INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[Sally Sunshine]

I can't do outdoor chores with my stomach so upset, but I did shave the dog. It was supposed to just be a haircut, but the monthly cuts are getting old.

LOL MC you didnt leave her like that did you!

Quote: I have a dumb broody question, she has the chicks in the coop with her and my brahma are big so they dont like to roost or go in the nest boxes that are only 5 inches off the ground. Anyways, she is in the back corner and right aside of her is where all the others want to lay their eggs, today kiddo starts screaming at me that a hen is killing a chick, the hen that was trying to lay an egg was in fact trying to keep that chick away from her spot and in turn killing it. I got it in time I think, but no clue what its got going on inside of it. If I move the hen and chicks in a grow out pen 4x4 feet is that enough room for them? not sure what to do about her and the chicks now! ughhh
You'll be selling the chicks soon, won't you?
NOT THOSE

Quote: lol thats what happens when kids help, one was enough for me. I have done just a mark on each side, the hen is way back in the corner, I dont have walk in coop so I would have to climb in to get eggs, I have a egg grabber I use, I raise her with a long handled plastic shovel and use egg grabber to grab new eggs lol Dont ask.... it works fine to grab eggs out of the coop, just not when a broody is on them. and the ring truly is great when your standing trying hard to reach and do two things at once oh and half blind

 

[ChickenCanoe]

LOL MC you didnt leave her like that did you!

NOT THOSE

lol thats what happens when kids help, one was enough for me. I have done just a mark on each side, the hen is way back in the corner, I dont have walk in coop so I would have to climb in to get eggs, I have a egg grabber I use, I raise her with a long handled plastic shovel and use egg grabber to grab new eggs lol Dont ask.... it works fine to grab eggs out of the coop, just not when a broody is on them. and the ring truly is great when your standing trying hard to reach and do two things at once oh and half blind

You don't have to explain it to me. Whatever works for you.

I do lots of quirky things others think are strange.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: do you wear a robe, carry an hourglass ?

Not unless I cut trees down <runs to hug her trees>

 

[h2oratt]

How did your grooming go? I had forgotten about it, until Sally mentioned it. I am sure that you are better at it than I am. Good thing that no one really sees him.
$10
Yup!

My DH points out you can buy an already Cooke chicken at Costco for five bucks. How is that a comparison?

My grooming is passable. Still have a lot more to do.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote:
oh but I thought I had to answer to you! my bad

 

[ChickenCanoe]

do you wear a robe, carry an hourglass ?

Not unless I cut trees down <runs to hug her trees>

I really don't want to cut any trees either. I have very little space suitable for vegetables and fruits.

My DH points out you can buy an already Cooke chicken at Costco for five bucks. How is that a comparison?
...

I have considered that economic dilemma too.
I can buy organic, pastured, Amish broilers from whole foods for less than it costs me to raise one.
Am I better off selling extras for less than it costs to raise them and buy the chicken I eat at the store?
Or am I more comfortable knowing that for each bird I raise and eat, there's one less bird in a broiler barn.
I don't have all the answers.

oh but I thought I had to answer to you! my bad

Thanks but you aren't bad.

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Dax, Mike and Campin, I was going to build a pull down goat stanchion but ran into this work wagon! I love the idea of multi use. thoughts? @daxigait @mlm Mike @campingshaws

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A farmer had 5 female pigs. Times were hard, so he decided to take them to the county fair and sell them.

At the fair, he met another farmer who owned five male pigs.

After talking a bit, they decided to mate the pigs and split everything 50/50.

The farmers lived 60 miles apart, so they decided to drive 30 miles each and find a field in which to let the pigs mate.

The first morning, the farmer with the female pigs got up at 5 A.M., loaded the pigs into the family station wagon , (which was the only vehicle he had) and drove the thirty miles.

While the pigs were mating, he asked the other farmer,
"How will I know if they are pregnant?"

The other farmer replied, "If they're lying in the grass tomorrow morning, they're pregnant. If they're lying in the mud, they're not."

The next morning the pigs were rolling in the mud, so he hosed them off, loaded them into the family station wagon again and proceeded to try again.

This continued each morning for more than a week and both farmers were worn out.

The next morning he was too tired to get out of bed. He called his wife, "Honey, please look outside and tell me whether the pigs are in the mud or in the grass."

"Neither," yelled his wife, "they're in the station wagon.

And one of them is honking the horn."

 

[Jessimom]

I've been aware of the problem for a few years. House cats belong in houses - not barns.
Cats are responsible for more extinctions than any other human related cause - especially on islands.
Cats have caused 14% of the bird, mammal and reptile extinctions in modern times.
Cats may kill mice but that's the tip of the iceberg of native fauna they kill.
They are an invasive species everywhere they have been introduced and are a threat not to just songbirds but all wildlife - reptiles, amphibians and other mammals.
There have been a few studies in the UK where outdoor and feral cats are a major problem.
They got all residents of communities to document all the animals their cats brought home. Extrapolated across the nation they show that cats are responsible for billions of bird deaths in the UK alone. Another study in the US that put cameras on outdoor cats showed that they only brought home about 1/3 of all the animals they killed. So estimates of the predation on native wildlife had been underestimated.
Approximately 2.5 billion birds and 13 billion mammals in the US are killed by cats. The overwhelming majority of those are native species. Some of those are threatened with extinction. Cats don't discriminate.
1 in 3 North American bird species are in decline - thanks to cats.

If anyone appreciates native wildlife, keep your cats indoors.
I'm on my soapbox now. For those that have barn cats, you're part of the problem. Keep in mind that native snakes are more effective mousers than invasive cats.

Trap, neuter, return practices don't solve but exacerbate the problem.

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v4/n1/full/ncomms2380.html

http://www.mammal.org.uk/sites/default/files/Domestic Cat Predation on Wildlife.pdf

http://www.wildlifemanagementinstit...-than-thought&catid=34:ONB+Articles&Itemid=54

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-21236690
Since most cat owners don't want to believe their pets are the cause of wildlife devastation, probably the best way to control the problem is to convince them that letting their cats roam, endangers the cats - which it does.
http://conservationmagazine.org/2015/07/pet-owners-wont-admit-their-cats-harm-wildlife/

Not only are they a threat to prey animals, they are also a threat to native predators. They kill the rodents that native foxes, bobcats, owls, hawks and other predators need for sustenance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/science/that-cuddly-kitty-of-yours-is-a-killer.html?_r=0

Well said! Thanks for the links!!

I had indoor/outdoor cats growing up and they would survive 2 to 5 years. After 3 cats in a row of getting hit by a car, I kept my next cats inside. I have had 4 of them live for more than 20 years. The ones I lost earlier than that one died from heart disease, one from brain cancer and one old age (an older stray I had adopted). I JUST lost my indoor cat to a coyote when he snuck out one night. My tenants have had 3 outdoor cats, now they have one that is too afraid to go outside. The other two disappeared. I'm sure they were food for the wildlife.

Many years ago, I had a roommate that had an indoor/outdoor cat. First time I caught it with a bird in it's mouth I hit it with a broom till he let the bird go. After that I put a bell on his collar. He stopped bringing home gifts after the bell was added.


I also find that just having a cat in the house, keeps the mice away. Any time I've been in a cat free house, we've had mice.


I lost all my other quotes. I love the tiny goat photos, the pup in the kennel smiling, and all the other critters!!

 

[Sally Sunshine]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-amazing-coop-of-littles