Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[BullChick]

I had a hen purring in the box this morning. Hmmm... They don't usually purr. They must be liking the warmer weather.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Macungie Pennsylvania!!! Lehigh County representing Lehigh Counties Poultry 4-H Club!!!

Hello and Welcome! chester County here. How is your Poultry club faring with the poultry ban? Are you planning on participating in an Avian Bowl?

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Okay so this is a question about the other end of a chickens life. As soon as I catch the ODB he's losing his head. I have two groups of chickens (currently) both have roosters and both groups are housed separately. When the one group loses there rooster would it be a good time to incorporate both groups? One group is 6 hens and a roo thats gonna be soup and the other is 3 hens and a roo (the CCL's I got from dheltzel). Losing the top of the pecking order should make them reshuffle things so I would think it would be a good time to add some to it. Thoughts?

These are my thoughts exactly, I tend to re-arrange everyone at the same time. If I know I have birds being processed, I sort everyone out that same night so that the pecking order only has to be readjusted once. Also, I'm loving your new Avitar.

 

[Chaos18]

It would be my preference to do it as soon as practical after removing the problem rooster.

Ok thanks for the input.

These are my thoughts exactly, I tend to re-arrange everyone at the same time. If I know I have birds being processed, I sort everyone out that same night so that the pecking order only has to be readjusted once. Also, I'm loving your new Avitar.

Thanks on both accounts.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Jo and chicks are in our playpen brooder for a couple of days since we picked up 13 young roosters to butcher for a friend and they are currently occupying the spare pen and causing a ruckus...much quieter in the brooder until tomorrow then they will go back out to the coop.

Congrats! She looks like quite a young pullet!

Blech, I think one of my chickens are one of the chicks. I went out a bit ago to check on everybody, and one was missing. I looked for 20 minutes, to no avail, there was no trace anywhere. I did remember one of my hens that was molting was in there peeking around... So I have to assume she attacked and ate the chick. I closed up the coop so broody Mama has some privacy for now.

 

[fisherlady]

Congrats! She looks like quite a young pullet!

Blech, I think one of my chickens are one of the chicks. I went out a bit ago to check on everybody, and one was missing. I looked for 20 minutes, to no avail, there was no trace anywhere. I did remember one of my hens that was molting was in there peeking around... So I have to assume she attacked and ate the chick.

I closed up the coop so broody Mama has some privacy for now.

Thanks, Jo turned 2 in December, this is her 4th hatch I think.... I will have to go back through pictures to be sure....

Sorry about loosing a chick, it sucks when it happens....thankfully it seems to be a rare occurence.

 

[dheltzel]

Cute alert!

Jo hatched out her clutch of 3 Saturday night, a full day early, just like her Mama (Gracie) does.

How cute! I love the momma hen pictures.
If she hatches a day early, maybe she is "hot blooded".

 

[fisherlady]

How cute! I love the momma hen pictures.
If she hatches a day early, maybe she is "hot blooded".

Thanks, she must be, about getting to point we can mark 20 days on calendar for some of our hens, even in winter. Her mama is the same, often have first pips on day 19 with chicks out on day 20.

 

[LehighCounty4-H]

Quote:
yes and we plan to come in strong! we got best of show for schneksville fair. Montgomery did not show up. we are ready for this year and so are our birds! hope to see you at the shows! we have a secret bird to show this year!

 

[SilkieSensation]

Gosh, hardware is expensive! I made plans to get three rabbit hutches/tractors from 2 sheets of plywood plus some 2 x 2s I had laying around from an unfinished brooder project. I'm thinking I did great and I'll be able to throw them together pretty cheaply... Until I went to Lowes for the hardware yesterday and dropped $40 on hardware for just one of the tractors - and I didn't even get the hinges! I mean they will still be better made and cheaper than anything I could buy, I just wish wheels, bolts, and brackets didn't add up so fast.

@SilkieSensation, I got my first egg from the splash EE you gave me last year! I have to get the picture off of my phone... It's green! The two birds I gave my sister from that group aren't laying yet (the dark grey one might be, but if she is the eggs are med brown).

Neighbor kids were over yesterday playing with my kids after school and found a whole clutch of eggs under a bench. I knew Adele had been sneaking out of the run to lay eggs in the rabbit nest box ages ago when it was sitting on top of the rabbit cages, but I didn't see her out much since the rabbit nest box was moved. That must have been why she was out of the run when the dog came back in our yard two weeks ago and killed her Ther was easily two weeks of eggs there, some were cracked and I let the kids toss them into the chicken run (not too ftrn does a kid get permission to egg something, lol). There were 5 or 6 that looked good, albeit muddy, and we brought them inside. They should be okay to eat, right? They were in a well protected place considering they were outside for 2 weeks minimum and didn't freeze and crack with the cold temps.

Woohoo! Love green eggs!!!

Turkey question: I seem to remember you guys saying that turkeys don't seem to learn to eat as quickly as chicken chicks, My poults are being raised by a broody hen. Do I need to do anything to assist?

Broodies teach them what they need to know.

I had a hen purring in the box this morning. Hmmm... They don't usually purr. They must be liking the warmer weather.

Broodies purr...