NY chicken lover!!!!

[leahlefler]

Got a busy day ahead of me today. I have a family reunion here at my place tomorrow and have a bunch more thing to do to get ready Like scrub all the chicken poop off of the porch! All the chickens are doing great. Had to give a few some fluffy butt trims last night, and gave my little silkie a little trim around her eyes. I am so in love with her. Every morning as soon as she comes out she has to come over to my feet and look up at me. I just think that she is saying "Good Morning Momma"

Eggs in the incubator are 21 days today, but no signs of any pips yet. I water tested them yesterday and they were all still wiggling so I hope that maybe they'll decide to come out today! I started out with 14 of my own and 6 of Lynzi's orp eggs...I'm down to 4 of mine and 3 of the ones I got from Lynzi. I hope that a few make it, but I don't know how it is going to work out with my home made incubator. I'm pretty happy that the 7 made it this far. The 3 Orps are a little early they should be locked down on Sunday so I have to keep turning them.

Oh and got a little surprise this morning when I went out to let everyone out this morning...


At first I thought that he got up there and was stuck, but nope he was just sitting up there. Got my glove and relocated him so he can do his thing, just not in the chicken run. Kids thought that it was cool to see it up close. They have been seeing a bigger one in the rock wall. Hope it stays where it is. I'm not afraid of them, but it still is a shock when you see them.

Yikes! That is a big snake! Is it a rat snake? I have only seen little garter snakes and northern ring snakes in our yard, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing more critters once the chickens are established.

 

[huntin fool]

Quote:
lucky you! they kill mice and chipmunks, too bad they didnt eat raccoons, minks and possums...

 

[huntin fool]

Quote:
i got berries from Navarinos on rte. 20, the jam tastes so good, i eat it with a spoon

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

How big and what kind was it?
Seriously if they just go their way, they live. If the mess with me they die.

Yikes! That is a big snake! Is it a rat snake? I have only seen little garter snakes and northern ring snakes in our yard, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing more critters once the chickens are established.

It was a garter snake. They can come in the duller colors like that one or the ones that you think of with the brighter colors. I have seen both colors around here. They are harmless and they eat their weight in gold around here with all the mice we have. This one was about 2.5 feet long. I had one last year that was almost 4 feet long and about 1.5 inches wide. That one I kept chasing out of the chicken run last year till I relocated it across the road. That one I was a little more careful with. It was the biggest one that I have found. I'm not to scared of them, but that one got a healthy distance.

lucky you! they kill mice and chipmunks, too bad they didnt eat raccoons, minks and possums...

I think that the size of the snake that needs to hunt them may be a little too big for me. That would end up being one of Ranchers AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW snakes. not sure that I would want that around.

 

[Kinmera]

Quote:
Yeah they are really that expensive, it's disgusting. Everything up there is more expensive though...food, alcohol, general good. There is a reason that Canadians constantly come across the border to shop. As far as wages go, the minimum wage is higher up there ($11 in Ontario where I'm from) I definitely made more when I had a job up there. However, the sales tax is 13% and everything being more expensive off sets it.

That's why I'm against raising the minimum wage here in us. I make about $13 an hour and my income won't go up if min wage does, but the cost of everything else will

 

[poodlechicks]

Wow you guys are GOOD!!! Took the advice, got the Dumor layer feed. We got it out of the car and put a 50/50 mix into the chicken coop last night and look what we got this morning. That stuff works FAST! 2 hens and 2 eggs! Wonder how many eggs we'd get overnight if we give them the straight stuff!

Sooo.....do we incubate them or eat them? They have hard light brown shells. DH was almost asleep this morning and I ran into the room before he was completely out and said, "Hey, did you put these in the chicken coop, like you did on April Fools Day????" and he's like, "OMG NO! Really?" And he starts smiling and had to go thank the chickens before he went to sleep! They're too beautiful to eat. Incubate? Or wait for a broody hen and eat their eggs until one goes broody? What do you do?

I had a good experience w eggs under a broody. Mine did such a great job incubating and raising her chicks.

 

[rancher hicks]

It was a garter snake. They can come in the duller colors like that one or the ones that you think of with the brighter colors. I have seen both colors around here. They are harmless and they eat their weight in gold around here with all the mice we have. This one was about 2.5 feet long. I had one last year that was almost 4 feet long and about 1.5 inches wide. That one I kept chasing out of the chicken run last year till I relocated it across the road. That one I was a little more careful with. It was the biggest one that I have found. I'm not to scared of them, but that one got a healthy distance.

I think that the size of the snake that needs to hunt them may be a little too big for me. That would end up being one of Ranchers AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW snakes. not sure that I would want that around.

that's why I don't mess with them. We have one near the garage but he's not eating enough.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote: A friend of our stopped by to pick up eggs and brought two bags of raspberries. I buy strawberries at the Regional Farmers market. It's cheaper than driving to pick them.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Well it doesn't matter if they come here. I was just telling a hippie girl from Canada that we don't realize when we come up, we're in a foreign country.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
The coop looks to me like there is chicken wire on all four sides .
Of Course hardware cloth is safer
I just thought it was cute for a recycled / first coop .
I was most concerned with something digging under it ...I was hoping they lived in a area with no Predators ..
DONT WE ALL WISH THAT WE DID ! LOL