That's quite the update! Glad you didn't lose any birds and sorry about your rooster! My daughter's rooster occasionally gets fiesty, and I make her do the same thing. She's learned to hold his head though if he's near her face, to make sure he can't peck at her. She's smarter than I am sometimes! but she handles her birds daily. LOLHey, folks!!! 21,000+ posts behind, don't think a read-back is gonna happen...
A little bird told me folks were worried about me not being on the thread - sorry! I'm fine, just super busy with work (it's a busy time of year for my teaching responsibilities, etc.), and while I've really missed it, I had to admit to myself that I was having a hard time regulating my BYC time, so I sort of went cold turkey for a while (though I occasionally pop on the Poultry Shaming thread for fun). I was actually thinking about the thread this morning - Sally, I'm baking bread! (Then I'm roasting a turkey...)
So, hmmmm... what has happened with me while I've been away? (Other than boring day to day stuff.)
One of the three German New Hampshire pullets (Blanche) has been convincingly mounting one of the little cream legbar girls as an act of dominance - I've heard of that happening, but first time I've seen it. Bea (a second German New Hampshire pullet) keeps insisting on trying to sleep in a tree near their coop - I have to pull her out of the tree at dusk when she does (see photo below). My friend's husband says it's because the New Hampshire state motto is "Live Free or Die".
About a month ago, I was sleeping a bit late on a Saturday morning, and had not let the chickens out yet - so only the Naked Necks were out in their paddock (since they have an automatic door). I was woken up at about 8am by all hell breaking loose outside - I looked out the window, and right there outside the window was a greyish fox lurking along the paddock fence. (NOTE: I live in the city limits - I saw a fox once about 12 years ago, but they are VERY unexpected here.) I raced out, scaring that fox away and finding and retrieving one (uninjured) hen walking outside the paddock near the house (I figured she had been frightened to fly out of the paddock). I did a head count and was missing one hen, and then I heard more ruckus in the back of the yard, so I headed back there and found where the NN paddock fence had fallen/been pushed down, and a trail of WAY too many feathers heading to the back. I figured she was a goner, but still followed the racket being raised by the chickens in the back coop (still locked up safe). And I was surprised to see a SECOND fox that jumped up over another sagging section of this other paddock's fencing and ran off away from me. I walked back to check that fence, and there was the Naked Neck hen, Switch, just sitting on the ground immobile and looking stunned. I swooped her up and checked her over, and was astounded to find only superficial bites and abrasions. Apparently, the second fox had heard me and had carried her to the back in his mouth so he could then dispatch her in private, before being scared off before he could do the deed. I repaired the paddock fence problems (the sagging was because of recent heavy rains moving the posts), and have kept an eye out, but they have not returned.
She's a tough little bugger - I brought her in to the chicken hospital, and within 30 minutes she was up and bored, and staring at me as if to ask "What's for lunch?" - despite the teeth marks all over her neck. She stayed in the chicken hospital about a week so she wouldn't have fly strike in the wounds (it was instructive to see the pattern of bruises and swelling, making it more clear that the fox had carried her in his mouth at some point), and is growing back her feathers finally (she looks like a little porcupine now). These photos are literally an hour after the whole thing (it's hard to see how many feathers she lost - her whole back and most of her tail was naked, save that one lone feather sticking up).
Last week I ran into a neighbor who told me that he was repairing his coop because about 3 weeks ago (same time as my attack), foxes broke into his coop and killed all 10 of his chickens. I felt very fortunate, and also very justified to have built all my coops like a paranoid person (and laying a cinder block against the doors every night as well).
Most recently, on Thursday, my very large, very smart and usually well behaved rooster Snape had to be reminded who's boss. I was in inside the coop doing something around bedtime (which I usually try to avoid, because I've found it upsets them - so, first mistake), and he pecked my shoe as a "warning". I didn't want to leave him feeling he had "won", so I managed to pick him up and hold him firm for a little while (as I have done before), which works well. But I was tired and not paying enough attention, and let him be too close to my face. He was frustrated, and so went after my lip for a peck, and I have a gash over my upper lip now. We spent a little more quality time right then ensuring he understood his place (including about 20 seconds hanging upside down). After tending my lip, I thought carefully about the exchange and what I know about him, and he's a good protective rooster and has been respectful of me in the past. My hanging him upside down clearly scared him appropriately, and he takes on a much more obvious subordinate behavior when I'm near him by the fence. I'm mostly disappointed in myself for provoking him and then for letting him be near my face which was REALLY stupid (he's big and I had misjudged his reach). So, I've got a bandage on my lip, and I've been watching him closely, since I'd rather keep him as a protector and breeder.
Other than that, I cleaned out one of the tractor coops that had gotten too stinky yesterday, and hope to muster the will power and energy to do so for a second coop today (with the goal of getting through all of them soon as a fall cleanup). I am hopefully going to find the time to build that second big coop for the egg-laying group (the Marans, younger cream leg bars, and olive egger), and give away the speckled sussex to a friend so I can move the German New Hampshire pullets in with Tank, the big sweet Naked Neck in the back coop (since I want to hatch from that cross eventually).
I thought about hatching this fall, but I am just settling down to the current number of birds and their housing (32, in five different housing units), and also feel that I should wait to let potential breeders get older (past 1 year at a minimum) to have a better evaluation of their features so I can make better breeding decisions.
So... that's all I've got. I miss you guys, but I was neglecting things with the amount of time I spent on BYC (which is a testament to how wonderful an online environment BYC is), so I'm trying to keep the time here down. I'll try to check back more often, when I can.
- Ant Farm
INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!
- Thread starter Sally Sunshine
- Start date
- Status
meltel
Crowing
Great post and nice to meet you!Hey, folks!!! 21,000+ posts behind, don't think a read-back is gonna happen...
A little bird told me folks were worried about me not being on the thread - sorry! I'm fine, just super busy with work (it's a busy time of year for my teaching responsibilities, etc.), and while I've really missed it, I had to admit to myself that I was having a hard time regulating my BYC time, so I sort of went cold turkey for a while (though I occasionally pop on the Poultry Shaming thread for fun). I was actually thinking about the thread this morning - Sally, I'm baking bread! (Then I'm roasting a turkey...)
So, hmmmm... what has happened with me while I've been away? (Other than boring day to day stuff.)
One of the three German New Hampshire pullets (Blanche) has been convincingly mounting one of the little cream legbar girls as an act of dominance - I've heard of that happening, but first time I've seen it. Bea (a second German New Hampshire pullet) keeps insisting on trying to sleep in a tree near their coop - I have to pull her out of the tree at dusk when she does (see photo below). My friend's husband says it's because the New Hampshire state motto is "Live Free or Die".
About a month ago, I was sleeping a bit late on a Saturday morning, and had not let the chickens out yet - so only the Naked Necks were out in their paddock (since they have an automatic door). I was woken up at about 8am by all hell breaking loose outside - I looked out the window, and right there outside the window was a greyish fox lurking along the paddock fence. (NOTE: I live in the city limits - I saw a fox once about 12 years ago, but they are VERY unexpected here.) I raced out, scaring that fox away and finding and retrieving one (uninjured) hen walking outside the paddock near the house (I figured she had been frightened to fly out of the paddock). I did a head count and was missing one hen, and then I heard more ruckus in the back of the yard, so I headed back there and found where the NN paddock fence had fallen/been pushed down, and a trail of WAY too many feathers heading to the back. I figured she was a goner, but still followed the racket being raised by the chickens in the back coop (still locked up safe). And I was surprised to see a SECOND fox that jumped up over another sagging section of this other paddock's fencing and ran off away from me. I walked back to check that fence, and there was the Naked Neck hen, Switch, just sitting on the ground immobile and looking stunned. I swooped her up and checked her over, and was astounded to find only superficial bites and abrasions. Apparently, the second fox had heard me and had carried her to the back in his mouth so he could then dispatch her in private, before being scared off before he could do the deed. I repaired the paddock fence problems (the sagging was because of recent heavy rains moving the posts), and have kept an eye out, but they have not returned.
She's a tough little bugger - I brought her in to the chicken hospital, and within 30 minutes she was up and bored, and staring at me as if to ask "What's for lunch?" - despite the teeth marks all over her neck. She stayed in the chicken hospital about a week so she wouldn't have fly strike in the wounds (it was instructive to see the pattern of bruises and swelling, making it more clear that the fox had carried her in his mouth at some point), and is growing back her feathers finally (she looks like a little porcupine now). These photos are literally an hour after the whole thing (it's hard to see how many feathers she lost - her whole back and most of her tail was naked, save that one lone feather sticking up).
Last week I ran into a neighbor who told me that he was repairing his coop because about 3 weeks ago (same time as my attack), foxes broke into his coop and killed all 10 of his chickens. I felt very fortunate, and also very justified to have built all my coops like a paranoid person (and laying a cinder block against the doors every night as well).
Most recently, on Thursday, my very large, very smart and usually well behaved rooster Snape had to be reminded who's boss. I was in inside the coop doing something around bedtime (which I usually try to avoid, because I've found it upsets them - so, first mistake), and he pecked my shoe as a "warning". I didn't want to leave him feeling he had "won", so I managed to pick him up and hold him firm for a little while (as I have done before), which works well. But I was tired and not paying enough attention, and let him be too close to my face. He was frustrated, and so went after my lip for a peck, and I have a gash over my upper lip now. We spent a little more quality time right then ensuring he understood his place (including about 20 seconds hanging upside down). After tending my lip, I thought carefully about the exchange and what I know about him, and he's a good protective rooster and has been respectful of me in the past. My hanging him upside down clearly scared him appropriately, and he takes on a much more obvious subordinate behavior when I'm near him by the fence. I'm mostly disappointed in myself for provoking him and then for letting him be near my face which was REALLY stupid (he's big and I had misjudged his reach). So, I've got a bandage on my lip, and I've been watching him closely, since I'd rather keep him as a protector and breeder.
Other than that, I cleaned out one of the tractor coops that had gotten too stinky yesterday, and hope to muster the will power and energy to do so for a second coop today (with the goal of getting through all of them soon as a fall cleanup). I am hopefully going to find the time to build that second big coop for the egg-laying group (the Marans, younger cream leg bars, and olive egger), and give away the speckled sussex to a friend so I can move the German New Hampshire pullets in with Tank, the big sweet Naked Neck in the back coop (since I want to hatch from that cross eventually).
I thought about hatching this fall, but I am just settling down to the current number of birds and their housing (32, in five different housing units), and also feel that I should wait to let potential breeders get older (past 1 year at a minimum) to have a better evaluation of their features so I can make better breeding decisions.
So... that's all I've got. I miss you guys, but I was neglecting things with the amount of time I spent on BYC (which is a testament to how wonderful an online environment BYC is), so I'm trying to keep the time here down. I'll try to check back more often, when I can.
- Ant Farm
@Fire Ant Farm Wow! Just, wow!
meltel
Crowing
Ahhhhh she lives!!!!
Well ain't you the busy one! You sound like my Dad when I asked him how he was enjoying retirement. He said he didn't know how he'd ever had time to work for a living!Hey, folks!!! 21,000+ posts behind, don't think a read-back is gonna happen...
A little bird told me folks were worried about me not being on the thread - sorry! I'm fine, just super busy with work (it's a busy time of year for my teaching responsibilities, etc.), and while I've really missed it, I had to admit to myself that I was having a hard time regulating my BYC time, so I sort of went cold turkey for a while (though I occasionally pop on the Poultry Shaming thread for fun). I was actually thinking about the thread this morning - Sally, I'm baking bread! (Then I'm roasting a turkey...)
So, hmmmm... what has happened with me while I've been away? (Other than boring day to day stuff.)
One of the three German New Hampshire pullets (Blanche) has been convincingly mounting one of the little cream legbar girls as an act of dominance - I've heard of that happening, but first time I've seen it. Bea (a second German New Hampshire pullet) keeps insisting on trying to sleep in a tree near their coop - I have to pull her out of the tree at dusk when she does (see photo below). My friend's husband says it's because the New Hampshire state motto is "Live Free or Die".
About a month ago, I was sleeping a bit late on a Saturday morning, and had not let the chickens out yet - so only the Naked Necks were out in their paddock (since they have an automatic door). I was woken up at about 8am by all hell breaking loose outside - I looked out the window, and right there outside the window was a greyish fox lurking along the paddock fence. (NOTE: I live in the city limits - I saw a fox once about 12 years ago, but they are VERY unexpected here.) I raced out, scaring that fox away and finding and retrieving one (uninjured) hen walking outside the paddock near the house (I figured she had been frightened to fly out of the paddock). I did a head count and was missing one hen, and then I heard more ruckus in the back of the yard, so I headed back there and found where the NN paddock fence had fallen/been pushed down, and a trail of WAY too many feathers heading to the back. I figured she was a goner, but still followed the racket being raised by the chickens in the back coop (still locked up safe). And I was surprised to see a SECOND fox that jumped up over another sagging section of this other paddock's fencing and ran off away from me. I walked back to check that fence, and there was the Naked Neck hen, Switch, just sitting on the ground immobile and looking stunned. I swooped her up and checked her over, and was astounded to find only superficial bites and abrasions. Apparently, the second fox had heard me and had carried her to the back in his mouth so he could then dispatch her in private, before being scared off before he could do the deed. I repaired the paddock fence problems (the sagging was because of recent heavy rains moving the posts), and have kept an eye out, but they have not returned.
She's a tough little bugger - I brought her in to the chicken hospital, and within 30 minutes she was up and bored, and staring at me as if to ask "What's for lunch?" - despite the teeth marks all over her neck. She stayed in the chicken hospital about a week so she wouldn't have fly strike in the wounds (it was instructive to see the pattern of bruises and swelling, making it more clear that the fox had carried her in his mouth at some point), and is growing back her feathers finally (she looks like a little porcupine now). These photos are literally an hour after the whole thing (it's hard to see how many feathers she lost - her whole back and most of her tail was naked, save that one lone feather sticking up).
Last week I ran into a neighbor who told me that he was repairing his coop because about 3 weeks ago (same time as my attack), foxes broke into his coop and killed all 10 of his chickens. I felt very fortunate, and also very justified to have built all my coops like a paranoid person (and laying a cinder block against the doors every night as well).
Most recently, on Thursday, my very large, very smart and usually well behaved rooster Snape had to be reminded who's boss. I was in inside the coop doing something around bedtime (which I usually try to avoid, because I've found it upsets them - so, first mistake), and he pecked my shoe as a "warning". I didn't want to leave him feeling he had "won", so I managed to pick him up and hold him firm for a little while (as I have done before), which works well. But I was tired and not paying enough attention, and let him be too close to my face. He was frustrated, and so went after my lip for a peck, and I have a gash over my upper lip now. We spent a little more quality time right then ensuring he understood his place (including about 20 seconds hanging upside down). After tending my lip, I thought carefully about the exchange and what I know about him, and he's a good protective rooster and has been respectful of me in the past. My hanging him upside down clearly scared him appropriately, and he takes on a much more obvious subordinate behavior when I'm near him by the fence. I'm mostly disappointed in myself for provoking him and then for letting him be near my face which was REALLY stupid (he's big and I had misjudged his reach). So, I've got a bandage on my lip, and I've been watching him closely, since I'd rather keep him as a protector and breeder.
Other than that, I cleaned out one of the tractor coops that had gotten too stinky yesterday, and hope to muster the will power and energy to do so for a second coop today (with the goal of getting through all of them soon as a fall cleanup). I am hopefully going to find the time to build that second big coop for the egg-laying group (the Marans, younger cream leg bars, and olive egger), and give away the speckled sussex to a friend so I can move the German New Hampshire pullets in with Tank, the big sweet Naked Neck in the back coop (since I want to hatch from that cross eventually).
I thought about hatching this fall, but I am just settling down to the current number of birds and their housing (32, in five different housing units), and also feel that I should wait to let potential breeders get older (past 1 year at a minimum) to have a better evaluation of their features so I can make better breeding decisions.
So... that's all I've got. I miss you guys, but I was neglecting things with the amount of time I spent on BYC (which is a testament to how wonderful an online environment BYC is), so I'm trying to keep the time here down. I'll try to check back more often, when I can.
- Ant Farm
Now don't be a stranger
Really glad too hear from you. Sorry bout the foxes and lip. Take care and come back when you can.Hey, folks!!! 21,000+ posts behind, don't think a read-back is gonna happen... A little bird told me folks were worried about me not being on the thread - sorry! I'm fine, just super busy with work (it's a busy time of year for my teaching responsibilities, etc.), and while I've really missed it, I had to admit to myself that I was having a hard time regulating my BYC time, so I sort of went cold turkey for a while (though I occasionally pop on the Poultry Shaming thread for fun). I was actually thinking about the thread this morning - Sally, I'm baking bread! (Then I'm roasting a turkey...) So, hmmmm... what has happened with me while I've been away? (Other than boring day to day stuff.) One of the three German New Hampshire pullets (Blanche) has been convincingly mounting one of the little cream legbar girls as an act of dominance - I've heard of that happening, but first time I've seen it. Bea (a second German New Hampshire pullet) keeps insisting on trying to sleep in a tree near their coop - I have to pull her out of the tree at dusk when she does (see photo below). My friend's husband says it's because the New Hampshire state motto is "Live Free or Die".
About a month ago, I was sleeping a bit late on a Saturday morning, and had not let the chickens out yet - so only the Naked Necks were out in their paddock (since they have an automatic door). I was woken up at about 8am by all hell breaking loose outside - I looked out the window, and right there outside the window was a greyish fox lurking along the paddock fence. (NOTE: I live in the city limits - I saw a fox once about 12 years ago, but they are VERY unexpected here.) I raced out, scaring that fox away and finding and retrieving one (uninjured) hen walking outside the paddock near the house (I figured she had been frightened to fly out of the paddock). I did a head count and was missing one hen, and then I heard more ruckus in the back of the yard, so I headed back there and found where the NN paddock fence had fallen/been pushed down, and a trail of WAY too many feathers heading to the back. I figured she was a goner, but still followed the racket being raised by the chickens in the back coop (still locked up safe). And I was surprised to see a SECOND fox that jumped up over another sagging section of this other paddock's fencing and ran off away from me. I walked back to check that fence, and there was the Naked Neck hen, Switch, just sitting on the ground immobile and looking stunned. I swooped her up and checked her over, and was astounded to find only superficial bites and abrasions. Apparently, the second fox had heard me and had carried her to the back in his mouth so he could then dispatch her in private, before being scared off before he could do the deed. I repaired the paddock fence problems (the sagging was because of recent heavy rains moving the posts), and have kept an eye out, but they have not returned. She's a tough little bugger - I brought her in to the chicken hospital, and within 30 minutes she was up and bored, and staring at me as if to ask "What's for lunch?" - despite the teeth marks all over her neck. She stayed in the chicken hospital about a week so she wouldn't have fly strike in the wounds (it was instructive to see the pattern of bruises and swelling, making it more clear that the fox had carried her in his mouth at some point), and is growing back her feathers finally (she looks like a little porcupine now). These photos are literally an hour after the whole thing (it's hard to see how many feathers she lost - her whole back and most of her tail was naked, save that one lone feather sticking up).
Last week I ran into a neighbor who told me that he was repairing his coop because about 3 weeks ago (same time as my attack), foxes broke into his coop and killed all 10 of his chickens. I felt very fortunate, and also very justified to have built all my coops like a paranoid person (and laying a cinder block against the doors every night as well).
Most recently, on Thursday, my very large, very smart and usually well behaved rooster Snape had to be reminded who's boss. I was in inside the coop doing something around bedtime (which I usually try to avoid, because I've found it upsets them - so, first mistake), and he pecked my shoe as a "warning". I didn't want to leave him feeling he had "won", so I managed to pick him up and hold him firm for a little while (as I have done before), which works well. But I was tired and not paying enough attention, and let him be too close to my face. He was frustrated, and so went after my lip for a peck, and I have a gash over my upper lip now. We spent a little more quality time right then ensuring he understood his place (including about 20 seconds hanging upside down). After tending my lip, I thought carefully about the exchange and what I know about him, and he's a good protective rooster and has been respectful of me in the past. My hanging him upside down clearly scared him appropriately, and he takes on a much more obvious subordinate behavior when I'm near him by the fence. I'm mostly disappointed in myself for provoking him and then for letting him be near my face which was REALLY stupid (he's big and I had misjudged his reach). So, I've got a bandage on my lip, and I've been watching him closely, since I'd rather keep him as a protector and breeder. Other than that, I cleaned out one of the tractor coops that had gotten too stinky yesterday, and hope to muster the will power and energy to do so for a second coop today (with the goal of getting through all of them soon as a fall cleanup). I am hopefully going to find the time to build that second big coop for the egg-laying group (the Marans, younger cream leg bars, and olive egger), and give away the speckled sussex to a friend so I can move the German New Hampshire pullets in with Tank, the big sweet Naked Neck in the back coop (since I want to hatch from that cross eventually). I thought about hatching this fall, but I am just settling down to the current number of birds and their housing (32, in five different housing units), and also feel that I should wait to let potential breeders get older (past 1 year at a minimum) to have a better evaluation of their features so I can make better breeding decisions. So... that's all I've got. I miss you guys, but I was neglecting things with the amount of time I spent on BYC (which is a testament to how wonderful an online environment BYC is), so I'm trying to keep the time here down. I'll try to check back more often, when I can.
- Ant Farm
Hey Mike not sure what's up with the package but if it were eggs I'd be really worried.
Leaky faucet was fixed. I think it was just sand in the nylon washers
Quote: Glad the faucet was an easy fix. I'm not certain about the package either, it keeps. leaving the same sort facility.
Glad the faucet was an easy fix. I'm not certain about the package either, it keeps. leaving the same sort facility.
I was hoping it was my computer tracking it wrong. Guess not.
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