Michigan

[Opa]

Quote:
How long is awhile? I've been retired 19 years and haven't learned it yet.

 

[chickflick]

Good Freezing Morning!! No use in saying "keep warm" cuz that will be an impossibility today!! That wind just cuts thru you. So, take care of your animals and then stay inside and catch up with the indoor chores!! Take care, everyone!

 

[ChikeeMomma]

cristy17 -- Sorry about your hens!! We just had to cull one of our hens because of an issue she was having. People had suggested bringing her inside because it is cold out and it would aid in her recovery. I'm not one to bring my chickens inside (not to mention hubby would not appreciate). So we decided to cull her. I felt bad! Hopefully someone else will have some advice for you!

Got some beans soaking for white chicken chili. And I'm starting some bread dough for rolls tonight. Warm, yummy soup and rolls should hit the spot on this chilly day. I know that it is only going to get colder, but March isn't too far away!

 

[YakLady]

Quote:
She will stay light. If anything, she'll become even lighter. She is a cutie, isn't she? Like I mentioned, she's the first one. Breeders have been working toward coming up with a solid white yak. No one has come close until now. The guy who owns her has the largest number of Golden yaks in the country. They're kind of cool, but I don't think I'd ever want one-even considering the fact that they are the most valuable (dollar wise).

So I have a self-deprecating story to share with you, my friends. This is so embarrassing, but quite funny. As soon as I got home from the stock show, we went out to round up all our baby yaks to put them in the corral. It is time for them to be weaned. Their mothers are bred back, and they need their energy for growin' more babies. This is much easier said than done, as these yak moms are fiercely protective. The herd that we bought from Wisconsin came with two babies who we knew were boys, and we had them 'fixed' before arrival.

When I worked a deal for the second herd, I specifically asked for 4 cows with babies, and I wanted all the babies to be bulls (future freezer meat). This guy had a HUGE herd in Idaho, so I didn't think I was making an unreasonable request. He agreed, and our transport driver arrived the next week with the load. The Idaho cows are easily spooked-it's obvious that they were just kind of left out to pasture to be nothing more than wild, beautiful yaks. We've only been able to get them into the corral once before, for worming. One baby wriggled out underneath the gate, and we managed to drench it with wormer as it was escaping. The week prior to that, we discovered that one of our 'bull' babies was a girl. She lifted her tail to urinate, squatted, and did her thing. Boys don't do that. Theirs just kind of dribbles straight down from their belly area. So when we had them in the corral, I lifted their tails and checked them out to be sure. Paulie was the one who wriggled out, and thus didn't get checked. Kenny and Dash both got their cajones grabbed, so I knew without doubt they were boys. We just assumed that Paulie was definitely a boy, because Paulie is the biggest and has no problem fighting the other boys off in order to get to the treat bucket.

Before I left for the stock show, we withheld all treats for awhile, so that by the time I got back they would really want it. Sure enough, all we had to do was fill up the food trough with their favorite treat, and they all ran into the corral. We closed the gate, and started the process of herding the adults through the chute and got them out of the corral that way. It was a bit time consuming, but not too bad. We've been going out to the corral alot to spend time with the babies. We want to get them used to our presence, so that they will be easier to handle when they get big. As it turns out, one little bull (Dash) is an unusually beautiful animal. We've decided to reserve him as a future breeder bull. Schroeder was the one who turned out to be a girl, so she got saved from the freezer. That leaves Kenny and Paulie. So we're standing out there last night watching and talking to them, when one lifts its tail, squats, and pees out the back end. My husband said, "Why is Kenny peeing like a girl?" I was in shock, because I had felt the little guy's cajones myself. It took a few seconds, and then it hit me. "Honey, that's not Kenny. That's Paulie-the one who never got checked." WHAT THE HECK!!!!!! So Paulie is now Paulie Girl. Isn't that the name of a beer? We stood there for the longest time, staring at her in shock. She looked at us like, "What?", and ran over to ram Dash out of her way. Little brute. I don't know how the heck she managed to keep from peeing in front of us all this time. I don't know how we could have had her all this time without knowing, but there you have it. I feel like a moron. Out smarted by a yak. Now, out of the four who were going to be future meat money, we're left with one. Looks like Mr. Bayak Obama is going to end up contributing to the meat fund.

 

[Opa]

I've told people that if you raise chickens you are going to lose some birds. This morning I checked the birds just before leaving to check out a job I found one of my Welsummers lying in the floor. She was still alive but in obvious distress. Her crop was swollen and some food protuded from her beak. This same bird had the same thing happen last summer. Then I was able to palpate the crop and expell long grass stems and a tremedous amount of fluid. I a couple of days she was back to normal. This time I removed grain and pine shavings. When I left to got check the job she was still alive, barely. Upon my return she was lying in the bottom of the cage I had placed her in. I had hoped that I would have been able to save her once again but this time she was too far gone before I discovered her problem. I know that some horses are prone to colic. Must be that some chickens are prone to crop impaction. At least she will add to a pot of dumplings.

 

[zephyrcreek]

Sorry to hear about your hen Sam. It's much harder to loose them when they are older, than the young chicks.

I don't know if the warm up last week made the current weather easier, or harder to deal with. All I can say is I hope we have an early spring this year. I've recemtly been reading a book about 4 season gardening. I might use some of these techniques for a chicken hoop house next year. I sure would love to not worry about frozen water.

Ellen

 

[Opa]

I sure will be glad when slightly warmer temperatures return. I want to get my roosters back with their hens so that I will have fertile eggs for hatching. Now that I'm down to on two welsummers the urge to get hatching. I guess I'd better get busy getting my brooders built. I'm building them on a wall inside the large fowl coop so that I don't have to deal with having chicks in other places.

Ellen, I want to build a larger tractor this year. Never can have enough places to put birds, and I was wondering what you are reading. It might be something I'd want to consider.

 

[ijon1]

Quote:
How long is awhile? I've been retired 19 years and haven't learned it yet.

I have to bow to you, only been retired ten years.

 

[Opa]

Just came in from checking the birds. The cold must have knocked egg production off today. Only 7 for the large fowl and nothing from the bantams. Can't say I blame them too much. The temperature is already down to 12 and I don't even want to know the chill factor. I sure don't miss fighting fires in this kind of weather. My old department was on the news this morning. I've been gone from there for so long that I didn't even know the officer that was the spokesperson. I'd bet that some of those fires I fought in subzero weather were responsible for my fingers not wanting to work very well now when it gets cold. I remember fires that I kept thinking once this is out I'm really going to be cold. This was me thirty years ago.

People I know what being cold is.

 

[Opa]

I really hate this internal alarm clock of mine. Last night we were watching the movie Australia when my old farmer friend called from the hospital. EMS had taken him to the emergency room because of extremely high blood pressure. The doctor gave him something to bring it down and he wanted me to come get him and take him back home. By the time I got back home it was after midnight. I decided to finish watching the movie. I then found myself wide awake so I watch another TV show we had recorded. Well after 3am I finally closed my eyes. 5am the old internal alarm goes off. So here I sit, wide awake trying to figure out why.