Kentucky people

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Good luck

Wish me luck too - one of the smaller jap pullets got really cold, and she isn't looking too good. I've had the brooder lamp on all day, but she follows the others around and when everyone went back to bed, she was outside hiding under the chicken ramp all by herself - it doesn't look good for her. I hope she is ok, I put her under the lamp, again.

I may have to just bring her inside, but I thought she might feel better with the others to snuggle with. It might stress her out more to be alone. I'll go and check on her in a little bit, and if she is out from under the lamp, I'll just bring her in and put a lamp on her inside. She was only a little poofy looking this morning, so I figured she would warm herself up and be ok. I even made them warm oatmeal for breakfast,

but they refused to eat it - the big hens gobbled it up, though.

I had a mother hen like Bertha, too - luckily I had another hen who'd been sitting her eggs, also, so she took over. Had two hatch out of 5 - one died during pip (she squashed the egg and it never got out right), and the other two I think were just bad eggs - I never candled them, just left em under the hen.

Well, I hope your babies are all ok.

Peace -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

My little jap pullet was acting that way today as well, and crying a lot. I was thinking of putting her in with the baby guineas, but I couldn't catch her. If she is still like that tomorrow, I will probably keep them locked up till Cris gets home from school, so he can get in the tractor and grab her. Hope yours gets better!! I have one egg in the bator of Bertha's that is peeping and zipping like crazy!!
<edit> Oh I just checked, and lookey what I found!!

Isn't that sweet? Don't know where a black one came from. These are all from dad's RIRs and SLWs pen!!

<edit> It could be the one egg that was hers, but it doesn't have nay feathering on its legs?

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Awwww - babies are so adorable!! (I had to save the pic and lighten it to see the baby, LOL).

Maybe the daddy didn't have feathered legs? You said (I think) that Bertha is your only cochin.

I can't wait until spring so I can move coops crews again. I want to keep the banties in the main coop through the winter, because it is easier to heat. Come spring, though, I am thinking those cochins need to get up in the main coop so they can get out more. Gotta give them equal time - of course, by then I can free range them, I've been holding off freeranging them because of the roos, and because I am not sure how George and his ladies will take them. Unless they start the fight, George is cool, though. But his hens can be nasty to newcomers!!

The spitz's too - they are always trying to get out, LOL when I had them in the upper coop they would sleep out in the run, just to be outside. Weird chickens. With the spitzs I want some fertile eggs before they can go out, LOL just in case they don't get back inside - ever. I wouldn't put it past them to take to the trees, so to speak.
Cochins are easier to catch, LOL.

Congrats on the babies!!!
Peace -
Meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

She is, but so far all her chicks (that I know of) have at least had feathers down the sides of their legs. Maybe it is from the SLW? Idk, the other chick that is out there with her is a light grey color. Sorry about the pic

I tried taking one with the flash, and it was completely white!! Guess the glare washed it out or something lol. Hope your baby does ok!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Well, when I checked on her after posting (about 9:00), she was huddled up with the other tiny pullet under the lamp. They looked ok, but when I went back to check on her at about 11:30-ish, before bed, she was dead. The other one seems to be doing ok, I guess I got the heat lamp turned on fast enough to save her (I hope). I knew it was gonna get cold, I should have taken into account how tiny she was

My fault.

The other tiny one seems to be ok this morning, though, a little poofed, but not like the other one was. She is running around (inside only) with the other japs. They all slept up on top of the brooder cage (the three bigger ones) and seem to be doing great.

If your tiny baby dies, you can have this tiny baby back so you have a duo at least

That will leave me with -- an extra roo!!

gee, that hasn't EVER happened before.

Let me know how your little one did overnight - MAN it got cold!!

ETA - after I took out the dead chickie last night, Nana came out from her sleeping place and cuddled with the lone tiny jap - she is such a sweet baby. She probably saved the other baby's life - all them fluffy feathers, ya know.

ETA again - When I get done catching up on here, I'm gonna go out and add another bag of shavings to each coop. I know it's gonna warm up again this weekend, but it can't hurt to have stuff to burrow into. I'll be out of bags of shavings after that, gonna have to make a run to Day&Day this next week for more. (I usually buy 10 bags at a time - get a slight discount)

Peace -
Meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Well, that didn't take long. Worked up a sweat, though - those bales of shavings aren't light.

I put one bale each into the coops, and added some pretty orchard grass hay to the nest boxes - looks so darn cozy I might sleep out there, myself, tonight

I had the extra orchard grass because Ms. Stella the Cow is going to the butchers either this afternoon or tomorrow morning.
WOOHOO!! We figured it up and we'll be paying about $2.10 per pound for her meat. I bought plain old hamburger the other day and it was $2.49 a pound!!!

I guess this means we'll be doing this again. It wasn't THAT bad, just stinky at times, and she is HUGE and has no idea that she is so big (she is also very stoopid, LOL - sweet but stoopid). It got to the point where you didn't dare go into her pen or she would "love ya up" and knock ya down. Umm, sweetie, ya got HORNS and ya weigh 800 pounds!! Excuse me!!!

peace-
meri

 

[shelleyd2008]

Well she was still alive when I went out this morning. All the babies (japs and silkies) were piled up in a corner of their tractor (so cute). The pullet still looks kind of fluffed up, but she is hanging in there. I don't have a box or anything for them to sleep in though, I need to make one, to get them off the ground. I do cover the tractor with plastic to block the wind, but not sure how much that helps. We had frost on the windows when I took Cris to the bus. I can't believe we are getting frost already!

I tried the warm oatmeal breakfast, but none of them really liked it. The mama hens just scratched a bunch of dirt in it. The baby japs and silkies looked at it like it was poison.

I couldn't keep mine locked up if I wanted to! I went to take the, then cold, oatmeal out of their tractor, and they all came rushing out!! Oh well, gets them moving around, maybe they'll stay warmer that way!

I might have to get rid of all my animals. my dad is pretty far behind on his land payment ( a fat he DID NOT let me in on before I moved her!), and he can't seem to find any help. He has tried getting loans, no luck. Even tried to file bankruptcy, but they said they can't help. So looks like we will get to move again, more than likely. Really sucks. If I have to get rid of pets again, I SWEAR I am never getting animals again!!

 

[cthrash1]

Sorry to hear about your baby Meri... :aww Mine are doing okay so far, they, the Ameraucanas, and LucyToo are in the red coop outside the fence at night now. Raoul has decided he liked sleeping in the big house since I put that perch in. I have got to get the ducks housing finished really soon because as it is ...Stupid me...where I positioned the cages I can't get their tray out to clean it and it is smelling...SHEW!! I decided to split the crate down the middle the long way and have four 2 1/2 x 3 sections and one 2 x 5 section on the end. I can get one more section this way and they stay a decent size. Otherwise I would have only had four 2 x 5 sections and it would have been harder to catch the ducks or eight 2 x 2 1/2 and I thought that would be too small.
Cindy

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
That would really suck if ya had to move.

The way the economy is now, I know of at least three people who have had to "lose" their farms out by me. One got really sick, couldn't work, lost his farm (had to move in with his mother in law - talk about degrading!! poor guy)
Another farm just went on the market - the guy had about 25 horses out in his field, they are all gone, not sure where he sold them to - ya can't give a horse away down here anymore - especially this time of year.

I have savings (I'm retired) and with how things are, I am so tempted to just bury all my money out back in a mason jar!! I never know if one of the banks I have it in will fail, too, or not. And as for FDIC - I dont trust that enough to sleep easy. Hubby says no, though, he says to just let it stay in the bank.

I don't want to have to go try to find a job at this point, I waited a long time and did the "get rid of debt" thing - I don't want to go back to work just to keep what I got (taxes, feed for critters, bills) Thankfully everything we own right now is free and clear.

I'll be praying for ya.

Peace -
Meri

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
Yeah, I heard ducks make a mess - one reason hubby doesn't want them. If the economy keeps going like it is, though, we may be doing more of our own "food growing" though, so I may get ducks after all. It is supposed to warm up again this weekend, though, so you'll probably be able to get the coop done.

I'm really happy about the cow cost/pound thing. I expected it would cost more than that, and not be worth it, but that is the cost of her, her feed, processing, etc... and it still came out cheaper than I can buy hamburger at the store. I can put up with the extra chores and smell and such if it is gonna save me money and feed my family. She wasn't THAT much trouble. Hubby mentioned expanding the pasture and putting in three of them next spring - so we can sell two of them to defray some of the cost even more.

I'll definately be doing meat chickens next spring. And I been going back and forth over whether I want a goat or not - I am thinking maybe we BETTER get a couple of them for milk and selling the babies for extra bill paying money.

I don't mind work - just don't want to punch someone else's time clock.

The world is going to pot - tained milk in everything, poison in other foods (even animal food and baby food) - makes ya want to go back and do EVERYTHING the old way - and not have to depend on any other disaster not affecting your families. That's why I belong to a couple of self sufficiency forums - ya get some great ideas from those.

I just hope our neighbors are all doing ok, I haven't talked to many of them lately (been so busy), and we all sort of barter and trade among ourselves - it's a good community, I'd hate to see one of them lose their farm, too.

Wow, what a downer morning, eh? Sorry if I added to it, LOL

Chin up -
Meri