Online Large Fowl Chat Thread

[mrheinz77]

Way to go on your SS auction Deb. I don't think I've seen SS go for over $20 since I've been watching.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Woot! I am excited, and it's not over yet. Thanks to you putting the pics , people like seeing parent stock. How is school going?

 

[mrheinz77]

Oh, school's going. Nothing to dramatic there lately. The principal must be too busy to pay attention to me. I think I need to get working on my breeding pens again. I've been doing stuff that needed to get done before the ground freezes. Now its time to work on pens again. The pens aren't bad. Its building doors that I don't like doing. If I have a 4 x 8 feet pen, can I get buy with it being 4 feet tall. I was going to add on to the 4 feet I already have but I still need to duck in a 6 feet tall pen. (I'm 6'5"). Do I gain anything with the extra 2 feet besides needing to dock as much? I do save on material.

ETA: Have you weighed your SS roo yet and an average size hen?

 

[CapricornFarm]

Some of my pens are 3' high, some are 4' , some are 6', and one is eight feet! DH said, why did you build it so tall? Because that is how long the boards were:-D When I build grow out pens, I like to make them 6' so I can go in to catch birds more easily. But I rarely catch my breeders, so 3 or 4 feet high is enough. The one I am doing now is 4' because it butts up against an existing 4' pen. If it doesn't rain tomorrow I may finish the new cochin pen. I need to buy more chicken feed, and stock up on hay for winter. Chicken sale this weekend, weeding out excess roosters.

 

[mrheinz77]

Thanks.
Are you ignoring my question about the weight if your SS or do you think I'm crazy? LMAO

How are the Buff Brahmas laying? Have you candled any of the Polish eggs yet?

 

[CapricornFarm]

No, I just haven't gotten to weigh that roo yet. The polish eggs are fertile, I hatched a couple and sold them. The Buffs were giving me one egg a day and then the light blew out so she quit laying for a while, but she started back up and another has started. So I got 2 eggs today from them. I got three Silver Sussex eggs today, woot! They went right into the Bator .

 

[CapricornFarm]

I installed the light in the quail breeder pen and filled the feeder . I put a piece of plywood as a skirt on the north side, to block cold wind. Painted it and the door for the new cochin pen. Put the hinges on the door and the nest box as well, installed the pass through and all of the second layer of wire. Put in the board to hang feeder, waterer from. Put up one perch, need to check how the feeders fit before I add the second perch. Put a weather stripping board to cover a gap in my original coop. Had to go to town and buy feed again . Tomorrow is the sale at Scotts hill, so I will have to get up early for that. Lots of spare roosters to sell. Phew.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Let me tell you, 6 am is a lot earlier than I like to wake up! Stuffed some chickens in the truck, did a few chores and then off to the sale. I saw some light Sussex for sale, but they went for more than I wanted to pay. I did end up selling two polish roosters and buying two polish hens. Sold a pair of silkies, an extra silkie roo, etc... With a bunch more roos. Somebody wanted more chicks like I took last week, sorry, done giving them away for cheap. She about fainted when I told her hatching eggs go for $6. and up.
So when I got home, DH was cutting down another tree.

I am not over the poison ivy from last time. I went over the help him load, he says there isn't any poison ivy here. Yes there is, look at that! Ugh, time for another Benadryl.
I finished the cochin coop, even the skirt is done! I put in the blue pair and the splash pair, and in a couple of days I will put the three adult hens in. Yes! I love finishing. The next project will be the bbs silkie pen in the barn, can hardly wait! I should be able to finish that in two days or less.
Tomorrow is go get the hay for winter day
I will be feeling that, we usually get 100 bales, so it takes two trips. Argh, where are the sons when you need them? Florida.

 

[Chicken Coach]

Well i went to the chicken sale today with some extra roos and the Sussex.The sussex where half sick all the time and just got tired of them. But the problem is i sold $51 bucks worth of chickens and bought $50 of chickens back.I got more bantam ameraucna and 3 more bb red hens.The only good thing is they don't eat as much! I tried to load more of my chickens to sell but just couldn't let them go. SO goes my plan to cut back.

 

[CapricornFarm]

We went and got two loads of hay today. I took Benadryl before I went, because I am allergic to grass and am already itchy from the poison ivy. I was tired , and trying to drag two bales of hay at a time and bashed my head on one of the rafters in the hay loft. Now I have a big lump on my head. Fun and games. But we got it done, so that should last through the winter.
Then I worked on getting the silkie pen done in the barn. Had to clean out a bunch of goat manure, drag that off in the wagon and dump in the garden. I got most of the wire on the pen and door, now I just need to attach an upper part to close in the top of the door so nothing can get in. A few small modifications, and I will move the bbs silkies in there, leaving the buffs and reds together in the other pen. And they should have a nest box, though it seems they prefer the floor!
I have about 5 boxes of eggs to ship, was going tomorrow but now the guy is supposed to fix the well. Ugh, always something. I seriously need more egg cartons! I am supposed to take 6 dozen eggs to the restaurant this week. Luckily, the chickens are still laying pretty well.
There is a whole Bator of eggs going on lockdown tomorrow , so I should candle again and take out any duds. Must go check my chicks and tuck in the teenagers;-)