Michigan

[NovaAman]

not till Friday...

 

[uchytil]

Robin, remember when you were here last week to pick up the chicks and we saw the hawks fling around? Well today they had chicken dinner. R.I.P. Gabby. She was one of my oldest EE's. This is the first time I have ever lost a chicken to a hawk.

Sorry to hear about Gabby. Saturday, Cindy and I were moving bulbs around and there was a Red-tailed Hawk making circles over my coops. As it circled it got lower and louder. I had my ducks in their playpen the last few days so I have to sit there the whole time while they play just in case! My Blue Heeler is trying her darndest to do that job but the occasional squirrel distracts her from her guard duty.

BTW, your GNH's are one of the best looking birds I've seen yet. The roo was quite amazing the way he stood up tall and proud.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Good Morning everyone! No coffee for me, I may not make it.

I am having a hard time accepting that it makes me sick..

No matter how I tell myself this glass of water is gonna work, I am not buying it. Makes for a sluggish head.

My doctor said I have sinus tachycardia. Fast heartbeat. Finally diagnosed something that has bothered me for awhile. he put me on a heart med to slow my heart rate- but the pharmacy didnt have it yesterday. However, they will have it today. My doctor called me at seven, I was not home- I was out getting cat food. Cant be out for long here, or they plot their revenge.
He called me at ten thirty last night to see how I was doing. Scared me- but told me to schedule an echogram to check my heart valves this morning. Also told me no caffeine. I told him he doesnt have to worry about that, because now my coffee makes me feel sick. *sigh*

Beautiful pictures, everyone. I am really bummed that I cannot be capitalizing on this weather and getting my yard done, coop done, etc. However, I have had some good chick watching, bonding etc. Those little three weekers are hilarious in their antics.

I told my husband that the two were Cornish Crosses. i told him that they had to be processed around 8 weeks- and he told me, "bs". haha. He said everything that comes from here is strange and doesnt follow the books or the rules..and that those chicks will just grow and be like "the big dumpy kid on the playground"..the one that wants to fit in, and is just big.."..
Ahh, my husband. The man who has no problem hunting/killing anything. Such a softie when it comes to OUR chickens. Must be why I married him.
I told him they suffer health problems and broken bones, heart attacks, etc. He said, "Ours wont". lol.

Ferret- your comment about chicken pattern baldness...

I hope you figure out what is going on with her. \


Hillbilly Hen- I am so sorry about Gabby...

That just really is sad.

 

[snowflake]

pussy willows are easy to start, cut a bunch of branches and stick in a bucket of water,in a shady spot by the house and forget about them(except to add more water) they will root

 

[M.sue]

not till Friday...

Not what I wanted to hear.....DD has a horse show this weekend and rain always makes it Yucky...kids will ride inside if it rains but always more pleasant & more fun if it's held outdoors!



Mom2.....hope everything turns out well, try to stay upbeat & postive.

 

[snowflake]

Gabby was my first broody hen, two years ago. The only time she went broody.

oooow she has eyes in her feathers,,,, sorry about her loss

 

[Olive Hill]

what does that mean? The 2:1-3:1 FCR I mean.. I am guessing I better get some research in before I leap before I look...

Sorry. FCR = Feed Conversion Ratio. You'll feed two to three pounds of feed for every one pound of body weight gained. Remember: body weight gained does not equal meat though, that's meat, bone, feather, guts, etc. So you lose some of it when you process.

Olive, i have a question you might be able to answer: Do goats and chickens share worms?

Actually, I can't. I don't know much about goats other than they're hard on fences and from what research I did on them a while back they seemed very high maintenance relative to their product yield so I never looked into them any further. A quick google would probably answer your question though.

 

[1muttsfan]

Good morning Michigan, another beautiful day starting.

Goats and chickens do not share worms.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Thanks everyone for your kind words on my loss. I know it's a risk you take when free ranging but for me I would rather take that risk than keep them penned up 24/7. However, I will wait for things to settle down a bit first.

My Blue Heeler is trying her darndest to do that job but the occasional squirrel distracts her from her guard duty.

BTW, your GNH's are one of the best looking birds I've seen yet. The roo was quite amazing the way he stood up tall and proud.

Well at least she is making sure those squirrels don't attack.
Thanks on the comment on the GNH's. The roo is the sweetest one I have ever had.

Good Morning everyone! No coffee for me, I may not make it.

I am having a hard time accepting that it makes me sick..


My doctor said I have sinus tachycardia. Fast heartbeat. Finally diagnosed something that has bothered me for awhile. he put me on a heart med to slow my heart rate- but the pharmacy didnt have it yesterday. However, they will have it today. My doctor called me at seven, I was not home- I was out getting cat food. Cant be out for long here, or they plot their revenge.
He called me at ten thirty last night to see how I was doing. Scared me- but told me to schedule an echogram to check my heart valves this morning. Also told me no caffeine. I told him he doesnt have to worry about that, because now my coffee makes me feel sick. *sigh*

Mom 2, Can you drink Tea? I would wait till after your tests to try it. Sounds like you have a good doctor and hopefully things will get taken care of soon. I will thinking of you and praying that all will be well

Quote:

HH- So sorry about your hen.

Boy, was I busy today!

First, I finished cleaning out the rooster's coop this morning that I built in 11-10. I had washed it out with a water hose, then after it had dried out a bit, I put the siding on to finally finish it. I will disinfect it with Vickron tomorrow. I have used strap pieces of siding to cover the coop.
I will be using this coop for a grow-out coop. It will be for chicks that have feathered out and older, until they are ready to go to the breeder coop or the henhouse.

The finished product-

Wow Daron, sounds like you have been very busy. I keep saying I don't need another coop but I do need a grow out pen.

HH,
I'm curious,
What's the difference between heritage barred rocks and the hatchery barred rocks that TSC sells? Better breeding? Conformation? You're from Newaygo? Small world.....I'm from Fremont.

I go to Fremont every week. In my experience, the hatchery BR's are bred for egg production and have more issues with internal laying. I had gotten two hens from the Farm store and, last year, when they were 2 years old, they both had to be put down due to the internal laying. The heritage BR's are less prone to have these issues. However they take a lot longer to mature and do not produce as many eggs as the hatchery birds. The heritage are more of a dual purpose, egg and meat bird. And yes, better breeding and confirmation. But they are very sweet too.

 

[Opa]

What a beautiful morning. Had to take Hope's granddaughter to school this morning and we watched the sun rise as we traveled east. Looks like another good day is on tap.

Got back home and discovered another big coon in one of the traps I have set around the chicken coops. I think it is probably wise to just keep traps set and maybe reduce the population. I think if folks new just how many coons frequent their yards they would be shocked.