Michigan

[swampducks]

I think I have a PIA in training. My 8 week old BLRW splash cockerel seems to have a fondness for my fingers. He's almost always first out the door, runs up to the fence to watch me and when come in the run and he can get to my hands attacks like a mad thing. I finally grabbed him the other day and read him the riot act but he seems unphased. Since I only have 4 BLRW, a pair of splash and a pair of black, I had been hoping to keep him for breeding to the black hen. But I will not tolerate meanness so unless he cleans up his act it's looking like the quite black cockerel may survive instead.

Anyone want an 8 week old splash? He's unnamed as I don't tend to name them. He's got time yet, 2 months at least before I make any decision.

LOL. I've got a PIA, too. Niel has turned into such a little bugger. And Newton, I don't think any of us have touched him in over a year. He stays just out of your reach. Always there for treats, but all look-y, no touch-y.

 

[RaZ]

Getting the rest of the firewood split and stacked before it gets too hot today! I think we've got around 28 cord in for this winter. I don't know who will be happier about this: DH b/c he won't need to spend his free time on the weekends cutting/hauling or ME b/c DH will actually get to be home during the weekends!!!

This reminded me of a camping trip a few years back. My buddy said that he would bring 10-15 cord of firewood. He showed up with 10 bundles of slabwood, then argued that they were full cords.

BTW a full cord of wood measures 4' wide x 4' tall x 8 ' long. Face cords are 16" x 4' tall x 8' long. They are selling face cords for about $85 around here. I'm glad that the city will provide free firewood if you call DPS.

 

[snowflake]

Im sure they are. However, if they had been provided with adequate shade and dirt under shrubbery, they may have fared well.
This heat has been awful and plenty of people have had heat-related losses in both penned and unpenned animals.

Not so, cornish X will die sitting with in 2ft. of water IN the shade. under brush and die of heat. I had this happen a few yrs ago. cornish x are just stupid.... We had Freedom rangers this yr didn't lose one .same shrubs, same shade,same dirt to dust bathe in, worse heat and different birds... just because you provide shade and water does not mean you will not lose any birds
I have read articles were professionals lost cornish X because they were to dumb to walk 2ft to the water

 

[Mom 2em All]

My comment was made because it was posted that they were out on dead grass- there was no mention of any provisions made for the birds until AFTER I commented.

And manmade breed- cornish cross, correct? (im sure OLIVE will correct me if Im wrong

)..no surprise they are not wired for durability. My two NOTmeaties surprised me every day that they were still alive.

That aside, I almost lost my rabbit. However it was my fault because it was penned up and not adequately provided for- meaning it was not free to have created a natural burrow in the ground to hide from the heat and I did not provide enough additional cooling for it to compensate for the extreme heat we have experienced. Losses happen in both free range and in penned situations when the weather is extreme. As a general rule however, free range birds with access to shade, shrubbery, food and water do a fine job of staying alive- with the exception of predator attacks.

 

[swampducks]

Yup, takes an engineer to screw up advanced math!

oh no...the advanced stages of the chicken math disease.....

It probably would but I got the dogs out for their morning walk early and turned on the LR a/c once the indoor temp hit 75. It's already over 81. Until today it's been fairly nice, yesterday was beautiful up here, such a refreshing breeze. Today the humidity is nasty already. But I noticed a good thing on my walk, the deer fly population has dropped dramatically, looks like they're on their way out about a week earlier than normal.

Is the heat getting to anyone else? Our allergies are pretty bad and I am just feeling punky~

Much to my chagrin, it is not because I actually know everything.

Im sure they are. However, if they had been provided with adequate shade and dirt under shrubbery, they may have fared well.
This heat has been awful and plenty of people have had heat-related losses in both penned and unpenned animals.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrsckn

Actually, they were well taken care of with plenty of shade and water. However, when the chickens chose to pile on top of oneanother rather than spreading out, it was out of my hands and I put them in the garage where it was 10 degrees cooler and no heat index. I do accept full responsibility for their deaths because I chose to put them outside.

(I didn't mean to imply that I had them out in the sun with no shade all day, just meant they were happier with their indoor accomodations 'vs' what was outside)

 

[swampducks]

But, but, I'll bet they were wrapped with a cord!

This reminded me of a camping trip a few years back. My buddy said that he would bring 10-15 cord of firewood. He showed up with 10 bundles of slabwood, then argued that they were full cords.

 

[Olive Hill]

There are many awards lists at the top of which you will never find a CX. As a group they're not pretty, they're not all too hardy, they don't tend to be long lived. And though I too tend to lob names such as "dumb" and "nasty" at them on occasion. If you get right down to it, they're not all that stupid so much as their genetics often interfere with them behaving as other chickens might. There is one thing for sure: they're hardwired to seek sustenance. At that they excel like no other bird. Usually then, if they die of thirst or hunger it's not because they are "too dumb" to find it, but because something prevented them from doing so. In the case of hot days the heat itself can prevent them from being able to function as usual. Because of their rapid growth and efficient use of food their bodies produce more internal heat than "regular" chickens. What is a tough day for a normal chicken can be a downright debilitating day for a CX. It's definitely a production consideration for alternative farms who can't control the temperatures for their birds. Misters on really hot days can be helpful. Otherwise, for people just raising for their own family I'd highly recommend fall raising. Get them in the late summer when it's warm enough so you don't even have to heat the chicks and then it gets progressively cooler as they grow and become more heat sensitive. Savings all around!

 

[SillyChicken]

Hi guys....need some prayers here. My nephew was one of the 4 soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday; he grew up in Shelby Township and graduated from West Point last June. He was due to come home in January. We are heartbroken. I understand at least one other young man was from Rochester and a third may be from Charlevoix.

So sorry for your loss

I heard about it this morning, one of my friends was a friend to one of the soldiers killed.

 

[NovaAman]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Just another word on caged birds:  I started out raising my CX at the end of May, I had every intention of raising them in the yard on green grass so they could forage and be "happy."  Mother nature intervened and I lost 7 birds to the heat at 4 weeks.  I can tell you my birds are much happier in pens in the cooler garage than out in the hot dead grass.  It's not what I wanted for them but it's what has kept them alive and ensured I will have food in my freezer.  Losing 1/3 of my birds was devestating both emotionally and financially, I can't imagine that kind of loss at a production level.  I think free range is a more natural way to go but it isn't always the most practical.

Actually, they were well taken care of with plenty of shade and water.  However, when the chickens chose to pile on top of oneanother rather than spreading out, it was out of my hands and I put them in the garage where it was 10 degrees cooler and no heat index.  I do accept full responsibility for their deaths because I chose to put them outside.

(I didn't mean to imply that I had them out in the sun with no shade all day, just meant they were happier with their indoor accomodations 'vs' what was outside)

There are many awards lists at the top of which you will never find a CX.  As a group they're not pretty, they're not all too hardy, they don't tend to be long lived.  And though I too tend to lob names such as "dumb" and "nasty" at them on occasion.  If you get right down to it, they're not all that stupid so much as their genetics often interfere with them behaving as other chickens might.  There is one thing for sure: they're hardwired to seek sustenance.  At that they excel like no other bird.  Usually then, if they die of thirst or hunger it's not because they are "too dumb" to find it, but because something prevented them from doing so.  In the case of hot days the heat itself can prevent them from being able to function as usual.  Because of their rapid growth and efficient use of food their bodies produce more internal heat than "regular" chickens.  What is a tough day for a normal chicken can be a downright debilitating day for a CX.  It's definitely a production consideration for alternative farms who can't control the temperatures for their birds.  Misters on really hot days can be helpful.  Otherwise, for people just raising for their own family I'd highly recommend fall raising.  Get them in the late summer when it's warm enough so you don't even have to heat the chicks and then it gets progressively cooler as they grow and become more heat sensitive.  Savings all around!  

I am with my TP, so exciting is a witch...
I was terrified I'd lose mine. I would hang frozen water gallons in their coop at night. I built an extension out of small skids so the heat would be diminished at night. They were out side as well. Their whole run was under the trees. The run size they had was bigger than the run attached to the egg birds coops. I would routinely hose the whole run, and mist the birds directly. They also had a fan on them day and nite. Watermelons became their very best friends. Started mine in may also. I decided to wait till the end of August for next round. I hope I have a nice broody hen who will train the to forage more. If not, the same as last time. I enjoyed raising te ones I did, even though they were more work. I did consider moving them to the garage for a minute...

 

[keyt1969]

There's nothing like scrubbed down duck pools! My BF deserves a huge award for spending so much time and energy doing it for me!!

After working so hard to getting those pools to look brand new, he came in and told me he was tired of looking at the coop we've been trying to sell. He's decided he will never build a big one again. We've probably had 30 calls on it then people wonder how they will get it home. If we had a trailer or the ability to hitch one to our truck we'd deliver!

SO he said he will take trades for most of the cost of the coop if anyone has anything. He wants a little cash but he understands people don't have what he's asking right now. Funny though, we have seen things on craigslist that people call a chicken coop but aren't even close, not even safe for birds and they're asking more than he is for the one he's built!

Anyway, he's looking for:

Top or side load wood stove
Generator
Stand up air compressor

Someone might have something else to trade but you would have to talk to him about it. He's aware he will probably take a loss on this coop but he wants it out of here so he can build smaller ones that we have had people call for.

Here's the ad and the photos and phone number. If you have any questions or offers, you can either pm me or call.

http://lansing.craigslist.org/grd/3166323551.html