Okies in the BYC The Original

[Poco Pollo]

City - Looks like Donnie is going to carry birds for me. I'm meeting him after work on Thursday. Thanks for offering to be part of the chicken train. If I need to send any more birds, I'll keep you in mind.

I've got a sinus headache, probably from the change in the weather, and I can't sleep. I think I'll go make some hot chocolate with lots of milk. Morning, everyone.

 

[artsyrobin]

morning all!! cold and cold and did i say cold??!!! second cup of coffee down, and waking up


Quote:
yep- that is pre-teenager, it is funny- honking like

so what is everyones plans for today???

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote:
yep- worse is my ducks! they go nuts over kibble - i figure its a cheap treat, and probably good this time of year

 

[mjgigax]

Quote:
My Great Grandma had them & anytime we were here I would alway go see if there were some eggs & sit in the yard watching them. I guess that is where I got it from.

My parents didn't have them on our farm because both of them hated cleaning the coops on their parent's farms. they think it is funny that I have them now. When I told Mom how many I have now she said something I haven't heard in years; "My word, Mary Jo".

 

[mjgigax]

Quote:
I was the same way. I liked to find the eggs that were in an empty nest and especially like to use the bent spoon wired onto a long handle to get the eggs that were out of reach beneath the roost, but I wouldn't put my hand under a hen because it didn't take me more than a time or two to learn that being pecked by a hen isn't any fun. My mother told me many years later that she got out of collecting eggs after her mother caught her flinging the hens out of the nest by the neck, so she could get to the eggs without injury.

I just saw "Chicken Run" so the image I had my mind when I read this was priceless.

 

[Teach97]

Quote:
you ain't lying girl...there are times I wonder if they will ever lay...

You got any extra roos? I seemed tohave hatched only pullets...that or I kill roos...which might be the case....

 

[poultryand bees]

Quote:
yep- worse is my ducks! they go nuts over kibble - i figure its a cheap treat, and probably good this time of year

When I used to feed the dog with one of those automatic feeders, where there is a door that protects the food from the rain, the chickens figured out how to get into the feed door and would clean out the tank of dog food in one day. The dog didn't care since she never liked dog food anyway. It dawned on me that although the dog food was a good source of protein for the chickens, it was a lot more expensive by the 50 lb bag than chicken feed was. I moved the automatic feeder into the peacock pen, where I keep it filled with gamebird crumbles. Now, I just feed the dog a bowl of food at a time - smothered in raw eggs. The dog eats her food if she is hungry and if she isn't - she walks off and the chickens devour it. At any rate, we use one bowl of dog food a day instead of 10 lbs.

 

[Okla-doodle-doo]

In the teens with flurries this morning!I have another hawk keeping all my birds afraid. He killed two pigeons yesterday,and they were in there coop! They want to stand in the doorway and the hawk hits the wire and manages to slide a foot thru the wire and slashes them open. I finally had to put plastic over the doors to stop him. Now he just hangs around and keeps everyyhing runn inside their coops. It knows I can't shoot him so he just sits in the tree and looks at me. One of these days he is going to be in for a shock!

 

[freezefamilyfarm]

Good morning all! Chilly morning but I'm thinking we are going to have warmer temps in the afternoons for the rest of the week. We have added a goat to our menagerie. He is a little 5 month old Boer/Kiko mix billy. He is hanging out with our piggies right now, but I really need to find him a girlfriend.

I do have a question about chicks. My 3 are 3 weeks old (but it seems like the peeping has been going on forever). How old do they need to be before I can put them in the coop this winter. We have bought some at 5 weeks and put them out in the a-frame, but that was October. Am I stuck with these in the brooder all winter?

 

[Sooner]

Morning everyone~

We overslept this morning so I am just getting to the board. Monty, you were too slow so I was gone by the time you caught up.

Feeding~ I feed layer pellets 24/7 in the winter I feed more scratch mostly so they have something to scratch around for in the coop & added fat. During molt I will add some dog food but mostly just make sure pellets never run out.

P&B I have one of those automatic feeders for a dog in my chicken pen, it works great & keeps the feed dry. Some of my bantams that sneak into that pen can even get in it!


As for your chick question, yes they will be in the brooder longer & for me it really depended on how cold it/is as for how long before they go outside. Another thing would be if they are going out into an already established flock? If they are then their size has to be considered too.