I found a lighter than usual egg under the roosts today. Not sure if I have an Easter egger laying or if Kirby just isn't feeling well. Her face and butt smell like death, so I gave her an Epsom salt drench last night, I need to do it again but do you know what its like to get a chicken to drink a whole ounce of fluid?
Eight kooks a dancin,
Seven nuts a squating,
Six birdbrains bokking
Five fools are faking,
Four.... Still........Won't.........Lay
Three heifers striking
Two I can't say
And the same sucker feeds them every day (that be me)
Well I killed a snake that made a meal out of one of my broody's eggs today. Hatch day is tomorrow so I hope the remaining 7 didn't get jostled too much. It is a late laying day today. At 2oclock I only had 1 egg. I just went back down and there is 7 more. The new chicks are pecking at the 3 sal favs pullets so I have to go put more stuff on them. I put Nustock on them last night and about knocked myself out trying to catch them. I'm going to take back up this go around.
I have watermelon and leftovers to share with them this afternoon.
Well I killed a snake that made a meal out of one of my broody's eggs today. Hatch day is tomorrow so I hope the remaining 7 didn't get jostled too much. It is a late laying day today. At 2oclock I only had 1 egg. I just went back down and there is 7 more. The new chicks are pecking at the 3 sal favs pullets so I have to go put more stuff on them. I put Nustock on them last night and about knocked myself out trying to catch them. I'm going to take back up this go around.
I have watermelon and leftovers to share with them this afternoon.
there are always more snakes behind that one, the best advice I have is to lock her up tight behind a cube of 1/4" hardware cloth. Or even screening with very secure edges, but the hw cloth will also protect against rodents and minks/weasels.
Howdy everyone! Back from trip #2 for this summer. My brother came to watch the critters while we were gone and all is well. Chicks have grown quite a bit and the mamas were tired of being in their separate pens, so I let them out into the general population of the bantam coop. So far, so good, but I have been watching like a hawk all day to make sure. Just stopped in to catch up, say hello, and take a break from the 96° yucky degrees outside. Working on a mountain of laundry too!!
Howdy everyone! Back from trip #2 for this summer. My brother came to watch the critters while we were gone and all is well. Chicks have grown quite a bit and the mamas were tired of being in their separate pens, so I let them out into the general population of the bantam coop. So far, so good, but I have been watching like a hawk all day to make sure. Just stopped in to catch up, say hello, and take a break from the 96° yucky degrees outside. Working on a mountain of laundry too!!
glad you're back W4W! looking forward to a good update!
it was hot, humid... horrible. and everyone was grouchy. Max took a good swipe at me - he's like a mosquito. annoying
seriously... while Max was being a dink... Royce came bustin' over - Max took off, but I dared not move for a good number of seconds. I truly believe that he thought what Max did looked like fun. I know Royce so well... he would have taken a swipe at me if I moved.
so, I very slowly reached around behind me, and got hold of my trusty rooster stick. (old ski pole) and put a good length of distance between us.
it's got to be the heat. even the hens are sparring. not really unexpected... that's Finnia Foster, aka Big Broody and Blu B'ree, a Dome Leader.
Clash! I said "Cut it out!" and they both looked at me, and went their separate ways. s'funny, the bantam boys will quit it if I say so too... it's pretty rare that I have to step between them anymore. seems to be more a display for the hens now... a lot of jumping and flapping and virtually no connecting. these two hens definitely connected! but it was just the one time. '
other than that, it's been a quiet day. too hot to do too much. it hit 92° with a dew point of 70% so the humidity is oppressive, the air quality is bad... can't move without breaking a sweat type day. I put a little tub of water in the shade just in case I needed to soak any of the heavily feathered babies, but most of them were smart enough to get under the pines, in the cool soft earth and stay there...