NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

Don't even get me started on what broodies do that people swear won't work. I swear my Silkie didn't read the rule book....she turned one after it pipped....but I think she turned it to the outside of the nest so it could breath.

The first broody I had got off the nest. I flipped out, running around trying to find her and put her back....LOL...she went back when she was good and ready....she hatched 4 of 4 eggs....what do people know about hatching chicks?

My second broody sat for a week on golf balls, a week on eggs and quit after one of the children from next door picked her up and carried her around for about 5 minutes.

My third broody went broody on the sand floor. Silly chicken.

Personally I think we humans worry to much about doing it right. Chickens have a bird brain and they hatch chicks without any book learning.

I have to agree but they aren't telling us what they know, so we have to do the best we can. I just advised someone on room temp and yet my Dominic hatched two for two in the coop when temps dropped below zero. They don't all do that good but she did. I should have kept her.

 

[happyhensny]

I just candled and took off the turner-they all still look good-and I heard peeping!

10 Porcelain D'Uccles
4 BBS Orps
4 BA
2 Americauna

Due Friday. For sale!

 

[Henicillin]

Quote:

Anyone close to watertown? I am in the military and just came back from deployment. I am looking to start a small flock with my children. I am have a little troble finding chicks, other than the farm supply. I would like some BO's, sussex, RIW, silkies, or any breeds that are good with children. thanks

Welcome home, welcome to BYC, and thank you for your service! You're among friends - if anyone can help hook you and your family up with good birds, it's this group of awesome folks.

 

[java girl 2]

Quote:

yes!!!!! come on over!!!!!!!!

This is off topic..kinda..but I separated my silver laced wyandotte crew and put them in their own hoop house. I know I just put them in there Sunday night, but I've got NO eggs yet!! How long do you think it will be before they get used to their new digs and start producing? I've four of them in there, plus the roo and I figure..well, hope..to get at least 2-3 eggs a day and have enough to fill at least half a bator within a week or so...

it can take 1 to 2 weeks for them to start laying.

Went out to feed the goats / sheep this morning and one of the Cayugas was sitting where I have been finding the eggs lately. I am going to let her sit and see how this goes. Don't really know how broody they are, but fingers crossed!

come to the hatch-a-long!!!!!!!!!

Quote:

I am always telling my mom that my birds don't read the books!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[In His Service]

Ladies and Gentlemen:
I need some experienced advice. In order to have the chicks hatch in the classroom somewhere between Tues and Thurs of next week (Day 19-21) we planned accordingly. Problem is that Day 18 falls on a Sunday. School is closed up. No janitors around and teachers don't have keys to the building.
What do you suggest? That I stop the egg turning on Friday afternoon the 16th Day or wait till early in the AM on Day 19? I could camp out in the building but I promised to babysit for 3 children under 4 so the parents could go somewhere with friends for an overnight trip. Fri night to Sat afternoon. I know...crazy...
Let me know what you wise "chicken" sages think.
K......

Not to sound stupid, but if day 19 is Tuesday, wouldn't day 18 be Monday?

 

[java girl 2]

OK, I have been talking with my mom and I may be able to get a cat!!!!!!!!!!

the Reason for the cat is we have been having a bad vole/mice and rat problem. our Fields are being taken care of by an old farmer Friend and the fields were hey fields but the last few years he has been growing corn and leaves the corn in the fields to dry, sometimes he can't harvests it till spring. we never had voles/rats till he started growing corn and the voles are eating everything that we are trying to grow!!!!!!!!!!

we have tried all kinds of traps and nothing in the traps!!!!!!!!!!!! my dad had to start shooting the rats and got them all, but now they are BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tripped over one tonight when I was doing something, not a good site to see !!!!!!!!!!

they are getting bolder and bolder every day now. SO I HAVE A FEW Qs, do any of you have indoor/outdoor cats or barn cats??? how did you get them to NOT go after the poultry??? I am thinking of getting one from a shelter because they have up to date shots and sometimes they are fixed, RIGHT?????? and I know there are a lot of cats that need a a good home at the shelters. have any of you adopted a cat form a shelter?? can you give a name of a good shelter ??? any idea what the adoption fee is?? I need the cat to stay around so what is a good age for a cat ?? male or female ?? if it's an outdoor cat only, how do I keep the cat to stay around and not have the cat take off ?? or does it need to be indoors first?? I really want the cat to be indoor/outdoors but will have to see what my mom says. that is why I am asking the Qs, to know what I need to do. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[featherz]

I have several barn cats and not a one will go after any chickens. They don't even go after chicks, which surprised me - of course the chicks had a broody with them so that helped.

My chickens will shove my cats out of their food and take it all. We had a kitten outside for a while when he was awaiting testing/neutering to be an indoor cat and he tried bouncing after the chickens and they ran him all over the yard! =)

As for shelters, we have adopted several from petsmart - they generally have whatever local shelter is in the area come out and run a clinic in-store. They will generally want you to say the cats are indoor only, however. There are several rescue organizations that handle 'barn cats' (often slightly tamed ferals). Those often come with cheaper fees - you have to lock them in somewhere for a while to make sure they stay and they will generally be more feral and may not want to come in your house.

(for the record, all of my adopted from a shelter cats are indoor only - but the house came with two barn cats so we left them that way).

At petsmart, I think the adoption fees were about $50+, depending on the cat, but they all were spayed/neutered and had shots. Make sure the cat tests negative for Feline leukemia, especially if it goes outdoors.

OK, I have been talking with my mom and I may be able to get a cat!!!!!!!!!!

the Reason for the cat is we have been having a bad vole/mice and rat problem. our Fields are being taken care of by an old farmer Friend and the fields were hey fields but the last few years he has been growing corn and leaves the corn in the fields to dry, sometimes he can't harvests it till spring. we never had voles/rats till he started growing corn and the voles are eating everything that we are trying to grow!!!!!!!!!!

we have tried all kinds of traps and nothing in the traps!!!!!!!!!!!! my dad had to start shooting the rats and got them all, but now they are BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tripped over one tonight when I was doing something, not a good site to see !!!!!!!!!!

they are getting bolder and bolder every day now. SO I HAVE A FEW Qs, do any of you have indoor/outdoor cats or barn cats??? how did you get them to NOT go after the poultry??? I am thinking of getting one from a shelter because they have up to date shots and sometimes they are fixed, RIGHT?????? and I know there are a lot of cats that need a a good home at the shelters. have any of you adopted a cat form a shelter?? can you give a name of a good shelter ??? any idea what the adoption fee is?? I need the cat to stay around so what is a good age for a cat ?? male or female ?? if it's an outdoor cat only, how do I keep the cat to stay around and not have the cat take off ?? or does it need to be indoors first?? I really want the cat to be indoor/outdoors but will have to see what my mom says. that is why I am asking the Qs, to know what I need to do. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[java girl 2]

At petsmart, I think the adoption fees were about $50+, depending on the cat, but they all were spayed/neutered and had shots. Make sure the cat tests negative for Feline leukemia, especially if it goes outdoors what is Feline leukemia??? does petsmart's cats test for this?? is one cat enough or do I need 2??

 

[featherz]

At petsmart, I think the adoption fees were about $50+, depending on the cat, but they all were spayed/neutered and had shots. Make sure the cat tests negative for Feline leukemia, especially if it goes outdoors what is Feline leukemia??? does petsmart's cats test for this?? is one cat enough or do I need 2??

that's a personal choice, but I prefer to have two, to keep each other company. As for feline leukemia, it's a contagious disease that can be passed between cats via saliva, feeding dishes, etc. There's also FIV (Feline aids), but that's less common as it's spread via blood transmission. Shelters will generally test for at least FELV and sometimes FIV. We went to a shelter out here a while back ago where they had cats roaming the entire place and we insisted on a test before we brought the cat into our house - that cat was FELV+, which meant the whole darn place probably had it.

There's a vaccination for FELV, which I'd recommend for outdoor cats. I don't give my indoor cats that vaccination.

 

[vmdanielsen]

OK, I have been talking with my mom and I may be able to get a cat!!!!!!!!!!

the Reason for the cat is we have been having a bad vole/mice and rat problem. our Fields are being taken care of by an old farmer Friend and the fields were hey fields but the last few years he has been growing corn and leaves the corn in the fields to dry, sometimes he can't harvests it till spring. we never had voles/rats till he started growing corn and the voles are eating everything that we are trying to grow!!!!!!!!!!

we have tried all kinds of traps and nothing in the traps!!!!!!!!!!!! my dad had to start shooting the rats and got them all, but now they are BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tripped over one tonight when I was doing something, not a good site to see !!!!!!!!!!

they are getting bolder and bolder every day now. SO I HAVE A FEW Qs, do any of you have indoor/outdoor cats or barn cats??? how did you get them to NOT go after the poultry??? I am thinking of getting one from a shelter because they have up to date shots and sometimes they are fixed, RIGHT?????? and I know there are a lot of cats that need a a good home at the shelters. have any of you adopted a cat form a shelter?? can you give a name of a good shelter ??? any idea what the adoption fee is?? I need the cat to stay around so what is a good age for a cat ?? male or female ?? if it's an outdoor cat only, how do I keep the cat to stay around and not have the cat take off ?? or does it need to be indoors first?? I really want the cat to be indoor/outdoors but will have to see what my mom says. that is why I am asking the Qs, to know what I need to do. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Java,
I too, have issues with voles and rats. My cats don't do anything about them. The voles are very ......., well they hide in their tunnels and eat the roots off everything and cats don't seem to get them. Rats just seem to big. I used to use a non till method of gardening w/mulch and that is what the voles love. Many tunnels and all the roots they could eat. I went back to the way I used to vegetable garden. Back to tilling every spring. It tears up their tunnels. I till between the rows until the end of June, then I can mulch. It seems to keep their population down. More work for me with all that tilling, but at least I get some veggies. As far as the rats go, they do not seem to get into the vegetable garden as the voles do. I do poison them. I absolutely hate to do it. I have tried traps, but I get one and the rest stay away. For rat/vole/mouse control I have considered getting a dog who is bred for such things, like a rat terrier or Jack Russel terrier. However, I currently have a dog and will not get another until he passes. He is a good dog and I can wait. Anyway, just my 2cents.
Good luck with whatever you get!
Ginny