Silkie thread!

[destiny_56085]

Colie <3 :

My goodness sakes, you poor woman!! You have a 5 week old? How on earth do you even have your sanity enough right now to get on the computer and actually talk intelligently with us??

I was still out of my mind with sleep deprivation when my son was 5 weeks old. Even when he wasn't crying (which wasn't often lol) I'd still think I heard him crying it was literally ringing in my ears

I've wondered how having another baby would work out with my birds, sounds like you're swinging things a lot better than I would be if you are still hatching and such. I seriously think I'd have to take a long awhile off wowzers! Very lucky you had you're mom to help, I can't even imagine dealing with all my birds pregnant and I have less than 30! Just had to pick my jaw up off the floor and say Hats off to you!!!

I can definitely relate..... Kaylie will be 6 weeks old on thursday. She has a nightly ritual of throwing a temper tantrum from about 8pm til midnight at least. She doesn't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at once yet. My birds and horses are the only thing keeping me sane right now. I am cleared to go back to work this weekend from maternity leave and can't wait to get out of the house. This whole week has been spent taking advantage of the only free time for a while. All the bird pens and brooders got stripped and thoroughly cleaned. Birds bathed, getting a bit of riding horse in when the weather cooperates, and massive spring cleaning in the house too.

As long as I had the camera out tonight, I snapped pics of the rugrat too.

 

[destiny_56085]

I posted those auctions for the 2 pastel silkie pullets just now. I know Jen (ultasol) has 2 more of these girls too. Here are the links:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=492458

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=492460

 

[destiny_56085]

*duplicate post BYC was crazy last night

 

[destiny_56085]

*ditto

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Colie <3 :

Since you brought up DE in your experience will it help with odor? I'm trying to keep things dry as possible but my coops are in my backyard and some parts of the runs get wet when the sprinklers turn on not soaked but yeah it stinks if I'm not scraping out the shavings and replacing them weekly. I'm not really sure what to do...

Also anyone have any ideas of cockroaches? I'm in a neighborhood where they come from other people's yards I guess. I have Terminix spray my house but not my yard because of the birds. I'm seeing roaches in the runs and since my silkies are refusing to use their ramps (UGH!) they are sleeping in a pile in the run and I'm seeing a roach here or there literally crawling underneath them at night

Somehow they didn't get the message that chickens like to eat bugs lol either that or when they roaches are out they are just too sleepy to care.

FINALLY someone whose chickens react the same way mine do with cockroaches!

Try Sweet PDZ for drying. I prefer the granular form, and I much prefer it to DE.​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
I can definitely relate..... Kaylie will be 6 weeks old on thursday. She has a nightly ritual of throwing a temper tantrum from about 8pm til midnight at least. She doesn't sleep for more than 2-3 hours at once yet. My birds and horses are the only thing keeping me sane right now. I am cleared to go back to work this weekend from maternity leave and can't wait to get out of the house. This whole week has been spent taking advantage of the only free time for a while. All the bird pens and brooders got stripped and thoroughly cleaned. Birds bathed, getting a bit of riding horse in when the weather cooperates, and massive spring cleaning in the house too.

As long as I had the camera out tonight, I snapped pics of the rugrat too.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d196/destiny_56085/100_0659.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d196/destiny_56085/100_0664.jpg

She is absolutely adorable!

If you still need help keeping your sanity, my house would love a spring cleaning (heck ANY cleaning) visit

 

[destiny_56085]

Quote:
FINALLY someone whose chickens react the same way mine do with cockroaches!

Try Sweet PDZ for drying. I prefer the granular form, and I much prefer it to DE.

In the past I've used play sand mixed with a little Fresh Step Kitty litter. Smelled great, stayed nice and dry. I was able to just take a horse manure fork and rake it a couple times a week to remove any clumps. I had also tried some of the cheaper clay kitty litters and sand too but they were just too dusty for me. DE and similar products bother my asthma way too much to use on a regular basis. Our winters dip down pretty cold and deep shavings are needed then.

 

[Teresaann24]

Quote:

 

[destiny_56085]

Quote:
I may be a bit wierd, but I actually enjoy cleaning. I love the smell of fresh shavings and lysol. I also get a sense of accomplishment too.

Haha She's still a little diva and can turn into a screeching bundle any time. I escape to the barn and 24 peafowl, 10 guineas, 100+ chickens, and a donkey are MUCH quieter than her. For some odd reason I can handle the smell of animal manure, but a lil kid's diaper has me absolutely gagging.

Maybe it gets easier when they aren't so helpless....

 

[destiny_56085]

Quote:
No. Aks 10 people and you get AT LEAST 15, if not 20 variations. Some of my birds are on shavings; others have wire floors; some have a choice or either/or; some are on sand/dirt. Coop sides vary from wire to screen to wood; most of my coops have at least two kinds of siding. For what it is worth, the ones whose foot feathers stay the nicest are the ones on pure dirt (well, there were shavings added a couple of years ago, but not much left as "shavings"). However, they are in a HUGE horse stall (15'x30'). Hay occasionally drifts over the "wall" to litter their "floor."

It also depends on the individual pens. Certain birds are crest dippers and always look like crap, some of the boys are super rough and all their girls will never be in condition, some colors can't be in direct sunlight or they bleach.....

I give my babies plenty of room in the growout pens. I pull the cockerels to a separate bachelor pen as soon as I can tell sex. On the adults, all my pens are separated by color. When the incubators are off, I separate the males out of the pens to give the poor girls a rest. Good nutrition, don't overcrowd your pens, and keep things clean..... After chores are done, take the time to just watch and get your hands on the birds too. You can catch problems before they get out of hand. Some like wire cages, some like huge outdoor pens, some only like tiny breeder cages big enough for a pair of birds. Some people only clean their pens twice a year and some are in there daily. Some people never medicate their birds and others overdo it. Its not rocket science... You just have to find what works for you.