Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[Blarneyeggs]

..question..Wyandottes continue to lay throughout the winter.. at a reduced rate, but they still lay, being they are very cold hardy..right? That was one of the reasons I leaned toward that breed, also...and Blarney..you would know this cause you have them..Orps....don't they still lay in the winter..slowed down version, but they still lay?...I love those big fluffy butts too!!! ChippyMom...hey, sorry to hear no movement. I am sorry, I didn't realize the "frowny-face" earlier... ......you are still going to try again?

Last year withmy 5 silver laced hens I got 1 to 2 eggs during the winter. Some days I had 0.

What?!! Noooooo!

Hey folks: I have a new addition to my crew...complements of MotherHen....I don't think his pic does him justice...A Marraduna Basque boy...hope I can get him out of the grow out pen before it gets too chilly and in with the rest of the flock...and the big girls/boy won't kick his tucas too bad ....a big thanks MH........

What a good looking chicken!

X2 and the run ain't bad either.

 

[celonecoop]

I now have 3 pips

so hopefully by morning we will have some fluffy butts running around the bator (and hopefully some more pips

) you can hear peeping and the kids are so exciting. I keep running down to check them which isn't easy with a bum knee since their in the basement but I would like to try to video it if it happens tonight so the kids can watch it

Good luck to all the hatchers praying we all have great hatches!!!

 

[LisaYolkUm]

I have 3 gals who will be of laying age at the end of October/ begin of November. So if they are just starting when it gets cold.........how does this effect egg laying?

I imagine its individual............and they may lay more in warmer months and time will tell..........just thought I'd ask in case anyone on here has experience with this type of timeline

 

[BirdbyGavin1103]

It was great seeing you today!!! Recognized Gavin first LOL sorry! And It can be your mallard girl not giving up! She probably wants to be a moms like my scovy does!!!

How was the rest of your day at the fair?
It's ok.... keep trying until something does!!!! lol!!!

That's okay I recognized your Dad first (but he was in front of you) LOL.

I made it through without saying something I'd regret, or getting arrested/kicked out so it went well

. Got all of the objectives done in one day, saw Gavin's art, ate what little I prefer from there, got my cider and (almost as importantly as the art) got to look over some other breeds of chicken and waterfowl I want. So I'm set for another 2-3 years of no fair, unfortunately I promised Gavin IF he gets his room clean and picks up all his legos from outside (don't ask) I'd take him down again.
Were those tiny ones in the one pen Call Ducks? I'm not sure as I honestly have never seen any in person, but Gavin wants me to find out so we can get some in the spring.

 

[stake]

I was out with my darlings. I bent down to give the little roo a rub and tuff nut was beside him. She usually hates to be touched by I try. She squatted right down with her wings out just a bit. This means she is close to laying right? If u don't remember here she is

imho she was acknowledging you are the dominant in the group....give her a pet....

 

[cskotek]

Quote:
Yea the 3 whites... they are by the way for sale, you can buy em! Pick them up sat then, he is lookin for 50 for the trio (2 f 1 m) and you should be able to show them, I think they looked good! Normally calls for minimum of 20 a piece

 

[Chicklover2246]

To follow up on that...I can't remember the name of the company, but one of the largest US chicken producers(not perdue) was purchased by a Chinese company within the past year....go figure....

Just trying to catch up, don't know how everyone has time to do everything else and this, lol.
My Amish neighbors grow 60,000 chickens at a time for Tyson. Most everything is automated. A human needs to go in a couple of times a day to look for sick or dead chicks/pullets.

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Morning all..

...have some reading to do here...

**Chippymom-..

...

**Diz- Nice looking chicken!! very white!!

**Celonecoop-

Congrats on the babies!!...now the real fun/work begins!!

 

[AUNT KAT]

It has been a crazy week for me.

Monday was a meeting with Sylvia's (the elderly lady I help care for) lawyer. Tuesday was egg shipment day, so a bit of a lazy day. Wednesday I took my great grandfather to a doctor's appointment - he has unexplained bleeding. Thursday was Sylvia's final divorce hearing and her anus of an ex finally settled after dragging this out for 2.5yrs. Friday we had to run out I-80 to 476 to meet a BYCer from New Jersey who bought 5 of my MFCs. Then do our normal running and drop kids and prepare for yesterday. We got to bed Thursday around 10 and back up at 1:30am to go to Sharpsburg, MD for the swap. We got there around 6am and set up. I sold all my LF Orps, so I am out of that project. I sold my lone Tolbunt Polish. I brought home about half of my MFCs. I bought a SQ black bantam Cochin (came from Tom Roebuck originally). I also got 2 MFC cockerels from Erin (MsBear - Swap holder). We left at 12:15pm to head to Aunt Kat's. Talk about flying. I don't have a cell phone anymore. Honestly, we can't afford them right now. I told Aunt Kat we'd be there between 12-2pm depending on how my sales went. Yep... 1hr and 45min to make a little over 2hr trip and we had no idea where we were really going (no extra time if we got lost). Plus, I knew she had a birthday party to get to! We pulled in just after 2pm. I helped her the best I could sex the turkeys, picked my trio and chatted for bit and then homeward bound. We unloaded, set up temporary quarantine pens for all the new birds and then off to pick up kids. Then pick up Sylvia's prescriptions and finally around 6:30pm we finally ate for the first time all day. When we got home from the swap Dewey had a flat tire on his Tracker, so we had to fix that and he sat out in the rain and in the dark changing his tire when we got home. We were so exhausted, we went to bed at 8:15. Dewey had to work today, so he didn't get to sleep in, but I slept 14hrs. LONG week!

As for lights in winter, no. I don't do it. I don't want my girls to burn out quick. I have 3yr old MFCs that are still laying every other day.

Winterizing? I don't do it. I close windows and clean pens right before it gets to cold to do so. That's my winterizing.

ETA: The news everyone was dreading... My pap's tests for lung cancer keeps coming back negative, but they can see the spots in the x-rays. I told mom that maybe it's just scar tissue? He worked in the HVAC industry all his life and he smoked for over half his life. His one whole kidney is pretty much nothing but cancer. They are going to give him a chemo pill to clean that out. The cancer on his back is right on his spine, so he will be paralyzed within a year. The worst news is that the cancer is in all his lymph nodes. They gave him a year or less to live. My pap is in denial. He doesn't understand the gravity of the situation and thinks the chemo pill will totally cure him. He's 74 and is still working - he milks cows in the morning for a huge dairy farm. He has retired and came back to work 3x now. He won't stop working for treatment, either.

Reyvaughn, so sorry. Didn't mean to neglect the sad news you had posted. Prayers to your pap and your family

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

Picture of shutter with tape measure for reference:

Looking like you do know what your doing...I agree with the others on the ventilation thing!!..what a great use for your "cheap-find'!!!

I love it when we find stuff to use like that!!
You could use it in one piece, depending on hoe big your wall is or for cross -ventilation..cut it in half....**BBG had a great idea too, about the human door- would make a decent "clean out" access, might have to put some poultry cloth behind it to help make sure it would be predator-proof...many ways to use that thing

I am in on the look-out for some pallets myself....going to make a brooder...with different levels, but probably not going to happen for awhile, will definitely post pics when I get to it though...just warning you now

Reyvuaghn- so sorry to hear your Paps results

...thoughts are with you and your family.....maybe he needs to literally "work" out what he is going to do...or how he is going to handle this huge news. He sound pretty "old school" too, you know that generation...they just keep going, no matter what!! I have alot of "farming" family, and some of them are getting up there, but don't tell them to "take it easy"...I really don't think they understand or know what that means....

We haven't been to the Bloomsburg fair in years...I miss going to those things....I also know what it is like to have a "festival" in our area...sometimes it does seem like it would be better to be in a different place when that is happening!!..We have the "Flaming Foliage Festival" in Renovo..there is a parade, lots of vendors...from October 11th-13th, (it is always held on the second-full weekend in October.)....lots of good food too, can't forget that!!