NY chicken lover!!!!

[hugz4all4]

Cuties All ! whats the one on the right doing ?
It looks up in the air ..LOL

I giggled too when i saw that....lol

That one was really bowled over by the flash..

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Another beautiful day today. Had a weird thing happen last night. Eowyn, my broody silkie, came out of the coop and I heard this awful noise coming from her. It sounded like her lungs were all clogged up. I grabbed her up and put her in a crate with some denaguard in water and put some vetrx along her nostrils. She sounded weeze. I guess it worked as she was fine this morning. Only thing I could think of is that she had an allergic reaction to something. I was going to keep her in the crate a while longer but she threw a tantrum, screaming her fool head off! I took her back to the coop. Tossed her egg yesterday. It was a quitter. She and Legolas and Galadriel are currently checking out the underside of the coop. I guess its scary because we moved it and I put some flat rocks under it and there is vegetation in it. Im sure they will have it all dug up in no time. This year my broodys are not getting anywhere with eggs. I have tossed all the eggs they were sitting on as they all quit. I am thinking the weather may be playing a factor here as some of you are also having the same issue. Hoping for a good hatch with the ones in the bator.

So nice being able to let everyone out all at once. I am hoping the trend continues even when the boys are grown up. I am only keeping two heritage rir boys. Everyone else has their own personal canning jar. Have to week out the laying coop as well come fall.

I was thinking, as I was moving the rocks from the stone wall, that the 5 cents a day that the african americans were making building these things was not nearly enough! As I move the rocks and build my raised beds, fitting them together carefully so they dont fall over, I cant imagine doing this for a living. Very labor intensive and not good for the knees! However, I have lots to go so I will just do some every day or so. Hoping to go pick strawberryies soon so I can make jam.

Off to the pharm today. Have a good day everyone!

 

[wny egger]

thanks cass, thats what i was thinking ..i did end up getting 4 eggs yesterday but they laid the last 2 in the run and i didnt think of this happening ..i hadnt built a door into that side of the run and had to do the dead mans crawl threw the poo feilds ..lol..i noticed the eggs had thin shells ..do you think this is from stress of the move or just not enough egg shells /oyster shells in their diet..i dont give them either unless i see them starting to lay thin shelled eggs.which isnt very often ...i did set as bowl of egg shells in the coop this morning so they could take some if they wanted ..oh and on my crawl out of the run i broke the one egg in my pocket ..what a mess ..

 

[Lynzi777]

Morning!
Well my 7 Orps eggs went to lockdown yesterday. Still no pips. tomorrow is hatch day. They're all still alive, I'm just surprised none have pipped yet. That duck egg my broody refused to sit on after I moved her out of the duck house is STILL sitting in the incu! I swear that thing has got to be going on 30+ days. My black runner went broody over a month ago but wasn't doing so well in the beginning with staying on the nest. So maybe it just 5 days extra for this egg to get started. I really should have written down what day it was when I first candled it. I just know she went broody right before the picnic so that duckling should have hatched by now.

Listed a couple of birds yesterday. Really need to get back down to a reasonable number. I don't think I'm going to do any more hatching with the Orps, so I'll hang onto this splash orp I have growing out and maybe a few splashes (if any) from this hatch. Focus hatching on the silkies/sizzles.

 

[Metella]

ha ha ha ha ha I HATE when I do that - I put an egg in a pocket or even a hand - make a mental note it feels thin .... say be very careful with this one ....

Then I am totally on another mental track not even 5 min later ... Crunch ... Do Oh !

 

[kristylynn745]

thats a nice mixed flock, do you have a big coop? chickens are alot of fun, if you have any questions, someone on here probably has the answer. did you get your birds at tractor supply?

Yeah it's pretty big. We built it ourselves. It's 4x8x8. Still have to finish put nesting boxes though. Yea we got them all at tsc this spring

 

[rancher hicks]

Hello everybody! I'm pretty new here, live just outside of Ithaca in Newfield. I have a question for you NY folks- I'm thinking about building a hoop coop out of cattle panels that will have one solid, wooden wall on the wind side with the rest covered by a tarp/plastic. Will that get my birds through a brutal winter like the last one or should I build a solid wooden one instead?

Thanks

I got my birds through last winter with a dog kennel covered with tarps and hay bales around the bottom to help with the cold. We had some brutal cold and they did just fine. Sounds like your idea would work as long as you keep the wind off them and still provide ventilation. I had a couple of old french doors I propped against the side to let in light and attached clear plastic roofing over the door.

Rancher can advise you very well on hoop coops as he has them and they seem to work for him.

Yes I can.

Now this coop has the back wood and the door covered with hardware cloth, which I cover with feed bags in the winter or just drape the tarp over it. Because it's in the sun it gets far to hot on days like today. I'm planning to stick a small window in the wood side to get some breeze and ventilation going. There is a fan in the run but it's still to hot. Even with most of the plastic removed from the run. Lots of shavings and they're fine all winter. Many times the water does not freeze all the way. It's not in the shade and gets the morning sun. It's four panels long. If it needs another tarp I just add another. Ollies has them rather cheap.




These are two other half hoops. No runs. I just open the door during the day and they seem fine. Heavy birds like, Brahmas, Wyandottes and in these EE's and Marans do okay.






I cover the front with fleece that I find cheap. No red though of course or they'll eat it.

I also snow blow an area for them to walk. Inside runs are spread with hay, straw and or wood shavings.

 

[rancher hicks]

Welcome all newbies.

One other things about the hoops. Better in the shade. In the open they get to hot to hatch. Poor broodies getting nothing since the eggs die I think. I've tossed more than a few. I really should just take the eggs and not let them try.

Tabs, DW's first day of Chemo. She's been sleeping alot even before this. She fell getting into the car afterwards, but didn't get hurt. She's been having problems with her back.

Everyone else, -

Did some mowing and weed whacking yesterday. Cutting skinny saplings to open things so i can see into the woods a bit. Let the birds out cuz it's so hot and I can't see keeping them cooped up while I'm out there. Of course they have to be in when I'm not home. I've been marking everywhere in hopes the fox gets the message.

I am not getting the up dates lately for some reason. When it rains the internet goes out. Verizon sent a new modem. Considering Time Warner but the internet speed isn't as fast. However we would be getting cable too, for the same price as phone and internet from Verizon.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Well it has been decided. The Roo should be going this weekend. QUESTION: I think that I know the answer to my own question, but not 100%... When we cull the alpha roo, The next one will step up and become the new top dog right? The girls should accept his new roll right?

Went out late this morning to collect eggs and check on Rosita's eggs. They were due to hatch tomorrow. I got my gloves and lifted her up, and wasn't I surprised to see 2 little chicks underneath her!. They look just like Peepers's chicks. One black and one that looks like a chipmunk. I thought that I had 2 maran eggs under her, oh well they are all so cute. I'll get some pics soon.

Everyone else is enjoying the dry day. DS and I went out after lunch to see all the ducks snoozing in the yard. Love seeing them all out there!

 

[Cass]

Well it has been decided. The Roo should be going this weekend. QUESTION: I think that I know the answer to my own question, but not 100%... When we cull the alpha roo, The next one will step up and become the new top dog right? The girls should accept his new roll right?

Went out late this morning to collect eggs and check on Rosita's eggs. They were due to hatch tomorrow. I got my gloves and lifted her up, and wasn't I surprised to see 2 little chicks underneath her!. They look just like Peepers's chicks. One black and one that looks like a chipmunk. I thought that I had 2 maran eggs under her, oh well they are all so cute. I'll get some pics soon.

Everyone else is enjoying the dry day. DS and I went out after lunch to see all the ducks snoozing in the yard. Love seeing them all out there!

Weeeelll....it depends. If you only have 2 roos then yes, the second roo will step up, after a fashion and become alpha. If you have more than 2 roos left after the alpha is done in, then they will sort it out themselves and one will step into the alpha role.

As far as the girls accepting the changing of the guard? Some will be fine, some will challange and some will never let the new alpha breed them. Sooooo, it's a cr@p shoot....but I still do it...fairly regularly and I still hatch chicks....so someone is doing something right down there and I have nothing to say about who does with whom and where.