Sdwd

[Serrin]

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I would my dear, happily provide photographic proof, except for one little tiny detail......the pump house....is.....

..... A MESS!! I'm terribly embarrassed to say. Nobody, will ever get to see the inside of this place! Ever! No exceptions! So don't even say another word about it! Not. One. More. Word!

You'll just have to take my word for it girl. The two of them are having a ball together!

Lisette is following Chief around like a kid sister or something. Chief just takes it all in his stride. I'm so proud of that boy! A week and a half without the companionship of his girls and he hasn't tried even one single silly stunt with her! He's such a gentleman, and a very gentle man, if you know what I mean! I think I'll be able to trust him with even newly hatched chicks come spring. He's going to make an awesome daddy some day!

I just know it!

 

[kathyinmo]

Amy, In my experience (not alot, I know), I have found the roosters to be better with chicks than other hens. The roosters are very protective of the little ones as well as the mama. Heck, I even put chicks with a rooster to raise (black Silkie) when the mama decided she had had enough. He raised them, too!

 

[kathyinmo]

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The price of feed is just crazy, isn't it! I have to say, I have cut down alot with downsizing. I was using a full 50 lb bag a day. I am down to about 100 birds now, so less feed. BUT, I have chicks now, and they won't stay little for long!

Molting .... I still have a couple Delaware girls molting, but they are finally looking a bit better. Everyone else finished up a few weeks ago. I have a black Jersey Giant girl that looks really nice with her new feathers.

 

[NellaBean]

A rooster who is bad with chicks gets the boot here pretty fast. The roosters tend to help keep the peace when I integrate birds....and are always very nice to the "younguns".

Went out to strangeness tonight in the garage brooders. One had the light out......I swapped the bulb out and there was a lot of blood splatter on the waterer which is very nearly underneath the light. I assume there was a big fight in there and they crashed into the light and killed the bulb in the midst of it. But none of the birds were bloody. One had a funny looking eye, but no blood on its feathers. SO STRANGE.

I dosed with corid just in case. Bummer, because I had planned on finally separating by sexes tonight, which would free up a brooder. Sigh. Maybe next week?

 

[kathyinmo]

Colder than a well digger's patootie here!

Currently 10* and the high was 16* today. I about froze my fingers off doing chores today. I just can't do everything with gloves on, so I take them off several times. So cold my fingers hurt. After dipping to 0* tonight, it is suppose to get up to 30* tomorrow. I closed up all the windows and ventilation for tonight in the coops. I rarely do that. Less than 2 dozen eggs today, and I think at least a couple of those are from new layers (Coronation or Light Sussex). Happy I got a blue egg 3 days in a row though!

Throw another log on the fire, friends! Keep warm!

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

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Hey, my Mom always used to say that when it got really cold! Now I say it a lot.

 

[Braclin]

Lawd it sure is cold here. brrr.

 

[NellaBean]

Whoo boy, this storm just keeps on kicking here. No new snow....however the 5-6" we got on Monday are all STILL HERE. Oh, I lie. About half an inch melted making a nice sheet of ice on the driveway and walkway. Stupid snow.

We don't usually get 'severe' weather here so this has helped me plan out my year a bit. Having that nice coop for the mottled cochin flock has been SO NICE.

I am going to build another 4x8 coop. Right next to the current 4x8 coop. Then I can split my big rooster pen in half. Each "half" will get a 4x8 coop and a 8x24 pen.

Here is the current coop.

It butts up to my "big coop".

There should be nearly exactly another 8 feet left to make another "twin" coop that butts up to IT instead.

Then I have my 8x8 pen with the damaged hoop top. I'm going to tear down the damaged hoop...remove that extra 2 feet of wire....and then rebuild a bigger and better hoop for that pen. 3/4" instead of 1/2" pvc, a few more hoops and a wooden brace at the top and posts on the end of the brace to hold it up. No more storm issues!

That same pen currently has a little rabbit hutch in there for a "coop", I have been wanting to build a small coop, very similar to the 4x8 coops above, on the backside of the coop. It will be approximately 4-5 feet wide and 3-4 feet deep.

That will give me 3 coop/pens for any smaller groups that need to be separate. And then my usual 'big coop' that uses the 1/2 acre fenced yard as a "run".

The only "major" thing that needs to be done in that coop is to finally replace that piece of plywood on the front. It was put there to cover the opening I left for the external nestboxes. However, I changed my mind and just use a single litterbox in there and the main nestboxes in the garage where its easier for me to collect them. So that piece of plywood can finally be removed and boarded up properly.

My small tractor will be used for my "extra" blue mottled cochin boy. His coloring is so strange I am going to try crossing him one on one with one of the mottled girls that is overly marked.....the babies should be "interesting". It's also perfect for isolating an injured bird, a broody with chicks or an extra rooster.

That will leave my big double brooder shed in the garage.

and my double brooder unit in the garage.

They will be used for injured birds, broody hens or chick growouts, as needed.

I will also have my double brooder in the carport. I will probably sell this or move it to the garage. It currently is used to house birds that are sold and waiting to be picked up.

I also have a moveable "broody hutch". It is currently empty and the mesh on top is broken (dropped a bale of shaving on it, oops) and needing to be screwed back on. It will be used as a backup isolation pen.

Alright guys, any projects or plans for the upcoming year?

 

[Braclin]

I need to build a pen/house for the turkeys and one for my Cochins. I need to work on the legs of my outside brooder because they are weak.

 

[Yard full o' rocks]

My projects are DONE...finished today.

Updated/upgraded all the brooder pens to include the backup light in the event the main one goes out (I think I shared those pix), finished the second one today.

Built 2 "breeding pens" that look almost identical to your tractor Janelle, complete with a 4ft x 6ft run

Gonna spend most of my time this year on breeding and raising chicks. I have 2 large coops (6ft x 8ft x 8ft tall), each attached to an outside run and one 4ft x 6ft x 8ft tall coop attached to an outside, then 2, 4ft x 4ft grow up coops/with runs....

I'm done buildin'......time to fill 'em up and enjoy 'em