Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[Harborview Hens]

I quickly went out yesterday and changed all the wood shavings in the coop so they were nice ans dry, added some herbs and chopped straw to the nest boxes, cleaned and refilled all waterers and stocked up on the food. It is so windy and gusty! I am so glad that I wrapped the run with plexiglass on the ends, polycarbonate on one side (leftover from building the greenhouse) and extra thick plastic sheeting on the last long side. When I scooch down, there is very little wind.

One of my EE, Ivy has started laying again. I am hoping that the rest of the girls jump on the bandwagon soon. I have missed their sumptuous yolks and silken flavors. This is my first year with a sand floor in the run. It worked quite well throughout the year and seems to be OK in the winter as well. I did put some straw on the far end where they like to hunker down.

FYI......Chestnut Vale in Hicksville is now carrying a Non-GMO organic feed. It is about $10.oo cheaper than the other organic brand that they carried. It is made in Vermont and is called Green Mountain. (for obvious reasons) They also have a Non-GMO and No Soy Organic feed as well. I am giving it a try!

Hope you are all doing well and keeping warm. The older I get, the less I go out in bad/nasty/snowy/icy weather. Last thing I want to do is to break something.

taying inside gives me more time to check out BYC more often too!

Carolyn....I still go and pick up my free shavings at Jonathan Arnold in Oceanside. This is still one of the best deals ever!

Some Pictures of the girls from this summer.





Happy New Year to you all!

 

[Harborview Hens]

Sorry for your loss Lalany,

You are the 3rd person that I heard of in the last month to have lost their beloved pet. It is so difficult when they leave us. I lost my sweet boy, (A white boxer) a year and a half ago. I now have 2 standard poodles that keep me busy and make me laugh. The good news is that they watch my chickens and keep them together. I never knew poodles could herd.

I hope that your new girls works out and that you heart is lightened.

Irene

 

[HippyChippy]

Wow, they turned out so pretty! I am glad they are all getting along and are making you eggs! Mine started laying again last week. Good thing too, I almost had to buy eggs. It is good to know that Chewy is on the mend. Thief? Does he steal things? Bella likes to sneak around the counters and the shoe rack. She just loves slippers and socks. Any plans for the spring? We should plan a gathering. 

I can't believe they are giving me two eggs about every other day in this weather. I don't give them supplemental heat I just give them oatmeal with applesauce or chopped apple peels. Sometimes leftover pasta heated up with cheese. They LOVE cheese. They were so funny today, I changed their water and let them out in the garden and the little ones came out in the snow and went straight back in. Then the big ones fly to the fence and Daisy (black & white) flew over the fence out of the veggie garden. So I opened the gate and she walked right back in. I picked up Buttercup from the fence she was still on and we walked behind Daisy to the run. I put her down and they calmly walked inside and started eating the oatmeal again.
Now as to Chewy... He is a pickle, he raids the garbage whenever we are not paying attention. He chews any paper, loves paper towels. And true to his name he howls at any tree with a smell of a squirrel or something on it. Lela loves to sleep in his crate and only just fits now. She is like a string bean!

I'd love to see if we could meet somewhere for coffee. Carol how about you ?

 

[JerseyHen]

I can't believe they are giving me two eggs about every other day in this weather. I don't give them supplemental heat I just give them oatmeal with applesauce or chopped apple peels. Sometimes leftover pasta heated up with cheese. They LOVE cheese. They were so funny today, I changed their water and let them out in the garden and the little ones came out in the snow and went straight back in. Then the big ones fly to the fence and Daisy (black & white) flew over the fence out of the veggie garden. So I opened the gate and she walked right back in. I picked up Buttercup from the fence she was still on and we walked behind Daisy to the run. I put her down and they calmly walked inside and started eating the oatmeal again.
Now as to Chewy... He is a pickle, he raids the garbage whenever we are not paying attention. He chews any paper, loves paper towels. And true to his name he howls at any tree with a smell of a squirrel or something on it. Lela loves to sleep in his crate and only just fits now. She is like a string bean!
I'd love to see if we could meet somewhere for coffee. Carol how about you ?

OMgoodness! that is the cutest pic ever! I think that hound nose makes the garbage smell extra yummy to them or something. Bella also likes to chew on plastic and wood. She is always dragging the logs off the rack at night. I swear a wood chipper went through while we slept.

 

[Melabella]

A very rare sight nowadays. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya: "Hundreds of wild elephants come together and migrate towards the rains. Whilst out on patrol last month, our pilots were able to capture this stunning photograph as herds of wild elephants reunite."

 

[Melabella]

 

[Melabella]

 

[Melabella]

 

[Melabella]

Sorry everyone, without my glasses I posted these pictures to the wrong thread. I can erase them if anyone wants me to. Stay safe out there, it's a _hit show! Roads are awful!

MB

 

[NYHenman81]

Hi Al,
Here I thought I was the only one in Eastern Putnam with any chickens... (just kidding) . I am just a novice in the "raising hens" Having purchased my 18 hens from TSC in Patterson in April of 2013. I only have a small lot and a small 96sf Coop... but I made a large fenced area for the birds to "play" in. My grown son, and plenty of chicken books have been my teachers so far, and I recently joined this chicken website to learn more....and I am! !

I don't seem to have the predators that you mention except for the Red Tailed Hawk... One got into my hen-run this fall and tore into one of my "babies"... I ran up where there was the commotion and chased it off, my hen lost a huge amount of feathers but was ok... the rest huddled in the coop. ... My biggest problem was Rats. (They live in and around the swampy area across the street and visited my hen house during last winters col weather... I declared war of them and to date have not seen even a trace of one... well, gotta go, best of luck to you from Carmel...Al (also)