NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cass]

Another chicken died. I don't know why I keep picking the little ones to buy, they always die. This one had something that kept it from being able to flip itself off it's back. I turned it over for a week and it seemed to get better for a few days, then it went down hill fast. I buried it out back with the other chicken and duck that were also small and never thrived. Good thing it was raining so no one could see how hard I was crying.

I think the day has to get better. Maybe I'll have some pips in my eggs under my broody. Maybe it'll stop raining and I can fix up a separate space for the broody and her chicks. They are due to hatch sometime after tuesday. Since I am not sure if they were fresh or were plucked from under the broody at the farm they came from, they could hatch any time now. If they don't hatch at all I'm not sure what I am going to do. I do know that when I tried to candle them a few days ago they were just full of something black. Since I am not sure of hatch date, I'm not handling them any more. But there is certainly something inside them that wasn't there at 10 days.

Maybe one of the other three hens will lay and egg. I heard an egg song yesterday, but no egg....maybe they are getting ready to lay again. I hope so, cuz they went through 50 pounds of feed in 3 weeks for no return. Once they are all laying I should have 12+ eggs a day....but for now I have NO EGGS and have to buy eggs at the market and FEED. Not what I signed up for, that's for sure.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Thanks for the welcome madsenaccord. Glad to see Ulster is represented, and to know there are more from the surrounding area. Ulster county is a beautiful area. We've been there numerous times in years past when the kids were young. Spent some summers up around Cairo, Sullivan and Warren cty too. Funny how our own state has so much to offer and we never really get to see all of it.

Welcome Al,
Your right that people in more suburban areas may have different issues than those of us with not-so-close neighbors. good luck!
Ginny

 

[Cydney83]

Quote:
Welcome! What a great place to live..Good luck with the new thread!

 

[featherz]

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Aww poor cass and chickies

.. If you are in my neck of the woods let me know, I have lots of eggs and can certainly throw a few your way (eating eggs, I don't have a roo old enough to do the deed at the moment).. I do have chicks also, but they would be too old for a broody I'd think, one week old as of yesterday. I am getting 18 eggs a day, which is WAY too many for me, so I may sell off some pullets or hens soon. Are you sure nothing's getting in your coop to eat the eggs? or the girls aren't eating them?

 

[ChickenAl]

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Cass, sorry for your loss. Sincerely hoping the day does get better for you.

 

[ChickenAl]

Quote:
Thanks for the welcome madsenaccord. Glad to see Ulster is represented, and to know there are more from the surrounding area. Ulster county is a beautiful area. We've been there numerous times in years past when the kids were young. Spent some summers up around Cairo, Sullivan and Warren cty too. Funny how our own state has so much to offer and we never really get to see all of it.

Welcome Al,
Your right that people in more suburban areas may have different issues than those of us with not-so-close neighbors. good luck!
Ginny

Hi Ginny, and thank you. Not easy feeling like the only chicken family around here. There are others in the more rural areas of the county but we are on suburban lots and it can be strange for neighbors to see us raising chickens. Although, I think it is going to grow as a practice in these parts for a lot of reasons. Not the least of which is the economy.


Best,
Al

 

[ChickenAl]

Quote:
Welcome! What a great place to live..Good luck with the new thread!

Hi Cydney, and thank you for the well wishes. We'll see how it goes.


All the best,
Al

 

[Henicillin]

Quote:

I hope your day gets better, Cass.

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Aww poor cass and chickies

.. If you are in my neck of the woods let me know, I have lots of eggs and can certainly throw a few your way (eating eggs, I don't have a roo old enough to do the deed at the moment).. I do have chicks also, but they would be too old for a broody I'd think, one week old as of yesterday. I am getting 18 eggs a day, which is WAY too many for me, so I may sell off some pullets or hens soon. Are you sure nothing's getting in your coop to eat the eggs? or the girls aren't eating them?

I'm pretty darn sure that nothing is getting in the coop. I made my coop bullet proof, since I have black snakes in the back pond. They used to lay in the nest box with the broody hen and then they stopped laying. I am seeing a LOT of feathers around, so maybe they are in moult. I see no evidence of cracked eggs anywhere. Since they lay late in the day (after 2) they wouldn't be able to conceal egg eating from me for long...I'm there by 4 pm checking on things. Since they aren't laying I did take the opportunity to worm them. Seemed like a good idea since there is a 14 day egg withdrawl when you worm, right?

I would say "I wish I lived closer too", but I have to be careful what I wish for, since Ray's hold item is in Glens Falls and he works for the State. YIKES!! I love my place here and would hate to have to sell it and move at this point in my life. (Not to meantion find another job for myself cuz my agency isn't in Saratoga county or north)

I'm down to 20 chickens, with 5 of those being roos. (Three have to go, I'm not feeding freeloaders.) BUT I have 4 eggs under a broody....so I might be UP one, instead of down three. LOL

 

[In His Service]

I am sorry to hear of losses, but wanted to share a happy story.

Last Tuesday, DH decided that my 6 week olds need to go out even though they don't have a place yet (long story, we are finishing up new coops and runs .. we have too many roosters that don't get along, kids don't want to re-home or eat them...). We hatched 7 mixed polish banties, and 2 BOs. We carried them all out to free range with the big boys and girls. As soon as we got the last one out, we noticed that 3 of the "pre-teens" were nowhere to be found. When it was time to bring them back in and send all others to their coops, the 3 were still missing. Since they were all black, we hoped htey would be hidden through the night from owls, foxes, stray dogs, etc. Kids and I prayed for them.. The next morning, DS found 1 and gently carried it in to be with its hatch mates. Later as I was checking on our BO momma and 6 chicks, I discovered another one hanging out near that coop. YAY, for the 2 that returned, still praying for the last one, but fearing the worst. I stopped and spoke to several neighbors, asking them to keep an eye out, but they expressed strong doubts that the little guy had any chance. We kept praying that if it did not make it, at least it did not suffer. Yesterday, as we were checking on BO momma and her chicks(now 9) guess you know what we saw...the last missing chick. We are calling it Cinco, because we found it on the 5th day. We don't know where it was hiding all those days, but are thankful for the safe return.