***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ironsights]

Great idea! My wife is ready to start planting.

 

[YardBirdMom]

We tie the larvae dunks to twigs stuck in the mud in the creek areas with cotton strings from the feed sacks.  That way they don't float away with the rains and cows don't get tangled in them and the string disintegrates about the same time the dunk is done..  

That's a great idea, thank you!

I hope you get your dry spell for your pens & the "manure tea" situation fixed. That term made me giggle

I bought some "pea pebbles" for my tiny coops run, but it's $3.98 for a 40# bag and took six of them. Great for a small space, not a large one.

I tried to introduce the black broody in with the Buff girl. It went over like a led balloon. The black girl is aggressive, while the Buff was willing to share. So, back in the brooder she went.

Guess they will stay house bound another week or two when I get the others incorporated in with the big flock. They are out during the day together and am waiting for mama to decide to roost in there. She's taking them inside the run during the day so it appears promising!

You can see the "pebble" floor in the pic. Prior to that it was a soupy mess!

 

[MrsDickey]

I have another hen that's gone broody. I was expecting my next broody to be another cochin but nope! It's a Rhode Island red. I was under the impression they didn't go broody very often. Guess I have a rare gem, though I also don't think she is hatchery stock. She was bought from a breeder. Either way, round 2 with a broody.. here we go!

 

[mjgigax]

I have another hen that's gone broody. I was expecting my next broody to be another cochin but nope! It's a Rhode Island red. I was under the impression they didn't go broody very often. Guess I have a rare gem, though I also don't think she is hatchery stock. She was bought from a breeder. Either way, round 2 with a broody.. here we go!

I have 4 Cochins sitting now, a Sussex and a bantam Wyandotte that just finished and an Ameraucana (!) that is stubbornly trying !

One of my Showgirl hens was sitting on 4 eggs. That pen has a dirt floor and a sunshade cover The poor girl and the eggs were getting so muddy. I took her off the nest and gave her a bath and blow dry. She loved the warm water.

I set up a cage for the Showgirl over my brooders in my garage. I pulled my 4 bantam Cochin and 2 Showgirl and 1 Silkie chick out of the brooder they shared with LF chicks. (I was worried about them in with the bigger babies though they usually do fine.) I took a chance and put a couple in the Showgirl's cage. She let them go right under her wing! I put all the rest in the cage and she tucked all 7 under her fluff. I had 2 more showgirl chicks hatch yesterday and she took them too. She looks double her size with all those babies hiding under her. It is better that binge watching the best HBO.

One of the latest chicks. I am curious what this lt. blue baby will look like grown.

 

[NanaKat]

Really great pics MJ!

Yardbird mom, nice save with the pea gravel.

I moved chicks out to a broody hen that had been setting in a smooth rock in the hen house. Miranda is a Cochin Wyandotte cross. She took the dozen four day old chicks very quickly as I placed them under her.

I found two Bantam hens up on top of one of the cages in the brooder room sitting on a clutch of eggs. I first noticed an egg on the floor in front of the shelf where the cage was and looked up to see them hiding. I moved them into a prepped cage with eggs I wanted them to hatch. They went right to the eggs and settled in together. These are a Birchen Rosecomb and a Black OEGB....so cute!

Four Cochin hens are now sharing nests in the Cochin pen. I took out fresh hay and filled their nesting area and set back their eggs. I had to literally lift each hen off the nest, set her on the ground, make her nest and replace her and the eggs. These girls just growled in their trances.

Whoops! It is about 12:30 am and our electricity in the area has gone off. Going to light some candles and put a hand warmer in the brooder and wrap the incubators. Then call CVEC to report in.

Can't post this til the power returns.....okay...1:41 am...temp in hatcher dropped to 88, but the humidity remained high enough that chicks are hatching anyway...even two Seramas!
The brooder chicks were comfortable with the hand warmer. Had insulated the two incubators with towels so they only dropped 5 degrees....they will be okay.....whew!

 

[Ironsights]

Well so far "Okie" Bigalow, Chicken Gigalo is the father of 13 balls of fluff with wings and beaks!

 

[miohippus]

Lost one of my calico Cochins today

 

[Kassaundra]

Lost one of my calico Cochins today

So sorry, do you know what happened?

 

[miohippus]

So sorry, do you know what happened?

no just went out to feed them and she was laying in the coup. she had not been showing any signs of sickness but her keel was thin so idk. maybe i need to worm them.

 

[viper19jn]

hello my name is jeff I live in central oklahoma

I dont have any chickens yet ive been gathering info for the last few months and have my coop about finished
I still need to get the covering for the run as well

we have one goat and plan on getting another one at least and im not sure what chickensto get yet ill make that disicion when I get there.

still need to register as a farm as well but not sure where to start or if I will even qualify