NY chicken lover!!!!

[stonykill]

I woke up to this this am.

 

[highpointfarm]

AAAWWW

 

[featherz]

I woke up to this this am.

WAY cute!


We just got a new yard cart and I never thought cleaning coops could be easy. Love it! I cleaned out two coops today. Normally I do deep litter and only clean twice a year, but decided to throw in an extra cleaning since one of my coops is a bit overcrowded (17 chickens in an 8x7 but the tailless ones are pretty bantam in size so they seem to have plenty of room).

The chicks are growing up so quickly! Out of my 13 littles with my broodies, I see three definite boys (favorelle, NN, mystery black chick) and two definite girls (favorelle and easter egger). Can't even guess on the rest yet.

 

[Henicillin]

I woke up to this this am.

Congratulations, Penelope!

 

[My Henny Hens]

I went out to shut everyone in tonight and noticed not 1, but 2 hens parked in nest boxes. Both determined to stay there. So far, I've had 6 broody hens this season

.....I guess we'll have to add to that total! The funny part is I just put 12 Barnevelder eggs in the incubator because I didn't have any broodies!!!

Oh well. I'll give them a few more days to see if they are serious about it. If so, maybe when the chicks hatch from the bator, I'll pop them under broody mommas by the stealth of night. We'll see!

On another note, my ducklings are getting SO BIG! I've got Saxonys, Magpies and Cayugas. 4 and 5 weeks old. They look so funny with their feathers coming in every which where.

Also, we have 11 hives of honeybees.....and counting! This year has been a really active swarm year! I know some of you have bees too. Have you experienced the same thing? We've "trapped" 3 new colonies of bees and gone to collect as many swarms that balled up on trees. The girls are active!!!

have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

 

[happycountryhens]

So cool about the bees. Wish we were ready for that project this year.

Duckling is so very sweet. Awwwwww.

Moved the month old babies out to the coop after making them their own pen in one section of it. Of course they fly up to the top of the three foot fencing and roost there. (ok, it was really cute too.)

Wings are now clipped and they are staying closer to the ground.

 

[itsy]

Penelope and Baby P are supercute!

 

[Cydney83]

Just beautiful!!!!

 

[featherz]

Just beautiful!!!!

I agree. I wish I had a coop like that!! Then again, I am thankful to have a coop at all - we are nerds here and no good at building. So having a structure that hasn't fallen down is a good thing. I think in hindsight I'd probably just buy a shed at Lowes and convert it.

Just moved my easter chicks to the grow out coop. SO thankful to have them out of the barn - I feel horribly neglectful keeping them in that dusty dim barn, but had to until I could give away enough to put the few remaining outside. Whew!

 

[Henicillin]

My house guest (well, garage guest) is roundly protesting her confinement this morning. Too bad for my little muff-face - she needs to lay an egg successfully before she gets to be introduced back to general population. She's not exactly the queen of prolific egg laying, and she's in low light to slow the laying rate way down anyway, so her vent has had a good rest and time to heal, and now looks perfectly normal. Maybe today.

As I went down to let the beasts out of the coop, a fairly heavy rain shower started. They all piled out the door - and then promptly piled back in again except for the ducks. They're out picking around in the light rain now, though, since I threw some greens and sunflower seeds out to them as treats. Even the Peeps are out there with Gladys.

I think the two brownish/chipmunk-colored Peeps may actually be half-Brahma. They have Buff Brahma faces, with the little eagle-like expressions and black beaks. They're also developing reddish-buff breast feathers. Watch - they'll be big and beautiful, and end up both being roos. There is a known Copper Marans/Sussex cross who is black and white, and I believe the fourth is a Dominique cross. Buncha mutts.