The babies are getting big. This picture is almost a month old, lol. I'll have to make a point of getting something better.
youngins1.jpg


The black pullet in front is Eve and Soot is the other one. Soot has more red in her hackles, but otherwise they are almost identical.
youngins2.jpg
 
Oh Cappy, lol! At least he dosent poop on the steps. That's a new trick mine have learned, i don't like it much.
Mine do the poop-on-the-steps-trick too. The younger dog learned it from the older dog. Sigh. My 14 year old cat is protesting *something* (he's old, and sick) and has been pooping on my brand new vacuum. Huh?

I'm surprised the fish are not leaping out of their tank and crapping on my pillow.

So, yeah, the chickens are pretty wonderful. Plus, the dogs eat their free range yard poops like it's candy -- so there's that!
 
Ugh, i hear ya.The worst here is the run they don't have to hang there but they do. Did like you added straw and between the straw mud and poop it's like ice skating in there. They won't let grass grow in there ever, got a whole freaking acre to eat but will not let grass happen in the run.:barnie
I've thought about the 'put a clear bin over some grass seeds & let to be a green house' thing, but I feel like my PITA chickens would flip it over. I don't feel safe doing the grate idea b/c w/ my luck someone would lose a toe.

There were SO many times last winter where I was ice skating on a frozen poop sidewalk hidden under the snow thanks to my lazy dogs. Ten years in Oregon, you'd think they'd be used to the rain and cold, but they turn into incredible wusses sometimes and do their business as close to the back door as possible. I pick up every day, but still! Grrrrrr.

My chickens seem really tidy compared to the Prima Donna dogs.
My mom's dog does that. Then when all the snow thaws you have a giant pile of dog crap. Now that everything's mud it's hard to tell what's poop and what's mud. Then there's all the chicken poop ALLLLLL over the place. If poop had a cash value we'd all be millionaires.

Honestly I think they get bored in the winter and think up new ways to kill us. I swear I watched chickens go to the run, poop and then walk out.:barnie
Oh, I'm certain of this. Mine swarm the door as soon as I open it. They sit on the poop board by the door and watch for me coming then wait. I have one (appropriately named Nibbler) who's been giving me little pecks lately. I squatted down and someone when for my butt. I think they're sizing me up so they can see how long my body would last if they offed me.

No need to send rain, we're supposed to get some but I haven't watched the news to find out when. So far the run is ok -- poopy but not muddy. I ended up putting a lot of the chunky wood chips in there and that's helped a lot.

I have been scooping the 2 largest poop boards, where the youngins like to hang out, about 3 times a day but still ends up a mess. I haven't emptied an entire poop board, but have been scooping out the wettest stuff.

I also can't wait till the weather is warm so I can give their house a good cleaning. It's SUPER dusty in there. It doesn't seem to bother them, but I end up with big ol' dirt boogers after I go fluff everything. I think the dust is mainly from the diatomaceous earth I put down initially, and then from straw and wood chips. I don't think the poop board sand is really that dusty. maybe you can push some of the sand to the side and use a dustpan to collect the fine stuff. I have one of those little hand broom and dustpans they sell in the automotive section - easy to get in small spaces.

They are doing pretty well, but still run and hide when the older chickens come along. There isn't too much squabbling going on now, but occasionally a hen gets a wild hair up her butt and starts picking on someone. I think a few of the boys like to try mating Eve, she squeals and runs and then they chase her. She does a lot of hiding. Eve is 4 months now and the others are 3 months. I was trying to snuggle one of the boys today and he wasn't interested. He kicked me in the cheek and put a nice scratch on it lol.
Wow, he's a feisty one. Did you put a big X on his back so you know which one to rehome first? I was thinking about tossing some gravel into the one corner of their run later this spring. That way they have some grit & it'll help with the mud situation, but I might have to steal the wood chip idea... provided I can find some. All the leaves that I threw in there in Nov have become a big wet pile. I was hoping they'd dig around in there to get some bugs, but they haven't messed with them since they got wet. The ground is so muddy that my fence posts are moving, even the long rebar posts are shifting. I'm going to have to do some remodeling this summer. The chicken wire covering I added is too heavy and the weight of it is pulling the sides in.

The babies are getting big. This picture is almost a month old, lol. I'll have to make a point of getting something better. View attachment 1268382

The black pullet in front is Eve and Soot is the other one. Soot has more red in her hackles, but otherwise they are almost identical.
View attachment 1268383
Wow, they're so big! Are either of them starting to show signs of being ready to lay?

Mine do the poop-on-the-steps-trick too. The younger dog learned it from the older dog. Sigh. My 14 year old cat is protesting *something* (he's old, and sick) and has been pooping on my brand new vacuum. Huh?

I'm surprised the fish are not leaping out of their tank and crapping on my pillow.

So, yeah, the chickens are pretty wonderful. Plus, the dogs eat their free range yard poops like it's candy -- so there's that!
:yuckyuck

My straw bales around the chicken run are sprouting! The chickens love it. They stick their heads out of the chain link and peck away!
I didn't know straw did that... but now it makes sense b/c my chickens dug through the straw I got from the guy up the road like it was a treasure hunt. Unfortunately they didn't have their wagon out anymore so the last bale I got was a compressed bale from TSC. Cost twice as much, but I don't have anywhere to store straw, except the trunk of my car.
 
Lol! KT please do not give the fish any ideas! I don't know why animals use turds as bargaining chips. :)
Mine do the poop-on-the-steps-trick too. The younger dog learned it from the older dog. Sigh. My 14 year old cat is protesting *something* (he's old, and sick) and has been pooping on my brand new vacuum. Huh?

I'm surprised the fish are not leaping out of their tank and crapping on my pillow.

So, yeah, the chickens are pretty wonderful. Plus, the dogs eat their free range yard poops like it's candy -- so there's that!
 
Yes, they are getting huge. There isn't much size difference between the young cockerels and the older pullets. The young pullets are a bit smaller. Eve has been in the lower nests to hide, but I think she's at least a month or 2 from laying.

I have 3-1/2 acres, but the chickens basically use only the middle third of that. They can get through and over all of the fences, but only occasionally do they go though them. All of this part of the yard is covered with chicken & duck poop, feathers and bits of straw. I actually can't wait until I have stuff to mow again so it will disperse!

Here are a few pics from yesterday and today . The first is Coal - the only black sex link cockerel.
IMG_0872.JPG

Eve (left, 4 months) and Soot (right, 3 months) - black sex link pullets
IMG_0883.JPG

One of my older RIR hens in the front for size comparison. It's extremely difficult to get a photo of the kids with their elders lol.
IMG_0867.JPG

The kids enjoying a nice warm, mushy meal of wet feed, hard boiled eggs and veggies.
IMG_0849.JPG

The boys getting braver and venturing a short distance from the coop.
IMG_0859.JPG
 
Goodness those are big babies! You can tell you spoiled them rotten. :) I'm going crazy next month and hatching out a couple more, only four eggs but I'm waiting on one to start back laying so of things go well I'll be hatching 2 dominique/faverolles crosses and two full faverolles. I can't do more than four, i spoil them and they turn into little demanding brats so for my sanity i set a limit. :)
Yes, they are getting huge. There isn't much size difference between the young cockerels and the older pullets. The young pullets are a bit smaller. Eve has been in the lower nests to hide, but I think she's at least a month or 2 from laying.

I have 3-1/2 acres, but the chickens basically use only the middle third of that. They can get through and over all of the fences, but only occasionally do they go though them. All of this part of the yard is covered with chicken & duck poop, feathers and bits of straw. I actually can't wait until I have stuff to mow again so it will disperse!

Here are a few pics from yesterday and today . The first is Coal - the only black sex link cockerel.
View attachment 1269946
Eve (left, 4 months) and Soot (right, 3 months) - black sex link pullets
View attachment 1269959
One of my older RIR hens in the front for size comparison. It's extremely difficult to get a photo of the kids with their elders lol.
View attachment 1269963
The kids enjoying a nice warm, mushy meal of wet feed, hard boiled eggs and veggies.
View attachment 1269971
The boys getting braver and venturing a short distance from the coop.
View attachment 1269972
 
You pretty much have to! The oldies don't like the youngins to have anything. Went through that last year, had more trouble out of my battleaxes than the babies could even think about giving me. I've got room,plenty of room! Getting the oldies to share the room is going to be the trick.;)
Ha! Setting a limit is a good idea. Luckily there's plenty of space in their house, but having twice as many sure makes feeding and cleaning take longer. Especially since at this point with them being fearful of the others I have to hang around and make sure everyone eats and drinks.
 

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