Kristen’s Chickens and Farming Ventures

[BY Bob]

Those 6 girls were completely out, and it was fully dried and filthy! I don’t know how long they have been without water, maybe as many as 3 days according to my mother. They also had no food.

 

[Ribh]

I do the same. It makes a better target for them.

We probably all do it Bob. The joy of recognition.

 

[BlueBaby]

Breakfast treats for Roostie

Every morning I hand feed Roostie some pellets and usually Shanti needs lured out of the Roosting box with them as well. I’m a very bad Chicken Mama. We ran out of feed, because of the holiday on Monday and a tight budget. Yesterday they all got whole-wheat bread, soaked with eggs, and what remained in their feeders in the morning, then I went and “borrowed” a bucket of feed from the farm. Yes, without asking... I feed and support 2/3 of their flock without compensation, so it’s not as bad as it seems. Andrew was to feed them on returning after dropping me at work.

This was my first time in the coop since they jacked it up, replaced the rotting supports, “cleaned it” (sure they did) and confined the 6 new girls there for the rest of their lives without any outside access. Y’all know how I feel about that one. Well the 6 girls have a 5gallon waterer, my 13 chickens use 3’s (easier to move). Mine will empty it in about 3 days in this weather. Those 6 girls were completely out, and it was fully dried and filthy! I don’t know how long they have been without water, maybe as many as 3 days according to my mother. They also had no food. Needless to say, despite my “not going to interfere with their ‘the way it’s always been, that chicken door was never used, they never went outside’ (despite their own stories of free range mean roosters and owls that flew into the coop) chicken husbandry” I corrected this immediately. I can’t watch an animal suffer like that and do nothing, even if it isn’t my “place”, I’m not a “farmer”, and I don’t know S***! So that was my repayment for my “borrowed” feed.

Andrew forgot. Completely, both to get our water on the way home and to feed the chickens. They went very short yesterday. So short in fact, I fed Sammy and Barney’s groups at 10 pm and lit the tractors up with my phone and the car headlights. Everyone in the roosting boxes was too asleep to feed. They all got an early start today though, and are happily stuffed, but I still feel awful that they didn’t go to bed full last night. I’m still doing better than the farm, not that that is setting the bar very high!

So here is my chunky boy and his curvy ladies getting hand fed treats. It also shows what I mean about how vicious Shanti is in feeding... Gobbler is completely focused on the feeder, human or no, and even Roostie isn’t as gentle as usual.

Poor chicken's! My flock has never known even one day without having all the feed or water that they want. I don't limit them, plus they get other treat's on the side, and that's usually mixed up into some wet feed for them. Today's treat was crushed hard boiled egg's (shell and all) with some sliced up cabbage into the wet feed.

 

[rjohns39]

Kris, again I'm without words, but truly understand

 

[Kris5902]

WTH is 'Corey'?
Cars unlocked with keys left in?!

Almost always... it becomes an issue when you go to town though, because you remember to lock the doors, but forget to take the key out of the ignition Now I get out, lock the door and say “keys?” Whenever we are off island before shutting the door I need to see them outside the vehicle! Annoys the heck out of Andrew, but we haven’t Locked them in in over a year (knock on wood, he’s in town today alone!)

“Corey” is a who... when he’s here staying with his family, things go missing, and that’s when the doors start to get locked, and tools and such aren’t left in unlocked vehicles.

 

[aart]

“Corey” is a who... when he’s here staying with his family, things go missing, and that’s when the doors start to get locked, and tools and such aren’t left in unlocked vehicles.

Ah....Yeah.....Who The Heck

 

[Kris5902]

We probably all do it Bob. The joy of recognition.

Yep, I think it’s universal!

Poor chicken's! My flock has never known even one day without having all the feed or water that they want. I don't limit them, plus they get other treat's on the side, and that's usually mixed up into some wet feed for them. Today's treat was crushed hard boiled egg's (shell and all) with some sliced up cabbage into the wet feed.

Some of mine are rationed (primarily looking at Roostie and his ladies, and the Littles, so I can make sure they are eating enough, and meat birds when I have them) but everyone only had about 1/4-1/3 their normal amount of feed that morning, plus the “treats” to tide them over until DH got back to feed them, if he had remembered. He did stand outside with me shining the lights for the midnight snacking, but still this is why I don’t often go away! Didn’t ease my guilt much letting them out early either...

 

[BlueBaby]

Yep, I think it’s universal!



Some of mine are rationed (primarily looking at Roostie and his ladies, and the Littles, so I can make sure they are eating enough, and meat birds when I have them) but everyone only had about 1/4-1/3 their normal amount of feed that morning, plus the “treats” to tide them over until DH got back to feed them, if he had remembered. He did stand outside with me shining the lights for the midnight snacking, but still this is why I don’t often go away! Didn’t ease my guilt much letting them out early either...

I can understand about those bigger meat bird's. You have to keep those girl's on feed ration's if you want them to live to get old enough to start laying egg's that you can hatch out more from. Mine are dual-purpose, so I want my egg's to be good and the chick's healthy when I hatch.

 

[aart]

The “W” always reads as what to me in that abbreviation.

What or Who....context matters Was pretty sure Corey was a Who.
...and is H always read as Heck or Hell?

 

[Kris5902]

Ah....Yeah.....Who The Heck

The “W” always reads as what to me in that abbreviation. He’s a guy, about my age, so mid 30’s to 40’s, and part of one of the larger and older families here. He’s mostly a problem in the more public places and more highly populated part of the island.

I should say, there are a few other times things do actually get locked. Like the Lamb BBQ... it’s an annual event that attracts about 2000 people (in addition to all the “weekenders and summer people”) and is one of the few times the farmhouse gets locked we also block the gates to the Farm with the tractors, and take the keys out of those, Prevents too much shenanigans from tourists trespassing and bothering the livestock etc.