Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[BlueBaby]

Our TV is on, but hubby is still watching the Nascar cup race.

 

[BlueBaby]

@Kris5902 We are starting to cool down a bit out here now, so it won't be too much longer until the Canadian snowbird's start coming down. They like to do the rodeo thing roping the steer's.

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning Kris

 

[BY Bob]

Good morning Bob.

It's broody breaking day. Going to be fun times at Fluffy Butt Acres.

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning Bob.

It's broody breaking day. Going to be fun times at Fluffy Butt Acres.

Thankfully, I've had very little of that here.

 

[Kris5902]

I would love to try hatching with a broody! If only I could convince one of the girls to sit for a while. Sometimes Hoppy will “act” a little broody, but she seems to take no interest in setting or chicks. She will make mama hen noises and sit on the eggs for a few hours.... then off she goes for a little Forest scavenging and big hunting. And she pecks at chicks I’ve tried to give her. I let her in with my June hatchlings for a while once they were a bit bigger, but she got frustrated and really wanted out to free range. If I lived close enough, and there wasn’t that pesky border and customs issue (“ma’am, why is your purse cheeping?” ) I’d totally give you some chicks to slip under her @BY Bob then you would have another chance for green eggs!

I reckon about 25% will lay green, if I’ve got my genetics figured out properly. Most of the hatchlings were Sapphire (CCLxLH) x BCM so I’m thinking that about 1/4 of the girls should get the Dominant Blue gene from the Crested Cream Legbar grandsire on the hens side. Or I could be way off and there are going to be lots of brown eggs in my future for 2020!

Yesterday I had to make an early morning run to the other side of the island for chick bathing. Someone got the shell gooped up and stuck on to them but good. Today it’s a trip over with nutridrench for some curled toes. I’m fairly certain it’s a riboflavin deficiency in the hen that laid the egg causing it. The person I’m hatching with feeds a lot of scraps and hasn’t had layer pellets in a while. It’s gotten awfully chilly here the last few days, so I’m a little concerned about the chicks. I’m also going to bring two sheets of styrofoam insulation board to put around the outside of the brooder totes.

Tomorrow we will be doing another batch of soap for the November Christmas market with the little one after school. Should be fun.

 

[Kris5902]

@Kris5902 We are starting to cool down a bit out here now, so it won't be too much longer until the Canadian snowbird's start coming down. They like to do the rodeo thing roping the steer's.

Must be the Albertans... and the way our weather has turned, the temptation is great indeed! We haven’t started to hit freezing temperatures yet, but it’s definitely not summer here anymore! Too cold for me, time to migrate? Given the choice I would probably move south. Louisiana, Georgia, Coastal Texas, or Florida are all fairly high up on my list. I like a humid heat... I know, I’m weird! I don’t think I could handle your summers though.

I’ve only ever visited those states in late August and Early September, and I quite enjoyed the temperatures. Andrew, not so much (and he doesn’t like the gun laws in the USA either). I Also loved how everyone would abandon the hotel pool/hot tubs when it would start to rain. Suddenly I had the whole pool to myself! You’re in a pool or hot tub, you’re already wet... what difference does a little more water make? And it’s not like it was a cold rain!

 

[rjohns39]

I tried to use a broody once. I didn't do it right and it didn't turn out well for the chicks. This particular hen was devout and living in the convent. So I stole her eggs and gave her fertile eggs from the breeding pen. She quit about half way through and another hen took over. Four hatched and she mothered them well for the first week or so, then she took them into main population and wasn't able to protect them properly. I learned a lot from it but at the expense of the chicks. Pretty much planning on sticking with the bator and brooder going forward.

Kris, keep a close eye on your temps and how much heat you have available for the chicks. We're still having 38C+ days here in the afternoon, so fighting pasty butt on the babies and then one night last week it dropped overnight to 10C and I just didn't have enough heat in the brooder to combat the cold. So I lost a bunch. I'm down to 18 now. I'm hoping the guy still shows up to buy them as he was wanting 25.

 

[Kris5902]

Good morning Kris

Morning Bob!
One day I’m going to manage to surprise you with a good morning first, time difference or no! Ok, honestly that’s more likely to happen if I just manage to stay up past midnight here one day! And I though getting up at 5 (well before the chooks, even) would do it today!

 

[rjohns39]

Morning Bob!
One day I’m going to manage to surprise you with a good morning first, time difference or no! Ok, honestly that’s more likely to happen if I just manage to stay up past midnight here one day! And I though getting up at 5 (well before the chooks, even) would do it today!

Sorry Kris I start at 4:30 Central time pretty much all the time.