NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

My MIL just really has no respect for other's people's things. We crate our dog - we've crated any dog we've ever had. She's the type that if I told her to keep the dog in his crate over night or while they were gone (if they were watching him for us) she won't. But she'll be the first to complain he peed on the floor while they were gone. She drives me crazy. And just like you said about people thinking chickens come in red and white - she comes over the first time and sees them and says "I didn't know chickens came in that color or could look like that (referring to my silkies)" But don't worry, I told her I don't know where the silkies came from, they were beamed down here from space. ;-)

My mother used to drive me nuts in that she didn't believe in spaying or neutering the dog. Needless to say the dog would drop a litter every year since many other felt the same way. The pups would get sick and die. We really couldn't afford a dog. I was just a kid. Now I'm a strong advocate of spaying and neutering. I nabbed more than one cat and had it fixed at my expense.

There is little we can do but to try and circumvent their stupidity. I would not leave my animals with anyone who I didn't trust. Including family. Especially family.

 

[Framac]

Yikes! Took awhile to catch up on 83 posts!
I visited our rental house today. They weren't exaggerating.

It's bad. Out of spite (I'm assuming) the idiots filled in the sump pump hole with gravel. REALLY??? Progress is being made to get it cleaned and fixed up again. We had partial covering from insurance. I think the adjuster felt sorry for us, but it helps a great deal.

I ordered nipple waterers tonight. I'm making the switch! Yay! Someone also said they use an aquarium heater to keep the water from freezing. They have used it for 4 years without issue. I'm going to try it in a 5 gallon pail.

Out of curiosity, how many chickens do each of us have? I always wonder that. Is there any way to create a chart? I have 39 at the moment.

I am at 31 and getting 6 chicks in a few weeks I hope. So I'll winter about 35. 14 of those will be chicks, so 20 ish adults.

 

[Framac]

Had a great weekend just past. I headed down to the Sussex fairgrounds for the poultry show there. The Jersey Giant National was also there. At the state fair there was 1 Giant, at Cobelskill there was none. This weekend there was about 70.

I was fortunate enough to a pullet and a hen from one breeder and a cockerel from another. I knew no one when I arrived, and I chatted with some one almost the entire 6 hours I was there. People there just loved to talk chickens. I was holding one exibitors hens, and I know they had to be 11 pounds or more. Thicker the any rooster I have.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too.

Framac

 

[Lynzi777]

Now I'm a strong advocate of spaying and neutering.

Meee toooo!! If you have no plans to breed an animal, they should def be fixed! I don't know how anyone could stand to have a cat in heat or a dog for that matter, or a male cat that sprays - UGH No thank you!!!

Well I'm afraid to say it, but my lavender orp roo is about to get the boot if he doesn't cut it out with his aggressive behavior! I first caught him trying to attack my dog, then my husband mentioned something this weekend about the roo going after him after he open the coop one morning and walked away from it, now he's gone after my daughter. We had just gotten back from apple picking (practically NO apples left. LOL) and decided we were going to walk across the street to feed the horse and pig some apples. As I was inside cutting them up I hear this loud scream coming from outside, my daughter is crying because the roo bit her and scratched her from behind. This is making me so upset. I went up there to get her and was going to put him in his place but he took off with the hens. I was really looking forward to hatching some lavender orps in the spring but if he keeps it up we'll be having him for dinner!

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Lynzi---mean roos are mighty tasty. We have eaten 5 of them. I keep reminding Olaf of that when he starts giving me that look. He is now keeping clear of me since I have connected my boot with him and sent him for distance, then chased him around the whole yard with a rake in my hand bawking at him. I dont know what scared him more, the rake or the fat lady running with it bawking! Either way, he is avoiding me like the plague right now. I am sure I will have to do it again at some point but for now, he wont even come in the coop when I am in there! If you cant beat them, eat them!

 

[Glasshen]

Yeah, and there is nothing wrong with just having hens. Maybe wait on the breeding program until your kids are older and more farmyard savvy? You can still have broodys raise chicks, just get them already hatched, or buy fertilized eggs...lots you can do without a rooster.

Speaking of roosters, the ss rooster has just a couple of weeks ago started crowing, it sounds almost the same as the americauna...and now he has decided to share his maturity. So far he has chosen Kinky, a tough RIR older hen who is molting. She is not too wild about the idea. And she is pretty scraggly looking. I wonder if the two boys divvied the hens up, or he's just taking his chances.
Reveille has started to dance a bit and has recently been calling to the others when there is something to eat. But Earl, still confused, runs over with the girls. It's pretty funny to watch.

 

[Lynzi777]

Lynzi---mean roos are mighty tasty. We have eaten 5 of them. I keep reminding Olaf of that when he starts giving me that look. He is now keeping clear of me since I have connected my boot with him and sent him for distance, then chased him around the whole yard with a rake in my hand bawking at him. I dont know what scared him more, the rake or the fat lady running with it bawking! Either way, he is avoiding me like the plague right now. I am sure I will have to do it again at some point but for now, he wont even come in the coop when I am in there! If you cant beat them, eat them!

Well I know he's definitely afraid of me because he keeps his distance from me - I couldn't catch him if I tried. I've gone after him a few times now stomping my foot and he gets running. I told my daughter if he tried that again just kick her leg out at him and just always keep an eye on his where abouts. Sure enough he came close enough to her again and I yelled to her to kick her boot out towards him and she did - he ran away. We'll see what happens - but you and Glass are right, I could always get eggs that are fertile OR even use my silkie eggs as I don't see Duncan, my silkie roo causing any problems. The three of them are in the coop/run most of the time anyway. I don't like letting them out if it's rainy or if I can't keep an eye out as we have many hawks flying around here.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

Ginny-- Still have the 4 buckeyes. I'm getting 2 eggs a day from the 3 hens. Of all my birds I'm only getting a dozen eggs a day.

15 of my birds are roos

 

[Cass]

I know Silkies have bird brains, but they must have numb butts too....my momma silkie sat on one of her babies and killed it. AND she ignored one that fell out of the nest box and I don't think it's going to thaw again and live. (I thawed it myself yesterday and it is cold and just barely moving again today)

I think I am going to make some notes to myself regarding this particular hen and take her first hatched until she leaves the rest of the eggs and return them at that point. Cuz she's DUMB. And this isn't the first time she has done this. (I just forgot her MO until I saw it again this time) I also think I am going to put her in a dish pan (instead of a nest box) next time she goes boody so her chicks can't fall out without learning to fly first.

Edited to add: The chick thawed out under the momma and is moving, cheeping and acting normal. If it survives it's name is "Miracle"

 

[Adoravachick]

Rancher--Amen and amen. Best thing I ever did was make up that handout from all the info you sent me. People read it and tell me how much they learned. Enjoy your visit to Al.

Adorava--sent you a pm.

Aria--got your post and message. Forwarded to Adorava.

Going to try bathing my silkies this pm. I keep saying it but now I really am going to do it. I will post pics if I can get any. Wonder how messy this is going to get? lol

Let me know how the silkies spa goes! I bathed 3 today...going to new homes tomorrow. I love to bathe them and make sure they are spotless for cuddling. Children especially love to cuddle their new silkies, so they HAVE to be spotless and SMELL heavenly. A local girl took 3 cockerels....beautiful birds with AWESOME wings and foot feathering...she is going to be in good shape next spring. Another happy silkie lover. The silkies get so relaxed, they almost fall asleep.