I am very envious of all you Fowl Festers. Like the pictures. I very much wanted to go but with weather like we had today there was just too much that I could get done outside and I really should be downsizing for winter not getting more!
I picked apples for storing - hopefully not a waste of time and picked up apples for cider. Then I started putting paneling on the inside of my big coop. After working for half an hour my husband came and helped me, so most of it is done now. Then I set 27 button quail eggs this afternoon. 30 came in the mail but 3 were dented. Now my eyes are glued to the thermometer, I'm always nervous when the incubator is on! Tonight one of my guineas wouldn't come in. So out to the field I went, found her - with 34 eggs under her. She wouldn't move so I carried her back to the coop. I hadn't been finding eggs the last week but thought they were done for the summer so I didn't go looking. Now I have lot's of eggs I can't safely sell so I guess I need to do some baking.
It does seem that I am fighting a losing battle with the fowl mites. I am not finding them on the birds but they seem to be everywhere in the coop. I have also seen a couple bugs that look a lot like fleas but are flying. Can chickens get fleas? And if so where do you find them on the chickens. I'm not finding any bugs of any kind on the chickens right now. I did dust a few last week but they look good now. They are molting so it's easy to check.
We have a family picnic tomorrow, trying to soak up some more of the beautiful weather. I wish we could have another month of this!
I picked apples for storing - hopefully not a waste of time and picked up apples for cider. Then I started putting paneling on the inside of my big coop. After working for half an hour my husband came and helped me, so most of it is done now. Then I set 27 button quail eggs this afternoon. 30 came in the mail but 3 were dented. Now my eyes are glued to the thermometer, I'm always nervous when the incubator is on! Tonight one of my guineas wouldn't come in. So out to the field I went, found her - with 34 eggs under her. She wouldn't move so I carried her back to the coop. I hadn't been finding eggs the last week but thought they were done for the summer so I didn't go looking. Now I have lot's of eggs I can't safely sell so I guess I need to do some baking.
It does seem that I am fighting a losing battle with the fowl mites. I am not finding them on the birds but they seem to be everywhere in the coop. I have also seen a couple bugs that look a lot like fleas but are flying. Can chickens get fleas? And if so where do you find them on the chickens. I'm not finding any bugs of any kind on the chickens right now. I did dust a few last week but they look good now. They are molting so it's easy to check.
We have a family picnic tomorrow, trying to soak up some more of the beautiful weather. I wish we could have another month of this!
I was looking for ISAs, but should have known that I wouldn't have found any hybrids at a show. Lots of gorgeous birds though. I loved the indie green ducks. If I didnt' have to worry about them getting into my koi pond and making a buffet out them, I would have taken a couple of them home.
