Illinois...

[ChicagoClucker]

Here's one more pic of Trouble marching her chicks around.



In other news, DD's 1st chick just hatched - a lav orp. A second (black orp) is zipping as I type. Most eggs do not have pips yet but I expect that will change by morning. Their due date is May 31-June 1st.

Too cute! By 12 weeks Troubles chicks will be larger than her.

 

[chickendreams24]

@Junibutt

Double barred chocolate cuckoo boy

White sport legbar pullet

Double barred with a chocolate pullet behind him

White sport legbar pullet

More to follow later.

@Faraday40

Jasmine front and center.

Ella

One of the girls with the little single barred cuckoo cockeral back in April

If you can believe it they're even bigger and fluffier now.

More pics to follow.

We also have our first 6 chicks from Cinder and Ella the daddy was our SLW roo. I'm kinda hoping they will be big fluffy and partially laced, as chicks they appear all black and look quite a bit like little Ella did.
It was an experiment but I think it's going to turn out cool. I hope to have a few gold and or silver laced orps someday.

Well ladies and gents we lost four more birds to a predator not last night but the two evenings before, including 3 10 week old chicks and our favorite silkie, a buff named Ginger.

Thanks @chickendreams24

That's awful about the predator chicken dreams - do you know what it was? Great photos!

All the chicks are adorable. So sorry for the losses due to the predator.

Hey all thank you for the support it means a lot. Please let me know if anyone knows of someone who would have silkie hatching eggs they wouldn't mind giving away or giving a deal on. I know I can never replace the flock mates we've lost and even though some of the birds we lost were on the endangered species list aka going to be sold or eaten it still sucks. But Ginger was going to be one of our lifers here and I miss her dreadfully. She's in the back of my thoughts qlways since we lost her and I feel an emptiness in the coop. The two chicks she raised this spring are alive and well and though they seem to miss their mother are adjusting well. They're 8-9 weeks old. Ginger can't be replaced, more than that she was truly one of a kind in her looks and her temperment and in everything. Our Gilligan's island girls aren't complete without her but I highly doubt I'll ever be able to name another animal Ginger.

Sorry for the lack of pics lately to Faraday40 and Junibutt I will try to get some more/better soon, our main focus right now is just protecting the flock.

We did get a look at it briefly on Friday night when it took three ten week old chicks. It was silvery with black details and we are leaning toward a fisher or a badger. We are hoping if we catch whatever it is in a live trap the DNR will relocate it or we can put it down depending on the animal. It was too small and wrongly shaped for a possum, coon, coyote, dog, bobcat, feral cat, or a fox. It had a weasel-esque face without actually being a weasel as it was much larger. It was broad but also long and had a slightly furry tail not that of a possum or like a fox. Ugh idk for sure what it was but a badger or a fisher are the two most likely seeming animals and I hope we get it soon and can feel safer about the flock free ranging again BC they hate being cooped.

In the mean time we have worked out a temporary screen door that works during the day to allow air flow and sunshine without risking them. I just wish I could explain all this to them.

@Junibutt and Faraday40
I love my double barred chocolate cuckoo cockeral though we haven't named hi yet BC I can't find the right name for him. He is the sweetest big in our flock right now and often walks up to me and talks with me and asks to be held. Which I know some people say not to do but when he asks I can't help it. He's so sweet and soft and I think he is maturing better than his single barred brother. Also he seemed maybe a bit dumb at first but has turned into such a brave little bright boy that I just wanna smooch him! Lol he's learning slowly how to treat the girls and I haven't seen him attempt to crow which both his brothers do on occasion. He also loves to stand on my feet while I gather eggs and do chores(which can he pretty hard to do) especially if I go out to the coop in my chicken flip flops. Lol he's such a goon and I love our conversations.

 

[cavemanrich]

@chickendreams24



Just trying to be helpful.. I never reuse a name myself. Recently I lost 2 chickens (Efiteris, (old age), and Ashley, (just vanished)... Also 1 unnamed pigeon, and a 4 week old kitten.

 

[adriannaads]

I'm wanting a baby duck. I live in Marshall Illinois. Is anyone selling any?

 

[MeepBeep]

I'm wanting a baby duck. I live in Marshall Illinois. Is anyone selling any?

Ducks like chickens are flock animals and need the companionship of their own kind to truly be happy, if you want ducks you really need to get 2 minimum...

 

[Faraday40]

The status of the incubator has changed significantly! Only 2 eggs without pips. 13 are out & the rest are "resting" after making that 1st pip.

I'll share some pics later.

 

[MeepBeep]

Grumble again...

Part of my lease agreement handshake was that if possible I take care of necessary repairs around the house/property or simply call someone to fix it and then just deduct them from the rent if possible rather than bother the landlord for everything...

So last weekend we woke to no water, tracked it down to a failure of the underground wire from the house to the well... As a temporary fix, I ran a wire above ground just to restore power... Confirmed the repair cost to bury it properly with the landlord and as fellow Illinois people should be aware by Illlinois law you have to call JULIE before any dig so they can mark all the buried utilities... So I do that on Thursday, their policy is that I can dig at 8am the day after, 48 business day hours have elapsed... So since it was a holiday weekend Friday was the first 24 hours and today would be the 2nd 24 hours, and I'm supposed to be able to dig tomorrow morning at 8am... I have neglected running necessary errands today expecting them to show up so I could point out the dig area as well as lock the dog up so they can do their job.. So now it's after 5pm and not one, not a single utility company came out to mark the property... I call JULIE up and their excuse is that they have to give the benefit of the doubt to the utility companies and can't do anything until after 8am tomorrow, so call them back in the morning...

Can't say that I'm surprised that a mandated under law policy by the State is FUBAR and they can't even follow their own mandates...

FYI the law says that each utility company will be fined $5000 for not marking, I'm betting that never happens... As I find it way too suspicious that not one utility bothered showing up if they truly face a $5K fine... But, if they do actually pay the fines, well than the State can thank me for the $25,000 windfall I guess...

 

[cavemanrich]

Are you digging up manually or with power equipment??? How deep are you going??? 2 feet? Just a thought.. Is the original wire in a conduit or a direct bury wire???. If direct bury, I would just dig and follow that wire.

 

[MeepBeep]

Are you digging up manually or with power equipment???

Probably a little of both... Under JULIE law it doesn't matter how shallow or deep, manual or power, the law specifies you are legally bound to call JULIE prior to any digging project... And that includes even basic things like gardening, planting a tree, landscaping, fence post or whatever... I know most people don't call for the basic things, but under the law as written you could be fined $5K for not calling, and having done home remodeling professionally for years and done my fair share of decks and fences it's worth the call, as there was a few instances we had to change plans never suspecting a line was were were going to drop a post...

How deep are you going???  2 feet?

I would like to get to 24" give or take, but the 24" trencher is way to big for the location so I will be using an 18" trencher and possibly finishing by hand...

Is the original wire in a conduit or a direct bury wire???.   If direct bury, I would just dig and follow that wire.

Nope, it's a direct burial wire 6 feet down along side the water line, no conduit and no way I'm digging down 6 feet to run it in the original location

On a side note, Lake County Department of Transportation did actually survey the lot at 8:30pm tonight and emailed me back that they left no markings as there is no traffic control wires or street drain tiles anywhere near the dig location...

Comcast, AT&T, ComEd and North Shore Gas all ignored the JULIE request... I'm not worried about Comcast or AT&T as they are overhead drop, ComEd is on the other side of the house so little to worry about there, but the gas meter is within a few feet of where I want to dig so I really need to know what direction the gas line goes so I can avoid it...

 

[Pixie]

Comcast, AT&T, ComEd and North Shore Gas all ignored the JULIE request... I'm not worried about Comcast or AT&T as they are overhead drop, ComEd is on the other side of the house so little to worry about there, but the gas meter is within a few feet of where I want to dig so I really need to know what direction the gas line goes so I can avoid it...

I saw a JULIE truck scooting about the Drury/Shorewood area today. Did they come and mark yet?

Also, I took the older babies I got from you out for a romp in the yard today too. They are really mild mannered compared to some of the other babies I have brooded.

Let me know when you have some hatching eggs!