Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Chaneys Ranch]

The snow is beautiful but a lot of work!! We got only about an inch and then it was washed away by rain.

The chickens went into their coop today. I actually decided to put the babies out too (tho they aren't such babies any more). I figured it'd be better to put them all out at once so nobody felt it was "their" territory. The older girls adapted right away and started searching for the scratch and mealworms. The little guys hid in a corner for about an hour before they came out. But last time I checked they were all mingling together.

They looked so big in the brooder (which is why I moved them) but no so small in their coop! I'm so glad they have more room now!!!!

Congrats! I am always a worry wart when they first go out, but so glad to get the brooders empty!
Leaving the incubators shut off till February I think. Need a break for a while.
I was given a pekin drake yesterday, so I have 2 boys for 6 girls finally (YAY)
Big beautiful boy, and my oldest hen was flirting the second I set him down!
I have known Molly at least 2 years, and her birds are super clean and healthy.
We swap a lot so I knew her flock is safe to add to mine.

 

[chickenlindz]

Yayayaya everyone survived the night! I was so tempted to bring the little guys back in because the older girls were sprawled out under the heat lamps while the little ones were huddled next to the cold wall. But I held my guns.... And it go cold last night!!!!
But this morning when I went to check on them they were all up and mingling!!!!! No signs of stress!!! So they all got some sratch and mealworms for breakfast!!!

 

[lindz8504]

Hey everyone. You guys have been busy!
Beautiful snow pictures Cheeka!
Yay on the moves!
How are your parents jchny?
Ok Are you still out there or did Roger revolt and have you tied up as a hostage?

Not much going on here chicken wise..... I started and finished my Christmas shopping this weekend. That was Crazy! We didn't get the kids any toys at all but I think they will be happy with what we did get. If not there is always next year! I'm not doing any more!

 

[BullChick]

How my chickens managed to spill their water this time is beyond me! I hope I have the problem solved this time!
Shadow the rooster was chasing Moron. Moron is a great husband, but a woos! I blame them for the spilled water.
Does anyone remember the show "Doc" with Billy Ray Cyrus? I was just watching it, and the patient had Celiac disease. The airing was 5/11/03. Alllllllll those years ago, and we are only changing the stock on grocery store shelves now? I admit to learning a lot of things thanks to that show (and a lot of farming things thanks to Farmville). Anyway, I thought it was interesting that it is still so unheard of.
This morning while I was playing with the waterer, I heard a commotion behind me in the nest box. A Leghorn was trying to get in with a Partridge Rock. The Rock scooted out, and the LH went in all the way. I saw her standing on the roosting bar for a few minutes (like 5!) and when I went to touch her, she jumped down to reveal a Golden Comet.

 

[cheeka]

CLindz, congrats on the merge! love it when things work out smoothly!
lindz.

finished??? I've only gotten for my parents and my younger brother. I still have way too much to do!

nah, i'm happy for ya. and sure the kids will be very happy!

lol MC! I miss spending the afternoons with my gang. i worked til dark again. so dangerous to be delivering in the dark. even with flashing lights.

Celiac has been known about for many decades. but they thought it was rare, (1 in 30,000, when it's really 1 in 122) so it was unheard of by the gen pop, and certainly there was no special preprepared food like today. in the 1940's-1950's more documentation was made about "Celiac Babies" than ever before. we who have the condition, are all born with it. but a large percentage don't show signs or symptoms at birth. those that do STINK! I'm not being mean here, it's a distinctive smell, like seriously rotting fermented fruit. I was not a Celiac Baby. I would have been of the percentage who showed first symptoms in my 3rd - 6th decade of life. I had symptoms when I was younger - symptoms that they now know for a fact indicate Celiac, but they didn't know this stuff in the 70's... but I got severe food poisoning in my 20's. bad clams. E Coli and Hep B. took me 7 months to recover, but I did - I beat the Hep and have anitbodies which makes me immune. phew. anyway, because of the food poisoning, the Celiac activated years early. it took a very long time to figure out what was wrong. I got food poisoning in summer 1988 and learned about Celiac in winter 1991 The packaged food was a curse worse than the disease. I just went without until I met old BH. He convinced me that in all the years that i'd gone without... it was more prevalent and talked about, certainly improvements had to have been gained... so I started trying stuff. some was just dreadful still, and some was unbelievably unrecognizable from it's gluten counterpart. Funny, old BH is out and I've kind of retreated to my old ways... I don't remember to buy the bread (or I just won't pay $7 for a half size loaf...) I didn't eat bread for almost 20 years... no biggie.

taking another zero for the egg count today... I'm sure the waterers froze by 3. it makes me sad that so one is here to make sure they get fresh water if I'm stuck working late, or to give them a snack... (not sad for me - with the exception of Mylee, I don't want company. I'm too grouchy and set in my ways. sad for my cluck clucks... yes. I need a chicken nanny.

 

[lindz8504]

Lol Cheeka. It helps that we only buy for our kids.

 

[suzMEchicks]

Hi-just started reading and hope it's ok to chime in here and there. New. Those pictures of snow look like my house. Sunday I got up at 4 to shovel a foot of snow before going to work for 6am. Today I cleaned up the 6 more inches we got through Sunday. My chickens are not pleased with the snow. I open the door to the coop and they all say No Way Man!!! I'm afraid it's gonna be a long winter.

 

[chickenlindz]

Welcome suz!!! If you didn't start at the beginning go back in your free time!!! It's a riot! Rodgers been missing for a few days... Probably causing some kind of trouble!

Wish I lived closer cheeka! I'd be a chicken nanny! Thankfully I live close to a good friend also with animals so if I ever need someone besides DH I have a lifeline!

 

[SullyD]

Hi All, So nice to read all the new posts! Cheeka-do you have electricity in dome? How about plugging in a birdbath heater to keep the water from freezing? There are also heated water buckets (sold for horses) that work wonderfully and use very little electricity. Just some thoughts.

How long should you wait to hatch eggs from new layers? I am itching to play with some genetics! My olive eggers lay pink eggs, and my pure Ameraucana lays more green than blue eggs, but my CL's lay pretty blue ones. Once the Marans start laying, I can make my own OE's. I hate waiting for them to get to POL though!

 

[cheeka]

nope, no electricity in any of the pen areas. I have one heated waterer, that I will set up, but I have to use a 100' extension cord from the front garage to the dome. I have no easy way to run a heated anything in the back pens. My normal schedule should allow for me to be back home before it freezes or at least not long after... but work has been getting in the way a lot. it's going to be quite cold for the next several days, but then we will have a warm up ~ 45* predicted for Sunday! that will feel like a heat wave compared to the 2* I'm experiencing tonight.

I'm done in. stayed up way too late. g'nite

and Welcome suz!