***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Cjarvis]

We won't make Great plains because I am being selfish & taking that weekend for myself with no kids.

That needs to be done on occasion.. Maybe I'll take a day off, or a day of vacation something, we'll see.

 

[Sooner]

I always feel guilty but it is the one weekend every year that I see my bestfriend, we have known each other since preschool together.

 

[smfamf]

Just picked the kids up from school. DS is now refusing to see the doctor. I decided to pick my battles and let him go to work instead. I rescheduled him for Friday after he calms down. He can't go back to school until Tuesday afternoon. This is his 3rd offense since Nov 2. He is being signed up for counseling with a therapist that travels to local schools. I filled out the paperwork for the doctor to see about getting him some sort of medication for ADHD or depression or both. I am at a loss on what to do. He works with my husband, so I know that he won't be getting into any trouble this afternoon.

 

[old*cowboy]

Guy's tip of the Day
​

The blistering hot days of summer has come and gone. I know many of us lost birds during the heat wave. I also know that everybody tried very hard to keep cool fresh water to the birds at all times. Summers heat is behind us now but we still need to keep plenty of water to the chickens. When the wind is blowing hard and it is down below freezing by many degrees and the water is froze solid, it is hard to keep fresh water in front of them with out the help of a heated water devise of some kind. There are many of those out on the market and I saw some homemade examples on here that were simple to build and looked like they would work great. But what about those birds out of reach of electricity. Many of you get up and go to work. Lots of time there is no time to go out and water birds before leaving and it is after roosting time when you return. There is no easy answer if there is no one left home to do the watering. I am home most of the time so I do not worry about this as much as some have to. The way I have my pens set up helps considerable if I do have an appointment that I have to be gone all day. All my outside pens are made with chain link fencing or wire that has 2x4 inch holes in it. I use only the little black rubber tubs that hold from ½ to 1 gallon and set them outside the pen where the chickens reach thru and drink. (Helps year round in care, and chickens don’t get them as dirty as inside the pen watering.) Makes it very handy to rush thru breaking ice, or just turn them over step on them and the chunk of ice will pop out. I keep a bucket on the porch so can fill it in the bathtub on the way out and run thru giving them water before I leave. On cold, cold days I know it will freeze again, but it gives them water for awhile and on them cold, cold days the chickens don’t come out of the house as much. An egg is made up of around 74% water. So it is safe to say lack of water in the winter is one of the many reasons some people don’t have as much egg production in the cold months as others do.

 

[showinbirds]

lookin for spring

 

[NanaKat]

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/grd/2804737748.html

Don't know this person, but the ad was posted on Craigslist... Australorp, Orpington, delaware and Ameracauna.

 

[Sooner]

lookin for spring

showinbirds! Tell us about your birds!

Spingtime!

 

[old*cowboy]

Nana what kind of chick are you holding in your profile pic. Sooner love the bee outfit in yours.

 

[old*cowboy]

Everybody talking about getting bees on here. I sorta tossing it around myself. Its just that them little suckers make me nervous. Back 35 years ago when I was a teen I worked for a man that did landscaping, some of you may know him he now owns and operates sunshine nursery at Clinton. Any way had a blast working for him. Him and a dentist in Clinton named Doc. Irwin both played a big role in my love of Nubian goats, pigeons and chickens. Anyway he had several bee hives, extractors and all the other stuff that goes with bee keeping and I would help him in the collection and processing of the honey. I would have all the protective covering, rubber bands around my pants and shirt sleeves, everything you could do. Steve wouldnt have anything on but street clothes. I would always get stung and he never did much. He told me I probable put off an odor of being nervous. He was right and still is.

 

[Ksane]

Guy's tip of the Day
The blistering hot days of summer has come and gone. I know many of us lost birds during the heat wave. I also know that everybody tried very hard to keep cool fresh water to the birds at all times. Summers heat is behind us now but we still need to keep plenty of water to the chickens. When the wind is blowing hard and it is down below freezing by many degrees and the water is froze solid, it is hard to keep fresh water in front of them with out the help of a heated water devise of some kind. There are many of those out on the market and I saw some homemade examples on here that were simple to build and looked like they would work great. But what about those birds out of reach of electricity. Many of you get up and go to work. Lots of time there is no time to go out and water birds before leaving and it is after roosting time when you return. There is no easy answer if there is no one left home to do the watering. I am home most of the time so I do not worry about this as much as some have to. The way I have my pens set up helps considerable if I do have an appointment that I have to be gone all day. All my outside pens are made with chain link fencing or wire that has 2x4 inch holes in it. I use only the little black rubber tubs that hold from ½ to 1 gallon and set them outside the pen where the chickens reach thru and drink. (Helps year round in care, and chickens don’t get them as dirty as inside the pen watering.) Makes it very handy to rush thru breaking ice, or just turn them over step on them and the chunk of ice will pop out. I keep a bucket on the porch so can fill it in the bathtub on the way out and run thru giving them water before I leave. On cold, cold days I know it will freeze again, but it gives them water for awhile and on them cold, cold days the chickens don’t come out of the house as much. An egg is made up of around 74% water. So it is safe to say lack of water in the winter is one of the many reasons some people don’t have as much egg production in the cold months as others do.

Thanks for taking the time with these tips, I love reading them.
I've noticed in the 2 yards that are separated by chain link that the chickens will stick their head through and drink water from the other yard even though they have water in their yard. The idea of putting the rubber tubs on the outside of pens was a good one. It would save having to go inside each individual pen.
I had a chicken from the layers yard drown in the stock tank last week, that was very upsetting to find her floating in the water I had brick steps that led up to the edge of the stock tank so they could stand on it and drink. It was handy because I kept the stock tank heater in there and the sheep is in that yard also. I'd see some of them perch on the edge and get a drink, I think the water level was too low and she fell in and couldn't get out. So I changed the water situation in that yard.
Have anyone else ever had that happen? What makes me feel so horrible about it is she must have been just terrified, that kills me.