Montana

[karlamaria]

Question for you girls,
My broody is at the moment on my front porch, when the chicks hatch, can I take her and the chicks out side in the wooden box I have ( very nice sized and will be cutting a pop door that will close at night. It's still getting about 28 to 30 at night, should I wait until it warms up some still or what? I'm not thrilled about having chicks and mamma and all the poop in the house this time around.

 

[Azriel]

I would think you could put Mom and babies out side in the box as long as no dogs can get in to rip up the box. Mom will keep the babies warm. If you have a safe area outside, Mom can hatch the chicks outside in the box, she wouldn't need to be in the house at all.
Good Luck.

 

[Azriel]

My day off and it has to be raining. Not that I'm complaining, we really need the rain and I can almost see my hay growing (Yeah), but I wanted to clean one of the pens in the coop today, and I hate to kick the little ones out and shut the door on them when its raining. These guys are about 3 months old, and I just got their outside pen done last Sat, so they have only been going out for a few days and they are so funny. The out side pen is only about 10-12' wide, but its a good 30' long, and when I first pushed them out, they just stood there for a bit, then took off running, jumping up and down flapping their wings, they looked just like little kids being let out of school for the summer. I had to just stand there and laugh at them. I am a little bummed, I'm jst starting to be able to tell the boys from the girls, and it looks like most of my EE's are turning out to be boys. I do have some pretty brown girls that look like my Wheaten Marans, so they should be olive eggers, but darn I was hoping for some that would lay pretty mint green eggs.
I guess I'll be staying in and cleaning house today, never my favorite thing to do! I'd much rather be outside, but it sounds like the weekend is going to be nice, 70's and sunny!

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

My chickens are grounded! We don't have a fenced in yard, and in 2 years my girls have NEVER left the property, it is almost like there is an invisible barrier that keeps them on our land (which is only an acre) but yesterday they decided to go on a walk-a-bout. They were here at 430 when the kids and I left to go to baseball practice, but they were nowhere to be found at 500 when my DH got home from work. He looked for an hour before he found them. They don't come when he says "here chickie chickie" like they do when I call them

they must know he never gives them goodies when he says it. So he tells me he is walking around our little neighborhood and in the adjoining field crowing like a rooster.

Because the rooster usually answers him.
Any way he finally found them hiding from him in the neighbor's bushes. They were probably 50 feet away from home and I could just imagine them telling each other "shh, he'll hear you" as they are stifling giggles.
But now they are grounded to their run for a week in hopes that they remember where home is and don't make a habit of wandering off or get the urge to go farther.
The Rooster is one of the youngest of the bunch and is slated for the stew pot this week. Do you think that getting rid of him will help them stay home, the rest of the girls are in their 2nd and 3rd year and have never shown any inclination to leaving the property before. We are in the process of building a fence, but it will be a month before it is up (and probably the end of summer before there are gates and such, Don't tell my DH I said that

)

 

[karlamaria]

I would think you could put Mom and babies out side in the box as long as no dogs can get in to rip up the box. Mom will keep the babies warm. If you have a safe area outside, Mom can hatch the chicks outside in the box, she wouldn't need to be in the house at all.
Good Luck.

she is not technically in the house, she is on my enclosed front porch. And I'm not going to move her out until te coop and pen are done because the pen is a dog kennel, they can get out, it's still snowy and cold here , and I do not want to confuse her or the babies by having to move them out when work begins, I'm praying the work is done by next weekend. They will be ready to go out side and on there new little coop as next weekend will be hatch day . I'm going to wait a few days until all is done and it's warm enough.

 

[karlamaria]

My chickens are grounded! We don't have a fenced in yard, and in 2 years my girls have NEVER left the property, it is almost like there is an invisible barrier that keeps them on our land (which is only an acre) but yesterday they decided to go on a walk-a-bout. They were here at 430 when the kids and I left to go to baseball practice, but they were nowhere to be found at 500 when my DH got home from work. He looked for an hour before he found them. They don't come when he says "here chickie chickie" like they do when I call them

they must know he never gives them goodies when he says it. So he tells me he is walking around our little neighborhood and in the adjoining field crowing like a rooster.

Because the rooster usually answers him.
Any way he finally found them hiding from him in the neighbor's bushes. They were probably 50 feet away from home and I could just imagine them telling each other "shh, he'll hear you" as they are stifling giggles.
But now they are grounded to their run for a week in hopes that they remember where home is and don't make a habit of wandering off or get the urge to go farther.
The Rooster is one of the youngest of the bunch and is slated for the stew pot this week. Do you think that getting rid of him will help them stay home, the rest of the girls are in their 2nd and 3rd year and have never shown any inclination to leaving the property before. We are in the process of building a fence, but it will be a month before it is up (and probably the end of summer before there are gates and such, Don't tell my DH I said that

)

that's so funny, I'm picturing him clucking and crowing lol. Darn kids ! Maybe the rooster lead the,astray, like men do

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

The chickens are really really sorry. They laid 7 eggs yesterday (I usually get 4-5) and even the little bantam laid an egg which she hasn't don't since she went broody a few months ago. All the eggs were laid before 4pm which is when i usually let them out so I don't think 7 is the normal number with 2-3 laid in the yard somewhere. I think they are just saying sorry Mama! but I must stick to my guns or else they will just walk all over me (I know this because of my other 3 kiddos)

 

[karlamaria]

Lol,I give my girls the talk.... You no lay you go to stewing. Pot lol. I get all my eggs for the day lol. Today not one egg yet, what's up ? Of course yesterday we got an egg from everyone. My girls lay well, today must be mad at me lol.

I have been on the web all day looking for a honey comb ! Doesn't anyone sell honey and comb any more in Montana? You wNt to buy local, but was up? All I want is a large chunk of comb my kids can eat on and enjoy. When I was a kid mom brought home a giant comb, today I have to order small pieces off the Internet. Does anyone here know of good, unfiltered, unprocessed honey and comb to?

 

[EnnisLakeFarm]

have you looked at MT.gov and searched for bees? There is a registry for apiaries (I think that is the word) maybe you could get contact info from them.
I plan on getting two hives next spring, doing all of my book learning on it now but it seems like all the bee books are written by the same guy

 

[karlamaria]

have you looked at MT.gov and searched for bees? There is a registry for apiaries (I think that is the word) maybe you could get contact info from them.
I plan on getting two hives next spring, doing all of my book learning on it now but it seems like all the bee books are written by the same guy

. It's the comb no one is selling, honey is not hard to find. Have you read te article on honey in the stores not being good? I will go find the link. It's pretty shocking!