Maine

[ashandvine]

Back from my 'weekend getaway' and all the chickens survived BF! (this really is amazing. he is such a city boy)

So I missed all the cookies and hedemora and appear to be locked into getting a slickie for my daughter. Hoppy, you have moved up from "Enabler" to "Outfitter." I did not miss the snow and am glad it left. If only snow were more like our inlaws; show up just for holidays and then you never see them again.

I didn't exactly escape chicken duty. My gf has two silkies in her house at night, both cockerels, and one crows in the morning hours. A very annoying crow too. Then my gf, like so many of us, has had issues with worms and lice, so I medicated all her birds before leaving. It was funny. I have about 30ish birds here. I take care of them with a little help from my son and occasionally my daughter. My gf was recruiting everyone for part of the job to squirt meds into the mouths of about 12. (okay, you catch, you keep track of who got it, you squirt.) I just went in the pen and started catching and squirting and releasing while she was stood there bemused. I catch, tuck into my lap, open beak with one hand, squirt with the other and release. Ta da! Chicken duty done in under 15 minutes. What was really funny was when she asked me how I knew who I had done and who I hadn't. Ummmm. All her birds are different. It was not hard.

Anyone looking for a Black Silkie cockerel who is out of Catdance Silkies? I saw this bird. He looked pretty good. I would think a bigger crest might be better but his tail and legs were great. OH and get this: a man actually called me and ASKED me for a rooster.

 

[hoppy]

Puff (janice) certainly is an unconventative slickie, (is that even a word?) she is the only one of the group that never would stay in the right pen (sweetest girl) but I couldn't have her pen hopping.

Hi Hoppy,

Wanted to let you know that I was very surprised to see the light splash sizzle, the one you were calling Puff, up on the top roost with my bantam cochins. She had been sleeping on the floor with the roo & the other sizzle. I also found her in one of the top nesting boxes which is about 3 feet off the floor. She's a funny little bird. Talks to us all the time. We call her Janice after the character on Friends "ohhh...myyy....gawwwddd" who talked all the time. We are enjoying all of them!! Even hubby who was not too keen on the idea but gave in when he realized resistance was futile!

The roo was very cute when I threw bread in the pen. He started making happy noises and walking around with a big piece to show all the girls.

 

[hoppy]

Hi I'm hoppy, I am a chicken outfitter... what size and how many do you need?


sounds like you might be a chicken outfitter too- man looking for a rooster, hopefully not a roaster.

So I missed all the cookies and hedemora and appear to be locked into getting a slickie for my daughter. Hoppy, you have moved up from "Enabler" to "Outfitter."

OH and get this: a man actually called me and ASKED me for a rooster.

 

[hoppy]

this is a crosspost:

Central Maine Bird Fanciers is holding a Holiday Auction after its monthly Pot Luck and Meeting this Sunday, Nov. 18th at the Evening Star Grange Hall in Washington, ME. Pot luck start at noon, followed by a short meeting. Auction will most likely start around 1 pm. Proceeds for this auction go to the club's operating expense account. The auction is open to the public and will include lots of different items, including poultry and poultry items. If you need directions, email me at [email protected]

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Hi I'm hoppy, I am a chicken outfitter... what size and how many do you need?


sounds like you might be a chicken outfitter too- man looking for a rooster, hopefully not a roaster.

Ooooh one for me, please.

 

[ashandvine]

Hi I'm hoppy, I am a chicken outfitter... what size and how many do you need?

sounds like you might be a chicken outfitter too- man looking for a rooster, hopefully not a roaster.

ha ha. He wanted a rooster because he lost his and had seen some of my birds. I think I can set him up with a roaster rooster or just a rooster. So far all mine are getting along well enough. They are still let out a lot and I have separate pens for them when I have to keep them enclosed.
So... Outflitters by Hoppy. Got a coupon? Alright... so when should I plan to be enslaved by the little slickie you have for my daughter? I will bring sunglasses and avoid eye contact. It was so difficult not bringing home one of my friend's Silkies. She kept going over there and trying to feed them-- my daughter, the italian mother of all fluffy things!

 

[longgrove]

Friday was a bad bad day. I let the pulets/hens out at 8 from thier armored coop, as usual. When my helper came at 10, she found most of the girls up on tsir roost in the coop. Rue, the EE who has been laying the aqua eggs, was in the pen eith a white weasel trying to chew her head off. Robin shut the coop door and freed Rue. Rue is hurt pretty severly, I think her big muff thwarted the weasels attempts to rip her throat out but it ate her ear lobes and made a big rip on the head and a little one on the left side of her head. i cleaned her wounds, after a short rest, and treated them. She now is in the other rabbit cage, on top of the first that holds Reggie Roo. She made it through the night and is drinking water but seems dazed and not eating yet. I don't know if she will make it. Before trying to eat Rue, the miserable thing broke the neck of my sweet little Polly (the buff silkie) who couldn't fly up to the roost and was across the pen, with no wounds but a broken neck. I hate weasels.

I plan to learn how to fire Jim's shotgun and if it comes back hope to stop it from hurting any more chickens. They don't just kill to eat but kill for the fun of it. When we had shut up the chickens, the blood lust was strong and the blasted thing found a way into the utility room, trying to find a way in to them. ( The utility room is between my bedroom and the back porch that I have converted into the coop) The miserable thing poped out from behind the freezer, not 4 feet from Robin and I, and stared at us brazenly. We yelled at it and it scooted. Seconds later, it appeared in the front yard. I'm not sure if it was one or a pair. It was small, a bit smaller than the pet ferrets I've seen. I suspect it/they may be juveniles from this years litter. Inexperience may eplain why the killing was awkward.

Now I'm out my intended broody and my green egg layer. it makes me so mad to see Rue suffering. If anyone has available, would be interested in a silkie pullet/hen (or a slickie) to be my broody and a Cream legbar, Ameraucana or EE roo as Reggie the roo still cannot stand, though he seems otherwise healthy.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I plan to learn how to fire Jim's shotgun and if it comes back hope to stop it from hurting any more chickens.

I'm sorry you had this happen but glad you were able to intervene. You should have someone show you how to use the shotgun (hopefully that's what you meant with the above statement) or set up a live trap. You may be able to call animal control (if you're a legal operation) and have them come out and set up a live trap for you.

 

[snowpetals907]

If you were closer I'd be happy to trap the weasels in your area. Maybe ask around and see if any local licensed trappers would do that for you. And I'm not talking about live traps. They're pretty easy to catch and not only would you benefit your chickens but the trappers would get money off the pelts even if they are not worth much. And for the weasels sake at least some of them would get used instead of the smithereens that would be left of them after a shotgun

Also speaking of hedemora I don't have a computer just this wretched phone but if you'd like pictures send me an email and let me know if you'd be interested in spring eggs [email protected]

 

[ashandvine]

Thank goodness for your friend, long grove. This sounds pretty awful. A 4H kid might be willing to trap it for you just for the experience. They go through tiny tiny holes so watch out when going over your coop and trying to proof it. I hope your bird is able to recover. Blood loss and trauma are never fun to see/treat.
Hoppy, I don't have that litter box set up yet so long grove can take 'my slickie.'


To break from the chicken sadness I want to say I made pumpkin butter with brown sugar and a hint of orange. It is quite delicious! I always plan on giving a lot of this stuff away and then when I taste it realize how many yummy things it could go on or with.