Life With The Flock: Lacy Duckwing's Flock Thread

[Lacy Duckwing]

Do you see it every night?

I first saw it when Phoebe was missing, then I saw it last night... Then I just saw it, AND IT GRAWLED AT ME! I chased that thing off and came in. My birds have been safely in their coop for a few hours now, so no fear there tonight. But I can't believe it grawled at me! What did it expect? Me to not do anything? I'm fuming about that thing....

 

[cluckmecoop7]

I first saw it when Phoebe was missing, then I saw it last night... Then I just saw it, AND IT GRAWLED AT ME! I chased that thing off and came in. My birds have been safely in their coop for a few hours now, so no fear there tonight. But I can't believe it grawled at me! What did it expect? Me to not do anything? I'm fuming about that thing....

You mean "growled", right?
Oh wow. That sounds dangerous!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

You mean "growled", right?
Oh wow. That sounds dangerous!

It bared it's teeth and made a threatening sound while it looked at me. Sorry, I'm not that great at spelling.
Yeah. And I'm not impressed. Chased it off last night. The flock stayed in today because I wasn't home, so they're all in the coop already. But I haven't gone out to put them on their perches yet, so I haven't seen the fox tonight yet.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Blair squatted for me this morning! I felt her, and she still gots awhile before she starts laying though. Valerie almost acted like she was squatting a couple of times today, but not enough to call it that. I felt her, and she feels sooner to laying than Blair, which didn't surprise me. What surprised me was Turbulence. She felt like she was going to be the first to lay! Then I felt Sarah, and she didn't feel even close. The Olive Eggers must be fast to mature.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

A year ago today, an Isa Brown hen was found by my Mom wondering around on a busy highway. My Mom rescued the hen and brought her home to me. The hen stunk to the high heavens, and showed signs that she's never been on a perch before. That hen was Beth II. And she's found her final home in my chicken coop. Today, is year since Beth has come here; a year of Beth.

Beth this morning, enjoying mealworms from the container.:

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

The young ladies have started to lay! Sorry for the delay in the update. I've been gone camping for the past couple of weeks. I got my first egg (that I know of) on August 15, and it was from one of the Whiting True Blues. I'm not quite sure who it was from, but I'm assuming it's from Beatrix (Bobby).

Picture below: Beth egg, Shiloh egg, and new blue egg.

I watched Valerie poop out an egg today. She was hanging out in Shiloh's nesting box like she knew what she was doing for awhile. Then Victoria jumped in with her, disturbing her. Valerie jumped out and down, then looked like she was pooping. That's when out came the egg!

Picture below: Beth and Shiloh's eggs next to Valerie's egg.

This morning the coop got cleaned after my vacation away. Victoria had laid an egg on the floor (I'm assuming a couple of days ago) and it was pretty dirty, but I was able to clean that too. Then tonight, one of the WTBs did a double egg. A double egg is when a hen lays two eggs at once. One egg will be shell less, and the other either small or deformed or both. It's actually a double yoker, just somehow the yokes are separated. This is my second double egg I've gotten.

Picture below: Victoria egg (left) next to the shelled double egg. (The shell less egg fell apart.)

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

My Whiting True Blue girls:

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Any updates?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Any updates?

Sorry about no updates in awhile. I've assumed that nobody was following anymore.

I had a pullet, Valerie, go broody. She is my youngest hen ever to go broody, and my only hen who actually laid olive eggs. She spent a weekend in broody jail and that seems to have cured her... But the past couple of nights she's begun to sleep in the nesting box. Maybe her old perch (that she's not supposed to sleep in) is too cold?

The two best beards in my flock has been plucked, including Turbulence's, who had the most impressive beard I've seen in my 10+ years of chicken keeping. Two suspects now has Pinless Peepers, and I'm gaining another suspect, though if she gets the Pinless Peepers, it'll be after Fall Photos. The two suspects with Pinless Peepers are Valerie (beards started getting plucked as soon as she got out of jail) and Victoria. My new suspect is Betty, but no evidence yet. The beards are starting to grow back, though Turbulence's isn't coming back as fast.

I taught Macy a trick. That is, "Hawk!" I stand in my chicken yard, put out my arm, and say, "Hawk!" Macy then flies up and lands on my arm like a hawk. She's not perfect, but she does it nearly every time. When it's obvious I got a treat, Marvalo and Owl will sometimes do the trick, too.

I attempted to fix Lilac's crooked toes like a Facebook post that was shared with me had said to do. Unfortunately, as soon as I tried it, I could see it wasn't going to work that great. I asked BYC about it looking for encouragement, and I basically got the same input as I already have. Therefore, Lilac's toe treatment was a fail, and she didn't receive the full treatment. I don't know what caused Lilac's crooked toes, for she didn't always have them that way. I'm assuming a nutrition deficiency. Of recent times, I've been getting concerned with Lilac's overall health.

Today I got the most eggs yet out of my flock: 15 eggs out of 19 hens, with one hen I don't think is laying yet.

I think I've covered everything. Sorry that it's long.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Sorry about no updates in awhile. I've assumed that nobody was following anymore.

I had a pullet, Valerie, go broody. She is my youngest hen ever to go broody, and my only hen who actually laid olive eggs. She spent a weekend in broody jail and that seems to have cured her... But the past couple of nights she's begun to sleep in the nesting box. Maybe her old perch (that she's not supposed to sleep in) is too cold?

The two best beards in my flock has been plucked, including Turbulence's, who had the most impressive beard I've seen in my 10+ years of chicken keeping. Two suspects now has Pinless Peepers, and I'm gaining another suspect, though if she gets the Pinless Peepers, it'll be after Fall Photos. The two suspects with Pinless Peepers are Valerie (beards started getting plucked as soon as she got out of jail) and Victoria. My new suspect is Betty, but no evidence yet. The beards are starting to grow back, though Turbulence's isn't coming back as fast.

I taught Macy a trick. That is, "Hawk!" I stand in my chicken yard, put out my arm, and say, "Hawk!" Macy then flies up and lands on my arm like a hawk. She's not perfect, but she does it nearly every time. When it's obvious I got a treat, Marvalo and Owl will sometimes do the trick, too.

I attempted to fix Lilac's crooked toes like a Facebook post that was shared with me had said to do. Unfortunately, as soon as I tried it, I could see it wasn't going to work that great. I asked BYC about it looking for encouragement, and I basically got the same input as I already have. Therefore, Lilac's toe treatment was a fail, and she didn't receive the full treatment. I don't know what caused Lilac's crooked toes, for she didn't always have them that way. I'm assuming a nutrition deficiency. Of recent times, I've been getting concerned with Lilac's overall health.

Today I got the most eggs yet out of my flock: 15 eggs out of 19 hens, with one hen I don't think is laying yet.

I think I've covered everything. Sorry that it's long.

Nice update! Thanks for sharing.