My leukemia's back.

[Bunnylady]

Since migratory waterfowl have been implicated in the spread of AI, and the fall migration is about to start, North Carolina has put a ban on poultry exhibitions and public sales for the next several months. The livestock tent at the fair will sure be quiet without all those roosters and geese! Not having to clean up after the ducks will be nice, though - their areas become a mucky mess so fast. We usually get a lot of rabbits anyway, but we don't have enough water bottles to convert everything over for rabbits - it's going to be different, no two ways about that..

 

[hbhoffman]

Our state fair missed the MD. Deadline for poultry. But our huge local one did not. It would be very odd to not have them! Was it here that I read one 4-H poultry club took pictures of their chickens then put them into the cages?
That is very creative!
I agree about the mess ducks and geese make. Miss the critters but not the mess. The area is small to begin with so within a day it looks awful.
Back over to the last day of the fair!

 

[donrae]

WoS. So glad to see you back! You were going to get those beautiful black Ameraucana, last I recall. How's that going?


Bummed about the poultry show. The only notable Open entries were from a person that raises Modern Games. I have no idea of the SOP for this breed, they're funky looking birds to me. But, spending a lifetime around animals, you get an eye for quality even if you're not sure why, and these birds were quality.

Besides the Modern Games, it was pretty much 4-H birds. And I know you're not supposed to complain unless you're willing to do something to change it, and the good Lord did not put me on this earth to be a 4-H leader....but what are they thinking? Some of those birds looked worse condition-wise than the birds in my coop. I'm talking dirty birds in a cage, the judge even commented on the dirt and lack of condition on some of them. Isn't a clean animal in good condition kind of a basic tenant of showing an animal? Granted, they weren't all like that, there were some pretty, glossy birds. All hatchery stock, of course, and EE shown as Ameraucana. I just don't understand how the kids are supposed to improve if they're not held to some kind of standard. Oh right...."everyone's a winner".

 

[donrae]

Chirping from the incubator

. Woke up to one yellow fuzzy flopper. I've hatched blue and black chicks for so long, this little yellow thing looks weird to me....but so adorable! No other pips yet that I can see, I'm keeping the incubator shut......

And I know I said no more chicks. I totally lied

. Honey wants to try hatching bantams to use as snake food (our local pet store closed and I'm not sure I want to raise feeder mice again). So, once I pulled the Faverolles eggs out of the incubator to the hatcher, I had 3 bantam eggs. Of course, you can't run a big ol incubator for 3 teeny tiny little bantam eggs, so I put the day's clutch of blue eggers in with them.

Then....I was moving cockerels to the big pen last night and was missing a grown hen, until I looked in the nest box. She's not committed yet, was out and about some this morning, but she's thinking about it and that makes her a Queen in my book! I'll continue to check on her, and start holding eggs to tuck under her if she decides to get serious.

We're going to have so much chicken to eat this winter

 

[N F C]

And I know I said no more chicks. I totally lied

(And that's all I have to say about that.)

What kind of little yellow fuzz ball did you get Rachel?

 

[Blooie]

Well, NFc, you said you needed to get more to try brooding outside!

Pictures, Rachel ? Wanna see that fluffy yeller chick!

 

[N F C]

Our broody BA and her sister, Helga the Horrible, are moving to a friend's house this week. The broody isn't a bad bird, but that sister of hers is another story. Since they are best buddies, I didn't want to split them up. Plus my friend is going to try hatching eggs and needs her worse than I do.

I hope they work out ok (both for my girl's sake and my friend).

 

[donrae]

I have salmon Faverolles in the incubator

Not sure something didn't get in the coop and have an egg buffet. Went out to check on that broody, she was up in the rafters. The nest box was turned upside down. One intact egg under it, one broken but not eaten (?) egg in the corner where the box belongs, and one egg with the top off and contents gone on the shelf above the nest box. I just don't see a hen getting an egg up on that shelf, and don't think the barn cat could have done it either. He was hanging out like everything was fine, and the hens and little cockerels were all calm, so I'm not sure what happened. I'm not sure how many eggs were in the box yesterday, but I'm thinking it should have been more than 3. I set everything back to rights and will see how it goes.

Honey had asked be to incubate some bantam eggs to use as snake food. I'd told him I'd incubate but I couldn't feed chicks to the snake...he said no problem, he'd take care of it. Then today, with the little fuzzy cheeps, he's saying maybe he can't......well buddy I got eggs in the bator I have no other use for unless I sell them as straight runs. We'll see how that plays out.

Our new boy, I'll call him Echo, was over at his girl friend's today. I guess he was telling her about the chicks in the incubator. I got a text from him..."What kind of chickens do we have?".

Not what kind do you have. What do we have.

It was the Diet Coke I grabbed and swallowed past that lump in my throat that made my eyes water so much, I swear

.

 

[Blooie]

Pass the Diet Coke....got a bit of a throat lump myself that I need to wash down!

 

[N F C]

Rachel, what Echo said made me think of something sourland has on his signature line...words to the effect that friends are the family we choose for ourselves. You've chosen him and he has chosen you. Bless your family (all 5 of you)!