Sdwd

[joletabey]

Kathy:

Rancher:

 

[speckledhen]

Fabulous news about Brittney!

Tim, sorry about the hen. No idea. I've had internal laying issues, egg peritonitis and one Del pullet who dropped dead when her heart literally blew up as she was coming into lay. One hen was perfectly great, had not been broody recently and two hours after putting them in for the night, I found her dead in the floor. No real idea what happened to her.

 

[Cetawin]

rancher I am so sorry about your girl...it could be any number of things. Heat, her heart, egg issues, an injury...who really knows when no one is acting sick or anything.

 

[rancher hicks]

Kathy glad to hear she's comming home. Hope things will continue to improve quickly.

Thanks folks for the sympathy concerning my hen. Of course after being here and reading I realize these things just happen. I'm not capable of doing an autopsy, so I will never really know. The wearther here is hot days and cool nights. Iv'e haven't been given them there treats of bread in awhile but have decided to give them a little as they all come running and I can get a good look at them then. The blasted mosquiteos have made it impossible to sit in the yard and let my eyes glaze over chicken watching. Of course I can't spray for mosquitos not only cuz it will hurt my birds but also cuz it kills the good bugs too.

On a Del side of things I'm worried the two recent chicks may be roos. It's enough to make a person lose their salvation I tell ya! I'm def not happy with the three new hens and their barring. Nor the roo chick who's running around hatched by the Del hen who went broody. It was the only one she hatched from 6 eggs. Well I've got seven eggs under a BO and she did good hatching last time so maybe she'll get all seven. I'd like to learn how to sex them as newborn then I could play King Herod and cull the roos right off. Nah, I just don't have it in me. Still I could give them away faster.

Oh and trilyn is hatching some Dels too. Well not her specifically but two of her hens. She's got 4 under a hen already and I'm saving eggs for another broody she has. I've seperated Nick and three of the WNY girls so hopefully they willl lay 5-6 by tomorrow. Got two today so far. They don't do bad for two year olds.

Well that's that.

rancher

 

[NellaBean]

What about spraying yourself for bugs? That is what I do. Quote myself liberally with some OFF and am usually "sort of" safe from the bug bites for a while. I have really bad chiggers in my yard, so I have to either spray my feet/ankles/legs every time I go out there, or immediately come in and shower. C'mon winter!

 

[Serrin]

Quote:

Will you people PLEASE stop wishing for winter!! Y'all have NO idea of what's waiting in the pipe for me this year! NOAA is saying it's going to be as bad, if not possibly worse, than the winter of 2008-2009. We had SIX PLUS feet of SNOW that year! It weren't no picnic, let me tell ya! Please! Please! Please! Stop wishing for winter!

It will get here all too soon on it's own!!

And there is just no way I'm going to be 100% ready for it. Heck, the house isn't even finished yet. I was so hoping to have the entire interior done before the snow starts to fly. I don't think we're going to make that deadline! And because of that, we won't have time to work on coops and covered runs for my babies for this winter!

Wish for cooler weather, but please, not winter!! I beg of you!!! Have mercy!!

 

[NellaBean]

I need it to get cold so the grass stops growing. who has time to mow? Not me. I got concerned about one of my little d'uccle girls yesterday........she was really gimping along in the grass. Or so I thought. Turns out she was just struggling to get through the Jungle. I have parts of the yard that are 6-12 inches tall. You should see the little bitty 1 week old chick. It has to leap through the grass like a deer just to try to make it. The 2 moms get excited sometimes and run to the top of the yard for treats and that poor chick is leaping through the jungle of grass, 1 leap at a time.....trying to catch up. Sometimes it even has to stop and try to find a different path if the grass is too thick. My mom even commented that I needed to mow as the chickens are having trouble getting through the yard. I thought she was exaggerating. Um. Nope!

I know midwinter when my feed bill is ridiculous and everything is brown I'll miss it.........but right now? My grass is shin deep and if I don't mow soon i will start losing bantams. Who needs trees and bushes for hawk cover when your grass is taller than your chickens?

 

[kathyinmo]

Tim, I am so sorry to hear you lost a chicken. I tell ya ..... this heat here is just getting ridiculous! It has been weeks now, with a rare break.

Brittney is home! YAY! ! ! She had a baby shower a week ago, up in Iowa, with the family there. So, she is now going through all the cute little gifts, clothes, and toys. She is just so cute, sitting on the floor touching all the soft fabrics and rubbing them on her cheek. My baby girl is all grown up and is gonna be a mama. (Makes me feel even older!) Grandchild # 8 coming in November...... maybe on Cyn's birthday ..... should be close anyway!

Good news .... One of my two Barred Rocks girls is laying. YAY! ! ! 4 eggs in 4 days, I believe ... very nice size, too. They are 17 weeks old. The first couple days, I wasn't sure, because I have the BRs all together (12 boys 2 girls and 1 Bantam girl, as they have always been together). I was not prepared and had no nest in there. I was thinking to myself that somehow one of the other girls must have got in there (when I found 2 eggs a couple days ago) ..... BUT HOW???? So, today I saw the pullet go inside and I waited .... sure enough, it was her! Now this is funny ............... ALL those boys >>>>> the eggs are NOT fertile !

More good news .... I found someone to process chickens tomorrow. The only locker within 100 miles only does chickens once a month, with the next date being the middle of Sept. These Cornish Cross of mine need to go now! There is an Amish store about 20 miles from me, and they process chickens! YAY .... they are gonna do 25 of them tomorrow, and 25 more next week. I really would like to do them myself, but it is just too hot and I am too slow at it. Soooo, I have to be up at 6AM to wrangle chickens. I should weigh them, just for record keeping, but I don't have the gumption to do it .......... It is too dang hot out (OVER 100* again!)

I will soon be incubating Delaware eggs. I have a few people that want some chicks. I think I will keep a few for myself, too.

Nella, I would rather mow grass than shovel snow! I hate winter! Spring is my favorite season.

 

[Cetawin]

Amy...while I can offer sympathy as I was out there for that 2008-2009 winter...I will trade you anyday. Come take this heat and humidty and I will take your winter there...I can operate a shovel, a tractor, a plow or a blower. I also do not mind cooking on an open fire. So...when you leaving to come here?

 

[Serrin]

Quote:
Ask me that again come early January!

When the snow is up to the top of the window sills, the tractor is still sitting there, stuck in two gears and unable to move, the snow blower has thrown yet another sheer key, and my last shovel has given up the ghost!

Oh, and just so you know: Just the driveway from the main road to the house is over 600 feet long. That doesn't include the parking and workshop areas, nor the chicken areas that we have to keep clear of snow! Do I still have your interest???

I dearly LOVE winter up here. Especially the snow. You should have heard me snivel and whine all last winter when we didn't even get 8 inches for the whole dang season.

I'm just worried sick about my babies is all. This flock is now 3 times the size they were last year. And having the three extra boys puts a whole new spin on things. If the snow gets real deep, and I can't keep enough land cleared for the rest of the flock to scratch around in, what am I to do about the boys? They can't be with Chief and the girls. They play far too rough and it causes Chief too much stress and frustration. I love him too much to put him through that.

If only Brutus, Little Red and CB would behave themselves outside of the coop half as well as they do when they're inside, I'd have no problems what so ever. But they are who they are. And they know how to get around the fencing of the side yard now. Can't keep them in there for the daytime. They must go in the covered run where I know there is no escaping. At least they haven't yet, knock on wood! So where does that leave the rest of the flock when the snow starts to fly? Well, either stuck in the coop all day, or scratching around on whatever little patches of ground I can keep clear of the stuff. If only I had about two extra months of mild weather. I'd have just enough time then, I believe, to straighten this whole thing out in a manner that doesn't involve re-homing the boys!

*sigh*

So, now do you see my predicament? If anyone has any good ideas, I'm certainly open to entertaining them!