NY chicken lover!!!!

[miquwid]

Morning all. Worked a double yesterday and didnt get home till 9. Slept in this am while dh let the cheeps out. Working retail this time of year just sucks your soul out of you. My middle daughter is coming up to help me decorate the house today since I have no gumption or energy to go up and down the stairs to pull out all of the decorations and put away boxes. Christmas is coming up way too fast.

Guess I will go online to see about muck boots. I have such a wide calf that its difficult to find anything that fits. Might have to order mens boots, As for the dl method, I love it. The cheeps do all the work for me. I just throw in some handfuls of boss and they go crazy digging through the litter. I just keep adding litter as needed. The silkie coops are easy to clean out and refresh. I usually do that during the winter as they are small and take so little time. I gave the chickens some kelp freefeed but they didnt seem to want it so I am mixing it in with their feed. Seems to be working better that way. I am down to 5 eggs a day from 19 layers. My silkies are laying better! I hope that things pick up soon. They are on lights for about 14 hours starting early in the am. Dh is trying to keep it as close to a normal cycle as possible so once its light outside, the light goes off and they go to be at dusk.

Time to get moving and get things done. My body says no but my head says go. Later all.

Tell me about it I feel I need a new path at this point I know my education both past and present has been centered around the fact that I work in the service industry thankfully with animals but I don't know if I can take it anymore people just walk all over you. They throw money at me and try to get their way, I feel like I sell my soul everyday. I thrill is gone LOL (Berry White I think).

Anywho the cheeps were let out once again but that doesn't mean the went past their run LOL I thought a least half would go out but no. I took some advice and moved all food and water receptacles in the run. A the 8x12 coop looks bigger B its much cleaner as well and C it seems even dryer.

So I got 12 eggs yesturday but when I looked at the eggs seems I'm missing a silkie eggs so this means I got a new layer. I'm guessing it is my mystery girl, that leaves just my brabanter, opr, and jersey to lay. Which I don't expect any of them to start any time soon. OMG my leghorn girl bites I'm not even trying to touch her and boy she is a fiesty one LOL I love it! I want two more leghorn females one black and one black/white.

Now that my vaca started officially today I'm turning off my brain, except to do homework I have a ton of projects, dammit only I don't read the one paper I sign which is to take classes during my breaks so part time becomes 3/4 time and you graduate faster UGH but it's ok.

Have a good one the Walking Dead is tonight!!

 

[rancher hicks]

Because my girls are lazy and don't stir it up. I add leaves, and other goodies like scratch and treats and it never gets stirred up so I end up doing it myself after awhile when there is a huge pile of poo under the roosts.

Edit--After reading the rest of your comments I may just start throwing down the scratch first thing in the morning before I let them out for the day. That way they actually scratch around. I think the problem is they get let out first thing in the morning and rarely come back in the coop to scratch around.

I didn't have this problem last year in the other coop but they also stayed in a little more and didn't venture out into the snow. It's this new coop that is starting to smell and not get mixed up and I think it's because the new hens all go outside and are rarely in. I use DL in both of my coops and the one has a great base going, it never smells and gets mixed up great, but it's this other one that I can tell is a little off.

Hope you don't mind a couple of thoughts.

A. some breeds are better or more prone to forage/scratch.

2. I like to withhold feed or let it run out, this way they're hungry and will look/ scratch for food.

c. . I also dump some insoluble grit on the floor for them to go after. Chickens know they need grit and will scratch for it if they have to. I just dump a pile of it and they go for it spreading it around, but later dig for it.

 

[rancher hicks]

Pharm and Miq - just remember it's a means to an end. Remember the end.

I'm sure there are folks who appreciates what you do. My DD works retail in her second job.

Chin up,

Rancher

I expect the BR eggs tomorrow or the next. I hope tomorrow, but the PO can be slow sometimes. The weather isn't too bad for it.

 

[sheetmetaltom]

some really good ideas. I usually throw compost in the run, they dig and turn it searching for worms and grubs. today I covered 1/2 my veg garden with
compost and let them go at it, this way the chicks eat, my compost brakes down and mygarden gets rejuvenated!

 

[armorfirelady]

some really good ideas. I usually throw compost in the run, they dig and turn it searching for worms and grubs. today I covered 1/2 my veg garden with
compost and let them go at it, this way the chicks eat, my compost brakes down and mygarden gets rejuvenated!

My girls winter in the veggie garden. I get free fertilizer, they stir up the leaves I dump there in the fall and come string its like brown gold

 

[elieugene6]

For those of you that use hoop coops:

How do they fair in wind storms? I would love to build myself one but we used to have one of those port a sheds like they sell at tsc and we tried to make it wind storm safe which worked for awhile but eventually the winds were to much and destroyed it. My entire property is open fields except around the house where there are trees.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: The Giant - BB King

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Laundry!

 

[Pyxis]

Laundry!

list of stuff I need to do! I gotta build a rabbit hutch, finish my A-Frame so the cochins have a permanent place to live, and get bowls for my FF! Which I'm loving - it's bubbling away with happy bacteria doing their thing! I also need to finish my Christmas shopping AND I went in on the New Year's Day Hatchalong so I have to set my incubator up - I think I went a little crazy. At least little wild bunny has come to trust me. I'm allowed to pet her now

 

[miquwid]

For those of you that use hoop coops:

How do they fair in wind storms? I would love to build myself one but we used to have one of those port a sheds like they sell at tsc and we tried to make it wind storm safe which worked for awhile but eventually the winds were to much and destroyed it. My entire property is open fields except around the house where there are trees.

As long as you use wood and cattle panels. Pay the extra for lots of hardware cloth to cover completely and to bury about 16" underground.

The Giant - BB King
 

HAHAHAHAHAHA thanks

Laundry!

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