NY chicken lover!!!!

[vmdanielsen]

I found a hidden nest in the hay mow today. I knew I was getting less eggs than I should've been getting. We let all but 2 of the pens loose to free range together about a week ago so I know they aren't bad. I'll wash them and keep them for home use. The past 2 days DH has been leaving the chooks locked up and I let them loose when I get home from work. Hopefully this will urge them to lay where they are supposed to.

I'm making fresh bread to go with homemade soup. YUM!

One of my favorite meals!!!!

 

[featherz]

Crazy day at work today! My doc saw 20 patients, which is a pretty high number for him considering he has really complicated patients. Finally able to relax. How is everyone?

been almost a week since the poor chickens were let out (except for the unfortunate ones yesterday).. I went to let them out for an hour or so today, bringing along an ipod on speakers to let the fox know I was around - but when I got out there Leo (my roo) was making the danger screech. Didn't see anything, but he must have. No outies for you, my peeps!

Found two potential homes for my older biddies where they can free range and retire. Hopefully one will work out.

 

[Framac]

ANyone have any cookoo or Wheaten Maran eggs?

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Evening all. I just candled my 36 eggs and pulled half. Most of the pulled ones were unfertilized eggs and the rest had blood rings or were quitters. The ones left in the bator are pretty active so I am hoping they make it all the way.

Strange thing happened this evening. My silkie hens were all attacking each other and I am not sure why. Sassy went after Stripe (babys momma) pecking and jumping on her and screetching, actually pulling out feathers. Stripe went after Sarah and Sassy went after Little Man. I was watching them and was like what is going on here?! I grabbed Sassy and held her away from the group for a bit then put her back down. (This all occured while they were freeranging.) Sassy went after Stripe again quite visciously. I grabbed her and put her in the coop. She was screaming for the babies (as she has somewhat stolen them from her sister Stripe) and Little Man, who was all agitated, went after Sarah quite nastily. Things calmed down for a bit and then I put everyone in the coop. As soon as I did Sassy went after everyone again. I yanked her out, closed the door and walked around the yard and sat with her by the big girls. She fought me for a bit and then finally gave in. I returned her a while later and and she settled down after a bit. Kind of weird as they have never acted that way before. I wonder if I should remove the chicks. They are about 4 weeks old now. Could they be the cause of all the uproar? They were staying out of the fray but maybe its their presence that is causing all the friction. Anyone have any ideas???

 

[In His Service]

Quote: I haven't let mine out of their runs since the last fox attack....well, that and the fact that I still need to fence my garden. If I get the fencing up tomorrow, I plan to let them out while I expand runs. Then I have to do a chicken shuffle to make room for Mothers' Day chicks. 2 broodies and one momma with 2 week old babies makes re-arrangements more difficult.

Right now, I have 58 chickens and 3 chicks outside plus 12 from Mothers' Day hatch in the brooder now, but ready to go outside. Also have about 20 quail plus 70 quail eggs in the incubator. (a few of the quail will be in the freezer soon, and am hoping to sell a few of the RIRs and process about 3-4 young roos from my Oct 31 hatch).

I am still hoping to build a big hoop coop to house everybody for the winter in one place. One more week of Regents' study/exams to go, and I will have my 15 year old DS to help me build one more rabbit hutch and a quail coop. Then all my porch critters will be outside, except the guinea pigs. DH is finally cutting some of the trees to give us an open spot for fruit trees and to let in some light for the garden.

We added bees this year, and hope to add Nigerian Dwarf goats soon. Then all we have to do is add a beef cow and some pigs, and we will be set. lol.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Evening all. I just candled my 36 eggs and pulled half. Most of the pulled ones were unfertilized eggs and the rest had blood rings or were quitters. The ones left in the bator are pretty active so I am hoping they make it all the way.

Strange thing happened this evening. My silkie hens were all attacking each other and I am not sure why. Sassy went after Stripe (babys momma) pecking and jumping on her and screetching, actually pulling out feathers. Stripe went after Sarah and Sassy went after Little Man. I was watching them and was like what is going on here?! I grabbed Sassy and held her away from the group for a bit then put her back down. (This all occured while they were freeranging.) Sassy went after Stripe again quite visciously. I grabbed her and put her in the coop. She was screaming for the babies (as she has somewhat stolen them from her sister Stripe) and Little Man, who was all agitated, went after Sarah quite nastily. Things calmed down for a bit and then I put everyone in the coop. As soon as I did Sassy went after everyone again. I yanked her out, closed the door and walked around the yard and sat with her by the big girls. She fought me for a bit and then finally gave in. I returned her a while later and and she settled down after a bit. Kind of weird as they have never acted that way before. I wonder if I should remove the chicks. They are about 4 weeks old now. Could they be the cause of all the uproar? They were staying out of the fray but maybe its their presence that is causing all the friction. Anyone have any ideas???

I don't know what is going on with your hens. Maybe they are establishing a new pecking order? My rooster has been more agitated of late than he has been in the past. The young birds in that pen are now 2 months old. He has gone after me a few times, so now I make it a point to go to him first and pick him up. I hope things settle down for you.

 

[featherz]

If anyone needs a fence charger in about a week, I'm going to sell off my only used for less than a month model. Decided to 'up the voltage'. =P PM me for details.

Since all the girls are still on lockdown, today I am working on 'toys'. Going to make a few perches and throw random stuff in the runs to see if they find anything interesting. Sucks to be sitting around in plain dirt! I saw someone made a 'hen swing' with a log - might try that also.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all. Another beautiful day and I get to spend it inside at work. Sigh. Gotta earn that cheep feed. I came home to less squabbling among my silkies last night. Sassy is definately the instigator and she is nasty to her sisters. She has stolen the babies as her own and will go after Stripe if she tries to reclaim them. If this keeps up, someone is going into jail for a while.

Spent time inspecting the tots (aka juvenile silkies) that I am keeping as another breeding quad and have decided that one of the girls might have to go if her tail doesnt fill out properly. My dd would keep every silkie if she could! Always a hard decision about who to keep and who to let go but I have a goal in mind so there it is. Hopefully the eggs in the bator all hatch and I can find a nice pullet in that group.

Moving the hens coop this weekend so we can start the run for the big coop. Wish the logger would come get the log thats in the way of where I want to put the hens coop so we wouldnt have to move it again. Digging post holes for the run is going to be a backbreaker. I hope the terrorists appreciate it!

I dont know about anyone else but our mosquito farm is doing very well. They are multiplying and healthy and active. DEET!!!! I JUST LOVE DEET!!!!

 

[Cass]

Morning all. Another beautiful day and I get to spend it inside at work. Sigh. Gotta earn that cheep feed. I came home to less squabbling among my silkies last night. Sassy is definately the instigator and she is nasty to her sisters. She has stolen the babies as her own and will go after Stripe if she tries to reclaim them. If this keeps up, someone is going into jail for a while.

Spent time inspecting the tots (aka juvenile silkies) that I am keeping as another breeding quad and have decided that one of the girls might have to go if her tail doesnt fill out properly. My dd would keep every silkie if she could! Always a hard decision about who to keep and who to let go but I have a goal in mind so there it is. Hopefully the eggs in the bator all hatch and I can find a nice pullet in that group.

Moving the hens coop this weekend so we can start the run for the big coop. Wish the logger would come get the log thats in the way of where I want to put the hens coop so we wouldnt have to move it again. Digging post holes for the run is going to be a backbreaker. I hope the terrorists appreciate it!

I dont know about anyone else but our mosquito farm is doing very well. They are multiplying and healthy and active. DEET!!!! I JUST LOVE DEET!!!!

If you have a pond or other standing water get a product called "mosquito dunk" and throw the whole package (you have to open it) in the water. You only have to do it once a month and it really decreases the number of nasty blood suckers in the area.

I buy mine at TSC, cuz they are about 5 bucks cheaper per package then Hewitts. You won't notice the decrease until the second month, but you really will notice fewer bugs. Last year I missed a month and we got eatten alive until it kicked in the second month after I remembered to resume putting it in the pond just on the other side of our property line. It says it is safe for livestock so you can put it in watering troughs and other places you HAVE to have water out for animals and KNOW the bugs are breeding in there. The package tells you how much for how many gallons....Not sure what it says, cuz I just throw all 6 in the package in the one area of standing water we have around here.

I have a form of cancer that can be caused by chemical exposure (thanks Dad for always making sure the wind wasn't blowing toward us kids when you "dusted" the garden). I try to avoid using chemicals on my skin, when possible. Sometimes I have to put on bug spray, but by treating the pond I find that I don't have to use it very often. And that's a good thing in my mind, cuz I don't want to give my cancer something to get all riled up about and thereby require I undergo chemo or some strange drug concoction to get it in remission.

 

[itsy]

Hey guys!

Just wanted to tell ya'll to be careful driving, wear your seatbelts, and make sure all of your insurance is up to date.

The night before last, we were coming home from a road trip to PA to pick up a couple spinning wheels I found on CL, when on the way back, we.... HIT A BEAR.....yes, an adult black bear. We were on 42, north of Port Jervis.

Thankfully, we were not hurt and the bear hit the car in just the right spot that it didn't bounce up into the windshield. Thank God we are still alive. It could have been much worse. I don't know if the bear made it. We drove back and forth a couple times to see if we could find it. My BF wanted to get out of the car and look, but I just kept yelling "STAY IN THE CAR!" I tried to call 911 to report it, but there was no cell service. Scary. I have good insurance, but the deductible is not going to be fun.