Illinois...

[Faraday40]

Glad your household overcame those nasty Strep, and Flu issues. The Christmas break is less joyous when people are sick. Are they all back in school now??? How many silkies do you have left now? How did the cold affect the silkies?

We had Fri-yesterday with everyone back to health. Kids go back to school today.

We had 2 silkies & now have one. DD usually carried one silkie in each hand. She hatched Gilfie, & we picked up Xansie as a back up in case - just in case Gilfie was male. Xansie used to be called Xander because at age 4-8 weeks we thought the gender was male. The two became buddies.

Xansie seems fine with the cold. She & her 2 orp chicks were out in the coop during all that below zero misery. They simply snuggled together - a lot. Once they could all reach the heated adult drinker (with a step) life became much easier for me. We brought them inside yesterday for a few min to take the pics. It's was so much fun to watch them jump all over DD.

 

[Faraday40]

I just found this in DS's backpack. I had a good chuckle imagining Santa trying to control a little flock of Sebrights.....

I didn't even know that DS knew the diff chicken breeds. I highly doubt the teacher knew what he was talking about.

 

[cavemanrich]

Here is a suggestion for next Christmas.

 

[Faraday40]

Drumroll.........

.... and Here's DD's completed sci fair poster. This year she tested the shell strength of our backyard eggs Vs. store eggs. We bought 3 doz store eggs and she picked out the 10 good ones for testing, plus another 10 eggs from our flock. Then she made an egg smasher, placed each testing egg inside the holder, and gradually added weight until the shell cracked. It took several eggs to get the set up just right, so some of those extras were added to the casualty list. The smashed eggs were cooked up for some happy chickens. As expected, the backyard eggs were far stronger.

 

[Faraday40]

Has anyone had a hen occasional lay while molting?

I got what looks like a "Princess Lay-a" egg. (same shape, size & color) However, she lost her head feathers & just grew them back. No other molting yet & I didn't expect any eggs from her this month.

The mystery egg is too dark for my spitz, too light for my reg. orps, and too big for a pullet egg.

 

[Molpet]

Has anyone had a hen occasional lay while molting?

I got what looks like a "Princess Lay-a" egg. (same shape, size & color) However, she lost her head feathers & just grew them back. No other molting yet & I didn't expect any eggs from her this month.

The mystery egg is too dark for my spitz, too light for my reg. orps, and too big for a pullet egg.

one of my ISA browns did this fall.. I swear she lays everyday for over a year now.. super jumbo eggs , some do not fit in the carton... she is one of my smallest birds, her sister has the sense to take a day off a week...

Love the eggs strength experiment

 

[chickendreams24]

Drumroll.........

.... and Here's DD's completed sci fair poster. This year she tested the shell strength of our backyard eggs Vs. store eggs. We bought 3 doz store eggs and she picked out the 10 good ones for testing, plus another 10 eggs from our flock. Then she made an egg smasher, placed each testing egg inside the holder, and gradually added weight until the shell cracked. It took several eggs to get the set up just right, so some of those extras were added to the casualty list. The smashed eggs were cooked up for some happy chickens. As expected, the backyard eggs were far stronger.
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I love this experiment! Also I wonder how quail eggs would do. Sometimes those things are harder than anything lol and the guinea eggs those would be crazy!!!

I do have some girls that lay occasionally while molting. Last year my Pebbles layed like a champ all through her molt and I was so proud. This year she only layed a couple times and that was fine by me. She had a really bad molt this year.

I'm worried about the flocks with this dramatic change in weather again. I know I wasn't too thrilled. The last couple days were great days for the flocks and they were out foraging like crazy. I also gave them a pumpkin I had been saving in the porch for them. Although frozen when moved outside it thawed and I was able to tear it open for them. A very messy job but so worth it to see how happy they are.

Now the small remains left of the pumpkin are frozen solid to the driveway. Still the chickens peck at them. Last night the spring on the coop door was frozen extended and the latch was frozen shut. I had to stand and thaw the latch with my breath to get the door able to shut.

We have an ice skating ring in the driveway now courtesy of the two days of rain we had. Ugh I could have done without that.

Busy weekend ahead. Unfortunately the rain made outside work much more difficult and processing birds unimaginable.

 

[Molpet]

Busy weekend ahead. Unfortunately the rain made outside work much more difficult and processing birds unimaginable.

I was lucky the rain yesterday was a drizzle in the morning and I was able to process the 5 labor day boys and a turkey.

 

[chickendreams24]

I wish we had gotten some birds done.

What kind of turkeys do you have, I forget?

Do you do anything special for your turkeys? I know about blackhead disease do you ever have problems with it? Do you house them together?

 

[Molpet]

I wish we had gotten some birds done.

What kind of turkeys do you have, I forget?

Do you do anything special for your turkeys? I know about blackhead disease do you ever have problems with it? Do you house them together?

I have a Nari tom (another just went ) a sweetgrass or calico tom(some say one some say the other) a rusty bronze tom( he needs to go next) and ONE bronze hen.. should have several hens for each boy, but I keep getting toms.

I haven't had any health issues , yet, and they are in w/the chickens.
I do drive 75 miles to get an organic turkey grower, the local turkey feed isn't organic.. turkeys need different amounts of vitamins and more protein than chickens. https://www.nap.edu/read/2114/chapter/5