of the way the girls are treating those poor Orpingtons. They're brutal ! I may ask my DH to go over to the neighbors to ask them if they'd mind a little rooster noise. IF he's willing to do that and they say it's ok, we'll keep him. Mr. Blue the Roo is growing on me and I know for sure Don wants to keep him too!

How are your chickens and ducks doing in this weather? Mine are panting and holding their wings out. I'm going to freeze some water in milk cartons for them to sit next to...hopefully this will help cool the poor things off a little tomorrow. I hate humidity. Is this crap going to last through the weekend?

I must go get ready to go to my DD's awards ceremony. So proud of that girlie girl ~
Stay cool ~
Where's Laura ?!
And where's my Chinese food?!!!!!