Your daughter handled that better than I am handling my know-it-all. Good luck with your in-school field trip..
I think she just wants to hear herself talk.... I just wish she would TALK to someone else!!The only topics that we don't discuss is anything offensive or not for children's ears. We keep discussions family clean per BYCs guidelines. Aside from that, we have bee keepers, I keep goats, pigs, a cow and donkey. Several species of poultry and waterfowl. You betcha we talk about it all
I think I would start candling the eggs, I have had them hatch up to 5 days late.
LOL! Yummy, ok!
I cannot possibly see how a hen could lay different colors. Shades, yes. Colors no.
I am so sorry hearing about your leaks, its so frustrating.
EE are such a mix, its possible there is a bantam gene in there.
1: I guess if he don't get any bigger I could always let him be a buddy for Bubbles and Lacy?? Just cant get over he looks like he is going to break at any time.1. Regarding the little EE:
Could just be a small bird. Bantams had to come from somewhere; so to with Chihuahuas. Many things can stunt a bird's growth as well, such as some infections, worms, competition from other chicks, etc. Some birds grow slower than others, also. You would never guess how big an Orpington, Cochin, Jersey Giant or Brahma will get by looking at their baby pictures taken next to CXs. My EE chicks tend to tower over my Brahmas for a few months (before that dreaded delayed puberty and growth spurt send the Brahmas reaching for the stars, that is). Just wait it out. He'll either get bigger, or he won't. If he does; great (easier time mating your girls--unless he gets too big, in which case: yay for comic relief!). If he doesn't, that's also great (yay for smaller feed bills and comic relief!).
2. Sweet Pea
Yay! I just came by a pair of Cochins (cue "Simply Irresistible"), and they are such doll babies
3. The Crazy Lady with the Swiss Army Laying Hen of a Different Color:
I have girls which give some markedly different shades and hues on a day-to-day basis. Some browns turn to white or pink. I have a green (sometimes greener, bluer, purpler or grayer, depending on state of her superpowered flux capacitor of immaculate eggcoloring) layer who gives me white, gray, brown, sky blue or pink speckles on her eggs (sometimes even more than one color speckle on the same egg). One Wellie occasionally lays eggs that are only speckled on one side or are two-toned like 60's sunglasses. Miracles happen (even if they don't happen anywhere near as often as mistakes). It's not a big deal. If she wants to see the image of Christ and the Virgin Mary in her shower mold, so be it. If her hen lays golden eggs, let her try to sell them to the pawn shop and see what happens (and bring popcorn).
You're a great lady (and, barring miraculous cosmic crazy scenarios, almost certainly correct), but there is no reason to waste your effort arguing with this lady. You have plenty of other troubles heaped on you right now without bothering to argue this lady into the ground over something this silly. Throw a tarp over your shed, scatter some orange peels around Blackbeard, and hold Sweet Pea until you feel like you won't slap the living expletives out of the lady (with her screeching magic hen!).
IMO I would close it up when the temp drops to - temps, or if your birds show signs of being cold ( puffing up feathers or huddling together or not wanting to come out of the coop. ) other wise I wouldn't.
Try this link:
If the wind doesn't blow into the coop when the door is open, then I wouldn't think it needs closed unless we are talking stupid cold like -20F. If the wind does blow in, I'd try to figure out a way to block the wind rather than remove access to the run. Your chickens will decide when they need to stay inside. Probably when that white stuff comes down. Mine think it's poisonous and can't for the life of them figure out why the ducks and turkeys would risk their lives to go out in it.
Darn! Hopefully he will learn that chickens aren't prey.
