NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

Sad night tonight. I went to close up the chickens and something had killed and partially eaten my barred cochin bantam hen who had chicks. The chicks are nowhere to be seen and I'm sure she died trying to defend them. So tomorrow a trap is going out and it's going to be baited with chicken.

I'm so sorry! That is awful! I really hope you're able to catch whatever it is. We've had a raccoon here a couple nights this last week messing with our garbage and the bird seed that I left out on the deck. I have to put a lock on the smaller coop's nestbox today now that the chicks are in it. I'm nervous he'll wander over there and just lift up that lid.

 

[why do birds]

Oh Bakin that's terrible! Do you have a camera for the coop area? Maybe to help see where the predator is coming in? I'm so sorry that you had this terrible loss.

 

[why do birds]

Wanted to share. This is our indoor coop. It is in the back hall, from TSC, and very easy to keep clean. I'd just cleaned it and this is before the wood shavings went in. We used a couple of spare USPS boxes for nesting boxes because they fit in perfectly. We do open the door during the day and Fredo travels out of the coop to visit with us. The water container from TSC spilled out for some reason and it ended up being a gallon of water all over, so I changed back to the pan method on the bottom. There is also food and water for the black silkie on the second level, who a few nights ago traveled up there. We use a large cardboard piece on the floor under the coop and elevate the coop itself a couple of inches, with flat cement pieces. This way any "waste" can be easily swept out of the coop, onto the card board, and removed. The back hall door and the kitchen door are open during the day. The door opens onto a stairwell so it isn't ground level, and predators can't just walk in. Any thoughts or ideas for how to improve the birds living environment? So far this seems to be working well but we're always open to suggestions.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Wanted to share. This is our indoor coop. It is in the back hall, from TSC, and very easy to keep clean. I'd just cleaned it and this is before the wood shavings went in. We used a couple of spare USPS boxes for nesting boxes because they fit in perfectly. We do open the door during the day and Fredo travels out of the coop to visit with us. The water container from TSC spilled out for some reason and it ended up being a gallon of water all over, so I changed back to the pan method on the bottom. There is also food and water for the black silkie on the second level, who a few nights ago traveled up there. We use a large cardboard piece on the floor under the coop and elevate the coop itself a couple of inches, with flat cement pieces. This way any "waste" can be easily swept out of the coop, onto the card board, and removed. The back hall door and the kitchen door are open during the day. The door opens onto a stairwell so it isn't ground level, and predators can't just walk in. Any thoughts or ideas for how to improve the birds living environment? So far this seems to be working well but we're always open to suggestions.

Cool set-up. Do your birds have an outdoor coop ?

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Oh, those nests might be on Routes 5 and 20, in Senecs Falls, up on the power towers?

I'm assuming so, yes...lol!

Those are osprey nests and seems like there are more every year!

Those are osprey??? They seem so much bigger than the osprey nests I've seen before!

Bummer....I was hoping they were eagle nests, lol.

 

[rancher hicks]

Sad night tonight. I went to close up the chickens and something had killed and partially eaten my barred cochin bantam hen who had chicks. The chicks are nowhere to be seen and I'm sure she died trying to defend them. So tomorrow a trap is going out and it's going to be baited with chicken.

I am sorry for your loss.

I hope you catch culprit.

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning all. I was late getting outside to let everyone out this morning and boy did I hear about it! BAWK BAWK BAWK! Put the silkie chicks outside today in the wire cage so they at least get some outdoor time and fresh air. Candled the eggs under the broodys last night and pulled one that was questionable. The rotten egg smell still lingers. Girls werent happy I was messing with their eggs. Eowyn tried to rip my hand off. Looks like hatch could happen any time now. The eggs were all full. Bator is perking along nicely now that the window is open so that the room doesnt get too hot. Checked quite a few cheeps last night and I dont see any more mites. I hate cooties. I dusted everything again anyways including nest boxes. The brats/monsters coop got cleaned out, dusted and new shavings with more dust. They didnt have anything at all but I am taking no chances! Of course they all had to be underfoot as I was doing things in and around their coop. I almost stepped on a couple of them cause they wont move when you are busy doing stuff. Literally under your feet or right in front of you.

Pyxis--sorry to hear of your losses. I hope you trap whatever it was and send it off to never land, never to return again.

Jlaw--glad to hear you are having good hatches. I am on my last one!

Time to dig out my jam jars and get them prepped. Got to inventory my other jars so I know what I have for pickling and canning chicken. Have a great day everyone!

I get the eggs smell and found an eaten egg in the B.Marans coop that might have been taken by and EE from the back coop. I may pull everthing off the front of the hoop, put water inside and keep the door shut.

Now the back hoop is very hot and I've a fan going. I'm not sure what to do as no hen has hatched an egg in it every. Could it be it's too hot and the eggs are being cooked? the thermo reads 100 some days. I've got to fix the ventilation.

Yes I am trying to downsize but thought perhaps less coops to tend would help? Instead of less birds? The ducks I hate to let go but must for now I think.

DW starts Chemo on Monday not Tuesday. I can't imagine what she is going through. She had to go to urgent care cuz she took to much of the tape off. A nurse friend noticed it and said "hey that should not be like that".

If all this is not enough, our next door neighbor has cancer too and is terminal. So I have to see him outside and feel bad. They're good neighbors too. Don't complain about the chickens and for the most part are quiet with the music. Pray for them please.

As for the Jelly, I won't be making any this year I think. Unless I use the frozen berries from last year. There was lots of rhubarb at the market but since I still have some in the freezer and planted some more this year I don't need any. Now I did see a quy who had the huge stalks. I mean HUGE! and long. I asked him what kind it was but he did not speak English so he didn't know what I was asking. If I thought I could get some of it to sprout I would have bought some. A good 3 ft long and 3-4" wide.

Well places to go and people to annoy, have a nice day.

 

[dragonlord483]

 
I think there are eagle nests out this way, too...but I'm not sure that's what they are, and I'm not sure what road they're on (not originally from here, lol).  I just know that I see them when we're driving from Penn Yan to Auburn/Syracuse.  

i live near chautauqua lake and we are starting to see alot of southern birds around here we never had before ..we like to take the boat down the outlet ..we have a pair of bald eagles there but are starting to see those birds that dive under water ..i no we see them in fl and this last weekend we seen another florida bird .. the name escapes me now but they kind of look like an eagle ..sorry i wish i could think of the names ..but i grew up on this lake and we never had such birds here before ..just wondering if anyonme else has seen any of these kinds of birds in other parts of ny ..i find it really strange they would start migrating north ..austray is the one i couldnt think of ..and then the one that dives under the water is called a camrants..i no i misspelled this ..sorry..

If that isn't a sign if global warming or does that not exist

 

[melbu23]

Sad night tonight. I went to close up the chickens and something had killed and partially eaten my barred cochin bantam hen who had chicks. The chicks are nowhere to be seen and I'm sure she died trying to defend them. So tomorrow a trap is going out and it's going to be baited with chicken.

So sorry to hear something got your Hen. I hope you chatch the guilty party and take care of business.

That sucks hope you catch what ever it was.



Well day 21 and chickes are hatching left and right. All the eggs are from the chicken stock. Cant wait for them to dry out and be moved so I can get some pics of them.

Good luck with the rest of them. I can't imagine how hard it must be to wait.....I know I would be biting my nails.

Morning all. I was late getting outside to let everyone out this morning and boy did I hear about it! BAWK BAWK BAWK! Put the silkie chicks outside today in the wire cage so they at least get some outdoor time and fresh air. Candled the eggs under the broodys last night and pulled one that was questionable. The rotten egg smell still lingers. Girls werent happy I was messing with their eggs. Eowyn tried to rip my hand off. Looks like hatch could happen any time now. The eggs were all full. Bator is perking along nicely now that the window is open so that the room doesnt get too hot. Checked quite a few cheeps last night and I dont see any more mites. I hate cooties. I dusted everything again anyways including nest boxes. The brats/monsters coop got cleaned out, dusted and new shavings with more dust. They didnt have anything at all but I am taking no chances! Of course they all had to be underfoot as I was doing things in and around their coop. I almost stepped on a couple of them cause they wont move when you are busy doing stuff. Literally under your feet or right in front of you.

Pyxis--sorry to hear of your losses. I hope you trap whatever it was and send it off to never land, never to return again.

Jlaw--glad to hear you are having good hatches. I am on my last one!

Time to dig out my jam jars and get them prepped. Got to inventory my other jars so I know what I have for pickling and canning chicken. Have a great day everyone!

I wish I could do the killing of my birds since I would love to can them but I have to have someone else do it. I just don't have the guts. Since I will have someone butcher my meaties, they will already be freezer ready packaged so I likely wont bother canning them (if we hadn't gotten the generator I would have but not now).

I get the eggs smell and found an eaten egg in the B.Marans coop that might have been taken by and EE from the back coop. I may pull everthing off the front of the hoop, put water inside and keep the door shut.

Now the back hoop is very hot and I've a fan going. I'm not sure what to do as no hen has hatched an egg in it every. Could it be it's too hot and the eggs are being cooked? the thermo reads 100 some days. I've got to fix the ventilation.

Yes I am trying to downsize but thought perhaps less coops to tend would help? Instead of less birds? The ducks I hate to let go but must for now I think.

DW starts Chemo on Monday not Tuesday. I can't imagine what she is going through. She had to go to urgent care cuz she took to much of the tape off. A nurse friend noticed it and said "hey that should not be like that".

If all this is not enough, our next door neighbor has cancer too and is terminal. So I have to see him outside and feel bad. They're good neighbors too. Don't complain about the chickens and for the most part are quiet with the music. Pray for them please.

As for the Jelly, I won't be making any this year I think. Unless I use the frozen berries from last year. There was lots of rhubarb at the market but since I still have some in the freezer and planted some more this year I don't need any. Now I did see a quy who had the huge stalks. I mean HUGE! and long. I asked him what kind it was but he did not speak English so he didn't know what I was asking. If I thought I could get some of it to sprout I would have bought some. A good 3 ft long and 3-4" wide.

Well places to go and people to annoy, have a nice day.

Less coops sounds like a good plan =) A chicken more or less is probably not going to make the difference but a coop less just might.

Best wishes to your DW. Keeping her and you in my thoughts.
Sorry to hear about you neighbor. I truly hate hate hate that disease. I know far to many that have been affected by it. Thankfully medicine has gotten a lot better.

Funny you speak of Rhubarb. I just harvested some more this morning. So far I have been cutting it up and freezing it. Next weekend (for fathers day) I plan on making the first every cake or pie with home grown rhubarb. I hope it turns out as good as I imagine it. I have been waiting 2 years for it since it was planted.

I would love some good jelly recipes if you don't mind sharing - I plan on canning a few things this summer =) and jelly is on the list!

When I fed the chickens I let them out of the run on the grass for a bit. They jumped around like little kids and my meaties even foraged a bit on the field. Wish I could let them run around all the time but we have hawks and other critters that are a bit too dangerous. A few of the meaties like to chase me (I think they want to eat my legs.....I might need to start wearing long pants when I feed them.

Alright, I better get some stuff going.

 

[JLaw]

Woot got 2 naked necks to hatch heres a pic of one. I'm not having a good hatch rate I think my humidity was too high. I tried to keep it higher since I've been getting shrink wrap chicks but I also hatched in my sportsman right before this hatch so the humidity was high for 6 days instead of 3 and I think a few drowned. Or some just stopped at the end which I normaly don't have happen much. If I'm counting right I have 23/35 only a 65% for this hatch and looks like I only have 2 left to even make it. If they do its still only a 71% hatch rate for the lock down. Then again I dindt check for movement at lockdown like normal.