Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

You sound just like my sister!

WOW Really?


Did she get made fun of a lot when she was in school?

Having a male's voice can be so embarrassing for girls....




(OK smart alecness is over)



I like the tub idea, I wish I had thought of it over the winter. Hopefully, I will remember it for next winter, but at my age their is no promise of memories lasting.


I set eggs this morning, so I should have Good Friday chicks. I set one of the porcelain eggs, hopefully the baby will look like it's mother so I can figure out who lays those eggs.

I only got those 2 eggs so far from the Crested Cream's.... The eggs were getting old and needed to be set. SO I did that and gave them company.


I am second guessing myself on one of the eggs, when I did the pre-setting candling, the shell looked funky, like it was "spotted" with thin spots. I should just throw it away. But I am just too cheap..

The air sacs in the golden eggs (CC's) seemed small, but I hope it will be okay. I wasn't going to eat those two eggs ,incase the CC's never lay another one. They seem happy in their new house, and run. They are friendly enough, even if a little stand offish. They just do not like laying eggs for me.

The frost went out in the garden, the lake is gone. I wonder how deep the ground is frozen or how hard. I would like to dig some fence post holes and get some runs up. I would hate to break my hole augur on the frost. I might have to go borrow a grade school friends augur to see if it is safe to use mine.....

 

[bantiesrule]

If they did, it was only once. It was hard for them to say anything else with missing teeth!

(Just kidding, but she was and is the complete tomboy)

 

[Scott16475]

Throw some scratch or other treats in there, they'll find it then.
ETA: I also mix some soft soil in mine.

That is a FANTASTIC idea! Wow, this board is very knowledgeable. You guys rock!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thank you, Bogtown Chick! I tried responding yesterday but I must have been having computer issues because it wouldn't let me respond. I went out yesterday and purchased an old wash tub, sand, and ash and placed it in their area. One of my daughters and I picked up the hens and placed them in it so they would know what it was. They couldn't wait to get out and wanted NOTHING to do with it. I hope they eventually figure it out and climb in on their own. I think they will at some point as my girls seem to be a little slow. When I first moved them out to their coop last spring, everything I read said chickens will learn to put themselves to sleep within 2 weeks but of course it took mine much longer than that so before they learned, I was out there each night trying to catch them and placing them into the coop. Comical to say the least.

If they don't figure it out, I'll probably dump it directly on the ground and see if that will work. The only problem with that is when it rains.

What silly birds! They always keep us humble those chickens. -- I bought bunch of stuff for my birds on great ideas Water nipples/ and 5 gallon bucket to make a waterer. Do you think they would even try it?! Silly silly silly. -- Anyways I think their curiousity will prevail and they'll realize that it is excellent dusting spot and use it this spring yet if the ground is hard or next fall/winter when there's nothing else. Mine have destroyed a mini shade garden on the north side of my house. My precious Bleeding heart plant that grew to gargantuous proportions is nothing but chicken tread each spring now. They just love that spot...plus it's cool there to nap in the summer after they've excavated their little pits. I used to be a perfectionist in my gardening until I got chickens...now I've learned to "let go" because I like the chickens better than my bleeding heart. Well I guess it's kind of close. LOL.

One thing I did with my newly feathered chicks and the transfer to the "Big Coop" was to keep them locked in it for a week. Then I let them out. Then they seemed to know it was home. The information is endless isn't it? But you're enjoying the ride Scott...and that's good.

Throw some scratch or other treats in there, they'll find it then.
ETA: I also mix some soft soil in mine.

What a good Idea Bantiesrule!

Ralphie: I think besides professional chicken keeper, professional fisherman is the way to go. I always say "fishing fixes everything." --you always come back with a smile on your face.

 

[jbenson]

Our city may be the first working backwards in the realm of chicken keeping on our state. They have little to no regulation now and thanks to one bad set of chicken keepers in an upscale part of town who fancy themselves urban farmers but don't seem to care much about being courteous neighbors, the city council put together a task force to recommend changes and regulation on urban farming (however the entire process was focused on keeping birds). The city is pretending they aren't trying to legislate a solution to a private nuisance (one between neighbors not affecting the public as a whole) and one city council member is being a total b**** saying she would ban all chickens and ur a farming if it were up to her. The mayor isn't much better. He is convinced that a family doesn't need even 6 chickens cause afterall, that would a 6 eggs a day and that's more than any family needs to consume according to him. They are potentially looking at a tiered system based on lot size, but not taking into account bantam vs large fowl. The nasty councilwoman was even against any public comments to the council before the vote saying that the task force already had a public forum in the fall and besides the council is going to do what they want anyways. Clearly she could not care less what the residents of the city think, she's pretty power hungry if you ask me. My husband and I are prepared to hire a lawyer if they pass rules that would make us get rid of our birds. We bought the house where we did specifically with knowledge chicks were allowed and are part way through starting a home based business around urban farming. Rules against what we are doing when there have been no complaints about us or our birds would be taking away value in our property and we are gearing up to defend that. It is sad when one is allowed to spoil things for everyone.

 

[duluthralphie]

Sorry to hear you're having so many problems there.


Did these people happen to own a couple of my turkeys?


Just curious, as my wife and I thought that was a problem waiting to explode when we got them.

 

[Minniechickmama]

You would call those eggs with the "spotted" eggs 'porous'. Many folks say to not set them, but I do. However, it has proven true that you won't get great results from those eggs, but a decent enough number develop and hatch that I set them anyway. Once I trace who is laying which eggs this year though, I may start eliminating those hens who lay the really porous eggs.

The air sacs on any fresh egg will be small, or should be. It will expand as the chick develops and it a great deal larger by the time they start to hatch as the egg loses some of the moisture in the membranes. It's all normal stuff.
And those Legbars are just not adjusted to being in their new home quite yet. Between the weather and the move, it probably just knocked them off their rocker for a bit. It happens.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Our city may be the first working backwards in the realm of chicken keeping on our state. They have little to no regulation now and thanks to one bad set of chicken keepers in an upscale part of town who fancy themselves urban farmers but don't seem to care much about being courteous neighbors, the city council put together a task force to recommend changes and regulation on urban farming (however the entire process was focused on keeping birds). The city is pretending they aren't trying to legislate a solution to a private nuisance (one between neighbors not affecting the public as a whole) and one city council member is being a total b**** saying she would ban all chickens and ur a farming if it were up to her. The mayor isn't much better. He is convinced that a family doesn't need even 6 chickens cause afterall, that would a 6 eggs a day and that's more than any family needs to consume according to him. They are potentially looking at a tiered system based on lot size, but not taking into account bantam vs large fowl. The nasty councilwoman was even against any public comments to the council before the vote saying that the task force already had a public forum in the fall and besides the council is going to do what they want anyways. Clearly she could not care less what the residents of the city think, she's pretty power hungry if you ask me. My husband and I are prepared to hire a lawyer if they pass rules that would make us get rid of our birds. We bought the house where we did specifically with knowledge chicks were allowed and are part way through starting a home based business around urban farming. Rules against what we are doing when there have been no complaints about us or our birds would be taking away value in our property and we are gearing up to defend that. It is sad when one is allowed to spoil things for everyone.

The nice thing about those City Board members... they can be voted out. I would say, if it is that serious, get the lawyer now and don't make the fight harder down the road. It is easier to stop an ordinance from becoming effective than changing one that just passed. I think being ahead of them is the way to go in your case. Get a petition too and educate your neighbors.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Fishing definitely kicks but.

Oh yeah! I love to fish and ice fish!

Has anyone here been able to get up to Lake Of The Woods to go ice fishing? My dad and I were planning to go, but our schedules haven't given us a free weekend and now we have 42 degree weather.

 

[jbenson]

The nice thing about those City Board members... they can be voted out. I would say, if it is that serious, get the lawyer now and don't make the fight harder down the road. It is easier to stop an ordinance from becoming effective than changing one that just passed. I think being ahead of them is the way to go in your case. Get a petition too and educate your neighbors.

We're already on the late end unfortunately. We did not expect this to get past the task force stage (my husband was on the task force and after it wrapped up, there was zero movement for months by the city, no mention at all). However, the there were city council elections in the middle of this mess and one of the people elected (the nasty lady) has the older generation with money behind her bad attitude and our mayor is a bad seed too (we tried to get him out and get someone we like in, but she fell short just a few votes). The city has been less than forthcoming about any action this spring. The agendas minutes from meetings have been left unaccessable on the city website and where they were making announcements about the task force preceedings and chances for the public to speak in that arena, they have been keeping it hush hush about the current stuff. I've emailed a couple council members to let them know I am aware that these things are being kept from the public and also to let them know that myself and others are aware that they are not lawfully allowed to legislate a solution to a private matter and that the public is not fooled by the city's statements that they are now interested in this topic for no reason and that people are aware that this one particular incident is what brought this on. There are so few complaints in the city about chicken keeping except for this one property that the city will have a hard time proving they weren't legislating a solution to one particular private situation between neighbors instead of due to a public issue or nuisance. And you bet your bottom I will be working hard to campaign for anyone running against the nasty lady next time her chair is up. She is clearly a grasper for power and the likes of her do not belong on any city council if she's gonna make statements like "we don't need to hear from the public, the council can and will do whatever it wants".