Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[Cheeky Chick]

My shoulder is a mess from all the raking, etc. Don't tell my surgeon!

Lots of people here on the thread raise silkies. They'll know what to do with keeping them all together or not.

That brings me to my current chicken problem. Lavinia is 3 weeks behind the bigger chicks and will be 3 weeks ahead of the next batch. She's bonded with the bigger chicks, but they're getting to be big enough to go out to the hen house - in their own separate area. I can't possibly send Lavinia out there, but she'll freak if I leave her alone. What do you all think of keeping one of the bigger chicks with her in the house and sending the other two out to the coop? Blanche sort of watches over Lavinia, so I'd keep them together. Or should I have the ever agreeable Bobby build a bigger brooder box to keep everyone in here until Lavinia is ready to go out to the coop? Since there are 15 eggs in my incubator at the moment, I think I should go with the bigger brooder box no matter what.

I should go to the thrift shop and see what I can find. Maybe a small bookcase that I can lay flat with the shelves out...

I like the idea of at least one indoor brooder buddy for Lavinia until she's old enough to go outside. Sounds to me like you will definitely need a BIG brooder when the next generation hatches!!
All that chickie goodness. Lucky girl!!!

 

[Cheeky Chick]

Hmmm, possibly bobcats?

Both live in NY. I'd be more afraid of Bears up there. They are hungry and get really bold. It's spring, so now the mama's have cubs-the mamas are some scary, nasty bears.

Cougars or Bobcats can be chased away by dogs. Not so much a bear.

 

[smkchick]

Both live in NY. I'd be more afraid of Bears up there. They are hungry and get really bold. It's spring, so now the mama's have cubs-the mamas are some scary, nasty bears.

Cougars or Bobcats can be chased away by dogs. Not so much a bear.

You've never met my dog.

(Ask Donna or Heather)

 

[stoopid]

I don't understand why you think Vin is a problem when you KNOW someone that has every size chick available for a sleepover?

 

[ChickenAl]

We did some of the finishing touches to the coop today, plus I cleaned up the yard and finished planting the vegetable garden.  Here's what the coop looks like at this point:



I still have to paint the door (dark green, which is what my house has) and add the sign I'm making.  The plants in the window boxes are greens for the girls.

We've already decided to add another 80 sq. ft. to the run on the left.  We're going to go around the corner and over 10 ft. or so.  There's a birdbath/fountain in the corner now (not hooked up) and I think we're going to keep it in the run.

While we were at Home Depot getting 2x4s to start the run expansion, I left Lavinia in the brooder with the big chicks.  The were actually dust-bathing in the shavings and letting her participate.  When I got home they were all up on their "training roost", including Little Miss Lavinia. Too cute for words!

Suzanne, Bobby gets an A++ in construction for that coop! I am totally jealous.

 

[stoopid]

Al, you're not the only jealous one!

 

[ChickenAl]

No sorry you are wrong! The DEC says there are no Mountain Lions around here so really what you and soooo many other people say is completely factually incorrect. Nothing to see here... move along people. Nope, no Mountain Lions at all.

The DEC lied. Many years ago the used to say that the northeast mountain lion was extinct and the sightings were false or the were ones that got away from private owners. I was a bit instrumental in getting the state to admit they introduced them into the wild. They first denied a sighting of a dead one on I-84 I reported to a watch group, then a year later I sent photograpjic evidence to a magazine and the state had no choice but to admit it. Danbury Connecticut schools have even closed because of sightings, and that is right next door to NY.

If I can find the link on the net I will post it here. Had to be 10 years ago. They still deny bears live here, and when one gets hit by a car they scramble to come up with some wild explanation. I really believe they don't want a lawsuit against the state for not protecting the citizens. They've even put radio collared wolves in upstate NY.

 

[stoopid]

Hey -

I put together two videos of a chickadee nest in my yard and the baby chicks meeting the big hens.

I counted 10 eggs in the chickadee nest - 10!

This is the chicks first time outside, we only had them out there for an hour while I scrubbed down the brooder box since it's still chilly out here.

I also found these two videos on YouTube on butchering a chicken, not that I'm planning on doing it myself anytime soon, but I found it helpful in the sense of understanding their anatomy better.

Too cute! I watched to the end, even though I was getting motion sick...

 

[smkchick]

I don't understand why you think Vin is a problem when you KNOW someone that has every size chick available for a sleepover?

Are you telling me Lavinia is Vinny?

(She does have some big feet on her, but I tell myself it's to support that big Orpington fluffy butt.)

If it's a roo, it will be Leon or Lyle, because Vinny is my ex-husband...
Chick sleepovers. Interesting concept. Does it include little chick sleeping bags? Up peeping past bedtime?

Lola just flew out of the brooder box. Bobby says the baby will be trying it now.

If I do move Mabel and Lola to the coop, I will leave Blanche behind with Lavinia. She's the most "patient" with her.

 

[Cheeky Chick]

The DEC lied. Many years ago the used to say that the northeast mountain lion was extinct and the sightings were false or the were ones that got away from private owners. I was a bit instrumental in getting the state to admit they introduced them into the wild. They first denied a sighting of a dead one on I-84 I reported to a watch group, then a year later I sent photograpjic evidence to a magazine and the state had no choice but to admit it. Danbury Connecticut schools have even closed because of sightings, and that is right next door to NY.
If I can find the link on the net I will post it here. Had to be 10 years ago. They still deny bears live here, and when one gets hit by a car they scramble to come up with some wild explanation. I really believe they don't want a lawsuit against the state for not protecting the citizens. They've even put radio collared wolves in upstate NY.

They claim no BEARS?? Well, then that was a mighty big squirrel on the porch of my SIL's house in Roundtop. I shoulda just thrown out some peanuts, and we could have had a picnic.

Maybe the "Northeast" mountain lion is in actuality a "Midwestern" mountain lion that made a right at the Erie? The Gov't needs to stop trying to lie, and just inform people what they;ve got living in their yards. If people are aware, they can protect themselves. "Forewarned is forearmed" as far as I'm concerned. I live here on the Island. The most dangerous creature out here is a runaway bull from a local farm. Then again-I think the deer tick is probably the scariest.