Montana

[ReneB]

Checking in and saying hello to y'all before I head out to the barn. It's finally cooling off enough we can go play with some horses- it's sure been warm up here!

Had a bit of a rough go with some poults that were shipped to us this week. Out of 21 we have 15 that seem to be going strong now. One was dead in the box and the others followed him within a couple hours. The chicks we got earlier in the week are sure doing good though

Hope you all have a great week!

 

[karlamaria]

Sorry bout the heat, I'm thinking the birds got way to hot in a box glad things are getting better. It's not as hot round here, tomorrow will be only around 75 . Perfect weather for me and the kids. My girl finally broke broody, it took blocking from the coop , and the nest boxes at night. 5 weeks broody, baths, cages noting worked until I had had enough. She was so bad she refused any chicken in the nest box made for several birds. They began to lay everywhere but in the nest. One on the floor of the coop, one under my porch. Oh and we can not get under the porch tp retrieve the eggs up less we tear the deck down so when I blocked her nest at night, she would go nuts and peck and chase all the girls around the coop and off all the roosts. She literally went mad. So she had to be caged a few nights so everyone could settle down. She is a big brooder, and broods very easy. Any ways I purchased a few new nest boxes and hoping my pullets who look like a few are ready to lay will use them. Tere so nice, big roomy and heavy duty. I will post a picture tomorrow when I'm on my lap top and not on my Ipad.
I finally got all the chicks, pullets and big girls in the same pen with out blockades, except for an occasional peck or chase, all seems well. I have decided I spent a fortune on my new coop, and my new and larger and shady pen that they can stay in there and not all over my lawn. I am tired of picking up poo, trying to cover up bare spots they keep digging out, and trying to keep them from my plants, which I paid good money to grow! They got into my strawberries and ate them down to the nubs, finally there peeking thru again so there locked up until fall when I can get my beautiful yard back to whT it was. We cut grass and threw it in the pen, they get treats and I'm thinking of fencing part of the side of my home so they can free range there. It's a wide and very long patch of land that is full of grass, and I can still enjoy my back yard and not have to pick up poo every day. I have so many bare spots that every time I try to plant grass they eat and dig in it lol. So it was a loosing battle. I want my yard back , at least until I can get my grass to grow back, and finish up on the coop mural and paint the inside. Also get my hedge back in shape since they eat the leaves in it to,
Tomorrow I plan on getting a bunch of black dirt and getting my grass planted, then adding a few bushes, maybe a nice tree. Today my girls just looked at me thru the pen door and gave me the " what did we do look " I felt so guilty. I'm going to some plastic bins and plant grass in them, put them in the pen Southey can eat and dig , mean while I will have 3. More growing to replace . I ordered a new organic feed, looks real good, natural and not pellet form. Also got them a 20 pound box of organic alfalfa pellet to supplement the grass this winter. Getting a lettuce ball so they can snack on some good lettuces, and going to add more roosts so they can look out at all angles. I added several sand boxes to the run, but none of them will get into them. Any ideas to get them to sand bath in these ? All they wanted to do is dig my lawn up and sun bath in the dirt they made. Lol

 

[9gerianMile]

Man, the weather just doesn't know what it wants to do with itself here near Missoula! Yesterday, it was SO warm that my poor rabbits were blowing through their water like no one's business. Today? Rainy and overcast. So weird. I suppose this is traditionally how MT weather is, though. Like Texas w/out the crazy instant changes...

My Muscovy duck is still on her next of 14 eggs, and there IS some development in them- I'm having trouble finding reference pics online of the different stages of development in Muscovy eggs, though- Anyone have an idea of where I could find some pics to compare to?

I have 4 more Muscovy eggs(from a BYCer in WA) in my incubator, along with Buckeye, Silkie, and BBS Marans eggs(from another BYCer). Hopefully I'll get a better hatch rate this time than last!

I'm wanting to build a pen for buckeyes and a pen for my project breeding, and a tractor for Silkies... I'll keep you posted on how that comes along.

How's everyone doing with those darned fires? It looks like they're dwindling down a bit now- everyone okay??

 

[Azriel]

Well, the fire is finally done here. I still have the 2 ponys that we found with my mare, there were 2 milk goats with them also that I did not take, but a friend of mine that has time to milk them did. On the 4th my friend said that the goats were missing the ponys so she brought them over here for a while. It was really cute, they were running and playing with each other, then the goats layed down to sleep and the ponys stood with there noses on the goats backs and went to sleep. We did find their owners, but their house and barn burned down, so we will be keeping the animals for a few months. The owners have 2 little kids that were so happy to see that their ponys were OK, so they will be comming by to visit over the summer.
Its been very hot here, we have already had temps of 100+, haying is well under way, but we won't be getting anywhere near the amount of hay we got last year, just to hot and dry this year. The chickens are doing good, still laying like champs, the heat hasn't bothered them yet. They sure do like playing in the sprinklers tho.

 

[ReneB]

Very glad to hear the fire is no longer a threat to you Azriel. Also very glad to hear the pony's people found them. I swear there is nothing scarier than a wild fire.

 

[9gerianMile]

I'm glad the fire's out near you! How great that you're going to hang onto the ponies for that family That's really sweet of you. Just tragic that they lost everything, and then to know that their animals are safe must be a much-needed silver lining for them.

It's 91* here right now, and climbing. I do want to work in the garden... maybe after 8 tonight or so, though! Considering going down to the creek to swim. My chickens are laying great and all my little chicks are growing up well.

Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend!

 

[karlamaria]

Hi everyone. I thought I would post a picture of my boy KFC and wondered if anyone here would like a sweet little rooster. he is 9 weeks old and just the sweetest boy. I can not have roosters, so if any of you want him to save him from the pot I would gladly give him to you . He is big for his age, grew fast and has not crowed yet. I have to get a home for him before he does crow! I took this picture today

 

[karlamaria]

Well we find we can not open the egg door to the coop, the wood swelled so badly it's impossible. Started right away after he made it his way ( not mine which was an outside nest box with flip up lid ) and got worse over the last 2 months, and just found out the wire they strung around the pen was not done right around the electric door, so my chickens all have sores on there feet. Makes me terribly angry . My eye site is that I can not see unless im down n the ground, so when I was down picking up poop I noticed the wire was up to the edge of the opening so they have to step on it to get into the coop. How dumb was that to do. we got that fixed, the egg door which I wanted to flip up flips down and a pain in the ***. The hinges fill up with litter, making it impossible to close, and impossible to open from the swelling. This is what he did while I was gone at work one day, did not do as I asked and made the egg door his way thank you very much for that got a guy coming tomorrow to rectify a few things. and then not getting what I wated done in the first place, the right egg box on the out side and flip up lid I have to go into the coop for eggs, and drag all that litter out on my feet into my yard.
On to better news, my pullets are looking like there going to lay soon, I have one laying now, hoping to have 3 more soon and then my little 11 week old girl . Sending my little rooster out to Whitehall in a few weeks as I can not ave them in the city.
Got tons of rain these last several days, we had a river out front of my house and it was really flooding the streets. I'm so glad for the rain, we really need it.

 

[karlamaria]

Man, the weather just doesn't know what it wants to do with itself here near Missoula! Yesterday, it was SO warm that my poor rabbits were blowing through their water like no one's business. Today? Rainy and overcast. So weird. I suppose this is traditionally how MT weather is, though. Like Texas w/out the crazy instant changes...


My Muscovy duck is still on her next of 14 eggs, and there IS some development in them- I'm having trouble finding reference pics online of the different stages of development in Muscovy eggs, though- Anyone have an idea of where I could find some pics to compare to?


I have 4 more Muscovy eggs(from a BYCer in WA) in my incubator, along with Buckeye, Silkie, and BBS Marans eggs(from another BYCer). Hopefully I'll get a better hatch rate this time than last!


I'm wanting to build a pen for buckeyes and a pen for my project breeding, and a tractor for Silkies... I'll keep you posted on how that comes along.


How's everyone doing with those darned fires? It looks like they're dwindling down a bit now- everyone okay??

 

so have the duckies hatched yet ? I love ducks, wish I had the room for them. Can not wait to see the pics. , !

 

[9gerianMile]

so have the duckies hatched yet ? I love ducks, wish I had the room for them. Can not wait to see the pics. , !

Scovies- Nope! 7/26 is day 35, though!! 1 more week 12 are going strong!
And the ones in the bator are due to hatch 8/3. 2 of those are still going

Chickens- I have 2 Buckeyes, 2 Marans, and 7 F1 OEs in lock down now, the Silkies in the bator are due to hatch on 8/2.

I'm doing the July Mystery Egg Swap and just got 12 unknown banty eggs and have another box coming tomorrow, looks like

Oh and I have 2 dozen more shipping tomorrow... dunno where I'm going to fit all these eggies