Illinois...

[chickendreams24]

Decided to take a few baby chick pictures today since it is so hot outside to do hardly anything.

I am particularly liking the color of these lavs. These weren't the ones i order and Faraday hatched for me, but came from mine. Ive got a really nice colored roo right now, but hes just so small. Hes not big and fluffy. Yes, thats my ring on the floor. They were obsessed with it until I took it off.....
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Now what color do you guys think this one is? Its huge in comparison to its hatch mates. Could have come from an ebony egg, she's my biggest hen. Does it look black or very dark blue to you guys?
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I'm guessing black.

Garden? Did you say how are our gardens doing?
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Yeah, DH didnt do anything in his garden. I was hoping he would bush hog it last weekend when someone let us borrow one. It's an eyesore and vermin filled. I guess I'll start weed wacking it with my metal attachment as soon as this heat passes.

that looks a bit like our garden but ours is planted. LoL

We are slowly catching up. All the rain and heat kept us out of it. It's horribly overgrown. I can't even see my cabbage or broccoli or cauliflower. Yipes. I hope they're okay.

The flock decimated the rhubarb a couple days ago. Nipped it all the way to the ground. I hope it survives. I also hope the birds survive. All seem okay except my favorite rooster Buddy. He's a bit under the weather. I'm not sure if it's related to the rhubarb or not. He's losing weight suddenly and not sleeping in the roost and although he still eats he seems lethargic. Tonight he will get wormed and sprayed for external parasites. His symptoms remind me of my poor Pebbles.

Here are the last 2 orp chicks with Xansie (hatched 6-6):
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I know the white is a female. I had guessed the laced was male, but I still don't see a pink comb & wattles. The only signs are it "feels" solid like a male and the slower feather growth when compared to "his" sister. I've has some females with slower feather growth, so I can't really judge.

Anyone else have an idea on how to tell gender?

Drop them off with me and I'll tell you in a month!




Ladies and gentleman. I haven't snapped any photos yet but this morning we have 9 baby bunnies. We're not sure if Mommy is done and this being her first litter I don't want to bother her too much right off the bat. That said she didn't even seem to care and was much more friendly today.

@Faraday40 she is having some bleeding is that normal for a rabbit? Also in the nest box were some things either after birth or perhaps some under developed embryos. Looked like large kidney beans made of meat or something.

I know I know I'm a spazz but these are our first baby bunnies. Her first litter and actually our first baby mammals on the property.

I seriously had a dream last week Momma bunny gave birth to a dozen eggs containing baby bunnies and they weren't hatching. I think the hatches this spring have given me PTSD.

Thankfully things have been a lot more even and working better since I turned off the Farm Innovators and have just been using the coolerbator. 2 of the 5 turkey eggs we got with the group of turkeys have hatched so far. Three left. One looks dead today I don't see veins. They were under two broody turkeys and were staggered. What a mess. Both the poults that have hatched are black.

 

[BReeder!]

All the rain and heat kept us out of it. It's horribly overgrown. I can't even see my cabbage or broccoli or cauliflower. Yipes. I hope they're okay.

Same here. I weeded sdveral rows of lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, and pumpkin so far. I cannot seem to identify the cabbage and brocolli though, so we are afraid to weed those rows. Any idea what tge look like add small plants? If they even came up that is...

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Anyone else have an idea on how to tell gender?

You're going to love me......
Wait for the egg or the cocka-doodle do!

 

[chickendreams24]

Same here. I weeded sdveral rows of lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash, winter squash, and pumpkin so far. I cannot seem to identify the cabbage and brocolli though, so we are afraid to weed those rows. Any idea what tge look like add small plants? If they even came up that is...

I'm not the best to ask about them but cabbage and broccoli look very similar to me. Faraday40 is better with plants than me and she would be a great source. Ours are larger and probably already producing. I know when we planted them I had a 4-6 inch cauliflower producing a head already whichy was very odd. It's leaves weren't even long enough to shade the head. That one will likely be chicken food.

Oh btw before I forget would any of my friends here like an avocado sapling or two? They need to be kept in the house of course and they must be kept away from cats and dogs etc as they are poisonous to them but they are great little trees easy to care for and can be kept fairly small with pruning. I started some more but many more of them took off than I expected to make it. I have way too many. I love them in winter for their greenery and air cleaning qualities. They need a size appropriate pot in a sunny window and occasional fertilizing. I can probably con @Faraday40 into taking a bunch back with her next time.

I've never gotten one to produce as our great Dane helped herself to my largest one a couple years ago.

You're going to love me......
Wait for the egg or the cocka-doodle do!

LOL I still like my idea better.

 

[Faraday40]

Buddy. He's a bit under the weather. I'm not sure if it's related to the rhubarb or not. He's losing weight suddenly and not sleeping in the roost and although he still eats he seems lethargic.

Drop them off with me and I'll tell you in a month!


@Faraday40 she is having some bleeding is that normal for a rabbit? Also in the nest box were some things either after birth or perhaps some under developed embryos. Looked like large kidney beans made of meat or something.

I hope Buddy's OK. (He's a real sweetheart and adds a lot of personality to your flock.)

I'm trying to sell as many chicks as possible. The white was being saved for someone - who "forgot" about her vacation- so white orp's back on the market. The customer will buy her IF she's still here in 2 weeks. I had a feeling the remaining laced orp was male, and when people ask, that's what I've been saying. (My honestly of course made this beauty less desirable. If he ends up being male, perhaps I'll have a new "Mr Wonderful." If female, she's going to be BIG and beautiful! )

Trouble has another batch of chicks, and the last batch of eggs are due in a week. Plenty of chicks here. Then there's all the adorable little seramas. They're like "Tribbles"! (Star Trek reference) They just keep multiplying & the silkied ones even look like tribbles.


Rabbits: I was a teen & would just find out my rabbits gave birth once I saw the babies. I didn't keep track or know exact due dates - just the week. I knew which ones were bred, tolerated the crabbiness and watched as they got fat. Perhaps my rabbits ate the afterbirth for a little extra protein because I never saw it. Mine had wooden hutches filled with hay, so it could have simply been cleaned out during the reg house-keeping. (I'm pretty sure I left the mean pregnant does alone & skipped cleaning their cage when overly aggressive. They were a lot nicer when not pregnant.)

@BReeder!
Zucc seedling

Young plant

yellow squash is similar but slightly diff leaves

Both grow very large, so hard to miss after a month or 2. LOL

Winter squash is more like pumpkins - vines spread & they take over

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Look what i just pulled off my puppy!!

 

[homeschoolin momma]

If female, she's going to be BIG and beautiful! )

I could always take a big beautiful girl....lol.

My "Mr. Wonderful" aka Taji (supposed to mean silver in Japanese) is just that. Wonderful. He definitely inherited his personality from his father. He runs to the gate EVERYTIME I go through it. Last night I actually had to carry him to the coop because he just wanted to be with me.

 

[chickendreams24]

Ladies and gentleman I present baby bunnies!

Look at the WRINKLES!!!

My Mom came over to see the babies and fell in love! So many she had to help us hold them!

The number still stands at 9. One is pretty little but lively.

@Faraday40 how did you use to deal with it if your doe had more than 8 babies since rabbits only have 8 nipples?

3 are black and 6 are broken black.

 

[chickendreams24]

Look what i just pulled off my puppy!!
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Ew ew Ew.

 

[chickendreams24]

Btw when they're older the babies will be available for sale. We will be keeping a male and female from this litter.

Please let me know if you're interested they are from show/meat lines and would be great for either purpose. They could also be great pet rabbits even though they are large animals.