Michigan

[uchytil]

A foggy morning here on the west coast. My wife said schools were closed. We both grew up (she's from there) in Maine and I swear every morning was like peas soup, but, it never slowed down anyone. Kinda fun exploring your own digs when you can't see where your'e going, lol!

Does anyone have Pekins, and if so are they free-range? I have a pair that are in the brooder right now but my plan is to build a coop and fenced area ( open run). During the day I'd like to have them run around the farm. My Mom and Dad had a pair of Mallards they free ranged so I'm assuming the Pekins would be about the same? Any tricks to gettting them to stay in an area and go to their coop? Hard to catch when older and ever the wiser? Thanks, John

 

[SillyChicken]

Stacykins, so sorry to hear about your dog....

Mom, Sorry to hear about your experience with the meds.. I hope you recover from the surgery and after affects real soon! Nothing worse than dealing with that kind of crap cause there's no relief from it, just has to run its course!

Farmer, I can't wait to see the emus!! Where did you get them?

M.sue, I have 14 chickens in one coop and 4 turkeys in another. I hope to get a few silkies one of these days and will get another coop to put them in.... some day!


My Royal turkey just laid an egg yesterday! My BBW has laid 3 that I pulled for the bater. I expected more from her but she's pretty slow producing them. I figure at this point I'll put them with the other birds eggs as the Royals should go broody at some point and can hatch the rest.

Saw the vids from the damage yesterday... small subdivision got hit pretty good, was erie seeing the video and all you could hear were the home alarms beeping and the stillness. I'm sure people were in shock. I didn't even know the storms were coming.

 

[RaZ]

Does anyone have Pekins, and if so are they free-range? I have a pair that are in the brooder right now but my plan is to build a coop and fenced area ( open run). During the day I'd like to have them run around the farm. My Mom and Dad had a pair of Mallards they free ranged so I'm assuming the Pekins would be about the same? Any tricks to gettting them to stay in an area and go to their coop? Hard to catch when older and ever the wiser? Thanks, John

I had Pekins last year and they would never go into a structure. They free ranged in the backyard day and night. They would go for swims in my pond in the middle of the night, sounded like they were doing cannon balls in the deep end. Silly things splashed water up and in my bedroom window. Nothing like a cold splash in the face to wake you up at 3:00 am.

I don't know if you can train them to go in at night. Maybe if you put their feed in there????

 

[1muttsfan]

Mom, I am glad your surgery went quickly, but so sorry to hear that you are in pain - please take it easy for the first few days, and remember - hugging a warm furry or feathery creature has been shown to decrease pain and blood pressure, and reduce anxiety caused by the pain.

Stacy, so sorry to hear about your dear friend. Their lives are so short, but so full of love and companionship.

msue, I have one main 8X14' coop, one smaller 4X8 accessory coop, and 3 small movable coops with little attached runs that I use for young birds in the spring/summer.

 

[Stacykins]

Thank you all for the kind words. It really does help ease the pain.

On a happier, more interesting note, I heard a rooster crow today. But not one of mine! Someone else in the area must keep chickens! My closest neighbor is 1/4 mile away and it sounded very far off, much farther than that. It definitely made me curious as to who it was, though!

 

[sj3364]

Mom - Sorry to hear of your pain struggles. You made it though the worst and its all up hill from here!

Raz - The PDF looks like good ammunition. Good luck!

I decided to put one of the girls in with Neil to see how it would go. He scared her at first due to his over-eagerness when she went in, but I think he figured that out as he quickly backed off and let her be. They made friends, though, and were side by side most of the day.

So glad to hear Neil is working out for you and that he has a friend. I'm sure he was lonely being kept apart. He is so sweet to his girls. We would bring him in the house to feed him treats because he would never eat them in the yard. He just gives them all to the girls. When he hears a hen in the coop singing the egg song he rushes over to make sure everything is going okay. I have found him more than once, in the nest box, sitting on an egg. I didn't even know roosters did that! Thanks again for giving him such a good home.

 

[chickflick]

Hope you feel better real soon, MOM.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Mom 2em All Wish i were closer.

giving you "a hug" anyway!

oh, so you don't feel left out, here's one for you too grandma

 

[uchytil]

I had Pekins last year and they would never go into a structure. They free ranged in the backyard day and night. They would go for swims in my pond in the middle of the night, sounded like they were doing cannon balls in the deep end. Silly things splashed water up and in my bedroom window. Nothing like a cold splash in the face to wake you up at 3:00 am.

I don't know if you can train them to go in at night. Maybe if you put their feed in there????

That's what I am afraid of, not going in and trying to catch them. No way they can stay out at night here. We have coons, possums, ermin, mink, hawks, and coyotes - not to mention free-range cats and dogs!. My parents ducks would follow them all over the yard and go to their coop at dusk. I was told not to keep food in the coop since they are so messy, but maybe if it's in an open run they might go in there and I can close the gate. Once in they would be easier to corral into the coop? Any duck whisperers out there?

 

[Stacykins]

That's what I am afraid of, not going in and trying to catch them. No way they can stay out at night here. We have coons, possums, ermin, mink, hawks, and coyotes - not to mention free-range cats and dogs!. My parents ducks would follow them all over the yard and go to their coop at dusk. I was told not to keep food in the coop since they are so messy, but maybe if it's in an open run they might go in there and I can close the gate. Once in they would be easier to corral into the coop? Any duck whisperers out there?

Yea, I am new to ducks too and finding them hard to coop up at night. They just don't have that instinct like the chickens do. They'd rather sprawl out in the straw and sleep under the stars >_<

I used a pair of dowels ("duck whackers" though I never touched them once) to extend my arm range and herd them into the coop. They're fast and crafty little buggers. They're not getting any free range privileges for a while, though, which POs the chickens. But it isn't like there is edible stuffs growing yet.