NY chicken lover!!!!

[Overhill Flocks]

Belgian Malines flock update - First day out of the brooder into the small mobile coop. They caught a big bug within 3 minutes of being out on grass and are good little foragers. There sure is a lot of awkward and ugly between the adorable fuzzy tiny chick stage and the handsome glossy adult stage. Got months of it to look forward to!

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

Cuz you're a girl. I'm a guy. Though now that I'm older I have an I don't care what some folks think attitude.

DW says she doesn't care but sometimes a woman won't say what she really thinks.

Then a guys going "what's the matter?" and she's says "nothing!" and he's like "are you sure everythings all right?" and she says "everythings fine, don't I always put too much pepper in the meat loaf and huff around the house all the time!?." NOW EAT IT!! I DON'T CARE IF IT IS RAW!! "

And he's like, "maybe I'll just go to McDonalds for dinner"

Then the kid in McDonalds says "uh sir it looks like your head is bleeding" and he says "no it's just Ketch Up from a meat loaf that hit me in the back of my head when I was leaving to come here.

(disclaimer, this did not really happen, well only in my mind, but was written for your amusement.

)

I am very impressed to see a man crocheting and I think numerous other woman are too and if guys actually thought about it think of all the female attention a guy would get just by having a ball of yarn and a hook in their hand

 

[rancher hicks]

There are a lot of men knitting doing crochet now. It's a skill I struggle to master, we have some pretty funky washcloths.

I was involved in the Granny Square swap a few months back and one participant said her husbands doctor said he should take up crochet to help with his Alzhiemer. He was just 60.

Now FYI PBS has a good program on the brain and all that kind of stuff. They mentioned that the brain can regrow or rather redirect it's synopsis. Kind of like when you were a kid and you'd block the path of water as it ran and how the water would go around the blockage to take another root to connect on the other side. Does that make sense?

Anyhow Exercise your brain. Keep it moving. Challenge your mind. You are important to me and others.

Love ya,

Rancher

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm up way too early for a Saturday. I'm already done making my rounds for the chickens. I also candled some eggs and set some more eggs. My 120 egg incubator has about 10 empty spaces left! My dh is kicking himself for building it

I picked up some beautiful hens from Rancher last night. I had no idea BR's could be so gorgeous and big! I'm used to the little hatchery ones. I've got 3 EE cockerels I need to find new homes for. They are 10 weeks old and beautiful. Out of 4 chicks only one was a pullet

if anyone wants them let me know. Busy day today cutting grass for the horses! Have a good day everyone!

I have been crossing my EE's with larger birds so when they grow they're eating size. I should cross that Sussex you liked with my EE roo. He's got a nice chest and she's very heavy. Perhaps when she's done brooding.

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning Everyone,
I was up early too this morning, I usually sleep in on the weekends but instead i was tossing and turning this morning at 7 so I got up before anyone else. Gru has found a new home and is possibly heading there as early as this weekend! I was watching him this morning and my poor girls really need a break from him. He mounted Stella 3 times in the matter of 7 minutes! So her and Ella will be spending the summer growing in new feathers. Not that Ella is bad but Stella is still in rough shape.

I'm down to 1 bunny left and 2 birds is like to rehome. Still have a polish/Silkie cross is like to rehome and I've decide I am just going to try to list the Silkie roo and see what happens.
I'm also on the fence as to whether or not I want to go from 5 to 3 ducks. I haven't mentioned anything here yet but my husband lost his job about 3 weeks ago and is looking for work all over NE. He had an interview in RI this week that went really well but also had one in Binghamton last week too. Keepingy fingers crossed we can stay here if he goes for the Binghamton job but if it's RI then we'd obviously have to move and how much we brought with us would depend on where we found a place to live there. Right now we're just enjoying him home. I told him NOW is the time we should take a vacation since he never has any time off! Lol

On another note, some of you have mentioned strawberry picking, well the other day I was inspecting my apple trees, I have three planted, and could not find half of the apples I counted a few weeks ago. I counted at least 9 starting on one tree and now it only has 3 or 4!? Could something have plucked them off??? I'm so mad. I was really looking forward to having at least a dozen apples grow this year seeing as how these trees are still so young.

My rule for picking strawberries is it's cheaper to buy them at the market. I figure for me to drive to B-ville would take gas and add that to the price of picking, I might as well just buy them. Paid $3.00 a Quart today.

In the apple front I planted a G.Smith. It had lots of flowers this spring. I haven't been to it to check for apples. I just figured it would be a couple of years before it got any. Maybe I should have a look?

I am sorry about your husbands job. You are both young yet, this could be the time to recreate, take a risk? Do whatever you thought you'd do? Maybe now IS the time you've been waiting for? Just musing, but I wish you both the best.

 

[Lynzi777]

Belgian Malines flock update - First day out of the brooder into the small mobile coop. They caught a big bug within 3 minutes of being out on grass and are good little foragers. There sure is a lot of awkward and ugly between the adorable fuzzy tiny chick stage and the handsome glossy adult stage. Got months of it to look forward to!

Awww so cute!!!

 

[Lynzi777]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. It took me a while, I was just so heartbroken, we were given no reason as to why, he was given a severance so it's not even like he got "fired", so many questions just left unanswered but with this company getting turned over to these investors we think they are slowly weeding out all those close to the owner since he no longer has that much of a say in anything anyone does. It just sux. But I'm over it, things were just too good to be true so something was bound to happen I guess. I'm trying to be very supportive and trusting of my husband to take this next step wherever he feels it's best to go. So we'll see what happens.

Regarding my downsizing, I'm doing it mostly because now I have this guilty feeling every time I buy another bag of feed or whatever it is that has to go towards the chickens or rabbits or ducks. He says to just "do what I want" but I can't. I just feel bad. Especially because I'm not the one hunting for a job now either to even help. Again, not that he wants me to because that would be waste, that money would just turn around and go towards day care but still. So I'm happy with what I have and what I want to part with. It will get me down to a good number so that IF we have to relocate I can bring mostly everyone with me.

 

[dragonlord483]

I use mulched leaves in fall and free wood chips from when they trimmed around power lines

What I do is to add more wood shavings or hay or straw. Right now in the dry weather I dig and clean out some of the broken down stuff and dump it in my compost pile.

Thank you for the advice. I will get a picture today. I actually do "spade it" and turn the soil, i like your hay idea. I went out this morning to let the girlies out and the top of their igloo dog house that I keep in their run was knocked off..:/ something had scaled the fence last night. (8 foot high chain link).

Never though of nailing a trap to tree Good they were all locked up . AND SAFE ...a good time to fix the opening on top . I use fermented feed ( poop stinks less ) & deep litter on a dirt floor ...the stuff underneath breaks down & just smells like dirt ...on top fresh straw / dried grass / dried leaves ( I use dried grass clippings in my coop - smells wonderful ) price is right

Thank you for the advice. I will get a picture today. I actually do "spade it" and turn the soil, i like your hay idea. I went out this morning to let the girlies out and the top of their igloo dog house that I keep in their run was knocked off..:/ something had scaled the fence last night. (8 foot high chain link). I do not have a top on their run, but I guess now its time to consider one. They were safely locked inside and no attempts were made of whatever it was, trying to get inside THIS time.. Ugh. I do have two pesky baby squirrels that love playing in, out and around the run all day long but I highly doubt a 2 ounce critter could knock a heavy plastic top off like that.., I was hoping we would stay predator free.. Hope everyone enjoys another Beautiful NY day.

We all do. Not sure what emoticon to use. Anyhow about squirrels. I had some stealing eggs out of this hoop coop. Even took the wooden eggs. I nailed a rat trap to the tree next to it and baited it with peanut butter and bread. Got three little younguns. I now have traps set where ever I might see squirrels. They run along our fence so I nailed on to the post. I had a nest up in a central tree and I set the trap this winter nearby and now they're gone. You may not "catch" the squirrel but you will give it a bloody nose that won't stop bleeding.

Belgian Malines flock update - First day out of the brooder into the small mobile coop. They caught a big bug within 3 minutes of being out on grass and are good little foragers. There sure is a lot of awkward and ugly between the adorable fuzzy tiny chick stage and the handsome glossy adult stage. Got months of it to look forward to!

What are the parents look like my babies

 

[Lynzi777]

Forgot to mention (now with DH home ;-) ) we've been catching mice and rats left and right over here. We've been setting two a night, one behind my rabbit hutches and one behind the shed. We've caught 2 rats (one big ol' mama rat) and 4 mice! In the last week alone. I'm hoping that mama rat's babies weren't too old to survive without her otherwise they're out roaming around.

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

Rancher sent you a message did you see it?