Michigan

[NovaAman]

Dropping in to say hello to everyone a moment.

There is just too much work this time of year for me to keep up, but I do miss being able to! Have also had a few very large "extras" going on lately that have been difficult, and we are still waiting to find out how things will wrap up. Change is coming to us and there is a great potential for it to end wonderfully or horribly. It's hard not knowing whether to be excited or terrified.


Nova, Do you have any idea what was wrong with her?

Not a clue. Even Bader wasn't sure. It wasn't respiratory, we know that... So... Gonna call the MSU extension office tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[NovaAman]

I was getting near to calling you tomorrow. I don't know if you've gone through all the posts, but there were several asking for you. Also started a weekly run down... Link is in my sig...

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Sorry Nova.

Just got back from doing the chickens, whew! I got excited at first with a breeze and rainy-looking clouds, but all it did was get sunny AND humid.

 

[teeville5]

Well, I think I have a broody hen. I noticed a few days ago that one of my rhodies seemed to always be in the same nest box whenever I went out to the coop. I can't say if it's the same hen every time because I can't tell them apart, but I only have three rhodies so it seems more likely that it's the same one I'm seeing. I checked all day today and she was in the box every time I looked so I think I'm right. DH says I need to break her, but how do I go about that exactly?

Nova- sorry about Vanna

 

[NovaAman]

Whew! What a yucky hot day. It wouldn't have been so bad if the wind would have stayed around all day. I do hear though that some nasty storms went through Detroit way... Hope everyone on the east side of the state is OK.

Skatter is definitely broody. I threw her out of the nest box today. She switched nest boxes because the bigger hens push her around, and she is not vicious yet. She is getting there though. Going to get a piece of ply and build a broody box in the coop. I am thinking she'll be good with 2x2 area sectioned off where the other girls can get in and mess with her nest.

I made to many noodles for dinner tonight and I had a pint of buttermilk left over from my two sickies. Well anyway, dump the noodles in an outdoor dish and poured the milk over it. HOLY MOLEY! Those chickens went bat poop over it. I even gave some to the yesmeaties. Boy did they like it. That little non bearded silkie.. YOWZAH! She is vicious when it came to the noodles. LOL. I thought My big girls were bad. That don't have nothing on her. She's also taken to roosting in the big coop. They hang with the meaties all day long, but then go in the big coop at night. So much for the tractor. I am going to lift it up on legs and build solid walls and a floor this fall. For now all gets used for is a cool hang out for the meaties, a couple of the chicks that Skatter hatched out and the silkies. Kinda funny.

Had to have the neighbor come over tonight and fetch his chickens home. They come over all the time, and that I normally do not mind. But today they came and got into the meat birds pen. Now, that would not normally be a problem, but they wouldn't let the meaties near their food or water. So, trying to get them out my little dinners ended up loose in the trees also. Not good since they are so big I worry about them breaking something trying to get through and around all the sticks and other whatnot that is around. Carl has only 2 days of work this week, so he's going to work on his pen to keep them in. He says he just can not fathom why they come over to my coop and run. I told him I think its cuz I hose down the trees, the underrun, ect... so its very cool. That and I have 3 feeders and 5 waters so its easy eatings my way. Heck, my birds are so used to the invaders now they don't even notice them. Well anyway, JUST NOT IN MY MEAT PEN! My poor little fatties can't even run away fast enough when they get pecked at.

Well anyway. Robin, I was thinking, maybe you should ditch the chickens and start raising coons instead. They seem to be drawn to your yard anyway.. AND THEN, you could sell them for trainer purposes for coon dogs... Well... Actually, I don't think I like that to much... SO, I think maybe you can open a coon graveyard? After all, this is what? 32? Maybe you could get a backhoe so you won't have to dig so many holes. Just have a mass grave...

 

[NovaAman]

WOW! Eeyore, I just read a post you had on another page about the monster coon with the duke trap attached, walking around the neighborhood. OMG funny. Well, he will not be getting into anything with that stuck on him. We staked mine in using part of an old sprinkler... You know, the type that has a 9 inch spike on the bottom, a 3 foot pipe and the sprinkler head on that, the hose connects in the bottom... Well anyway, its just that spike and the pipe. We put the spike through the anchor hole, and then took a cinder block and put it over that... SO, anyone looking out in the back yard is going to see this brick with a 3 foot pipe standing up in it. LOL. Well, its holding. And the spike is kinda stuck in a tree root too, so it helps there also. Love all the trees in the yard for that reason. LOL

 

[chickflick]

Love the update, Nova. Been busy and not on much. Nice to keep up with the gang. So things aren't going well with Raz and court? Hope things turn around for him.
Prayers are being said for Farmerboy's family. How very sad.
Had grand kids over for a few days of swimming. They went home Friday. Saturday was a day of trying to catch up with house cleaning. Today, my daughter and family and a couple of friends came over for swimming and food and a couple of games of volleyball. Had lots of fun.
Been a long busy day, good night friends.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

STOP FEEDING THEM SO MUCH TESTOSTERONE!!

QUICK! Pop in a chick flick and bring them in- make them watch it and put frilly aprons on them....

I did paint ones toenails

... Got more on me than I did the chicken! Then I put him on the vent when the air kicked on and he was all "What is this magic you posess? Aaahhhh!"

Dropping in to say hello to everyone a moment.

There is just too much work this time of year for me to keep up, but I do miss being able to! Have also had a few very large "extras" going on lately that have been difficult, and we are still waiting to find out how things will wrap up. Change is coming to us and there is a great potential for it to end wonderfully or horribly. It's hard not knowing whether to be excited or terrified.

and

Why wouldn't they want to keep them as pets when they get big? I mean, they are just as cute when they are big. They destroy more stuff too. You know what they needed to watch, was that little house on the prairie episode where the girls brought home a baby coon, and then it grew up and wasn't so cute, gave mary rabies and jack the dog too. Thats what people should be forced to watch when they decided on a pet coon. Yup. That, and it was so **** feel goody goody blah blah.. I was always happy when Nell got one over on Laura. heheehee.

Well, they were watching some anime show about a cute racoon and everyone had to have one... like 101 dalmations

 

[M.sue]

Teeville......I've only had 2 try to go broody. All I did was take them out of the box every time there were caught in there and place them in the run with the others which they then would turn around & go straight back in after they drank & nibbled a bit. One was real stubborn so I'd LOCK HER OUT of the pen for short periods of time just so she wouldn't hi-tail it back into the coop. She'd graze around the coop and didn't wonder. When they all were free ranging I'd shut the pen door so she wouldn't sneak back in. Also when they'd go in to roost for the evening she'd go to the box. When I'd go out to lock up I 'd pick her up and put her on the roost. Took about a week of being consistent on my part.

Well the birdhouse I worked on this afternoon is almost finished & I just need to put some finishing touches on it. Here is what my DD created this after noon. These were plain wood cut-outs & she worked on them all afternoon decorating them. Granny gave them to her at the end of CS when everyone was clearing out & cleaning up.
I think they look cute!

 

[NovaAman]

Well, I hope ya'll have a nice night. I am bushed. As soon as all the egg birds went to roost, I was able to rake out the meaties pen. I have to do it close to bed time for them, or they get under my feet, and then the egg birds get in the pile. Rotten animals. LOL. Well anyway, its was still so dang hot, that I am wasted... LOL.