Michigan

[RBahmer]

OK. so far i only found them at the big hatcheries, (25 min order

) but i am still looking, and chick days are for a while yet, so hopefully we will get lucky! (if you got a trio, i would buy from you mabe in the future)

That would be ok with me.

 

[Chickmate]

Thanks Opa. I do like my black BCM's and had actually thought about BA's. I really like black chickens. Maybe I'll pick up 2 or 3 BA's and 2 or 3 something else's. I also really like my ISA's but keep hearing that they get egg bound often and die young. I was looking for something a lot "flashier" than ISA's this time anyway.

 

[RBahmer]

Hey Hillbilly, aren't you the one who has the awesomely beautiful tightly barred Barred Rocks? They're having a Most Beautiful Barred Rock contest over on the Show Bird thread. Go over and blow them out of the water!!! Hardly anyone has entered so I posted a picture of Joe, my rooster, but then I remembered your gorgeous birds! Go on, do it! There's no prize, just congrats on winning.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/636223/2012-most-beautiful-barred-rock-contest

She sure does. ALL her birds are beautiful !!! Her Barred Rocks are to kill for.

 

[NovaAman]

Ok, so, going to do ivermectin drops on the girls, leg bath, Vaseline/permithrin(?) rub down and clean and dust the coop. I understand that frontline will also do the trick for mites/lice so, that's something to consider. But the ivermectin will probably be cheaper in the long run. I will also dust the coop after a cleaning. Looks to be a very busy several days coming. Guess I will have to buy eggs from Carl... I like mine so much better though... More orange...

I did read on the mite sticky some all natural remedies, I might go ahead and do those on the girls just to be able to still eat my eggs...

 

[Chickmate]

Stacy, I'm so sorry about your duckling, poor thing. Really makes you wonder why the turkey suddenly decided to kill something it had been living with peacefully. Was it a tom? If you hadn't come out when you did you would have found it later and wondered what predator had gotten it.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Aw! Poor baby... Makes me want to cry... I hope you have a nice turkey dinner...

X2...I am so sorry about your duckling. Do you have another duckling? I hope it wont be too lonely once the chicks become chickens and the duckling turns to duck.
Enjoy your turkey dinner. Thats so sad. I dont blame you for making turkey tomorrow.

Thanks Opa. I do like my black BCM's and had actually thought about BA's. I really like black chickens. Maybe I'll pick up 2 or 3 BA's and 2 or 3 something else's. I also really like my ISA's but keep hearing that they get egg bound often and die young. I was looking for something a lot "flashier" than ISA's this time anyway.

Perfect! I have four flashy white splashish Not-so-Uggos for yoU! They are flashy!

Ok, so, going to do ivermectin drops on the girls, leg bath, Vaseline/permithrin(?) rub down and clean and dust the coop. I understand that frontline will also do the trick for mites/lice so, that's something to consider. But the ivermectin will probably be cheaper in the long run. I will also dust the coop after a cleaning. Looks to be a very busy several days coming. Guess I will have to buy eggs from Carl... I like mine so much better though... More orange...
I did read on the mite sticky some all natural remedies, I might go ahead and do those on the girls just to be able to still eat my eggs...

Good luck. Its SO much work. Soaking worked best for me after my chicken had gone to roost for the night..I snatched her, brought her in..she was semi-comatose..never fought the soaking. or the drying..my mind blanks on the leg scrubbing though..then just plopped her back on the roost once she was greased up. Back to dream-land.


HEY HEY!! I just put together this huge rabbit cage to put the chicks in..gonna split them up and move them in now. BUT, this cage is gianormous. Maybe I can just put them all in here and watch and see if they still want to pull Nova's chicks toe feathers out.

 

[Opa]

Not old people Opa!
Just long timers with chickens!

The first chickens I took care of was 62 years ago, so yeah, I guess that would be considered a long time ago.

I hate switching back and forth. If you want more daylight at the end of your day, start your day earlier don't have the government fooling with it.

 

[Stacykins]

Stacy, I'm so sorry about your duckling, poor thing. Really makes you wonder why the turkey suddenly decided to kill something it had been living with peacefully. Was it a tom? If you hadn't come out when you did you would have found it later and wondered what predator had gotten it.

Yep, he is a tom. He is SO good with the chickens that I will be kinda sad to see him go. But it wasn't just the duckling injured. He also got a chicken chick, and broke off part of its lower mandible. That chick will live though, it can eat and drink. Lesson learned: no turkeys without completely separate housing. He was nice having around while the flock free ranged, kind of a big guardian.

X2...I am so sorry about your duckling. Do you have another duckling? I hope it wont be too lonely once the chicks become chickens and the duckling turns to duck.
Enjoy your turkey dinner. Thats so sad. I dont blame you for making turkey tomorrow.

I have eight others, but are in the brooder indoors. The duckling that was killed had been raised by a broody hen with a pair of chicks, it was so silly and sweet, but she loved her ugly duckling. So at least the remaining brood have each other and their mama.

 

[chicken grandma]

You can still eat the eggs if you use Ivermectin.

Do you need to use the Pyrethrins and the Ivermectin on the chicken? How about just Vaseline and Ivermectin on the chicken and Pyrethrins in the coop? Then you could still eat the eggs.
I think taking out the old bedding is very helpful.

 

[1muttsfan]

On compost - Straw takes quite awhile to break down, years, but that is okay. You can put it under a good layer of soil in your garden and let it compost there. Pine shavings break down much faster. The chicken poop will be what you need to wait for. It is a "hot" poop, so it will burn your plant roots if you turn it in right away. It needs to break down for at least a year before you add it to your garden, I think some people wait 2. Same with horse and, I believe, cow manure. I know bunny nuggets you can add right away. Anyway, turning your compost regularly will help it break down, and also adding things that break down quickly, like grass clippings.

I usually have 2 working piles, this years and last years. Each spring I empty out the older bin to use in the garden, and take the newer bin and turn it over in to the bin the older stuff was in, with the addition of several layers of horse poop. That then sits for a year (it could easily be used in the fall but that is just ont on my fall gardening list). As for the majority of the horse poop and hay, it gets scraped each spring into a big hill, and the last year's pile is put in the gardens and given away by the tractor bucket load. Stop by if you want some, it has more earthworms in it than anything I have ever seen. The chickens LOVE the big pile of poo.

I have spent the morning cleaning and baking. Our church is having a sledding party turned baseball game due to snow all leaving in a weeks time. It has finally warmed up today and I don't think the chickens are going to want to go back in the yard.

Yay! Have to come back from sunny, 80 degrees Florida on Monday

Thanks Opa. I do like my black BCM's and had actually thought about BA's. I really like black chickens. Maybe I'll pick up 2 or 3 BA's and 2 or 3 something else's. I also really like my ISA's but keep hearing that they get egg bound often and die young. I was looking for something a lot "flashier" than ISA's this time anyway.

Chickmate, I hopefully will be hatching out some Eusdal Oiloas. Very pretty and good egg layers too - but definately not black.