NY chicken lover!!!!

[vmdanielsen]

It was intentional but that number will be paired down come fall.

I have(as best I can remember) 24 adults and 50 chicks.
Adults are Orps, RIR,BLRW, and Americana.

Chicks are Giants, RIR, Oprs,Marans, Amers. 4 eggs in the bator and 2 hens broody.

will you process your birds to get the numbers down for winter?(home grown taste so much better)!

 

[vmdanielsen]

44 hens, pullets, cockerals, juveniles and chicks and 36 eggs in the bator. Woot woot!

Have you candled yet? Soon I think!! WOOT! WOOT!!

 

[Arty]

Meanwhile, back behind Pharmchickrnmom's silkie coop and run ....











So who is up for a trailcam shot of Amy in her nightie by the coop at 6AM????

( just kidding, dear...

)

 

[vmdanielsen]

Meanwhile, back behind Pharmchickrnmom's silkie coop and run ....











So who is up for a trailcam shot of Amy in her nightie by the coop at 6AM????

( just kidding, dear...

)

OHMY!!! Nice pictures!

 

[Henicillin]

I just came home from a 14-hour day to find my hen which had had the prolapse now has some sort of torticollis. Since she was fine this morning, I suspect an injury rather than a vitamin deficiency. Nothing appears to be broken, and she can sort of straighten up and take a few steps before she goes back into the stargazing, head-flipped-on-back position. She's also missing some feathers on the side of her neck, which makes me wonder if she tried to elude the roo or a higher-ranking hen and had her neck wrenched.

I have her back in the Hen Hotel (she was Not Pleased by that development). Of course, I'm out of syringes when I need them (ARGH - I'll get some 1 mL dosing syringes from work tomorrow), so I dripped high-concentration vitamin and electrolyte solution on her beak using a spoon (some BroilerMax powder mixed in about 12 ounces of water), which she did take. I then made a really wet mash of feed and more solution, which she practically gobbled down, and put the rest of the solution in a chick waterer for her, because it won't hurt, and may help somewhat. I'm going to let her rest overnight and reevaluate her in the morning. We've agreed that if she does not improve or worsens, I'll do her, and then we'll bury her, as she's a pet. The good appetite is a decent sign. Here's hoping.

This little, messed-up thing is one of my favorite hens, so I'm willing to put the time into her to try and save her.

Edited to add that both eyes are clear, her pupil reflexes are normal on both sides, and there is no discharge from anywhere, which makes me think "injury" rather than "disease process."

 

[Henicillin]

Arty, I love those pics! Now, where's this nightie photo?

I have room to talk - I went out the other night in pink pajama pants, hiking boots, a blouse I grabbed out of the laundry (hey, it was convenient!), and my LED-light hat. High fashion, it was not!

I need a game camera. Alan said he thought he saw a weasel just now when he was letting the dogs out. If so, it'll be trapped and introduced to Mr. .22 - no way do I want one of those bloodthirsty things around. He couldn't get a really good look at it, though, as it was quite far down the back yard.

 

[vmdanielsen]

I just came home from a 14-hour day to find my hen which had had the prolapse now has some sort of torticollis. Since she was fine this morning, I suspect an injury rather than a vitamin deficiency. Nothing appears to be broken, and she can sort of straighten up and take a few steps before she goes back into the stargazing, head-flipped-on-back position. She's also missing some feathers on the side of her neck, which makes me wonder if she tried to elude the roo or a higher-ranking hen and had her neck wrenched.

I have her back in the Hen Hotel (she was Not Pleased by that development). Of course, I'm out of syringes when I need them (ARGH - I'll get some 1 mL dosing syringes from work tomorrow), so I dripped high-concentration vitamin and electrolyte solution on her beak using a spoon (some BroilerMax powder mixed in about 12 ounces of water), which she did take. I then made a really wet mash of feed and more solution, which she practically gobbled down, and put the rest of the solution in a chick waterer for her, because it won't hurt, and may help somewhat. I'm going to let her rest overnight and reevaluate her in the morning. We've agreed that if she does not improve or worsens, I'll do her, and then we'll bury her, as she's a pet. The good appetite is a decent sign. Here's hoping.

This little, messed-up thing is one of my favorite hens, so I'm willing to put the time into her to try and save her.

Edited to add that both eyes are clear, her pupil reflexes are normal on both sides, and there is no discharge from anywhere, which makes me think "injury" rather than "disease process."

Sorry to hear of your hen. Hopefully she will recover.

Arty, I love those pics! Now, where's this nightie photo?

I have room to talk - I went out the other night in pink pajama pants, hiking boots, a blouse I grabbed out of the laundry (hey, it was convenient!), and my LED-light hat. High fashion, it was not!

I need a game camera. Alan said he thought he saw a weasel just now when he was letting the dogs out. If so, it'll be trapped and introduced to Mr. .22 - no way do I want one of those bloodthirsty things around. He couldn't get a really good look at it, though, as it was quite far down the back yard.

Is it possible that weasel is involved with her injury? Don't they rip the heads off things?

It would be funny to see pictures of all of us in our "early morning open up the animal clothing". No I am not volunteering to put my picture up!!!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Glad everyone liked dh's pics. If that one manages to make it the next couple of years we will invite him to stay at freezer camp! If you cant already tell, my dh only likes the "manly" chickens we have. Thats okay...I love all my chickens but my silkies are my favs. Who can resist those cute poofy heads and tails???

Candling tonight to see how many eggs are developing. Hoping for all, will probably have some. I will let you know.

Oh--I should add that of the number of cheeps we currently have, 7 are cockerals so we are having a Survivor--Chicken Style to determine who gets all the hens and gets to stay for a while. Everyone else will be enrolled in freezer camp and invited to dinner. All the chicks I hatch as well as the two in the coop will be sold, unless one is outstanding and then I will be swapping out some for my breeding program. I have to say that starting with good quality breeding stock makes a huge difference in the health and quality of the chicks. I have had both hatchery and breeder quality silkie eggs and you could see the difference upon hatch day. I dont and wont show but probably could with what I have been getting. I just like the breed and enjoy the interaction with them. My rir;s are growing so fast and they are so funny when I go in the coop. They follow me like puppies and some fly up to the roost so I can pick them up and pet them.

Hen==trust me when I tell you that you do not want to see me in my nighty. I hope your girl recovers. It does sound like an injury rather than a deficiency. I have stocked up on syringes for such emergencys.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[featherz]

I am definitely not posting any 'nightie' pics. I go out to my coops in flannel kids pj's (I had some great sponge bob flannel the other day).. Needless to say, I don't want that on the internet! LOL. My game cam has been getting some lovely pics of me in my sponge bob or tweety pj's holding a bucket and a feed bag.

Have to buy some hen saddles - I have one rooster for almost 20 hens and now he's getting a few of them barebacked. Grr. He's a great roo so I guess they get to saddle up.

Just now putting my favorite girls on craigslist /sniff. I hate to do it - they were my first chicks and the most pampered, but I need the room and they are 2 year old hatchery production layers. Financially, they are the ones to go. Maybe I'll get lucky and no one wants them since I'll be picky about where they go. I just feel guilty! Anyone else feel guilty about stuff like this?

My new electric fence was sparking the other day - I am so proud of myself that I found the short and fixed it, but still no idea WHY it was shorting. Hubby passed a wire through an old fence that is close to the coop (hard to explain but it was necessary) and used an insulator so the wires would not touch. he even put a second insulator on the fence wire and ziptied the mess together. That was my spark point. I cut open a few more insulators like hot dog buns and just enclosed more of the wire plus removed the zipties and all is well, steady voltage. All I can think of is that the angle was causing arcing somehow.

I think we zapped a skunk tho! it stunk pretty badly at one corner of the fence in the morning.

 

[vmdanielsen]

I am definitely not posting any 'nightie' pics. I go out to my coops in flannel kids pj's (I had some great sponge bob flannel the other day).. Needless to say, I don't want that on the internet! LOL. My game cam has been getting some lovely pics of me in my sponge bob or tweety pj's holding a bucket and a feed bag.

Have to buy some hen saddles - I have one rooster for almost 20 hens and now he's getting a few of them barebacked. Grr. He's a great roo so I guess they get to saddle up.

Just now putting my favorite girls on craigslist /sniff. I hate to do it - they were my first chicks and the most pampered, but I need the room and they are 2 year old hatchery production layers. Financially, they are the ones to go. Maybe I'll get lucky and no one wants them since I'll be picky about where they go. I just feel guilty! Anyone else feel guilty about stuff like this?

My new electric fence was sparking the other day - I am so proud of myself that I found the short and fixed it, but still no idea WHY it was shorting. Hubby passed a wire through an old fence that is close to the coop (hard to explain but it was necessary) and used an insulator so the wires would not touch. he even put a second insulator on the fence wire and ziptied the mess together. That was my spark point. I cut open a few more insulators like hot dog buns and just enclosed more of the wire plus removed the zipties and all is well, steady voltage. All I can think of is that the angle was causing arcing somehow.

I think we zapped a skunk tho! it stunk pretty badly at one corner of the fence in the morning.

Featherz,
I will keep the 4 first hatchery birds as pets for their entire live. Everyone else is fair game. I figure paying a few extra dollars a week is ok, because if I did not have this small consolation, I don't think I could do it.(guilt!! guilt!!) Everybody else has freezer camp? written over their heads.

About your electric fence. When the weather changes my fence will act differently. For example, when it rains more things will snap. I think that the grounding becomes better and the fencer more powerful. Also, sometimes a bug or slug will touch the wire and pole and fry. Even though there won't be much of the bug left, the fence will continue to arc. Congratulations on fixing your fence. Electric fencing can be challenging!