NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

OK, when BYC switched to this new format I could NOT get notifications by mail, no matter what I tried. Somehow, now I get all notifications to subscribed threads. Since I have gotten used to not receiving notifications, I just check my subscribed threads. Now I can't stop getting the email notifications. Anybody else getting funky changes?

I just go to my profile and it takes me to all I've responded to and the last post I've posted. No searching to where I stopped.

 

[Glasshen]

Sorry to hear about the sweet white pidgeon. With all the storm turmoil, and then to have an attack!

I used to have a chicken who was picked on excessively. One of the bullies was rehomed, and over time Stewie has gained some seniority and is ok now. It was hard, lots of drama, various ones being segregated. Adding new chicks seemed to make it so there was more choice of who to peck, and no one is getting it all. Of course, winter is coming, and when the days are cold and they are all in close quarters, things could get ugly again. Cabbage tether balls and other diversions also help. Idle wings are the devils something or another.

As for the forum, I had signed out and it would not allow mw back on with my password etc. Then it spontaneously did. I used to reach my favorite threads by pushing the Subscriptions button at the top of each page and then clicking on the symbol at the left of the thread I wanted. It would take me to new posts on the thread. Now it takes me to the top of the page that has a new post. I preferred it the other way.

Very tired of rain.

 

[cheeka]

I had a problem with the way my page appeared, I ended up getting it back to "normal" by going to "settings", uncheck the box for "show all the gory details". save that, once that's done, click "subscriptions only" and then my home page and my profile page show only the threads I'm subscribed to and the # of new posts, if there are any... clicking the title brings to me my last unread post. hope this helps...

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
when it gets bad I take her out of the coop run for a while ..And put her in a small cage ..Feeding time seems to be the worst ..just the rooster seemed to bother her this morning . she spent the night with them ..then when I feed them the rooster chased her away from the food ..I thought maybe because she is refusing his advances ..so he is pecking her ..I havent noticed them mating since she has been attacked that last time ..So she is shy around everyone ...now .
I could try that ...I even thought of separating the 2 flocks again ..to try to get the younger hens to all bond again .

Part of the problem may be we have a too small coop ( it was designed for 6 chickens ( we have 9 ) & a small run ..We let them free range for a while each day ...or the older hens have always picked on the 4 young ones..we had the young ones 1st & were given 4 older hens as a rescue ..they taught the young ones bad habits ..the most they ever did was give each other stink eye ..before ..
My husband fell in july ..and was wheelchaired for almost 3 months so almost nothing got done outside this summer ..We are working on finishing the shed ..( he fell working on that .)..coop comes after that ..

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Hello all! Just got our electricity back on since it went out on monday. We didnt get the rain they predicted but the wind freight trained through. I left work early on monday to get home and found three out of four roads impassable due to downed trees and power lines. I barely squeaked by the fourth way as there was a tree hanging on lines but not down yet. By tuesday morning, we were trapped up here until the tree guys came and cleared the roads. Lots of trees down and power outages but I am thankful for what I have. Many others have lost everything.

The cheeps were locked up all day monday and so were antsy to be out tuesday. My dh let them out to freerange that afternoon and suddenly he is yelling coyote as he is running across the yard. A coyote had come to the stone wall after the chickens and ran off when it saw dh. He had his pistol but it was a bad angle to take a shot as the neighbors house was in the line of fire. Last night he let the cheeps out again to freerange and is standing out there when he comes running up the kitchen stairs to tell me there are bears in the big pine tree. Sure enough, there was a sow with three cubs resting at the top of a big pine tree that is just over the stone wall separating our property from our neighbors. They must have been there all afternoon. Anyways, dh grabs his camera and the shotgun(he is finally remembering the heavier artillary) and take pics. Momma finally decided to come down around 530 and we watched them come down the tree and leave. The chickens were out the whole time (and oblivious to them). She was a nice looking bear and all of them just gleemed that healthy, shiny coat. The cubs were cute.

I have discovered that my new silkie girls that I got are growing into silkie boys! I discovered this after I had to remove frodo from the group because he was just beating the crap out of one of them. He is in solitary for a week. I picked up the two to look them over good for any injuries and thats when I looked at their faces closely and discovered that wattles and combs are developing. Sigh. They are gorgeous specimens and will be even better when they grow up but now I have 4 boys and one girl in this coop. I am hoping that I can get them to live peacefully but if not, I will have garage guests for the winter. They are very nice blue silkies, about 4 months old.

Back to work tomorrow. At least I now have power so I can look decent. I hope everyone else is well. I am also hoping that all the critters stop visiting my house!

 

[featherz]

My chooks are all doing well - they seem to like it that hubby is home and he lets them out early every day - today I got twenty six eggs!! Ack! I am bringing more eggs to the auction this weekend - only got $1.70 a dozen at the last auction but it beats feeding them back to the chickens. Anyone want some eggs? =) Or a few laying chickens? LOL.

 

[rancher hicks]

My chooks are all doing well - they seem to like it that hubby is home and he lets them out early every day - today I got twenty six eggs!! Ack! I am bringing more eggs to the auction this weekend - only got $1.70 a dozen at the last auction but it beats feeding them back to the chickens. Anyone want some eggs? =) Or a few laying chickens? LOL.

Well I would take the chickens if I was home perhaps but I run a closed flock. Can't you sell the eggs to customers for eating? I'd take the eggs at that price and resell them. Perhaps you can post to CL or have family talk to co-workers. DW and DD sell mine to their co-workers.

 

[JayinCohoes]

Hi All,

I let my 6 sexlinks hens free range in my enclosed backyard and they have been doing so for over 7 months without a problem. I have a boarder-collie who is chicken friendly and was hanging out with the girls all summer. Now that the weather is getting colder and I'm not out all of the time, my dog has been inside. For the first time I have a hawk trying to get my hens and I'm a little freaked out. I'm in Cohoes on the boarder of Latham which is a suburb of Albany. My backyard is only about 100' by 250' and I have fruit trees and shrubs for cover. But I'd hate to see this hawk get one of my girls. He's come around now 4 times in the last 2 weeks. Last week I was in the front yard and heard my girls yelling as though something was attacking them in the yard. When I ran back I saw the hawk on the ground about 6 feet away from my hens. He took off as soon as I saw him and has been back twice since then. If anyone can give me some feedback on what you do to protect your chickens from hawks I'd love to hear it. I know the easy answer is to confine them so a hawk can't get them but is that the only thing I can do? They also have under my deck as a cover and I never leave them out if I'm not home. So I'm always within running distance if I hear their alarm call. Even my dog is trained to run outside if she hears the alarm call. Any advice will be very appreciated.

Thanks,
Jay

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Jay,
Unfortunately this is the time of year that all predators are looking for a free and easy meal, chicken is on everybodys menu! You are doing the right thing by being out there while they are freeranging and having your dog there as well. I would stick close to them while they are freeranging and lock them up when you cant. I am having the same problem with a hawk and a falcon so nobody is out unless I am right there with them. I have also had a coyote make a try and some bears pass through. At some point I will probably lose a chicken to a predator but I do my best to make sure that I am a diligent deterent. This fall has been the first time I have had any predator problems and an abundance has shown up this year. I have found that being close to the cheeps has been a great deterent to keeping the hawk and the falcon away. Like I said, chicken is on everyones menu so stay close or lock them up.

 

[In His Service]

I haven't been able to be on BYC in quite a while, except to view one or two threads. Just noticed this and had to respond...

featherz...how are you getting so many eggs? I got 1 today!!! 30+ hens and 1 lousy egg...I think I should be getting out the crock pot! (oops, forget I said that, lol) What kind of layers are you thinking of re-homing?