Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

This morning we went turkey hunting. While sitting there I heard a noise. Looked down and there was a cute little weasle sitting not even 5 inches away!! It wasn't scared I could have killed it. But it was so dang cute! Minnie I know you r going to frown upon my decision but I couldn't kill something so tame and cute.

My disappointment is Legendary!

 

[Rhetts]

@Minniechickmama Your poor hen! I could only imagine a reaction I would make coming upon that in the coop. Yikes! What is this Blu-Kote you've mentioned a few times now?

@holm25 You didn't kill the weasel?! You are too easily swayed by cuteness!!

 

[nordicacres]

Rhetts, where did you purchase your hatchery birds from? I have three SLW and two GLW that are eight weeks and so far, so good. One was from Runnings(Hoover) and the others from Murray McMurray. None of my layers pick on each other, but they sure did peck at the Cornish X. We've decided we will raise meat birds in a tractor from now on. My only issue with hatchery birds is the roosters. We have way more than we should. The straight runs were cockerel heavy and even the "pullets" were cockerel heavy. I mean, we ordered four BR pullets and received a 50/50 mix. Their 90% accuracy was more like 60%

 

[Rhetts]

Rhetts, where did you purchase your hatchery birds from? I have three SLW and two GLW that are eight weeks and so far, so good. One was from Runnings(Hoover) and the others from Murray McMurray. None of my layers pick on each other, but they sure did peck at the Cornish X. We've decided we will raise meat birds in a tractor from now on. My only issue with hatchery birds is the roosters. We have way more than we should. The straight runs were cockerel heavy and even the "pullets" were cockerel heavy. I mean, we ordered four BR pullets and received a 50/50 mix. Their 90% accuracy was more like 60%

Yep Murray Mcmurray. I was wondering how many other shipments were heavy in the roo department. I couldn't have been the only one with so many. I agree with your 60% estimate. I was wondering if it was because they were the first orders of spring and they were just getting up and running for the year. Was there just that many more cockerels hatched than females this year? Who knows. Glad you are having better luck than I am though.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Good Morning Everybody.

DH is off to Red Lake this Morning, and I'm running kids all weekend. Chauffer-extraordinaire. ha!

Chickens went right over to the neighbors' this AM. I noted that their feed bowl had some rain water in it yesterday that I didn't quite tend to as fast as I should. So I suppose they got a little rangey yesterday and decided they liked it over there. I better start calling them back before they wheel in from the metro for the weekend. It's a weekend cabin place. They like our chickens though...but they've got a dog, too who is nicely trained but you never know. Plus it's not very neighborly having chicken crap on their deck...is it?

I think they feed the deer and birds over there...thus the better pickins....IDK ...for sure why they're heading over but I'll need to sweeten the deal back on my place I suppose.

Ralphie: love the scarlet tanager. Makes me want to start bird feeding again. This one was from a few years back. We'd see these boys a little more than the scarlet tanager.

The blue is unreal. Even this photo....does not do the color justice...if you can imagine.

 

[duluthralphie]

Good Morning Everybody.

DH is off to Red Lake this Morning, and I'm running kids all weekend. Chauffer-extraordinaire. ha!

Chickens went right over to the neighbors' this AM. I noted that their feed bowl had some rain water in it yesterday that I didn't quite tend to as fast as I should. So I suppose they got a little rangey yesterday and decided they liked it over there. I better start calling them back before they wheel in from the metro for the weekend. It's a weekend cabin place. They like our chickens though...but they've got a dog, too who is nicely trained but you never know. Plus it's not very neighborly having chicken crap on their deck...is it?

I think they feed the deer and birds over there...thus the better pickins....IDK ...for sure why they're heading over but I'll need to sweeten the deal back on my place I suppose.

Ralphie: love the scarlet tanager. Makes me want to start bird feeding again. This one was from a few years back. We'd see these boys a little more than the scarlet tanager.

The blue is unreal. Even this photo....does not do the color justice...if you can imagine.

BC I can imagine, I have lots of Indigo buntings right now. I think they should be called bluebirds instead of the drabber bluebird.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Ralphie: Chin up. You always do right by your birds and stuff happens with these eggs and incubators. Chickening keeps us humble...no doubt about that.

Hang in there, put a shot in your coffee this morning and enjoy all the things that are right in your barnyard.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

The first time I saw an Indigo bunting I was 11-12 years old. It was flitting between a couple of pine trees and diving into the freshly mowed lawn for bugs I'm assuming. I remember running to tell my Mom about it. The color was like from a dream. I wasn't sure I had seen it all. Then I saw it again. Flashing Indigo moving fast. And I remember that dream-like blue with fresh mowed grass smells. I stood awestruck for a while before I went to tell mother though. That memory is sealed in forever. Weird how somethings you remember and others you don't.

 

[Minniechickmama]

@Minniechickmama Your poor hen! I could only imagine a reaction I would make coming upon that in the coop. Yikes! What is this Blu-Kote you've mentioned a few times now?

@holm25 You didn't kill the weasel?! You are too easily swayed by cuteness!!

Go to your feed and supply place and ask if they have it. Don't go for the other brands of what is supposed to be about the same, they are not. It is a purple spray to cover the bloody areas and it has a germicidal/fungicidal ingredient to help with healing. It covers the blood so that the others won't peck at it. If they are gaping bleeding wounds, they take a longer time to heal. I do stitch any cuts or lacerations after cleaning them with a solution and then spray them with BluKote.

 

[Minniechickmama]

holm- I hope that cute little weasel doesn't show up at your place to thank you by killing your whole flock. They don't take just one, they kill everything in the pen. I suppose it would depend on how far from my home I was if I saw one though, I might be swayed too. Wild animals have a right to live their lives, but for me it is just so long as they do not infringe on mine.

Oh, and you think it was scared? It was just trying to figure out if it could bite your neck and suck your blood out before you could get it. It must have realized you were too big to take down with his clan. I don't mean to sound mean. Those are just the nastiest predator a poultry person can have.