Sdwd

[rancher hicks]

Hi all,

GJ I forget you're in Franklin, where my DB and his are. I haven't heard from him and a while but being in AL I'll have to call DW to get his number.

Things in NY are fine according to DW. Only thing had me worried is the sump pump and an outage of power. DW can handle herself. Not an easy thing to find in a pretty woman.

I have no idea how I got so lucky.

Kathy your birds look just like mine last I saw them. Feathers everywhere but on the birds.

There's a regular chicken auction here and I'm going to try to get to go to it at least once.

Cynthia , I rented a car and you're only four hours away so don't be surprised if I knock on your door. Shoot I've drive that are to Jody's in PA.

 

[crazyhen]

rancher hicks,
Be careful at that auction. I lost my first flock after buying a healthy looking Astrolorp. She started sneezing junk in one wk and infected my first flock. i did not know about quarantinning them then for a month. Even then they can be carriers. Now I make an issue of only buying day old chicks from healthy flocks whose ft have never hit the soil. So far so good that way. Only one other time have I had problems, neighbors birds attacking mine through the fence and getting on top of the wire run introduced MS. I lost that flock too. I will not take chances any more. The stray chickens disappear. Unfortunately the wild birds I can't do anything about. I love them anyway.
No more hens even from Npip flocks. They are not tested routinely for ms/mg or for being carriers of staph. I have mine tested and have a clean flock now. Usually I hatch my chicks when I can. Sometimes I get chicks from Kathynmissouri or joletabye. It is interesting to look though. Gloria jean

 

[rancher hicks]

Oh don't you worry. I'm in Alabama and I ain't buying nothing to take home. I keep a closed flock due to the good advice I got on this forum. I just want to go and watch. I don't even let people who come to my place go near my birds. I don't keep sick birds if any do get sick. Which is rare. No sense bothering with them. I work toward a hardy line. I just don't have time to play nursemaid.

If a bird doesn't seem to be fitting in I give her away. No sense letting her get tortured. Had a RIR getting picked on. Moved her into the Dels and she was fine. Grew all her feathers back and looks real good.

I have certain breeds I like and stick with those. Aussies were nice but I prefer others. You gotta choose, ya know. There are just to many to choose from.

 

[crazyhen]

I don't have a lot of chickens, only 13 right now for winter. Just a pretty laying flock and one roo to hear him crow

If you can call this new wheaten ameracuana male crowing at 20 weeks. He has not come into his own yet. I will use him in the spring with my bcms hen to give me ,I hope, some olive eggers. I have about one of each kind of hen right now but two Delawares. Next Spring I will add some more Old German NH and some SLW. I just want my pretty birds to look like they are suppose to look or close to it. I try to get a few really nice ones out of the eggs and new chicks. They already give me more eggs than I need. I give away lots of them. I love my hens. Gloria Jean

 

[kathyinmo]

I hear ya, Gloria Jean! I love mine, too. It is just so entertaining, and relaxing, to sit out in the yard and watch them. I love having chickens.

 

[Serrin]

Good grief! Four and a half days since anyone posted here?!? Where did everybody go?!?!?

 

[crazyhen]

Serrin

I have been so busy building boxes for my chickens big move east that I have not posted much. I both dread the move and next 5 months and at the same time am excited to be with my Mom and Daughter, GD too.
Maybe everyone got tired of politics taking over most post and are laying low for a bit. Gloria Jean

 

[kathyinmo]

I'm home! I enjoyed my visit in Iowa and went to Lincoln, Nebraska to a poultry show. Loved it, but it is sure good to be home!

Gloria Jean - You take it easy now. Don't stress your healed fracture!

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm still around. Haven't seen a chicken (in person) in days. Forgot about the auction on Saturday. Maybe this Saturday. Still in AL. Was going to drive to TX to see GS but not a route I've driven and don't want to go 600+ miles by myself.

 

[crazyhen]

Kathy,
I am so glad you are home and safe. It is cold here but the Sun is glorious this time of yr. I want to be out so bad. Its not the bone but the tendons, ligaments and nerves in that wrist and arm that's giving me fits. See, I twisted the wrist off the arm half way around when I fell. The hand was sitting sideways on my wrist area. The Dr. says I will not have full motion in the wrist even with the surgery I had. The hand bones were all mashed together. Bummer. If the pain will stop , I am sure I will do ok. I have plenty of motion room even if the wrist is a bit shorter.
On to a brighter note. How are the beauties coming? I love those pretty German NH and I want some of the SLW too. If Cloverleaf were not so far away(Oregon) I would get some of her large egg laying Faveroles too. Opps I am going to have to make more carrying boxes for next fall. This moving thing every fall is not going to be easy or the Spring one either. Oh how I wish the summers near the coast of NC were not so long, hot and terribly humid. I have an almost new nice house, flat sandy soil, lots of room and no disease ridden chickens next door to contend with. I may talk myself into enduring the summers. I love this place sooooooo much but as I age it is getting harder to live here as it exist now. No flat ground esp. If I stay here much, I will need to have some landscaping done to level the area around my doublewide. Gloria Jean