***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[hotcurltr]

Kelly...sorry to hear about your loss of your hen. Sure hope Lord Dingwald heals quickly. The loss of the chick was beyond your control...it happens.

I try not to get too attached to chicks. Although I always have a favorite picked in each hatch. There is one in the current hatch that is such a nice silver blue.....
We lost a hen today in the same pen where the owl had been. She was settled in the outdoor dust bathe and looked pale. I checked her and she had mites. Checking the others in the pen she was the only one infested. I removed her and soaked her in a warm bath and then with an Adams dip. Wrapped her in a towel to help her dry before putting her back with her pen mates. We were sitting in the sun at the patio table. She snoozed off and never awakened. Such a pretty Columbian Wyandotte hen. I took the time to spray the inside of their coop and changed the nests and floor bedding.
We have been distracted this week. The funeral is tomorrow.
So will do a spray job on all the coops and pens beginning Thursday.

Kassaundra, you photographs are truly a breath of Spring!

Kelly-- I am sorry too. If it makes u feel beter, Floyd is doing great. He was a bad boy one day, but we won't go there.
NanaKat--I'm sorry for your losses too, and your families. I hope your daughter is handling all this ok. I just praise God everyday for the blessing I do have and try to remember all of our friends and loved ones that pass on, is exactly what they are doing. Passing on to a better place.

Thanks for the refresher! This is certainly a good educational video that is a much watch for our newbies. It details the Hazards of raising backyard hens.

I haven't watched the video yet. I'm afraid to do anything that will cause me any kind of anxiety right now. I am so, so sorry, about your hatches.

I've been excited this past few days, but been to sick to really enjoy everything right now. I'm going through retesting next Wednesday, so all the meds except a few , I'm not taking right now. I didn't realize it would effect me this way. The only goat I kept had twin doelings yesterday afternoon. My new LGD has been great so far and alerted me to it. I'm really surprised, but I don't ignore him. He knows his job and doesn't need to be treated like a machine. I have some cute stories, but it's hard enough right now just to type this. Thank goodness for you allhuh? LOL

Update on my awful hatch. The two that had had open navels and stuff coming out did pass - last night and sometime the night before. Three healthy chicks (so far

) one just came out of the incubator and was walking funny - but he hasn't had too much time in an open flat area to teach his muscles how to work yet ((although when I had picked up chick initially to check its naval status...it was lying with one leg turned and place behind it like a perfect albeit backwards "L")) So while it was moving with a hitch in its gait an hour ago - hopefully that will resolve. Anyway 3 potentially good chicks out of a batch of 30 that made lockdown. Pretty sucky, but I've had worse.

I am pretty sure that the lack of turning for 4 days somewhere in there likely between 7 to 11 days into incubation. Will also check the temperature again, now that the ambient temp is within a reasonable range - instead of being pretty cold. I may need to turn down a smidge or take the rug off of the top (didn't block any vents - just added more insulation to the cabinet), just in case it was running too hot. But... hatch was on time, first chick pip was maybe 12 hours early, the other two on 21 and 22.

Make me concerned for the batch due one week after this one (the one I added and then forgot to start the turners again). So their lack of turning occurred at day 1-4 instead of 7 to 11.

You're next hatch is going to be wonderful. I was keeping this news, but will spill the beans now that it is actually happening. But, I'm scared to death. Oh well, only money, I never have anyway. I bought hatching eggs. I wanted to get some polish and silkies, for when I finally get to buy my roo from Kass, who by the way did it again by taking amazing pictures. I ddn't end up getting silkie eggs, because I've found several for sale, all good breeders and NPIP, and have a friend that sells chicks. But I did get polish eggs, two varieties, 4 swedish flower(hope they hatch. I wanted to take something really nice to poops) All my chickens are nice and wonderful to me though.

A few games, hoping on pullets since they are so broody and good mothers. But I figure males are easy to sell. A few sultans, and brabanters. I still don't want to use an incubator much, prefer the old mama method, but couldn't afford these as chicks, can't really afford them this way either, if they don't hatch, but I'm looking on the positive side. So I'm feeling blessed, because I got my SS this year, and some others I didn't expect. Though I bought them as straight run. Not the SS, they came from Welp, so I got pullets and a few roos. It's looking like I have more males than females on the partridge rocks Well, I said I was tired and here I am being windy again.

Anyway, hubby had incubated hundreds and hundres of eggs years ago, so I hope he still can. He thinks so. I think that's why he let me get these, to prove he still could.LOL

I don't have a rooster, just half a dozen chicks... maybe one of them is a rooster-in-training. I thought one of the people just starting their flock might want a good dual-purpose bird.

Now, in the category of "Something-I-Never-Would-Have-Expected", my mother got me an Easter present. I came home to seven Indian Red Jungle Fowl day old chicks. Not exactly a bird I ever would have picked for myself, but I was amazingly touched anyway. She actually figured out how to order them online and bought them from Purely Poultry.

What I wonderful thing for your mother to do for you. It still doesn't bring back what you lost, but you know how well loved u are. And deservingly so, dust in my eyes girl.

Prayers for Lord D. My memorie is getting worse. I can't remember his name.

Welcome to all the newbies, I know I have missed so many of you. My wish for you all is lots of happy memories w/ your chickens. And to remember u are blessed even during the bad times. Stay posted, you'll learn a lot from these guys and gals.

 

[YardBirdMom]

Thank you hotcurltr!!

I am loving this site and the people too! Looking forward to gleaning all kinds of knowledge from the long 'termers' around here!


I must share:::::

I'm SOOOO stinkin HAPPY to report the babies are happily exploring their new coop! We finished it last night and I got it ready this afternoon to let 'em loose!

It was SO much fun watching them stretch, run, flap, fly, and fight (more like running up to each other, bowing out their chests, stomping their feet?? and then running off) LOL I sat on a 5 gallon bucket for an hour just enjoying them.



They found the low roost we left for young birds fairly quickly. The white on the walls is DE by the way - got a bit carried away and splattered it everywhere



Just had to share .......... I hope everyone has a blessed day tomorrow


Originally Posted by CayuseRanch

This is for all of those joining us recently and for the rest of us to bond over.

^^^^^^^^ This is TOO FUNNY!!! Heheheheee -- and it's TOO late for me!!!

 

[CayuseRanch]

I haven't watched the video yet. I'm afraid to do anything that will cause me any kind of anxiety right now.

Watch the video, I promise it won't cause any anxiety lol

 

[bardies]

Got home from the funeral and decided to take time with the chickens to filter my thoughts.
I've been collecting eggs for the next hatch schedules. There are 6 hens that are seriously broody so I set up brood cages and gave them 50 eggs to hatch. All of them raked their eggs under and settled in right away hen purring. And still had 48 eggs to go in the incubator. There are Bantam eggs that will go in the incubator when the next batch moves to the hatcher on the 19th.

The dogs found a rabbit nest in the garden. Five baby cottontails still had their eyes closed. Gracie got to them before I did....won't be bunnies in the garden unless momma rabbit has more babies. Gracie protects animals she knows are ours, but will kill any wild critter she corners. Even at 10 years of age, she bounces like a kangaroo when she is on the hunt. I'm always pleased when she kills a snake.

NanaKat,

Glad that the garden is giving you some 'time out'. So very sorry for you and your families loss.
What are your brooder cages? Do you move the hens or put the cages over then? Can the hens get out, chicks stay in?

 

[bardies]

I had to explain to my son earlier this year about Santa Claus and shortly after the Easter Bunny and Toothfairy as well came into question. This exemplifies the Easter Bunny (and Santa Claus as well) much better than my words! Proof that THEY DO EXIST!

 

[bardies]

Thank you hotcurltr!!

I am loving this site and the people too! Looking forward to gleaning all kinds of knowledge from the long 'termers' around here!


I must share:::::

I'm SOOOO stinkin HAPPY to report the babies are happily exploring their new coop! We finished it last night and I got it ready this afternoon to let 'em loose!

It was SO much fun watching them stretch, run, flap, fly, and fight (more like running up to each other, bowing out their chests, stomping their feet?? and then running off) LOL I sat on a 5 gallon bucket for an hour just enjoying them.



They found the low roost we left for young birds fairly quickly. The white on the walls is DE by the way - got a bit carried away and splattered it everywhere



Just had to share .......... I hope everyone has a blessed day tomorrow


Originally Posted by CayuseRanch

This is for all of those joining us recently and for the rest of us to bond over.

^^^^^^^^ This is TOO FUNNY!!! Heheheheee -- and it's TOO late for me!!!

They remind me of a bunch of kids being released onto a new playground!

@hotcurltr , Thank you for your kind words and hug on the hatch. The few babies that have made it seem to be doing well and are so very adorable... make you forget the bad stuff.
X2 on the video. It doesn't talk about anything we don't know - it talks about chickens being 'gateway livestock', it talks about bonding with other chicken people. It is funny and may be exactly what you need to lift your heart while your body is not feeling so good.

For YOUR hatches (sounds like an amazing and exciting mix!) and your testing.

 

[RetiredArmyWife]

About an hour away from Duncan, if I had my coop built i would take him!

Oh come on. Don't you have a doghouse? LOL.

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: he'd need to be in quarantine anyway, so maybe a corner in the living room???

 

[RetiredArmyWife]

he'd need to be in quarantine anyway, so  maybe a corner in the living room??? 

I like the way you think Robin! I really don't want to put an ad on Craigslist. Hubby wants to eat him for dinner. I don't think we could do that yet. Plus I don't want to pluck and dress him.

 

[Loriemarler]

I am having such a bad time at work I can't wait to get home to my chickens!!!! State Testing has turned some of these teachers into monsters and it is difficult to deal with them.