Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

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fisherlady said:
Try scrambling an egg and then putting it through a food chopper to mince it super fine, you can add a bit of wild finch seed if you want to keep it from clumping. Then you can feed it to the littles either in a dish or scattered on an old pillowcase on the which is a solid contrasting color to the treat. It won't take them long to figure out how to scratch for their treats. I think it is good exercise for little legs too.
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Great idea! Thanks, I'll try the scrambled egg. She's not interested in mealworm or plain yogurt, which both are big hit for the other 5.
 
Lelanae said:
Lol, none of my grown up girls will eat mealworm. (Of course, I found that out after I bought a big bag of dried and started raising live ones in my kitchen cupboard--unbeknownst to DH.)

We are only zoned for 4 hens but I am a master at chicken math. We started with 6--Sweet Pea had to be re-homed since he was a boy and two days ago we lost Trillium when she hopped over the fence.  I got three from Dennis to make up for the one I lost. (Two Pennsylvania Blacks and a Welsummer, who I hope will assuage my desire for something Partridgey Plumaged.)
Of course I still am looking for a  SLW, a Sussex and a couple or Orpingtons to make my quota.
Denis is wonderful. He nearly got me to buy a turkey and a Reece legbar. But I think I will hold out for one of his lavender Ameraucanas since I do need some of that color in my back yard!
If you read this Denis --is it ok if I post a picture or video of you with that darling Reece baby? Tilly--did you get one of each of his?
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Yes, I got a welbar, a pennsylvania black(brown), a rhodebar, a Rhodefelder, and two legbars (one blue egg layer ,one green egg layer ) from Dennis.
 
chxmama said:
Our welbar is somewhat smaller than her flockmates and a bit reserved compared to the rest. She is somewhat skittish, but no so much as our blue copper maran chick and the legbars. I'm trying to spend more time with them - with treats - to warm them up and it's gradually working. Our 3 welsummer chicks have come around and are becoming very friendly and approachable. 
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My two legbars are very friendly as well as the other 3 chicks, especially when I have treats. The Welbar doesn't like any treats and always hide under heating pad. She looks ok, so I guess it's just her personality.
So many people here have Dennis' chickens and turkeys, i think we are gonna turn this thread to Dennis chicken fan club.
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TillyPeeps said:
My two legbars are very friendly as well as the other 3 chicks, especially when I have treats. The Welbar doesn't like any treats and always hide under heating pad. She looks ok, so I guess it's just her personality.
So many people here have Dennis' chickens and turkeys, i think we are gonna turn this thread to Dennis chicken fan club.
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LOL, I thought we were having a contest to see who could enable the most . . .
Am I winning yet?
 
chxmama said:
Yes, that's the one. :)

This is our idea. When Nov/Dec hits, we thought we could pull the house into our fenced garden area which gets a southeast exposure and morning sun. It would be tight against a shed on the other side which would block northwest wind/exposure. House would be tarped on both sides, maybe half in greenhouse plastic for sunlight and warmth. Each end would be tarped from the ground up about 3/4 of the way with opening at the top for ventilation. The 4' fence around the garden could be tarped as well to provide additional wind break. Of course, the house could also be staked to the ground to keep it from lifting in high winds throughout any possible winter storms.

Is this all too idealistic?

Would the chickens be able to keep themselves warm?
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As long as the tarps control the wind chill and the structure withstands the forces (wind, snow, hail, etc.) then I think the birds will handle the cold ok.
I have seen references to something called a "huddle box", but I have no idea if they work, the idea being to give them a hard sheltered box to roost in, sort of a coop inside the coop. It's an intriguing idea I wouldn't mind learning more about sometime.
 
GM all:

I've been off line for a while. Hope everyone is doing well! See quite a bit is going on....I guess spring fever has hit...

As always still having fox issues, and will be building fort knox when things warm up...my girls (except two) will not fly over 4' fencing....

LadyHawk gave me a few Red Dorkings (a fox got one)....and I have one viable hatching egg from 48 shipped from upstate NY, (had a power outage on Day 4).
I also picked up 7 birds from DH: x4 CCLs , x3 BCMarans, they are about 4 weeks at this point...
 
Spring is in the air!!! I have a pair of Muscovy ducks sitting/sharing on nest. I can't wait for fluffy marshmallow peeps!!!
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Oh and my cat is leaving me half eaten dead mice all over! Another sign of spring is in the air lol
 
stake said:
GM all:

I've been off line for a while. Hope everyone is doing well! See quite a bit is going on....I guess spring fever has hit...

As always still having fox issues, and will be building fort knox when things warm up...my girls (except two) will not fly over 4' fencing....

LadyHawk gave me a few Red Dorkings (a fox got one)....and I have one viable hatching egg from 48 shipped from upstate NY, (had a power outage on Day 4).
I also picked up 7 birds from DH: x4 CCLs , x3 BCMarans, they are about 4 weeks at this point...
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Stake! Stake! OMG! So glad to see you!
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Last night, I went to check the chicks, and a hen was sitting on the gate. I did move her, but only because her butt was over the chicks' food. I am pretty sure that was Reba, but it doesn't matter. I knew I had to put up netting to keep the chickens out of the brooder area. That just confirmed it.
This morning Sheryl Crow is missing. I haven't checked the storage area (because I just thought of it fifteen minutes ago) but I am not holding my breath. The chicks seem to all be there.
I want to find Sheryl one way or another so I know what happened. She will be missed because she was my brazen girl. Very food motivated. The 18 chicks will make up for her absence though.
 

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