NY chicken lover!!!!

[Pyxis]

So sorry about your grandma ...  can we get together Saturday around 11 am or something ?   I am snowed in and have one car and DH takes it to work - so I can't really meet M-F now until he can help shovel out the drive ... nearly gave myself a heart attack shoveling off the coop yesterday -so the drive was out of the question .... but both you and Bakin can use some cafe time !!!!  

I think you need some good old fashioned venting to friends !!!

Saturday sounds good I know how you feel about the snow, my snowblower quit on me yesterday and wouldn't come back on. Gonna try that again today and see if I can get further.

 

[Metella]

Well - I at least have a long handled bar-type brush thingie .... so I can flop it on top of my hoop coop and pull the snow off - but this stuff was WAY heavy so it was very taxing ....

but I want to hit the winter farmer's market --- and they could close around 1:00 and I had to be running in at the end .... so I will be hitting the market around 9:00 am or so .... give or take - if you want to start early ? Maybe we can entice Bakin to come a little earlier to be at the market .... we can park in your normal spot and I'll show you where the winter market is ....

Anyone else on this threat that lives close to Glens Falls and the Vermont border is welcome to come along for a morning of shopping and chicken chatting ... Just pm me for directions.

 

[wny egger]

It's been rough few days over here, with a huge loss, a rescue, and a power outage. I have just lost my last remaining grandparent, my grandmother, two weeks after I lost my grandfather. I know that this is not an uncommon thing for people who have lived together so long and suddenly one is alone. It's still hard though. I was going to email her pictures of all the chickens here to cheer her up, but before I could she was in the hospital and she passed away yesterday.

I also went out last night after dark to shovel off my back deck, because we were afraid the weight of the snow might collapse it, and I looked out over the yard and to my horror, the roof of the muscovy pen had collapsed in under all the snow and buried my drake and duck. It is a small miracle that they were where the were when the roof collapsed, because instead of being crushed, they were pushed right up under the roofing material and snow against the side of the pen, where a tiny gap was left. There was just enough room that they were pinned and couldn't move but not crushed under the weight of the snow and roof. So I dug them out and put them in the main coop until spring, when they will move into the completed legbar coop. In the light of day they are fine and have no injuries, and are dealing well with being thrown in with all the other birds. The drake wandered over to greet me today while I was out feeding them. He was stuck the most badly and I think he realizes that I saved them.

And of course on top of all that, our power went out today, AFTER the storm. Go figure. I have an outdoor coop full of chicks, but I didn't lose any thank goodness. I think in part it's because the had the good sense to hide under the adult birds in there until the power came back. I did lose some eggs in the incubator - the ones closest to hatching, strangely, and my first two eggs from a new project I'm working on. That was disappointing. It looks like the others made it, though, which is good. I managed to keep the temperature at 96 degrees in there using hand warmers, and it seems like that was enough.

so sorry to hear about your grandma and grandpa..i no theres not alot we can say ..it shows how much your grandma and grandpa loved each other tho..i no i would be lost in this world without my wife ..
i hope you have a better weekend ..


i no they say bad things happen in 3's ..i think your over the limit now , so next yr nothing but good stuff ....











this morning everything is covered in ice ..i was going to run the snowblower last night but didnt ..i now wished i had ..its to heavy now and has to be shoveled ..the driveway was plugged with huge pile of frozen snow the plow dumped off ....my netting over the run was so bad it was ripping it apart ..i knocked as much off as i could..then i shoveled a path ..only a couple birds wondered out ..atleast its friday and tonights the wifes christmas party ..a big prime rib dinner..so looking forward to a night out ..its been awhile for us ..
i no my cats would love one of those , but i am afraid my dogs would just eat it ..

 

[Kimmer Jo]

Helping a friend re-home

My friend has a Silver Polish Hatter rooster she is trying to find a home for. So if you are near Western New York and want a beautiful boy let me know. He was hatched this spring. She is going to get me a picture later.

 

[boskelli1571]

It's been rough few days over here, with a huge loss, a rescue, and a power outage. I have just lost my last remaining grandparent, my grandmother, two weeks after I lost my grandfather. I know that this is not an uncommon thing for people who have lived together so long and suddenly one is alone. It's still hard though. I was going to email her pictures of all the chickens here to cheer her up, but before I could she was in the hospital and she passed away yesterday.

I also went out last night after dark to shovel off my back deck, because we were afraid the weight of the snow might collapse it, and I looked out over the yard and to my horror, the roof of the muscovy pen had collapsed in under all the snow and buried my drake and duck. It is a small miracle that they were where the were when the roof collapsed, because instead of being crushed, they were pushed right up under the roofing material and snow against the side of the pen, where a tiny gap was left. There was just enough room that they were pinned and couldn't move but not crushed under the weight of the snow and roof. So I dug them out and put them in the main coop until spring, when they will move into the completed legbar coop. In the light of day they are fine and have no injuries, and are dealing well with being thrown in with all the other birds. The drake wandered over to greet me today while I was out feeding them. He was stuck the most badly and I think he realizes that I saved them.

And of course on top of all that, our power went out today, AFTER the storm. Go figure. I have an outdoor coop full of chicks, but I didn't lose any thank goodness. I think in part it's because the had the good sense to hide under the adult birds in there until the power came back. I did lose some eggs in the incubator - the ones closest to hatching, strangely, and my first two eggs from a new project I'm working on. That was disappointing. It looks like the others made it, though, which is good. I managed to keep the temperature at 96 degrees in there using hand warmers, and it seems like that was enough.

Sorry for your losses, trials & tribulations - you've had a rough ending to the year. Hoping for better things for you next year,

 

[Metella]

Yes - your 3 bad things are now out of the way - now you roll to the end of this year and have a great year coming up!

Bakin is going to make it around 11 ! Whoop !!!! We get to talk to her again.

 

[rancher hicks]

Are they dust bathing ? mine will walk through the snow to get under the deck to dust bathe

Not that I've noticed. I did catch a squirrel near the coop before I let them out the other day.

 

[rancher hicks]

i spoke to the cornel exstention people , a couple yrs ago about the blite they said its spreading from folks putting root crops waste in the compost piles ..they told me not to put potato,onoin or any tuber type veggies in the compost pile .i didnt have it the first yr i put my raised garden in but started seeing it again last yr ..i still did pretty well with my toms tho ..next season i am having all new soil brought in and plan on setting up a tomatoe only bed ..they said to not plant tuber or root crops in with your toms..

It's good if you can "cook" your compost. Get it heated up hot enough and you'll kill everything. There are books written just on composting and soil making.

Bees are soft bodied, so it's possible that de could harm them. However, if you are putting de on the ground and not around the blooms of the plant, I would think they will not be touched by it.....I use de on the chickens but have never tried it in the garden since the eggshells seem to work quite well. If I get an infestation of aphids etc. I spray conservatively with neem mixture, usually later in the day when bees aren't so active since it will harm them also.
I don't think my hives have suffered for it this year.

Egg shells are also good as a prevention for slugs and snails but it won't kill them. To do that you need DE or some other chemical OR just let the chickens in when fall comes. Since I do raised beds chickens aren't good but I do let them in just cuz I'm a softy and they like it. I figure I can just shovel the soil back in and add more compost.

I use to work for my cooperative extension, and was Master Gardener. what they did say was to not plant tomatoes in the same spot for 3 years. That is how long the blight can last in the soil. Now, I hear they say it comes in on the rain from other areas, so I guess we are doomed! I don't compost my dead plants, just throw away, nor do I plant tuber crops. Dunno about the copper treatment, makes me a little leary since I try to be organic but I will look into it. Copper can be organic I guess, but is it good for us?

I have read about using pennies around the base of plants as slugs do not cross copper. Being poor I don't have enough cents.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

It's been rough few days over here, with a huge loss, a rescue, and a power outage. I have just lost my last remaining grandparent, my grandmother, two weeks after I lost my grandfather. I know that this is not an uncommon thing for people who have lived together so long and suddenly one is alone. It's still hard though. I was going to email her pictures of all the chickens here to cheer her up, but before I could she was in the hospital and she passed away yesterday.

I also went out last night after dark to shovel off my back deck, because we were afraid the weight of the snow might collapse it, and I looked out over the yard and to my horror, the roof of the muscovy pen had collapsed in under all the snow and buried my drake and duck. It is a small miracle that they were where the were when the roof collapsed, because instead of being crushed, they were pushed right up under the roofing material and snow against the side of the pen, where a tiny gap was left. There was just enough room that they were pinned and couldn't move but not crushed under the weight of the snow and roof. So I dug them out and put them in the main coop until spring, when they will move into the completed legbar coop. In the light of day they are fine and have no injuries, and are dealing well with being thrown in with all the other birds. The drake wandered over to greet me today while I was out feeding them. He was stuck the most badly and I think he realizes that I saved them.

And of course on top of all that, our power went out today, AFTER the storm. Go figure. I have an outdoor coop full of chicks, but I didn't lose any thank goodness. I think in part it's because the had the good sense to hide under the adult birds in there until the power came back. I did lose some eggs in the incubator - the ones closest to hatching, strangely, and my first two eggs from a new project I'm working on. That was disappointing. It looks like the others made it, though, which is good. I managed to keep the temperature at 96 degrees in there using hand warmers, and it seems like that was enough.

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandma. I know how much I miss mine. My heart goes out to you. Keep your chin up and find comfort knowing that we are thinking about you!

Glad that your ducks were fine..squished a little, but fine!

 

[rancher hicks]

It's been rough few days over here, with a huge loss, a rescue, and a power outage. I have just lost my last remaining grandparent, my grandmother, two weeks after I lost my grandfather. I know that this is not an uncommon thing for people who have lived together so long and suddenly one is alone. It's still hard though. I was going to email her pictures of all the chickens here to cheer her up, but before I could she was in the hospital and she passed away yesterday.

I also went out last night after dark to shovel off my back deck, because we were afraid the weight of the snow might collapse it, and I looked out over the yard and to my horror, the roof of the muscovy pen had collapsed in under all the snow and buried my drake and duck. It is a small miracle that they were where the were when the roof collapsed, because instead of being crushed, they were pushed right up under the roofing material and snow against the side of the pen, where a tiny gap was left. There was just enough room that they were pinned and couldn't move but not crushed under the weight of the snow and roof. So I dug them out and put them in the main coop until spring, when they will move into the completed legbar coop. In the light of day they are fine and have no injuries, and are dealing well with being thrown in with all the other birds. The drake wandered over to greet me today while I was out feeding them. He was stuck the most badly and I think he realizes that I saved them.

And of course on top of all that, our power went out today, AFTER the storm. Go figure. I have an outdoor coop full of chicks, but I didn't lose any thank goodness. I think in part it's because the had the good sense to hide under the adult birds in there until the power came back. I did lose some eggs in the incubator - the ones closest to hatching, strangely, and my first two eggs from a new project I'm working on. That was disappointing. It looks like the others made it, though, which is good. I managed to keep the temperature at 96 degrees in there using hand warmers, and it seems like that was enough.

I am sorry for you loss. It's never easy. Remember the heritage she left you with, be it recipes, talents or some other wisdom. I find it's the best way to honor their memory. Of all my grandmothers 40 some grandkids,I'm the only one who crochets.

I'm glad you ducks are okay. This snow has been very heavy and proves or disproves how well our coops are built. There is a tree hanging right over my back hoop run. The only thing holding it up is the fence post. I'm nervous it will fall on me when I'm out there.