Montana

[Azriel]

Hey, where is everyone? We can't have MT drop to the 3rd page. Well, March is sure comming in like a lamb, so that must mean that it'll be going out like a lion? I know as soon as I see the 1st Blue Birds we will have a big snow storm. I always feel sorry for them and try to have plenty of meal worms ready to give them untill the snow melts.
Its beautiful here today, and I would sooo love to put my chicks out, but tomorrow is forecast snow and cold for a few days and I don't want to end up with chickcicles out in my coop. The chicks are fully feathered now, so maybe next week when it warms up again I'll take a chance and put them out. I can hang heat lamps for them, but I have to unplug the heated waterers to plug the lamps in.
I have Splash Copper Marans and Ameraucana eggs ordered for March 20th, and I'm getting some eggs from RoyalT the also. I would love to find some Golden Cuckoo Marans eggs for the same time, but if not I'll fill the rest of the bator up with my eggs, and make that my last hatch of the year (maybe). At least weather wll be better and I should be able to put the new hatch out much sooner.
Hope e veryone has a great weekend.

 

[montanachicks]

I was wondering the same --- where has everyone gone?

Beautiful but windy, windy, windy here today ... and of course, tomorrow afternoon/evening they are calling for snow. 1-3 inches last I heard in GF.

I've been checking my coop temperatures and the last 3 nights (mornings) it has been close to 50 with no heat. YEA!

I'll be glad to see the electric bill down to normal. Hoping we will start to see a steady improvement in the weather by the end of March. I am ready for new pullets -- just afraid to put them out right now so I will be waiting awhile longer to get them.

A new egg customer was referred to me -- this gentleman is a police officer & really into the natural organic stuff & he is wanting to get 5-6 dozen eggs a week from me !! No can do, as here lately the girls have dropped off a bit. No one is molting, so I am not sure what the deal is.

Azriel, did you ever start your fermenting? if so, how is that going?

 

[lunacroon]

It was a beautiful day today! Got to put our bottle baby bathroom goat outside for her first whole day. I've been slugging around with an evil headcold. Processed six roosters and two ducks the other day so it was nice to see a shelf in the freezer filled with homegrown meat. Have Monday off so will be shuffling chickens around to get some pure Ameraucana and Blue Laced Red Wyandotte eggs to throw in the incubator.
Lost my oldest hen Rooby today. She was an 8 year old Silver Spangled Hamburg that was a sweet girl with a ton of personality. I named her Roo when I got her as she was suspected to be a rooster. When she laid her first egg her name changed to Rooby. She has been going downhill so I wasn't overly surprised when she didn't come to greet me this afternoon when I went to the coop. Her favorite thing in the world was Tender Vittles cat food and I was bummed when they stopped making it because she was such a freak for it. She knew I would always have something special for her and would run to be picked up for her goodies. Chickens have a lot more personality than most people give them credit for. R.I.P. Rooby~ <3

 

[ReptileMom]

Sorry to hear about Rooby. My condolences, I hate losing one of my special chickens.

DH and I spent the day putting up two new pens for the chickens. The ground was still frozen and it took some work to pound in all the T-posts. Now I need to find two large insulated dog houses or small sheds that I can use to separate out pairs or trios and get some purebred eggs to hatch and/or sell. It was getting pretty cold by the time we finished.

I went to Idaho last weekend and came home with a pair of adult Mille fleur bantam cochins and a nice Blue Wheaten Ameracuana cockerel from a gal that I had bought eggs from on eBay.

I have my incubator full of serama eggs and a few Maran eggs.

I have more some more Maran and some Lemon Barred/Cuckoo Orpington eggs ordered from on-line. Haven't had alot of good luck with eggs from online, but I keep trying.

I have 30 various breed baby chicks that I have hatched from eBay eggs, and another 22 'teenagers'. Most of the 'teenagers' need to be sold and find homes elsewhere. I raised them to sell to 4H kids - the majority of them are the smaller bantam size which would be easier from them to handle. I need to get pictures taken of them and advertise them for sale!

Suppose to be 90% chance of snow tomorrow. I hope not. I am done with winter - and so are the 'girls'. I really don't want to deal with the mud either. Why can't we just jump straight into late spring/early summer?

We let them out to run free while we were working out in the yard and about 10 of them went up the steps and were sitting at the back door of the house. Of course, it might not have been the mud they were getting away from, but rather waiting for me to go in and bring out some live Superworms for them.

They are spoiled and know where the worms are kept!

 

[Azriel]

Lunacroon,sorry about the loss of your Rooby,its always sad when your fav's go, but 8 was a good old age for a chicken.
Montanachicks, my ferminting didn't go so well, to cold in my house, it just sat there and didn't do anything. I'll have to wait till it warms up some. I know what you mean about the electric bill, mine was almost $200 last month

, but I have 3 heated wateres in the coop, 2 heat lamps on the chicks in the basement, a heater in the stock tank for the horses and cows, and a heat lamp on the calf in the barn, but I want that off soon.

 

[Montanatrapper]

South of Butte. New here.

 

[RoyalT]

Azriel, My girls are starting to lay more now, so hoping the Marans come back to laying in the next week so they're going when you need your eggs! I'll try giving them motivational pep talks

I've got to find some better ACV- my batch is sucking the big one! I culled some roosters, a duck, and 4 rabbits this week, so magically we're going through less food now- whodathunkit?

Sorry for your loss Lunacroon It stinks when we lose a good chicken!

DH found me a new source for pallets, so looks like my breeding pens will get done this week!

Picture time!

The chicks are officially turned loose now


Blue Fawn Muscovy Duck


The Buff duck trio


I'm getting a new yak cow at the end of this week! And I found a new home for Barbie (Scottish Highland cow), just waiting on their tax return money Here's the herd at present:



Yinny really likes to sleep like she's a corpse... which is only amusing after I go down and check that she's breathing. Her abdomen is growing- hoping for a bull calf! I want a pair of oxen


The sheep do this to each bale they get. At least a third is wasted. I need to make a flake feeder for them!


We took our Chessie and my Heeler pup to the creek, and they got to run and play.



It got really windy earlier today, and now it's snowing but melting off right away because it's warm today 38* right now!



Hope you all have a great day! I'm clipping coupons, because I've decided that I coupon now Anyone else coupon??

 

[RoyalT]

Welcome MontanaTrapper!

 

[Azriel]

Welcome MontanaTrapper, tell us about yourself.
I try to coupon, but I always forget to use them before they expire. RoyalT, what ever eggs you send will be great, surprise me, and I sure like your spotted yaks, very pretty. What color is your new cow.
We ended up with about 2-3" of snow,and for now its sticking. It was really nice earlier, and we were working out in the barn, it started out raining, then the wind picked up and you could feel the temp drop, and the snow started, it was almost like a blizzard for awhile. Its kind of cleared up now and I'm not sure if thats it or if there is more on the way, but it sure has cooled off.
Well, I think the chicks will have to move out to the coop, one of the little roos has started trying to crow. Its funny right now, but going to get anoying soon. I'm going to put some of my adult roos on craigslist, I just don't have time to butcher them. I might try to do 4 of them on my day off, and see if I can just give the rest away.

 

[RoyalT]

Okay I'll still try to get some of the lady Marans laying! I like their eggs

The new yak is a royal, that spotted/piebald black and white color We'll name her after she gets here, but I have a favorite already hehe

A teeny bit of snow is sticking now, but not enough for even coverage. I'm ready for Spring, but I hope we get more precipitation yet- don't want a bad fire season!

Have you tried the Rabbit wringer, Azriel?? I borrowed my friends' and used that to process my birds and buns. Worked AWESOMELY! I need too buy one. http://rabbitwringer.com/