Maine

[Widget]

Just came home from the TSC in Scarborough. They have ducklings and chicks for sale. No idea on breeds since I really didn't look too close. What I did see looked healthy with plenty of clean shavings, fresh food and water.

 

[hoppy]

what a beautiful day outside today. cleaned pens, moved some roosters around. should have some more pretty chicks in a few weeks from the new pairings.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Yup I did a nice big cleaning of all the coops and brooders yesterday. The chicks from New Years (not really chicks anymore, but the showgirls still look like baby chicks size-wise) are outside with the big girls in the coop and run and they are loving the sunshine today. Must have put everyone in a good mood because no one seems to care that there's 7 "intruders."

The Valentines Day chicks I hatched should be ready to sell at the next swap as pullets. Most of them are olive eggers.

This whole week coming up looks so fantastic, and Friday/Saturday... 60s!

 

[hoppy]

most of my girls slacked off today. only got 2 eggs. i expect tomorrow should be very busy in the nestboxes. I added my mauve pullet to the big coop with the new black wyandotte roo. one of my bantams (old english) just a little pea of a thing, was standing up to the new rooster who is 5 times her size. he's huge. he barely fits in a standard cat carrier, and only does laying down. that's one big bird.
Ticks are out so be looking for them!!!

Yup I did a nice big cleaning of all the coops and brooders yesterday. The chicks from New Years (not really chicks anymore, but the showgirls still look like baby chicks size-wise) are outside with the big girls in the coop and run and they are loving the sunshine today. Must have put everyone in a good mood because no one seems to care that there's 7 "intruders."

The Valentines Day chicks I hatched should be ready to sell at the next swap as pullets. Most of them are olive eggers.

This whole week coming up looks so fantastic, and Friday/Saturday... 60s!

 

[Gordonhillfarm]

yuk ticks already !!!

 

[annabananaandfamily]

We all must have been bit by the spring cleaning bug! We did a coop overhaul this weekend too! Massive clean out and my husband built me a couple of feeders, hung the waterer from the ceiling, and built new nest boxes and roosts in preparation for the arrival of new chickens (CANT WAIT FOR SWAP WEEKEND!!!!). Also put up a run for the dogs and cleared some more ground for the pending chicken run. It was a busy, but very productive weekend!

 

[joanie_maine]

Thank goodness for this warm weather!!

I spent yesterday and today sorting birds

Some went into breeding pens.....funny how hens have to do the "pecking order" everytime a new bird or two are added.

I still have too many bantam cochin cockerels, but hopefully I can give them away at the swaps.

I like to get all my birds out of cages and into pens, so they get exercise.


Next task will be to choose birds to prepare birds for the CMBF Show at the end of May

 

[hoppy]

yes, have to start thinking about what I'm going to show. not sure I have much, might just leave that up to my son, we'll see. my black wyandotte roo was put in the outside run yesterday, first time he's been outside since he arrived in maine a few months ago. this morning he wasn't watching where he was walking and fell off the ramp.lol. guess he forgot to look down.

 

[m.kitchengirl]

We are enjoying this weather here, too.
I did major yard & coop clean up & figured out what I want the new coop set up to look like.
Now I am chomping at the bit to finish the project. I have this whole week off from work, so I plan to collect materials & move the current duck house down to its new location.

After a lot of debate I decided I am not cut out for breeding, and really just want ducks for eggs to use in my baking. Tomorrow I am taking my drake to live with a breeder and am getting a young buff duck in exchange. He has been in a bachelor pen all afternoon and it is as if a huge weight has been lifted from the yard. The girls are much more friendly (we played duck sprinkler for the first time in... 5 months) and have been all over the yard with me today, happy as clams.

When the chicken coop is built & duck house is expanded I will have a small prefab coop left over in the fall out. I would like to convert it into a rabbit house for my Holland Lop. She is enjoying some outside time today & I feel awful having her in the house anymore. She looks so happy out there. While the old "coop" is a bit too small for the chickens now it would be a palace for the bunny.

That being said, what would be the best way to de-funk it & remove the chicken germs before I repaint? Should I repaint or just scrape the gunk, and give it a good cleaning? If I can paint, what kind of paint would you recommend?

 

[Widget]

A co-worker's wife works for the Windham school department and is thinking about hatching out some eggs for the kids. She has done this in the past and met with great success. I have offered her my incubator to use but I don't have any fertile eggs for her to hatch. So does anyone have any eggs available for her? Breed not important. Mutts certainly welcome. I am just waiting to hear back if the school will even let her do this. It has never been an issue but who knows with the way rules change.