***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ksane]

what critter has a 3 pad track?  noticed this morning something left a track at the coop door in the snow

Robin, a possum. My husband killed 2 the other night slinking around the yard. The next time one killed my favorite rooster in the back yard area. He roosts way up on a building so I thought he was safe. The possum by-passed the "bait" roosters that would be easy to get and got my last Dark Brahma boy :-( He was the sweetest tamest boy.

Taking a break.  I'm at 80 so far, 2 hours in. I think I'm 75% done.  I'm doing it by myself.  Since my testing is actually due jan 31 (yes I'm late) I don't like to wait on the tester, it takes them weeks and weeks to come out and the weather can be so unpredictable in January.

Crap. I've got more birds than even you?

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Robin, a possum. My husband killed 2 the other night slinking around the yard. The next time one killed my favorite rooster in the back yard area. He roosts way up on a building so I thought he was safe. The possum by-passed the "bait" roosters that would be easy to get and got my last Dark Brahma boy :-( He was the sweetest tamest boy.
Crap. I've got more birds than even you?

LOL!!!

Honestly this is going better than I thought, I seriously estimated 130-150 of testing age and now I don't think I have that many. I've done all the big coops, time to go around and do the little coops now. Guineas and ducks will wait until tomorrow.

Break time is over, back to work!!

 

[Kyzmette]

Let me tell you a story about my mother. I tell people about my mom, but most people don't realize how bad her behavior is.

Friday night I spent a lovely night in Coweta at the auction with friends. I get NO service in Coweta... no calls, no texts, no internet. When I finally got service again, I had a bunch of messages from my mother that culminated in the words "Kelly help!" "Kelly SOS!" and "Kelly I'm dying!"

Would you flip out if your mom sent you that? Of course you would.

It turns out my mother had gone to TSC earlier in the evening and had seen the chicks. My mother does just about whatever she wants without any regard for consequences (this is not an age thing, she's always been this way). She tried to call me, but when I didn't answer she decided she would go ahead and pick up 14 chicks and get me to take them for her until she could set up a place to put them. Without asking me. Without finding out where I was or what I was doing or if I was even coming home that night. She didn't get anything to keep them in. She didn't get any way to water them. She didn't get any bedding for them. She didn't buy them any food. My mother has a dozen cats that roam in and out of her house at will, along with three large dogs that would happily snack on chicks.

Nope, she just assumed that she would do whatever she wanted, and I would fix it. By the time I got to her place at 2 am, the chicks were almost catatonic with cold. I set her up with a brooder tub, shavings, a heat lamp, one of my watering bottles, and a feeding cup with food. Of course I paid for it all. I fixed her door so the cats can't get in the house.

She asked me to take them for her and I refused. I told her that she's done this before, and critters have suffered because of it, but this time she's not going to blame it on me. If she kills these chicks, it's going to be her fault.

She just called me and told me one of the cats had gotten in and had pulled a chick out of the tub. She found the chick under her chair still alive, so she caught it in time, but I don't know if any actual damage was done. She said she went outside for just a minute, but the only way the cat could have gotten in was if she left the door standing open when she did. I told her two days ago it was time to cover that tub so the chicks can't get out, but she didn't bother doing it. No, it's not because she's old and forgetful... she gets tired of having to do stuff, so she just doesn't do it. If the chick had died, she would have been inconsolable, but that won't make her do what it takes to keep it from happening.

She thinks she's going to be able to continue keeping these chicks inside the house. I'm going to be sick if she puts them outside before it's warm enough because she can't stand the smell.

 

[Ksane]

Deny it all you want, Kelly. We are sisters.
Just pray for a swift end to the chicks, that's all you can do at this point. You already know you can't take them or it's just enabling the behavior. I wouldn't have even gone over there after the auction. And we all know how hard that would've been for me :-(

 

[margaret8]

Taking a break.  I'm at 80 so far, 2 hours in. I think I'm 75% done.  I'm doing it by myself.  Since my testing is actually due jan 31 (yes I'm late) I don't like to wait on the tester, it takes them weeks and weeks to come out and the weather can be so unpredictable in January.

What are you testing for?

 

[Jeansrie]

Jeansrie, so glad you're showing at Pryor!  I'm showing three silkies.  Wanted to show a really pretty paint showgirl pullet, but she's broody, and I didn't want to break that up.  Not sure the eggs are fertile, but she's about the most steadfast brooder I've ever had, and that's saying a lot!

I'm not sure how to condition my birds (other than baths) so I won't be much competition but I'm looking forward to learning more! We met briefly at the last P.O.O.P.S (I gave away a white showgirl cockerel there) so if I see you at Pryor I will be sure to say hello! I know of a couple other people bringing silkies, one will be in the junior division though.

 

[Kyzmette]

Quote:
I don't deny it even a little, and I'm 100% proud of it!

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Deny it all you want, Kelly. We are sisters.
Just pray for a swift end to the chicks, that's all you can do at this point. You already know you can't take them or it's just enabling the behavior. I wouldn't have even gone over there after the auction. And we all know how hard that would've been for me :-(

Amen, ugh that sucks. I have an irresponsible sibling, I can't imagine having an irresponsible parent. Poor little chickies.

What are you testing for?

Annual NPIP testing, it's the state testing for Typhoid/Pullorum which are strains of Salmonella. The state will test for you, but I decided to take the class so I could test my own birds. If you are going to ship chicks or eggs across state lines, or take your birds to shows, then you have to have a T/P clean flock. I'm on year 3 so I have to test 100% of my birds. At year 5 you get to start scaling down what % of birds need tested. Betsy gosh I can't imagine testing all your silkies. It was so much harder to see the veins on them than the other chickens- and I only had 9 silkies to test!

Mitzi- My grand total for chickens came to 118, including 30 roosters. Had to climb IN to the last chicken tractor for the last 3 birds- and my body was screaming "No way!" but I did it! I think I'll take it easy for the rest of the day!

 

[Ksane]

Mitzi- My grand total for chickens came to 118, including 30 roosters.  Had to climb IN to the last chicken tractor for the last 3 birds- and my body was screaming "No way!" but I did it!  I think I'll take it easy for the rest of the day!

I'm scared to count mine now. I'm pretty sure I have more than that. Seramas don't count, right? My uncle says anything I'm feeding counts. But I don't think that's fair because I'm not feeding them that much

 

[lonnyandrinda]

I'm scared to count mine now. I'm pretty sure I have more than that. Seramas don't count, right? My uncle says anything I'm feeding counts. But I don't think that's fair because I'm not feeding them that much

ROFL I KNOW you have me beat on Roosters.

You only count the ones that are of laying age and have names, right? Seramas don't count, they live in the house. Roosters don't count because they don't lay eggs. Chicks don't count either, they are peeps, not chickens! So i'd say you're doing pretty good!