Michigan

[Olive Hill]

I've been calling them "turklings" just to drive my Mom nuts. Looks like I can get double usage out of the word here now!

Nah. Purposeful nicknames and pet names don't bother me.

 

[EeyoreD]

Nah. Purposeful nicknames and pet names don't bother me.

You take all the fun out of everything, Pimento.

 

[Olive Hill]

You take all the fun out of everything, Pimento.

Like it's my job...

 

[Juise]

Raz - Glad your duck is okay.

Well, didn't you say the candle was a frog? Maybe they want to eat meat!

Haha no, I was responding to BackyardFarmMom, SHE is the one with the frog eater!

I asked DH if he'd grab the eggs that didn't hatch out of the incubator and toss them on his way out to the woods...

You take all the fun out of everything, Pimento.

 

[Olive Hill]

How do you only have 300 posts? You talk more than Nova.

 

[EeyoreD]

How do you only have 300 posts? You talk more than Nova.

She joined 7 months before I did.

Isn't this your busy time?

Shoo!

 

[Juise]

The little chickens spent their first night on the same roost as the big chickens last night, this morning everyone was still alive, yay! lol

Wait, I don't think I have done much other than respond for the last couple weeks, so we'll start at the beginning and I'll try not to write a Nova novel.

So, a couple weeks ago, or something, I really have no grasp of time. So.. a while ago. The test on the little chickies came back clean.

I divided up the coop and run with chicken wire and stuff (I hung trellis from the ceiling inside the coop to attach to the top of the chicken wire fence and tarps in the same fashion and wired them together so that they couldn't fly over,) so that each group had access to both a coop area and a run area.

After a few days or so I started letting the little chickens out to free range with the big chickens. Well, I say with, but aside from a few scuffles over the compost pile, they stay well away from each other. They all seemed to be doing fine, and at night I tossed the littles back into their coop section and pulled them out again in the mornings.

Yesterday, Eskaba (one of the older flock) got sick. She was making funny croaky noises, I found one nasty watery green sludge poop, and had a runny nose. She laid a soft shelled egg that I wouldn't have known about if I hadn't happened to be standing right next to her, everyone pounced on it and all evidence was gone in moments, lol. She still went about her business like normal, though, and today she seems fine... I saw her lay a normal egg today, too. No one else is showing signs of illness yet, so... I don't know.

I moved the new nest boxes in a few days ago (or something,) and placed them where the old ones were, I put the old ones on the little chickens side just in case, this was before I realized they were only 15 weeks old, teehee.

Last night I went to lock up and do the nightly little chicken toss, and all 11 of them were crammed on the big girls' roost! Oh wait, I took a really crappy picture, let me get it. Can't wait to finish painting and get the new roost and poop board up so it doesn't look so crappy.



Back to this morning. (I am writing a Nova novel after all.) When I let everyone out, the big girls were in the run at the door, and the littles (or shall I say chuckles?) were all in the coop, they came out after the big girls left. Everyone but one.

Which brings me to my question, because there was a point here somewhere, let me find it. I searched the coop, searched the run, couldn't find her anywhere, searched some more... there is no way to go out, and I was beginning to envision the chickens killing her and eating the whole thing, feet and all, when I noticed a tail poking out from under the hardware cloth in the corner. We never filled in around two of the corner posts on the run, though they are amply covered by the hardware cloth apron. Which leaves a small hallow under the hardware cloth outside the run, and it was in this little hole that the missing lady was hiding. I'm not sure whether or not she could have gotten out on her own.

We seems to have a little Peep on our hands. This only started a handful of days ago, so I am assuming something must have happened, but for the last few days she will not come out of the coop. She hangs around in there all day, hiding in the corner, or just sitting on the roost. Whenever I shoo her out, she quickly finds a place to hide. For the last couple days I have been going in a few times a day and taking her out and putting her with her friends, but every time I go to check she is hiding in the coop again.

Today I took her out, moved the food and water out, and shut the run. When I came back to check, she had wedged herself in the little gap between the bigger bard and a small shed, so I took her out, put her with her friends, and opened the coop again, because if she is going to hide somewhere it may as well be someone she can move around and have food and water. I watched her for a bit after taking her out again today, put her in the middle of her friends, and she promptly hid under a bush. I shooed her out, and she stood there looking terrified while all the others scratched and pecked and did chicken things. Then a cat walked by, probably at least 20 yards away and not heading in their direction. The other little chickens took absolutely no notice at all, but the Peep turned tail and ran smack into the tree that was behind her.

So... short of showing her videos of ninjas on the History Channel, is there anything I can do to build her confidence up? She did also have an unfortunate run in with one of the biggest hens yesterday, when she happened to get between Maru and Maru's scratch... Maru grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and shook her, but she seemed to be okay, I think Maru had a mouth full of feathers, the Peep chicken is one of the fluffy Araucanas.

Thanks to anyone who actually made it through this post, LOL.

 

[Juise]

Wall of Text PWNS Your Face for 500 dmges. Roll a D6.

 

[EeyoreD]

My Skim Goggles absorb 450 dmg.

 

[vjwilmoth]

I love this little Michigan family we have here....BS and all...

Well grocery shopping....DONE

Planting 12 cotoneasters....uhhhh, next!

Drinking my favorite lager...Innnn Progress



Guess I should go help DH build that gate since he carried in all my groceries AND put most of them away. He's a keeper for sure!

I'm pretty sure that I have gotten old. If fact when God created the world in six days, I think I may have been sitting on the couch next to him when he rested on that 7th day.

Probably going to head south around 4am so ya'll will have to fix your own coffee. Notice how I slipped that ya'll in there? I'm just practicing so that when I get south tomorrow night the people there won't realize I'm not one of the folks.

I hope I can get access to a computer a few times while I'm gone. If not trying to catch up on a weeks worth of posts might make my brain explode.

Ya'll be good in my absence.

No wonder you're so dang wise! Have a good trip!

exactly, Jen!!

Nobody commented on my mille d'uccles...leaving me to wonder if they are all roos or if I got lucky..shhh dont tell them, they will change sex.

I just ordered five yards of dirt to be delivered today while I am at work.
I didnt tell my husband.

I think he will figure it out when he gets home...and the driveway is blocked.

Hmmmm, wonder what we will be doing all weekend?

You crack me up... probably because you do things I would do. Haha

Here's a picture of my chickies going nuts over boiled egg.

CUTE!!!

Seriously! My feeder always just looked like an extension of the bedding even after I put it up on boards. Can't figure out what they're doing in there. Course I never did figure out how there was a perfect curl of chicken poop on the wall next to the brooder. To clarify - on the wall six inches from the brooder and 4 inches ABOVE THE TOP OF THE BROODER. How the...???

Well today certainly started out with a bit of neighborhood excitement.
One of my outside ducks was trying his wings and flew over the back fence to Patty's yard. Well she has this young boxer...

Gracie caught the duck and fetched it to the other neighbor, Johnnie. But Johnnie was on his side of the fence and when the dog released the duck, the duck took off. So the chase continued. This happened a few times until Johnnie got over to Patty's yard. Johnnie is 84 BTW. Anyhow, the duck was caught and dropped back over the fence to my side.

There is no sign of injury and the ducks are behaving normally. Hopefully it will be a lesson to them and they will remember when they migrate in the fall.

Since I was up and the bees weren't really moving about, I moved them in to the new hive body. Then Johnnie asked for some help laying sod in his yard. At 84, he can no longer do the heavy lifting that he used to do. He is such a nice old guy, I'm happy to help. I'll probably be doing more for him around the yard.

Oh my! That is quite the morning. I'm glad your duck appears to be okay though.

Had a turkey chick hatch last night that I found outside the nest later in the evening.... stone cold. I thought it was dead, but it started moving and peeped.... so I brought it in and spent all evening holding it and using a hot pad to bring it's body temp up. Its perked up a bit, but I'm not sure it'll make it. It keeps fighting.. this morning I found it outside the box (don't know how it managed to do that)... on the floor.......cold....... I thought it was dead, but it started moving and peeped..again. Well, I figure if it's determined to keep trying I'd let it. Its in a bigger box today. DH just checked it for me. it has not really progressed passed the wobbly chick just hatched stage... I'll decide what to do with it when I get home tonight.

What a silly chick(haha)....turkling...poult? I hope it makes it and learns to stay PUT!

Do you hatch these turkeys to eat? I'm wondering what type are best for eating? I want to get some next year. Maybe I"ll just get them from YOU!

Speaking of hatching turkey poults. After last week's hatch I asked DH if he'd grab the eggs that didn't hatch out of the incubator and toss them on his way out to the woods... sure, of course he would. I didn't think anything more about it, until this week's hatch was due on Wednesday. My eggs always hatch 1-2 days early. Always. On Tuesday I didn't hear any peeping from the office. Weird, but I got distracted and went about my business. Went in on Wednesday morning to check and ... only three turkeys.

Thought it odd, but I had been leaving the office window open at night so maybe it was a bit off and they were just going to hatch later than usual. Went about my business. Checked yesterday, just three. WTH? Today... three. Looked closer and the eggs I can see the marks on in the bator say "1". They should say "2". Are you all putting together what I'm putting together? I don't even want to open it and go through them. I'm fairly certain he disposed of the wrong eggs.

I've been calling them "turklings" just to drive my Mom nuts. Looks like I can get double usage out of the word here now!

She joined 7 months before I did.

Isn't this your busy time?

Shoo!

How do you only have 300 posts? You talk more than Nova.

Now, now... heheee