***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ksane]

Jcat - I'm so sorry to hear about your goats I know how it is to have a critter dying in your lap and there's nothing you can do about it. **hug** so sorry.
Wow, it's probably been a month since I've been on. I hope no one else has had any disasters like Jcat. I've had my hands full here. Just popped back on to ask how much harder it is to break a broody guinea than chicken. I had told DH I thought one of our guineas were sitting cause I swore I was seeing her occasionally, but never all of them in one spot so it's hard to tell. Sure enough this morning she was screaming bloody murder and I found her. Apparently something got her eggs (or possibly chicks as long as it's been) during the night. She was refusing to get off the nest and attacking the dogs for getting near her. Hmph, is it easier to just leave her and wait for her to figure it out? I don't want to waste time on a lost cause, but I'd also like to get her out there eating bugs again!

It is dry pox and they all have it. The yellow stuff on their beaks is hard boiled egg yolk for being nice and holding still for the camera. Oh and don't have a rooster.

morning everyone.... i have to say, i am totally in love with dominiques! check this out- i put her in with the cochin girls, figured there'd be some fussing, nope- nada... they acted like they'd always been together! so cool!! i have the other 2 cochins to add to the group once the weather cools down- then i think they may just stay in their own coop and enclosure...

meanwhile, Lucky, the roo that isn't...

Cochins are awesome like that, they'll always be my favorite. The Bantams seem a lot bossier and not as easy to integrate but my LF Cochin girls have always been perfect ladies.
Lucky looks great! I can't wait to get my 1st group caponized. I put it off until it got under 100 degrees. It's still showing 102 for today and 106 for tomorrow and 106 for Sunday. I'm so sick of this weather. I used to love it until I had the birds to worry about.
Did you know caponized boys grow super long sickle, hackle and tail feathers? Cool, huh? Does he act any different yet? Did he quit crowing? Did his comb shrink?

 

[nnbreeder]

We actually got some rain last night! Think a 1/4 an inch, maybe a tad more. It was just enough to hold the dust down this AM. Saw a glimpse of the news. Fingers crossed there is still more rain coming.

Lets hope Ernesto makes the right track for some good drought breaking rain. But I also hope it won't do like Erin did years ago.

 

[Kassaundra]

A couple of pics from yesterday


Cowboy, here is JackieO, she and Miss Priss are laying now.


Reba

One of the naked hoodas

I am concidering mating reba w/ this barred boy.

If I mate these two then keep a barred boy to mate back to her might get some red barred NN's?

 

[nnbreeder]

Kass I don't know about the red barred. Don't recall ever seeing any.

But I wouldn't hesitate to toss that girl in a show coop from what I can see of her in the pics. Very rare to get a comb that nice on a NN hen. She is a beauty for sure.

 

[Kassaundra]

Kass I don't know about the red barred. Don't recall ever seeing any.

But I wouldn't hesitate to toss that girl in a show coop from what I can see of her in the pics. Very rare to get a comb that nice on a NN hen. She is a beauty for sure.

I know nothing about showing chickens at all. I thought she was pretty, but didn't know she could show. What would you need pics of to tell? She is just now getting to old enough to start laying, actually I think she is laying now, little brown pullet eggs.

 

[artsyrobin]

well, he didn't get caponized- as he hid his boy parts from coral, she did it twice, no luck, he has never crowed, but he did start after some of the younger girls as soon as i let him out- so he's back in the boy pen- very mellow personality like his dad.... not sure about him, he and galahad ignore each other-

 

[Ksane]

well, he didn't get caponized- as he hid his boy parts from coral, she did it twice, no luck, he has never crowed, but he did start after some of the younger girls as soon as i let him out- so he's back in the boy pen- very mellow personality like his dad.... not sure about him, he and galahad ignore each other-
Isn't that just like the male species??? Cross their legs when a woman comes after them with a scalpel blade

 

[jcatblum]

I actually have used the soil probe for my ground last year, well I didn't use it-- I picked it up & DH took the samples. I told the kids for christmas maybe they should get a wick attachment for one of their four wheelers. They were not amused! I will be thrilled the day we conqueer the weed & sticker battle, but not sure i will see it in my day. Our Johnson grass is mostly in the front pasture where the goats don't go, the front 10 is sub-irrigated & the grass doesnt seem to cross the fence line, not sure why. Last yr the front pasture was green but everything on this side of the fence was brown-- honestly it is about that way now too. The goats prefer to forage under the trees in the shade. They seem to be doing well. I am happy they are moving & being social. I am keeping a close eye on them & giving them electrolytes in their water.

Kass on the oil they had gallons & quarts. Imagine a quart would do you fine. Chicken doasage isn't listed, I took the scientific approach. Opened the bottle, splashed a tad on their food & mixed it around.

Mike-- Taron was sure to tell her dad all about those friendly donkeys that are so pretty! I would be tempted on a pair of them, but don't want to test my fences!

The new chickens from Buster are home, laid 3 eggs. One is bolder than the rest. Twice it came out talking and walked around the yard. The others are quiet & pecking at the dirt. Lots of people at market looked them over. One lady came worried they were looking stressed, it was just a few minutes after you dropped them off. I am sure they are going to do well here. Several little Young Cockerals have been investigating them & hopefully will teach them how to forage & explore. Thanks so much for picking the birds up, I think they will be able to thrive here.

 

[erinszoo]

Here is the link for Langston University or as I like to call it the collage that goats built.

http://www2.luresext.edu/


They have several good reads at the bottom of the goat page and you can complete a pasture grading course online.

Once yearly they have what is called a goat field day where there are many different classes on the care and raising of goats along with workshops on cheese making and other good things to do with stuff that comes out of a goat.

And bring the kids because the students have activities for them to do while the parents are out learning.

Is this the link for finding out about goat field day? We're wanting to get some goats and this would be a perfect thing to do with our 15 year old daughter who is really into all this animal husbandry stuff. She's homeschooled so it would make a great field trip day too.

I had dreams of letting my broody moms raise my chickie doos in the flock all together, but my dreams have been dashed by cruel reality. I have lost more of my chicks today. Gary is going to have to build me a broody pen w/ a covered run.

Our dream too ... which was promptly crushed by our turkeys who decided to kill all of the eggs 5 days before hatch. Out of 8 eggs under our broody 6 of them had chicks, 4 of which were barred rocks. We're in the process of building a new turkey pen so that we can keep them separated. Hopefully with the temps moderated a little we'll get it done soon and I can let the girls go broody again.

Been a rough morning here. One of our goats was found dead about 7. Checked the others over & a few were very bloated (since they had not eaten yet, they are usually slim looking in the AM). 2 had direha then within an hour another did. Goat #3 Carmel barely look bloated at first. Within 2 hours of discovery she had trippled in size & died. We were holding her & trying to give her meds when she went down. It was awful.

So Sorry!! Hope the others will get better and you can figure out what happened.

 

[erinszoo]

Well got one whole garden bed cleaned out and turned and compost added plus another bed cleaned out. We have to rebuild it so all the soil will get taken out and moved to a new bed while we redo it and then it will get all new soil from the compost pile hopefully in time for some latish fall planting. The chickens were happy to help and ate a bucket load of squash bugs from the dead squash vines. I'm sure they didn't get everything though, unfortunately. I can say after this gardening season I am not too happy with the seeds I got from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Out of three melons only one odd one produced anything. Out of three squash, we got nothing. Out of two Okra varieties the plants grew and set there, not a bloom one, not an okra of any kind. Out of three bean varities, only the strange odd one did anything. Our eggplant grew and bloomed a little but produced nothing. Only the quinoa and sorghum did anything. Sigh. I'd say it was our garden soil or the strange weather or something except the seeds we got from other places have grown and produced, melons, squashes, beans, corn, everything. I'll give them another chance since we love that they are organic and heirloom etc but after that ... Anyone else here use their seeds?