Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I now have full range of motion with my right arm! I’m still babying it a little though, being extra careful with lifting, especially at and over chest high.

I may have spoken a little too soon about having a working Jeep I’m still hearing a rubbing noise and am now leaning towards some other sort of issue, maybe with the driveshaft or in one of those other “make the wheels turn” type parts. But we do have “my” truck back, so good news there!

We skipped out on the sausage making last night, because we still weren’t able to wash our dishes from last Saturday there will be bleach... because we need those pans for tomorrow! Also my back was busy reminding me most of yesterday that I’m not 20 anymore, and that I’ve never really been cut out for prolonged hard labor!

Shoulder, Yay!

Jeep, Boo!

IKR!?
Auditory Automotive Anxiety.

 

[WhoDatChick]

So I’m back and forth with my Hoppy. Some days she gets on fine with Sammy, Missy, Mrs B, and Croppy. Other days not so much. Last night she holed up under the barn and Andrew had to shoo her out with a very long 2x4. I was a little distraught at first when we returned from picking my mom up for dinner and couldn’t find her. We gave her treats and I placed her in a cat carrier and in the brooder with my August hatched chicks. Tonight she roosted right next to my little white devil boy, like she was high up on the pecking order.

By the sounds Mrs B was making at roosting time I’m beginning to think that chicken “baby brain” is contagious. The littles were doing their “locating peeps” to settle into bed and she started purring and clucking while closing her eyes up in response to them. Sammy has been particularly defensive of the barn in the morning, but I don’t know if that’s him trying to be paternal or just being a jerk. He’s not showing much paternal interest in the June hatch babies

What is it that @WhoDatChick is always saying about chickens and crazy!

... been tryna tell yall!

 

[rjohns39]

Morning Kris

So what did I miss, glad the shoulder is better.

 

[Kris5902]

Morning Kris

So what did I miss, glad the shoulder is better.

Morning Bob! Glad you’re back

Briefly: my shoulder is much better, our Cars are all breaking down, we made some House build progress, I started another hatch, picked up yet another rooster, have been cut off from water we were volunteered for sausage making we didn’t know about, and had another random calf! I haven’t really updated much though, so I suppose I’m due for another post! But first I need to walk down to the pond and fetch water for my chickens...

 

[BlueBaby]

Morning Bob! Glad you’re back

Briefly: my shoulder is much better, our Cars are all breaking down, we made some House build progress, I started another hatch, picked up yet another rooster, have been cut off from water we were volunteered for sausage making we didn’t know about, and had another random calf! I haven’t really updated much though, so I suppose I’m due for another post! But first I need to walk down to the pond and fetch water for my chickens...

What rooster did you pick up this time? Better get that water problem settled before winter set's in up there, because your pond will be frozen.

 

[Kris5902]

Awwww, we don’t usually get that cold here @BlueBaby! And no more new Roosters, you’re all caught up but “Roostie Roo” the red meat Rooster is news to Bob!

 

[BlueBaby]

Awwww, we don’t usually get that cold here @BlueBaby! And no more new Roosters, you’re all caught up but “Roostie Roo” the red meat Rooster is news to Bob!

Well, after all of these triple digit temp's we had down here, anything is cold to me! We are down in the double digit's here this week now, at least for a few day's. I hope that we can keep it. Autumn is supposed to start on the 23rd. I'm looking forward to being able to just sit outside with my flock more, instead of just running out there to make sure they are ok and have plenty of water. The chicken's won't be panting from all of the heat bad. I'll have to move the silkies to their own coop that still need's to be built this fall.

 

[Kris5902]

Ok I’m going to have to break this up into two posts, because there’s just so many pictures! And videos... so my new Rooster “Roostie Roo” the meat boy is pretty good with his ladies, but he’s been taking advantage of Goose’s lack of mobility a little much by the change of color in her back feathers. she also has a small peck wound on the top of her head. After taking these pics, as I was leaving, he hopped up for another go then big Red started pecking the top of Goose’s head, so she’s in the Rooster box within the meat tractor for protection during the day now, with some food and water.

Sammy and his Ladies now follow me everywhere outside, constantly! And the water already tastes better in someone else’s waterer, much like the dry grass on the other side of the fence must be more tasty! Sammy just had to get his ladies drinking from my Bachelor Pen’s water, right in front of them no less, as I was refilling it. Then Croppy spotted something even better... and this time I even got some of it on film!

We also had Teen pregnancy the bovine edition... last year I kept asking if maybe we should separate Ebony from Gus now that she was over 1 year old (She’ll be 2 this December) well the answer should have been “yes” not “it’s ok, she’s still too young for him to be interested in her” because apparently she went into heat 9 months ago. She had this Beautiful baby heifer on Friday, we found her as we were heading down to set the eggs in the incubator. As a first time (and such a young) Mama, we had put her in the big field with some sheep to keep an eye on her and the calf once it was born. She has some really nice grass in there and is doing a great Job of mothering so far!

I also set 20 eggs on Friday over at Wayne’s, I’m going to have to do a bit of work to clean up the building some for chicks, but hey... I’ve got almost 3 weeks to do it... it will be fine! I’m going to be last minute scrambling again, I’m sure!

We had our worst Market so far this Saturday, with $150 in sales. Of the 12 BBQ’d sausages we sold, 8 were standing orders or to other vendors. And we had the best take by far!

Andrew is in on an emergency town trip today to pick up more casings for sausage, as his aunt surprised him by telling him she told an Abbatoir customer that “of course” we could turn her Mutton into sausage for her, which would have been fine except we were short on casings because we hadn’t planned on 150 extra lbs of sausage this month. Not complaining about the work, because we can use the extra funds, just the “surprise” nature of it and the $100+ ferry fare to go get more casings for it. So yesterday, we were making sausage, and tomorrow we will be as well in the evening, once the meat cutting is done.

We have a processing date set for the cockerels from my June/July hatch of October 3rd. If they turn out heavy enough to cover costs ( but not too optimistic on that) then we might have the last Hatch done up for sale as well, if not then they will be done at home for personal use only, and I will just figure that cost into a savings on our food bill (because if I wasn’t growing chicken, I’d need to be buying it as it’s one of our preferred meats)

 

[WhoDatChick]

Ok I’m going to have to break this up into two posts, because there’s just so many pictures! And videos... so my new Rooster “Roostie Roo” the meat boy is pretty good with his ladies, but he’s been taking advantage of Goose’s lack of mobility a little much by the change of color in her back feathers. she also has a small peck wound on the top of her head. After taking these pics, as I was leaving, he hopped up for another go then big Red started pecking the top of Goose’s head, so she’s in the Rooster box within the meat tractor for protection during the day now, with some food and water. View attachment 1903667

View attachment 1903671 View attachment 1903669

View attachment 1903668

Sammy and his Ladies now follow me everywhere outside, constantly! And the water already tastes better in someone else’s waterer, much like the dry grass on the other side of the fence must be more tasty! Sammy just had to get his ladies drinking from my Bachelor Pen’s water, right in front of them no less, as I was refilling it. Then Croppy spotted something even better... and this time I even got some of it on film!View attachment 1903666

We also had Teen pregnancy the bovine edition... last year I kept asking if maybe we should separate Ebony from Gus now that she was over 1 year old (She’ll be 2 this December) well the answer should have been “yes” not “it’s ok, she’s still too young for him to be interested in her” because apparently she went into heat 9 months ago. She had this Beautiful baby heifer on Friday, we found her as we were heading down to set the eggs in the incubator. As a first time (and such a young) Mama, we had put her in the big field with some sheep to keep an eye on her and the calf once it was born. She has some really nice grass in there and is doing a great Job of mothering so far!

View attachment 1903665

I also set 20 eggs on Friday over at Wayne’s, I’m going to have to do a bit of work to clean up the building some for chicks, but hey... I’ve got almost 3 weeks to do it... it will be fine! I’m going to be last minute scrambling again, I’m sure!

We had our worst Market so far this Saturday, with $150 in sales. Of the 12 BBQ’d sausages we sold, 8 were standing orders or to other vendors. And we had the best take by far!

Andrew is in on an emergency town trip today to pick up more casings for sausage, as his aunt surprised him by telling him she told an Abbatoir customer that “of course” we could turn her Mutton into sausage for her, which would have been fine except we were short on casings because we hadn’t planned on 150 extra lbs of sausage this month. Not complaining about the work, because we can use the extra funds, just the “surprise” nature of it and the $100+ ferry fare to go get more casings for it. So yesterday, we were making sausage, and tomorrow we will be as well in the evening, once the meat cutting is done.

We have a processing date set for the cockerels from my June/July hatch of October 3rd. If they turn out heavy enough to cover costs ( but not too optimistic on that) then we might have the last Hatch done up for sale as well, if not then they will be done at home for personal use only, and I will just figure that cost into a savings on our food bill (because if I wasn’t growing chicken, I’d need to be buying it as it’s one of our preferred meats)

So fun to watch them chase a bug... especially when they are determined and don’t give up... mine give up very quickly! And. Oh. My... that baby calf ... so happy that worked out with her being so young...

 

[BY Bob]

So this is my morning feeding of the littles, with “help” from Sammy and his ladies. Hoppy actually snuck in and was trying to pretend she was a little. And they aren’t so little anymore, she is actually smaller than a few of the younger ones! Please forgive the shaky camera work, I was still working left handed.

And I moved the 21 new chicks up to the barn tonight, and delivered the 10 to the other person.

And here are my Free Range “Forest Chickens” @BY Bob this one’s for you! Can’t hardly see his CCL daddy in him at all. Sammy decided it was all about him (he’s a little vain!)

These videos are awesome. Sammy is right, he's gorgeous. I love those wattles. Sorry it took me so long to catch up. Only 6 more pages to go.