Minnesota!

[lalaland]

Happy Birthday, Minnie, hope it has been a great birthday!

Klopklop, that sounds like genius to me - cant wait to see how your adventure with pigs goes. I like that you are planning the input part and can raise the feed yourself (if I remember right from previous posts).

Does anyone else rearrange the roosting order? With the tiny barred rock bantam and the silkie that came with the other hens this fall, I worry about them and sometimes when I am counting heads at night, I pick them off the roost and pop them in between two friendly fluffy hens for better warmth. So tonight Meep-meep, the bantam, who was all by herself next to an open window, got tucked in between a docile dominque and a drowsy buff orpington.

the silkie, who was also by herself, went between another buff and a fairly placid welsumer.

I just figure these two little ones could use a little help....but part of me thinks the little hens know best and to let them be, but I couldn't resist moving them to what I think are warmer areas.

 

[KlopKlop]

Klopklop, that sounds like genius to me - cant wait to see how your adventure with pigs goes. I like that you are planning the input part and can raise the feed yourself (if I remember right from previous posts).

Not technically raising the feed, but we will be buying the corn from our neighbor who farms our land (along with hundreds of other acres )

Of course we will feed them whatever we can of what we grow that doesnt go to the chickens too. We will be looking all over for feed items like fruit, veggies, and so forth to feed them to cut grain feed consumption. I however won't be feeding things like stale bread or restaurant scraps scraps like some people do.

 

[holm25]

Lala I arrange the roost alot.... I put the young birds in btween the big ones. Except fkr my Cochin pair. They sleep next to eachother and stay next to eachother all day. Why is that? I think its true chicken love but I dont know...

 

[Cluckies]

I went out to find a hutch door open where I have been keeping 4 young bantam roosters. I couldn't find feather nor footprint anywhere. So, I went about doing chores, and I see one of them under an empty coop I use in Summer. I squeezed through the fencing that is frozen in and get over to him, and here comes Jerome, my silly cat. He scares the rooster, who then flies off out of that section of the pasture and onto a different coop where I can reach him more easily. I get back through the fence, and go grab him. As I am walking back over to his hutch, here is the other little rooster sitting in the snow. I don't know where the heck he was, but both are back in where they are supposed to be. I have no idea how that hutch ever got open though, and that bothers me a bit. I have a hook and eye latch on it, and I know it was closed after I did chores yesterday.

Oh no, did you find the other two roos?

I found my journey one but not the one about raising poultry with livestock

Did you find the rest of your articles? that is terrible, those were great and alot of work went into them!

Happy Birthday, Minnie, hope it has been a great birthday!

Klopklop, that sounds like genius to me - cant wait to see how your adventure with pigs goes. I like that you are planning the input part and can raise the feed yourself (if I remember right from previous posts).

Does anyone else rearrange the roosting order? With the tiny barred rock bantam and the silkie that came with the other hens this fall, I worry about them and sometimes when I am counting heads at night, I pick them off the roost and pop them in between two friendly fluffy hens for better warmth. So tonight Meep-meep, the bantam, who was all by herself next to an open window, got tucked in between a docile dominque and a drowsy buff orpington.

the silkie, who was also by herself, went between another buff and a fairly placid welsumer.

I just figure these two little ones could use a little help....but part of me thinks the little hens know best and to let them be, but I couldn't resist moving them to what I think are warmer areas.

I do re-arrange them here and there. My one SLW "Mother" gets up on the roost and won't move no matter how much they peck her, so I have to put her by someone who won't peck her. I think she is scared to move as they will peck her more, so I move her. Then I will move them alternating facing forward and back if they don't do it themselves, which they usually do so they don't get pecked as much. my flock can be a bunch of bitties, I have three strong hens, and 2 that get picked on. usually if I place them in the same order everynight they are ok with it and settle down faster with minimal pecking. strong hen, weak hen, strong hen, weak hen, strong hen, then they are ok. weak hens facing the wall... i've only got the 5 though, so it is easy, cluck-cluck, goose, morticia, mother then fi.

 

[KlopKlop]

Yeah did you find the other two roosters? I had to go back and read the story again to catch that you started with four and ended with two

 

[scandiafowl]

Happy Birthday, Minnie, hope it has been a great birthday!

Klopklop, that sounds like genius to me - cant wait to see how your adventure with pigs goes.  I like that you are planning the input part and can raise the feed yourself (if I remember right from previous posts).

Does anyone else rearrange the roosting order?  With the tiny barred rock bantam and the silkie that came with the other hens this fall, I worry about them and sometimes when I am counting heads at night, I pick them off the roost and pop them in between two friendly fluffy hens for better warmth.  So tonight Meep-meep, the bantam, who was all by herself next to an open window, got tucked in between a docile dominque and a drowsy buff orpington.

the silkie, who was also by herself,  went between another buff and a fairly placid welsumer.    

I just figure these two little ones could use a little help....but part of me thinks the little hens know best and to let them be, but I couldn't resist moving them to what I think are warmer areas.

I've never done that. Wonder how they would react?
Egg production has dipped slightly, due to the cold, I suppose.

 

[scandiafowl]

On Saturday morning Cyrus's flock is moving over to integrate with mine.
For one Jersey gal it will be a homecoming of sorts.
One area of the pen is fenced off, I'll throw in a straw bale for fun and shovel some snow out.
By the end of the day though they all need to get in the same coop!

Joining us are:
4 SLW, 2 black copper marans, 1 JG, and 5 barnyard mixes. The mixes, I think are from the hatch last year.

Can't wait!

 

[athalia17]

Wow, this was a long time ago! I live in Farmington.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Happy belated birthday @Minniechickmama ! I've been busy with work, so I missed the big event

Good luck with big chicken integration of 2016 @scandiafowl ! It's always exciting!

I brought my broody hen inside two nights ago to see if I can break her. She has been pushing out the biggest chicken poops I have ever seen. The kind of poop where if I had my phone on me, I'd be taking pictures. Very impressive.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

All that previous talk about coffee has my mouth watering. I love nothing more than having a cup of coffee in the morning. Oh, and beer. And vodka. Dang you growing fetus.