Minnesota!

[lalaland]

Which mealworms did you order? I went to the company website - so many choices !

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYNTSXK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

these might not be the ones cluckie posted, you can check her link a few posts back. But I had to order and couldn't find her link .

I think pretty much all the freeze dried mealworms are from china. who would think they would corner the market on that? And they have live ones at the reptile pet stores. buy like I said, I paid 20 for 500 worms. Bait shops seem to have wax worms, which grown into a moth that attacks bees (according to the bait shop guy) and strikers, which are maggots that apparently turn into house flies. Neither sound appealing!

But, I would assume the chickens would happily eat those as well, and I also suppose the protein content is good.

 

[KlopKlop]

Why did you chose her breed? I'm curious what draws folks to certain chickens.

We were looking for a non-hybrid meat bird to raise for our breeding project and found the rainbows to be best. I am glad we went with them because they are fantastic! I based my decision on reading stuff online (not a whole lot of info out there on rainbows), talking with a guy at the hatchery, and then just the fact that they were available easily as well.

we ordered straight run and butchered all but 5 hens and 1 roo. They were great birds to raise, easy to care for, ate much less than our CXs, and were good foragers. The 6 we have kept back have been so fun! they are very friendly and like to be around you when you are out and about. good with other birds in the flock. Conrad, the rooster, is huge. Unfortunately this has resulted in some treading on the hens he likes but he is a good and gentle roo, never attacks the hens or us. We are excited to see what happens this year when we breed with them. He will be bred to the rainbow hens, our CX hen, and some dark cornish hens.

 

[Coffee 1st]

Wow,,, I don't even know what to say,, I really cant believe some people.. I'm outside with my dogs yesterday because of the hawk situation. And the guy in the house behind me walks over to my fence and says ' did you know a hawk got one of your chickens?.. yea i know.. THEN the guy says he was out side and seen the hawk fly down and grab it and it was so cool he got out his camera on his phone and started taking pictures of it. It was so cool it was only about 5 feet away from me. and then it dropped the chicken and the chicken tried running and the hawk jumped on it and started pulling the feathers and finally the chicken gave up and then it just sat right there and was eating it, then after a little while the hawk took off with the rest of the body I HAVE THE PICS IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM......... OMFG I CANT believe people.... why would you not try and chase the hawk away after it dropped the chicken????? instead of taking pictures.... I understand the kids interest but REALLY the parent.... i could have hit him.... this is the same family that called the inspector on my coop, the same family that would watch me everyday out there by myself trying to build the coop and never offered to even hold a board, the same family that was the 1st to ask if i have any eggs left over if they can have them... the same family that spread it around the neighbor hood that I'm the house that needs to be watched because they think i might have a drug house because i have people over here all the time. WOW that was fun to learn about..i have people over because i have always had allot of friends and they like to check up on me.. this is the same guy who actually had the nerve to ask me if i have one of those OPEN RELATIONSHIPS??? just straight out and asked me one day... I told him if i did it would be none of his business BUT NO I'm not the 2 guys he was referring to were my 2 brothers that were here almost everyday helping my cut down trees and do other things. how dare anyone be so rude...

 

[Cluckies]

Coffee, OMG I would have punched the son of a beeeotch. What a, I can't even say it. I'm so mad right now, I just can't believe anyone could be so cruel. Did you tell him he is an sob, and so is his kid, and he better not ever talk to you again? Does he have a wife? I'd be having a few words with her too about her turds. I am so sorry you have to live next door to such pieces of sheet... Terrible. I always give people the benefit of the doubt, but then something like this happens. Terrible. OMG, I still can't believe it. I'd have told him to shove his phone up his ***. Terrible.

 

[scandiafowl]

@Coffee 1st

Words fail me.

But as Klop said, non-chicken folks just don't get it. But that's no reason to be a total j e r k.

 

[Cluckies]

Ok, now that I've cooled down. The dad is a lost cause. But I'd definitely, next time you see the kid, tell him how cruel it was to just stand there and watch your pet chicken get killed. Let him know that a real man, would step in and help people and animals that are weaker than they are. Let him know that you thought they were friends and that you could count on him to keep an eye out for your girls when you are in the house and help keep them safe. Let him know how much you were hurt by his actions. Maybe you can break the cycle with him.

 

[KlopKlop]

Wow,,, I don't even know what to say,, I really cant believe some people.. I'm outside with my dogs yesterday because of the hawk situation. And the guy in the house behind me walks over to my fence and says ' did you know a hawk got one of your chickens?.. yea i know.. THEN the guy says he was out side and seen the hawk fly down and grab it and it was so cool he got out his camera on his phone and started taking pictures of it. It was so cool it was only about 5 feet away from me. and then it dropped the chicken and the chicken tried running and the hawk jumped on it and started pulling the feathers and finally the chicken gave up and then it just sat right there and was eating it, then after a little while the hawk took off with the rest of the body I HAVE THE PICS IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM.........   OMFG I CANT believe people.... why would you not try and chase the hawk away after it dropped the chicken????? instead of taking pictures.... I understand the kids interest but REALLY the parent.... i could have hit him.... this is the same family that called the inspector on my coop, the same family that would watch me everyday out there by myself trying to build the coop and never offered to even hold a board, the same family that was the 1st to ask if i have any eggs left over if they can have them... the same family that spread it around the neighbor hood that I'm the house that needs to be watched because they think i might have a drug house because i have people over here all the time. WOW that was fun to learn about..i have people over because  i have always had allot of friends and they like to check up on me.. this is the same guy who actually had the nerve to ask me if i have one of those OPEN RELATIONSHIPS???  just straight out and asked me one day... I told him if i did it would be none of his business BUT NO I'm not the 2 guys he was referring to were my 2 brothers that were here almost everyday helping my cut down trees and do other things. how dare anyone be so rude... 

The kid could have been innocent but i see where he gets his example from. What a terrible thing for that guy to do. He should have known to chase the hawk away. He is either bitter about something or relishes in seeing offending others. Especially with those other actions and comments he has made. You are rightfully mad! I would be too!!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Pullet or rooster?


My concoction of the day: whey, rolled oats and butternut squash with a few cooked spaghetti noodles

Pullet. I did look ahead at the other pictures. For her age, she would have much larger wattles and comb if it were a cockerel. The tail is another sign. At that age, the boys haven't grown in their main tail feathers quite so much. The curvy feathers coming into the tail are also rounded, not pointed like a male. She isn't fully grown though and probably a month from laying age? About 4-4 1/2 months old right now?

Does anybody else think this is the funniest thing to walk up to in the morning?

That is a really COOL way to get up and going each morning in my book!

Alas, my leghorn didn't make it

I put her in the corner of the coop this morning so she would be out of the way but be able to get some room to move when everyone went outside. She kind of huddled down and watched the flock. When I got home tonight it looks like she never even moved. Just tucked her head over passed away

maybe she just needed to see the flock one last time. Breaks my heart but at least she isn't hurting any more.

Sorry you lost her. Sounds like the same way my Sweety mutt just passed.

This is a Rosie in her natural habitat. We had her DNA tested, Shiba Inu, Staffordshire and Doberman. Who know what else snuck in there.

Definitely see the Doby in the legs! Pretty dog. I would never guess Inu in her either. It is so cool that you can find out the genetic makeup of mutts now. We had a Chow Doby cross as our first dog, and he has been gone for over 10 years now and I still miss the little bugger. Best dog ever.

I would also try mashed up canned sweet-potato, my sick girls loved that stuff. Almost as much as live meal worms!

You said it in another post but CANNED PUMPKIN (or pureed, frozen pumpkin that is organic from you own garden) has an amazing effect on critters that are down and out. I use it frequently on rabbits if they act 'off' either because they just kindled (had babies) or if they are not eating like they should be or not drinking as they should be. It is my go-to treat. Since I open a can, I give everyone a little of it and they can't eat it fast enough. It is like rabbit crack. I like giving pumpkins to the chickens in fall too and they love them. They are packed with vitamins, so what better treat. I look forward to if we ever get our root cellar dug so I can grow more pumpkins and keep them around for my birds year around (or as long as they will keep and those pie types with thick flesh keep long)

We were looking for a non-hybrid meat bird to raise for our breeding project and found the rainbows to be best. I am glad we went with them because they are fantastic! I based my decision on reading stuff online (not a whole lot of info out there on rainbows), talking with a guy at the hatchery, and then just the fact that they were available easily as well.

we ordered straight run and butchered all but 5 hens and 1 roo. They were great birds to raise, easy to care for, ate much less than our CXs, and were good foragers. The 6 we have kept back have been so fun! they are very friendly and like to be around you when you are out and about. good with other birds in the flock. Conrad, the rooster, is huge. Unfortunately this has resulted in some treading on the hens he likes but he is a good and gentle roo, never attacks the hens or us. We are excited to see what happens this year when we breed with them. He will be bred to the rainbow hens, our CX hen, and some dark cornish hens.

Time to start sewing some hen saddles, Kyle. Even good and gentle roosters will tear out some of those back feathers. I think it isn't just that they are rough or they have favorites, I believe it is also a result of some hens feathers are looser than others. I know when I am getting 100% fertility from a pen that the rooster in there is breeding everyone, yet some have bare backs by Spring and others look perfectly fine. When I use saddles, I don't have the problems with so many bare backs. Which reminds me, I need to make about 60 or 70 of them soon.

Wow,,, I don't even know what to say,, I really cant believe some people.. I'm outside with my dogs yesterday because of the hawk situation. And the guy in the house behind me walks over to my fence and says ' did you know a hawk got one of your chickens?.. yea i know.. THEN the guy says he was out side and seen the hawk fly down and grab it and it was so cool he got out his camera on his phone and started taking pictures of it. It was so cool it was only about 5 feet away from me. and then it dropped the chicken and the chicken tried running and the hawk jumped on it and started pulling the feathers and finally the chicken gave up and then it just sat right there and was eating it, then after a little while the hawk took off with the rest of the body I HAVE THE PICS IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM......... OMFG I CANT believe people.... why would you not try and chase the hawk away after it dropped the chicken????? instead of taking pictures.... I understand the kids interest but REALLY the parent.... i could have hit him.... this is the same family that called the inspector on my coop, the same family that would watch me everyday out there by myself trying to build the coop and never offered to even hold a board, the same family that was the 1st to ask if i have any eggs left over if they can have them... the same family that spread it around the neighbor hood that I'm the house that needs to be watched because they think i might have a drug house because i have people over here all the time. WOW that was fun to learn about..i have people over because i have always had allot of friends and they like to check up on me.. this is the same guy who actually had the nerve to ask me if i have one of those OPEN RELATIONSHIPS??? just straight out and asked me one day... I told him if i did it would be none of his business BUT NO I'm not the 2 guys he was referring to were my 2 brothers that were here almost everyday helping my cut down trees and do other things. how dare anyone be so rude...

I think you need new neighbors. Zumbrota is a nice town and I know there are properties available, AND the city just passed for 10 hens! Come on down!!! I even know a chicken supplier near town
Seriously, what f)#*$^% a))!#$%(&s to just watch and let the bird kill your chicken, but then to TELL you about in that way!!!!! I would be thinking of ways to seeking revenge for their ignorant a)@)*#% to get some karma whooping up on them. That father should have been caponized YEARS before he could procreate!!!

 

[scandiafowl]

@Minniechickmama

The pullets were born about 04 September.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Okay, still looks like a pullet. Time will tell if I am right or wrong