NY chicken lover!!!!

[cheeka]

featherz ~ such a relief to learn that your two pullets were able to hide so successfully! the pullet I lost to a fox was also a loner. she enjoyed only the company of the cockerel who died trying to save her. for a 15 week old, he was such a dominant bird. he was making a real effort to crow starting at 6 weeks! he was doing all roostery things at such a young age... I am sure he would have been a great flock defender had he survived, but a real handful around the yard. he was smitten with me, but flared at everyone else... my fiance believes the fox did me a favor as far as he was concerned. I was quite attached to him, but my fiance believes I would have had to face the decision to butcher him by now... he's probably right.

stocked up for the month on all kinds of feed, seed, kibble and litter, all the feathered and furry are set, and I had enough $$ left over to fill the fridge and freezer for me

. Cleaned out the freezer and took the freezer burnt string beans I found way in the back, along with the little twisty bags of fruit, spinach and stuff I never ended up finishing off myself and dumped it all together to thaw for the morning feed... they're gonna love it!

it was in the mid 40's when I got home from work, not windy, so pleasant to be outside... the gang enjoyed a couple of hours of ranging about the yard. my younger cockerels are maturing, I need more hens... like 8 more...

at least 8. I'm thinking 4 BR's and 4 EE's.

 

[ChickPrincess]

My brother's liver function showed improvement so he starts another round of chemo on Monday. I was happy with the news because it is nice to have something positive happen in such a dire situation. He's essentially living 2 weeks at a time.

I'm on vacation this week starting. I'm looking forward to not having to wake up at 2am and my youngest is turning 3 on friday.

That's awesome, Tabs! You've been in my thoughts.

Don't let them freeze. It might wreck the nipples. Last year I didn't put mine away in time & a couple froze. When I went to use them again inthe spring, I had to replace several of the nipples.

I will be trying something new. Someone suggested an aquarium heater placed in the bucket. They said it was enough for it all to stay thawed, and they were from (I think) Wisconsin. Worth a shot, I guess!

Thanks for the suggestions re: the roosters crowing. It has to have something to do with the new australorps because the EE roos didn't do that before they came along. The coop is very dark at night, and headlights don't shine on the coop. The thought crossed my mind of a predator, too. When they crowed at 2:30 last night I checked with the flashlight and didn't see any eyes. I may start weeding out the roos tomorrow.

 

[featherz]

You are probably right ..it might be some trouble they do know which coop they belong in ..though . I just shew them in when I have had enough . I only have 9 though ..My rooster puts mine to bed ..normally ...poup poup he says time to go to sleep ladies !
Are you in the city or a town ..can you shoot at the hawk ? or set a trap for it ? If I couldnt do anything I would probably throw stones at it or something ...How about a sling shot ? Bam !
Even if you didnt hit it ...you would scare it !

I'm in the boonies, but doing anything to a hawk is very illegal so no, can't do much. Sides, where there's one, there will be more! I just settle for hollering at it and waving my arms like a crazy person lol.


My two roosters start crowing at about 4AM. There's no light whatsoever to bother them. Thankfully they are at the coop at the back of the property so I HOPE it is not bothering the neighbors. I can't hear it from the house unless I go outside.

 

[ChickPrincess]

I love when my 11 year old daughter has 2 girlfriends sleep over, and they get the experience of collecting the still-warm eggs from the hens, washing them off and cracking them in to the pan. How many kids will NEVER get to experience that?

 

[County Boy]

Here are pics of my Lemon Blue Project. The brown red roo is Bruce and the lemon blue roo is Ralf.

 

[County Boy]

Peanut Butter and Napoleon. They are just in a fun color Cochin Bantam pen.

 

[County Boy]

My Mille Fleur Cochin Bantam project!

 

[rancher hicks]

I've only seen a hawk twice. The first time it landed in the yard but I came around the side of the house and scared it off. That's why I suggested scarecrows. Easy to make.

I suppose you could build some long runs on the coop using Cattle panels like I have. I hope to build another on the back side of my biggest hoop coop.

 

[rancher hicks]

Hmm. thinking of setting eggs for the NYD hatch again, although holding off until I see how the winter is shaping up. I really really don't want to brood more than a few weeks in the house if I can help it. (last year with the mild winter I was able to get my barn warm enough to use an ecoglow, but who knows about this winter..)..

This year I'm only going to get local eggs, nothing shipped. I just haven't decided what to get yet tho! =) So if anyone with LF chickens within an hour of me has fertile eggs to sell at the beginning of december let me know and I'll decide what to hatch, if anything. I usually throw some of my own mutts in with whatever eggs I get elsewhere.

I definitely expect to start hatching in a couple of months. I like to start early. I expect to start with Dels, then Br's and then Lav orps and the BM's and then EE's. I plan to separate my Oldest Del roo Nick, and three original hens. I've got one hen lays a nice X large egg. I'll work with her.

I'll be running a full incu each time.

 

[featherz]

Lovely!!! Hey, if you have any large fowl eggs available in the first week of december, let me know. Would love to buy a few for the NYD hatch!

Rancher - tried to get cattle panels once, but no truck to get them home. =( However, we made do - my biggest coop has a run about 14x16 - would prefer it to be bigger, but that's what we could make with 8' lumber that would fit in the trailer. It has electric wires on top and bottom and heavy netting on top, plus a buried skirt. Still not fort knox, but I am thinking a hawk won't get in. I'll probably let the chickens out for a few hours in the evening tomorrow when I am outside with them. didn't see the hawk stalking today.