Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[chickachickayea]

I cracked. I couldn't do 3 days of locking my chickens in their shed-coop.

I threw down a layer of hay on a patch of the snowy run and opened the shed's pop door. Temp reads 10°, feels like 2° with 5 mph winds, and it's sunny so it feels drastically warmer than the past few days. I bought an accurite temp/humidity reader for the coop and it says the coop is 21°.

I'm not sure that my flock will go out, they're total wimps when it comes to the scary cold white stuff on the ground, but at least they'll have the option.

I'm planning on how to make wind screens for our giant run, or how to make some kind of run within a run. I was thinking of covered tunnels? So at least they have some covered areas...

Dreaming of spring/summer...

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Dreaming of spring/summer...

Oh I can't wait till summer gets here again!

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

View attachment 1228954 So this happened.

Oh my!

IS IT SPRING YET???

Seriously!

Tomorrow, we are getting up to 29 tomorrow, but with a wintry mix in the afternoon. Looking forward to Tuesday with 38*!

I still have the broody in the House, but I will put her back tonight. Hopefully this will have broken her. And if not, the turkeys should be out and about tomorrow. I will keep a close eye.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

@dheltzel , or anyone else with genetic knowledge.

Can I get more olive-eggers from my flock? My main roo is a CCL/Marans mix, and his sister lays Olive eggs.

If he is fertilizing my CCL girls, is it possible to get Olive eggers from them? Or would I have to put him over my brown layers (my Bieles).

 

[dheltzel]

@dheltzel , or anyone else with genetic knowledge.

Can I get more olive-eggers from my flock? My main roo is a CCL/Marans mix, and his sister lays Olive eggs.

If he is fertilizing my CCL girls, is it possible to get Olive eggers from them? Or would I have to put him over my brown layers (my Bieles).

Blue eggs from CCL's will produce green egg layers, how green is hard to predict.
Olive eggs from his sister will produce chicks that lay a variety of shades of green and brown, but most will be green egg layers, maybe 25% just brown.
The reason OE's are not bred into seconds generations is because you can't predict the eff colors of the F2's, making them less salable/valuable.

 

[gonehencrazy]

When I went to feed them this morning there was one in the coop still. She’s not good. Not moving and can’t stand. I pulled her out and put her under a light but she is just shaking. I am so annoyed. I am convinced this is because of the stupid birds getting stuck in my run. Not amused

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Blue eggs from CCL's will produce green egg layers, how green is hard to predict.
Olive eggs from his sister will produce chicks that lay a variety of shades of green and brown, but most will be green egg layers, maybe 25% just brown.
The reason OE's are not bred into seconds generations is because you can't predict the eff colors of the F2's, making them less salable/valuable.

Thanks, my newer CCL girls are laying beautiful small green eggs, and I’m tempted to throw some in the bator, since I know I would be able to sell some grown pullets in the spring easily. Will you be selling the Cali Grays again? Maybe I could grab a couple, with my duck order...

Yesterday I got 6 eggs! I felt like I won the lottery. Has anyone else noticed an increase in laying already?

I still have the leghorns in my side room, they are getting so big so fast! I am guessing I have 2 Roos and 2 hens, but I know sometimes they have larger combs. I will have to wait a few more weeks to know for sure.

 

[Blarneyeggs]

We are just in from the Farm Show, the place was crazy busy. There were more birds than I expected, not as many as in the years before AI, but enough to keep me interested.

 

[BullChick]

Despite my weather being a few degrees warmer than some of you, the windchill was worse. For several days, we only had ten minutes before frostbite. Most places still had thirty minutes.
Three weeks ago, I knew exactly where my Carhartt hat with face mask was. This weather came, and I couldn’t find a single hat or scarf for me anywhere!! I finally ordered a few hats and scarves online, and the weather warms up. That is okay. I’m sure I’ll still need them.
All birds are doing well. They occasionally wander outside. Even my bantams have been coming out. I’ve kept an eye on them to see if they wanted to come into the house, but never saw any distress.

 

[BullChick]

Anyone know how to get ahold of the deer removal crew (I can’t think of the name!)? Someone hit a deer last Sunday, and threw it against my mailbox! The mailman has run over it a few times, and it is now in pieces along the side of the road. It is going to defrost and start stinking in the next few days!