Michigan

[NovaAman]

I do believe I have one each on the faverolle chicks I got from Randy. I think the SS may b a boy also. Gonna try and get pics of the polishes... Maybe ya'll can tell...

 

[Mom 2em All]

Im doing my best to keep the incubator cooled off. Its been sitting at 102, so if something hatches, I will be surprised. Its so hot, Im doing my best to keep the house from melting.

I have rabbits sprawled throughout the house, lol. Everyone seems to be doing well.

I just found an egg next to the chicken waterer- thinnest shell ever. They had already broke it open and eaten the inside. I put out a bunch of oyster shell for whoever it was.

 

[Juise]

Well, I have managed to mostly keep up since my last post, but didn't get any quotes, so, briefly the things I can remember...

Farmerboy - So sorry, love to you and your family.

Mom - Huzzah to both your bunny and your chick making it!

Nova - Sorry for your losses, hope you figure out what it is and how to stop it soon.

I have a couple questions... there was talk of mirrors? That was to help deter aerial predators, right? I hadn't heard that before. Does it help to put a handful of small ones up around the area they usually free range, or is it mostly effective for a smaller area, and / or with larger mirrors?

Also, this one is kind of a dumb question I am sure, but... there are full sized chickens that lay extra small eggs, right? Our little EE started laying a couple weeks ago (cream

) and the eggs are soooo small! I thought at first that it was probably because she was just starting, I have heard that it can take a bit to get things worked out, but two weeks? Our first batch of hens all started right off with full sized normal shelled eggs. We get a tiny egg once in a blue moon, but so far she has probably laid about 7 eggs, all teeny tiny. I'm fine either way, actually, Kaia is positively thrilled with "her size" eggs, I'm just curious. And.. like.. I would know by now if she were a banty, right...? I know the batch I got her with are not all the exact same age, but they are around the same size and have been growing at about the same rate. I don't know anything about banties. Obviously.

There is an exception to that, the terrified / possibly blind chicken, who DD is calling Henny Penny, (...It's the way she starts flapping and running in circles every time something startles her... like another chicken coming near her, or she sees her shadow...) She is way, way smaller than her sister. I don't think she eats or drinks enough. When I go let everyone out, they are all at the run door. Henny Penny doesn't come out to the run with everyone else, though, she hides in the corner in the coop behind the roost until everyone is gone. Then she comes out and eats. She is never with the other chickens, who now, for the most part, free range as one flock.

We had a breakthrough the other day... she actually came out to have evening scratch with everyone else, (which is how I get them all in the run at 8:30, instead of 10 when they want to go to bed,) I was super excited, and then... Kaia, little miss 4 year old, who was in the run with me... I wasn't looking... anyway, she pulled a balloon out of her pocket, blew it up, and let it go. I am sure you can imagine how pleased the chickens were, I have never seen them in such a panic! Kaia has just recently learned this "skill", and had no idea it would not be happy fun times for the chickens, of course. Well, poor Henny Penny hasn't come out for scratch again. I am a bit surprised she lived through that shock, actually...

 

[Mish]

I know a few of you here have peafowl.  Just can't remember who you are?  

Got a question though.

Will be getting three fully grown peafowl, 1 cock & 2 hens.  How in the world am I going to transport the cock?  The trip would only be about ten miles or so.  Have any of you done this before, or does anyone have any ideas on how to do this.

Best I can come up with is 1) cover the head and towel over the body, holding the bird next to me (or someone else) in the back seat with part of the seat down, with the birds tail laying into the back OR 2) I have a Jeep that I could somehow screen off the back portion, put the back seat down and just let the bird ride in the back.

Looking for the safest (both bird and driver)  and least stressful means to do this.

I've seen someone transport geese in feedbags - worked very well. Looked it up for peafowl and saw a description to cut a hole in the bottom for the head and have the tail through the opening (opening tied so no escape, and feet tied too). Couldn't find a pic. I also saw some people used bandages to wrap the tail to prevent damage.

 

[NovaAman]

Go Kaia! Lol

So check it out, the hen I got from Mom2, she lays a nice sized med egg, eggshell color. Leila layed a small pinkish tan colored egg. Both bantams. I have a large fowl pullet who lays a medium, and her near twin lays a really large egg. Not quite extra large. So... I think its not unusual in my experience, which is limited, to have 2 birds, same size, lay different size eggs.

 

[NovaAman]

How ya hanging in there Daron? Keeping cool enough? Do you have a bed bath and beyond nearby? They have these towel like things that you run under cold cold water and they then stay cold for 3 hours. I think you should consider getting one or two for when you need to beat the heat. I will get a pic of it, the packaging I mean, and post it later. Think it'd be good for Fuzzy too.

 

[NovaAman]

http://polarbreezebandanas.com/store/. Here is a site to check out.

 

[Juise]

eggshell color

What? That's about as descriptive as "skin colour".

None of the other hens from her batch are laying eggs yet, so I have no idea how the size will compare to what they lay, her eggs are just super tiny! I will take a picture.

 

[NovaAman]

Well, lets see.. It ain't white. It ain't cream... Its closest to the color paint called egg shell... Or maybe dirty ivory...

 

[Farmerboy16]

How ya hanging in there Daron? Keeping cool enough? Do you have a bed bath and beyond nearby? They have these towel like things that you run under cold cold water and they then stay cold for 3 hours. I think you should consider getting one or two for when you need to beat the heat. I will get a pic of it, the packaging I mean, and post it later. Think it'd be good for Fuzzy too.

Thanks Nova, I just got back in from outside watering all the animals, and I am drenched in sweat with a headache growing. I have to leave for work in an hour and a half. Its warmer in the milk parlor for the body heat from the cows makes it about 10 degrees warmer. I will be stuck in there for close to 3 hours. I am going to melt.

I like that site. All American.