San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Very excited about the meet up.... it is going to be our first e

Glad you'll be able to make it! Be sure to check this link, especially right before the meet up, for any last minute changes or reminders

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/707787/san-diego-meet-up-fall-2012#post_9628945

 

[LavendarFeather]

Okay, it's on my calendar too. I will figure out shortly what I can bring, but at a minimum I will bring a dish to share. May have some unusual colors of Silkie chicks, depending on what hatches, and might have a raffle prize. I DO have a roll of tear apart raffle tickets, if those would be of use just let me know.

Now, here is the DRAMA OF THE DAY. It was 109 degrees here yesterday. I have one broody hen, 9 days on her eggs, sitting in a little plastic dog crate and of course she won't budge. She was in the shade, but still... So yesterday I brought her, crate, eggs and all, into the basement and set her up there. She has no other chickens around, but it's nice and cool in there. Is this a good move? I didn't want hard cooked eggs and a dead hen...

Also, I have eggs that I really need to set today (in an incubator). The 'bator is all ready, and I have another one that's full and due to hatch Sept. 27, but I am SO WORRIED that we might have a power failure. Has anyone experienced a power failure when incubating eggs? Any input on these topics is welcome. These will be my first hatches, and Megan is my first broody hen, and I want to do right by her. The eggs I want to set today were shipped to me, and delivered yesterday. They candle clear, but there is a chance they got started developing in the heat yesterday, during the delivery process. So I want to set them and hope for the best... If you've read this far into my ramblings, thank you for listening!

Betsy

 

[perchie.girl]

Okay, it's on my calendar too. I will figure out shortly what I can bring, but at a minimum I will bring a dish to share. May have some unusual colors of Silkie chicks, depending on what hatches, and might have a raffle prize. I DO have a roll of tear apart raffle tickets, if those would be of use just let me know.

Now, here is the DRAMA OF THE DAY. It was 109 degrees here yesterday. I have one broody hen, 9 days on her eggs, sitting in a little plastic dog crate and of course she won't budge. She was in the shade, but still... So yesterday I brought her, crate, eggs and all, into the basement and set her up there. She has no other chickens around, but it's nice and cool in there. Is this a good move? I didn't want hard cooked eggs and a dead hen...

Also, I have eggs that I really need to set today (in an incubator). The 'bator is all ready, and I have another one that's full and due to hatch Sept. 27, but I am SO WORRIED that we might have a power failure. Has anyone experienced a power failure when incubating eggs? Any input on these topics is welcome. These will be my first hatches, and Megan is my first broody hen, and I want to do right by her. The eggs I want to set today were shipped to me, and delivered yesterday. They candle clear, but there is a chance they got started developing in the heat yesterday, during the delivery process. So I want to set them and hope for the best... If you've read this far into my ramblings, thank you for listening!

Betsy

First of all WOW you have a basement..... in California..... Anyway good move for the broody. this heat wont last thank goodness.

WRT the eggs in the incubator. If its a 1588 you can run it off of the battery in the car. They make power cables that plug into the cigarette lighter and there is no conversion so it wont suck your battery dry. Also if you have another brand of incubator you can just buy a power converter that plugs into your cigarette ligther and then plug your incubator in to that. Though if its really hot out you might not want to put your incubator in the car. Maybe an extension cord to the garage? Last time our power was out for about eight hours just run the car every couple of hours for ten or fifteen minutes.

deb

 

[LavendarFeather]

First of all WOW you have a basement..... in California..... Anyway good move for the broody. this heat wont last thank goodness.

WRT the eggs in the incubator. If its a 1588 you can run it off of the battery in the car. They make power cables that plug into the cigarette lighter and there is no conversion so it wont suck your battery dry. Also if you have another brand of incubator you can just buy a power converter that plugs into your cigarette ligther and then plug your incubator in to that. Though if its really hot out you might not want to put your incubator in the car. Maybe an extension cord to the garage? Last time our power was out for about eight hours just run the car every couple of hours for ten or fifteen minutes.

deb

Thanks for the information, that's a great idea! I have a 1583 Hovabator and a Brinsea Eco 20. I will call my BIL and see if he has one of those cables-LOL, I will have to use an extension cord and hook up two incubators if the power fails! I'd better go make room in the garage.

As for the basement, we lucked out on that. It's just one little room, and the back wall is bedrock. The house is built into the side of a hill, so it's a walk-out basement. I have a little dog enclosure attached to it, and it's supposed to be for my Chihuahuas. But right now it's for my mama chicken.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Ahhhhhhh, Deb's full of it.......good advice that is I'll put you down on the list. Bring the raffle tickets too. Thanks!

 

[mxschwartz]

Hi all.

Sorry I've been away.

Anyone looking to sell/unload any pullets that lay green, blueish, dark brown, etc.....please PM me!

Michael

 

[LavendarFeather]

First of all WOW you have a basement..... in California..... Anyway good move for the broody. this heat wont last thank goodness.

I was trying to post a picture of a California basement with a chicken living in it, but for some reason I can't seem to post pictures anymore...it says it's uploaded, but I can't see it. Maybe when I hit enter it will show up. SO if this post has three identical pictures, that's wy (sorry!)

 

[perchie.girl]

For those who don't know I don't live where my chickens are. My home is sixty miles from El Cajon in Jacumba.

I try to go on Sunday Tuesday or Wednesday and Friday.

The past weekend saw Huge thunderstorms with clouds that dumped their rain in Flash flood seconds. Last Sunday I arrived in the middle of a rain storm. Rushed through feeding Katee and the Cats and found the chicken coop to be a soggy mess. All the chickens were pitiful looking the Silkeys were wet mops. There is a dry place to get when it rains but apparently they were too busy arguing between themselves to care. Those Silky Roos are a hoot.

Then I went to feed and I was completely out of feed and the chicken food was all wet too so I had to dump it. I wound up feeding every one scratch because it suffers getting wet easier. And if it stays wet it sprouts for the most part. So I get everyone fed and stumble out. That was last Sunday.

About the heatwave that started on Friday. I left here in Santee it was 110 degrees and went up to the house to feed Katee her last bale of sale hay and brought up some Lay pellets for my chicken crew. It was very nice up there around eighty with a cool breeze. I fed Katee but noticed her water was half empty. NOT a good sign. Usually a sign that the big water tank went dry, and it Should not be. I checked and the goat water was down too. Dang. That was when I noticed chickens all over the goat yard. ***??

They were happily scratching about and doing chicken y things doodle dooing. The little blue hen was being pursued so she flapped her little wings and flew about ten feet to get away.... All happy normal. chicken behavior. But This is not something I did when I left. Or so I thought. But I must have left the door to the coop just pulled shut and the goats must have muscled it open. Of course their food was gone. Scratch is like Goat Crak.

So the best solution was deal with the water first. I figure the illegals are coming through and turning on a faucet and leaving it on. OR I have a broken irrigation pipe somewhere. So I am not equipped at the time to deal with it so I just switch the hose over to house water. House water had been a temporary fix till I got the booster pump fixed but it has proven to be helpful to the point where I am going to set it up on a switch so that I use big tank water most of the but can turn a valve to switch it over to house water in a pinch without having to move hoses about.

When I went in the gate to the goat yard I left the gates open so the goats can entertain themselves outside and go eat some weeds. It gets them out of my hair. Last I saw of the goats they were heading into the desert..... I waived and said "Good By.... Write if you can find work" LOL All I have to do is shut the gate and eventually they catch themselves one at a time. I load up the shopping cart with lay pellets enough to feed everyone. Each feeder holds twenty five pounds. So here I am pushing a shopping cart full of Goat crak through the hay that accumulates near the gate. So I have to both push and pull the shopping cart through the yard. Next on my list a cart with big wheels.

Of course the chickens were following me. I get to the coop and its all pretty dry in there. All the waters were needing dumping so I worked my way through the guinea Coop dumped the water and rinsed the tub out. House water pressure is soo nice. Then I filled their feeder. Then I did the water and feed in the loose bunch pen. Everyone went in to eat and I shut the door.

Now was time for the Welsummers. Just as I opened the door to their coop to let them out a bit I noticed one of the Welsummer hens that belonged in the other cage. Oh well they all look the same no big deal. I dumped cleaned and fed and rehung their feeder. Then I put them all back in the cage including that errant hen. Gawd you'd a thought I had put an alien in their midst. Poor little girl. I sat and waited but the Hen pecking never ended till she wound up hiding under the feeder. I went in hoping she would stay there and scooped her up locked the coop and sat down to see if I had gotten her. Yep everyone was happy eating and drinking. Those Welsummer Roos are soo handsome.... I cant wait till their tail feathers grow in. (long story)

So my little Wellie hen goes back in with her mottly crew and everyone was happy. And in this whole process I find out I have a human aggressive roo. The barred rock. He'd flog me every time I had my back turned. I know it was because they were out but he was showing those tendencies toward me from the first week I had him. No worries here I know how to deal with one and started staring him down today and giving him a chase every time he gets near me. These are the first ones to defend the flock so I will not dispatch an aggressive roo.

So That was Friday. Tomorrow I go back up and see how everyone fared in the past couple of days.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
You have to do it through the tools on the BYC editor. If you have a url link then cut and paste in the url image down load space. If you have one on your desk top you have to choose your computer and it will offer a space to browse your computer.

looking forward to seeing your pictures.

deb

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I need a stiff drink after hearing about your day Deb!! You sure have a lot to handle on your own. I guess I won't complain about the wind any more.