Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[OneMountainAcres]

It has been really chilly lately. Summer has gone too fast. I'm adding some nesting boxes to the coop this weekend and then going to start preparing for winter. I think I'll tarp up a run for the chickens. Last winter they were free-range but ended up hiding in places with no snow (under a tree, or porch) and wouldn't come home! What do you guys do for your chickens in the winter?

My flock's run already has a roof but we plastic all the sides. It still let's in plenty of light, blocks the wind, and makes a slight greenhouse effect. We keep the eves open and a triangle section on the peak end for ventilation.

Well, we got out later than planned after doing a couple of maintenance chores on the boat and around camp, but we did great, it ended up being a great late afternoon and we caught 2 limits of fish in just over two hours, and we threw back another dozen or so which were just at or slightly under legal size (legal is 15" but we don't keep below 16"). We were back in camp in time for a late evening meal and a relaxed evening.

Sounds like a great evening! Every time we attempt to fish, we catch nothing. Must be doing something wrong lol

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Can any of you guide me to rehoming our rooster? We aren't butchers ourselves yet, and we simply couldn't eat this guy. But he is getting increasingly hostile with my kids, including attacks, and the past couple days he is trying to intimidate me as well. We have gone between rehoming and keeping him for some time, but I think he has to go. This part is very new to me. He was sold to us as an Ameraucana chick in February and seems to display the physical attributes, if that matters.

How's the Roo? Still a pain? I'm going to try to get my scalder fixed this week, but I could still heat up some water on the stove for just one bird.

I was working on Chicken Tractor improvements yesterday evening and a hawk swooped down and grabbed a bunch of feathers from our Blue Orpington. I was only 30ft away! Luckily she was fine, no blood and just some pulled feathers. It's a shame because now I can't let them out to range for a while.

It's the first time we've seen a hawk since the leaves covered the yard in Spring. I was hoping we wouldn't see any at least until the leaves fell off the trees. It's been so nice to let the flock out every morning for all day ranging. During Winter we only let them out for an hour at dusk while I work outside.

Hawks can be such a pain in the keester. The best things I have found to do if you free range are to keep a good rooster, and provide good hiding places. My Roos are always searching the skies, and will let out a noise to send the girls running for cover. I have had no hawk injuries or death since I started having Roosters. We are in a different location too, but the Roosters always warn the girls of even turkey vultures, which pose no threat.

We got our babies this morning!!! I don't think I slept half the night.

Haha! It's always the way. A friend of mine had his first broody hatch out chicks, and he said he's been out there all day watching them.

Oooh signing up if I still can. I have been meaning to ask the PA people what the best and most economical places are for feed? We didn't have enough chickens for it to matter before buttt with 18 +the a.hole rooster now... Organic preferred.

Organic is always going to be very costly. What county are you in?

I am hoping to have a number of white egg laying breeds for sale next spring:
California Greys
Norwegian Jaerhons
Mille Fleur Leghorns

Also, if you want blue eggs or green eggs:
Blue Egg Black Sexlinks
Ameraucanas
Cream Legbars
Olive Eggers

Some of these I could hatch now, but it is getting late in the season, so I'm only hatching for specific orders. The incubator is running and lots of empty space in there . . .

This is so tempting for next year. Those Cali Greys are such excellent layers. My one has only slowed down because of her bumblefoot, and I think she is now molting also.

I have 3 OE pullets, 1 CL, 1 Sapphire and 1 CLxbrown egg rooster pullet. Maybe in the spring I'll have room for white layers. Right now I'm maxed out in my coop. And over my township limit .

Haha, in my previous home, I was over my township limit of none. We had about 11 at one point. No one card so long as there were no Roosters.

It has been really chilly lately. Summer has gone too fast. I'm adding some nesting boxes to the coop this weekend and then going to start preparing for winter. I think I'll tarp up a run for the chickens. Last winter they were free-range but ended up hiding in places with no snow (under a tree, or porch) and wouldn't come home! What do you guys do for your chickens in the winter?

Seriously! It's been so chilly. I don't like it. We a.ready put our winter comforter back on the bed. I really have to get a roof on my run soon, I didn't have a good one last year. I was saved because it was a mild winter, but we may not be so lucky this year. I am going to try to pick up as many straw bales from people's leftover Halloween decorations to line the bottom of my run. They will make an excellent, free wind and snow break. When I lived in the suburbs, they were always by the curb on trash day.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

For those of you who remember my girl's bumblefoot ordeal, here is another update picture. Here is her almost completely healed foot after the last scab/kernel thingy was removed (easily, it popped right out). Although the the other side of her foot looks swollen, it is just the way she is holding her foot. Here is the before picture when I was soaking her foot. The surgery was just under a month ago.

 

[fisherlady]

For those of you who remember my girl's bumblefoot ordeal, here is another update picture. Here is her almost completely healed foot after the last scab/kernel thingy was removed (easily, it popped right out). Although the the other side of her foot looks swollen, it is just the way she is holding her foot. Here is the before picture when I was soaking her foot. The surgery was just under a month ago.



View attachment 1128218 View attachment 1128219

She looks great Anne! Bumblefoot is a long, tedious process, but great to see the recoveries!

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Babies hatched over the weekend! All 4 that developed, hatched. These are the first ones from my CX breeding project. This was before I seperated her with the orpington boy so I'm not sure who daddy is. Since they all have yellow skin, straight combs and clean legs, possible dad's are CX, welbar, or CCL. Any guesses?

 

[fisherlady]

No guesses but great to see the littles, glad they developed

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

No guesses but great to see the littles, glad they developed

A friend of mine locally just had a hen hatch out chicks. I think it was a chicken I had given him. Him and his wife were so excited. Friday night, when she hatched out the chicks however, she attacked one and killed it. He said it had its eyes pecked out. I advised him to watch her, and that we might have to put them under my broody. It was getting close to dark, so he let her keep them. The next day, she seemed to be doing just fine and the same again today. I wonder if she thought something was wrong with that one, or if it was just because it was her first time. Have you ever seen something like that happen before?

 

[fisherlady]

No, only attack was from a hen we tried to graft chicks to who wanted nothing to do with them. We have had them smooshed in the nest from careless or clueless new broodies or a couple of the older heavy hens who have trouble with weak legs the first day. We now try to get the older hen out and moving a bit even the first day and feed them an egg to boost their energy.

 

[KJ6485]

Good morning All!
I noticed something that just made me and my husband speechless last night. We were rounding up the girls last night, to close the coop for the evening, notice I said girls.....our only roo is still a baby......and my New Hampshire Red HEN, appeared to mate my speckled sussex HEN. We just stared........my husband looked at me and said...."explain that one to me"...............*crickets*.............
Maybe we need to paint a rainbow on the coop??

 

[BullChick]

Girls do show dominance over girls like that.