Surviving Minnesota!

[Minniechickmama]

Here's my Dixie Doo looking pretty good. Trying to encourage the Littles to come back under the Hydrangea bush. LOL.


Mushrooms are growing in my yard after the rains the last few days. These little red ones caught my attention on the way down to the coop. I thought they were wild strawberries at first. but they weren't obviously. My next google will be to see what these are.
Edited to say these are Hygrocybe cantherellus. or Waxcaps commonly known as...





And some photos of the pullets, June and Patsy. An EE and Welsummer from Minniechickmama. I could look at these girls all day. We have been spoiling with mealworms again. They are such charming girls. I hope to get more photos of the Illini here soon. Enjoying coop digs most likely. LOL. Bless them.

It is funny how leggy a few of those Black EEs have been this year. It makes me curious who the momma is with those ones!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Funny. Minnie she seemed short on her legs to me, LOL ....compared to the Wellie anyways. She is hilarious. The buckeye was charging Dixie again this AM. And she came strolling out of the hydrangea proud of herself. Well then little June Jumped and flew out of the bush as if to jump on the big Buckeye's back and it scared that big buckeye away. Hahaha. So much character and protective of her Foster Mom now too. I wish I would have grabbed another EE chick out of the brooder like her...but I knew I had Jerry coming up too... The coop is officially full.

Ivie. Don't send up the press. If I don't care for it then I wont know when or how to get it back to you. I'll watch garage sales too or something. Thank you for your generosity in doing that. I think you should road trip with Ralph though...just saying.

 

[Cluckies]

Ever heard of this before? We adopted 2 4 week old chicks from a friend who could not take care of them because their mom was taken by a Fox or coyote. We put them in the pen with the 11 week olds and adults, but provided them with numerous places to hide in that the bigger chicks could not get to. They did get pushed around a bit but the pen is huge with all sorts of trees and bushes and space so it was going ok. At 5 weeks the chicks started sleeping in the coop instead of their safety kennel. But they are still picked on a bit. One of the chicks is brain damaged. She was found frozen and unconscious one morning late May when she was a couple days old so my friend put her under momma and she revived but she is definitely special needs. She doesn't really forage well and wanders off a lot. Anyway, back to last night. She is six weeks old now, and still really doesn't get how to survive. When I went to the coop to lock everyone up she was cuddled up next to a broody silkie/Cochin who is about to hatch out 7 eggs (hopefully today). The broody was completely ok with it. When I went to let them out this morning she was still cuddled up next to the broody! Would a broody adopt a special needs 6 week old chick and raise it with her babies? That would be awesome because this chick needs all the help she can get. She is so sweet....loves people. She runs to everything big that moves, dogs, people, wheelbarrow....and wants desperately to be picked up and cuddled. She is a real nuisance because she doesn't get out of the way. Once I accidently raked her up...anyway, I hope momma broody adopts her and doesnt kill her once the chicks hatch. She is our little sweet pea and having a momma for an extended time might increase her chance of survival.

oh! Gosh that is so sweet... I hope she adopts her and takes care of her... My heart melted.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

DS and I just had a 2 hour lunch with Jerryse and his bride and Ralphie! Funtimes. DS says: "Wow, I felt like I was in science class. Jerry and Ralphie are so smart with the chicken genetics."

Got to see some beautiful CLB Rooster and the White Sport Roos too. Wow....!

 

[duluthralphie]

I am home again, As BC said it was fun times, I could have stayed hours more but I needed to get back here in time for my chores.

I learned a ton from Jerry, He took my rooster that should not exist. The one with the weird Pea comb, he assured me it was a pea comb though. I dare not say much on the CLB thread it drives them nuts. If you know chicken genetics 2 single comb birds can only produce a single comb bird, so says the Punnet square. This one has 2 single comb parents and it has a pea comb. The people on CLB thread keep insisting both parents were not single comb. Those of you that have seen my breed separation during hatching season know there is no way that could happen. Unless it was an immaculate conception.

Jerry pointed out on the CLBs while they are single comb, the small comb could allow a pea comb to hide in the woods, which makes sense except out of 300 plus chicks this year more than one should have a pea comb. This was the only pea comb of the 60 some roosters I have left... Or he pointed out it could be a spontaneous mutation. Either way it is cool, but not something I want in my breeding stock.

Other that the comb I think the rooster is pretty good looking, but I will need to hear Jerry's critique of it to know for sure.

I sold some chicks on the way up to a woman that has bought from me before, she looked at the white sports and fell in love with them. Which is good, as I really like them, I like them more that the CLB for looks. They have a graceful look the CLB's seem to lack in my humble uneducated mind.

I have the white sports moved into a cage in the main CLB pen. The CLB pen is my most sturdy from a coyote attack, I am not going to risk them being in the quarantine pen if he comes around. I am going to need to get the Dom's out of there too, Besides I need to ready it for Mr T's arrival.

I should let Holm tell you, but I won't, I will spoil it for him, on the way home I got a call from the USDA Vet ( this is the lady Vet JJ fell in lust with).. She told me all of Holm's birds tested free and clear of any diseases and I can bring Mr T back here now!.. I am so excited over adding his genetics to my flock next year! I will let Holm tell you all he went through for me to get Mr T if he wants.

The USDA Vet told me Holm's has a great setup and she likes what he knows and does with his birds. So he gets a standing ovation from me!...




And the best part of the day was Lunch at Patrick's in Longville! BC bought and paid for lobster for all of us with champagne. We limited ourselves to 2 drinks each.


You should have come with Ivie it would have been worth the 5 hours in a car with me and 3 chickens.......maybe...





Oh and I forgo to mention Jerry told me the edible mushroom I found was not what I thought I had....so therefore edible may not apply to it..

 

[Bogtown Chick]

You know me. I spend tons of money on my friends. LOL.

Anyways today after work I went down to the coop and spent time with the two blue and the lavender Ameraucanas--The Illinois girls. I think I have them charmed with mealworms and scratch. We'll see what tomorrow brings. The leader of the 3 seems to be the barred blue--Hattie. Pearl the lavender figured out the mealworms in 2.5 seconds. And the shyest of the 3 is Miss Kitty (big puffy cheeks-Blue) She barely got anything. I got some pictures here.


Pearl-Lavender Ameraucana. She just glows.


Hattie--Blue Ameraucana. You can see some barring in her feathers and especially the tail.




Here's Kitty scared to death. LOL.


More of Pearl.







Getting Braver....I guess Kitty did stick those cheeks into the mealworm bin a couple times. !

 

[Bogtown Chick]

What?

Where is everybody? It's shaping up to be a rainy day here today already. I see overcast skies...

Hope it's a good one every body!

 

[duluthralphie]

I was out waiting for a coyote that did not show. The wind is directly from the south here and I figured it was going to be a waste of time. For a coyote to come into the buildings we need to have a wind from a northerly direction.

 

[I Love Layers]

I was out waiting for a coyote that did not show.  The wind is directly from the south here and I figured it was going to be a waste of time.  For a  coyote to come into the buildings we need to have a wind from a northerly direction.

I don't wait for coyotes anymore

The last time I did my dad and I were waiting for it to come back and finish the calf it had killed the day before.
We were on a knob in a brush patch, the wind was in our favor. And perfect conditions at about 250 yards it would be an easy shot.

We waited and waited some more, then my dad looked at me and said I have to pee, so he got on his knees and looked up and 15 feet behind was the coyote

So he told me to slowly hand him the rifle, as soon as the coyote saw it it ran onto the top of a hill so we couldn't shoot...
That's why I've taken to trapping now

 

[lvie]

Ah good morning Chickeners and a beautiful morning it is. Lottsa indoors work for today while the sun shines outdoors.

As you all know there is no lack of work to be done - always - we must be busy, busy, busy.

I have been to Patrick's many times in past years. I had friends, John and Mary Sanford, that lived on Woman Lake exactly nine miles from Longville and nine miles from Hackensack but they are both gone from this earth now. I still miss them. I probably would have scrapped everything from my calendar to go with and it is always easy to say that the day after. It would have been fun.

And the french press? I really do not want it back. Its worth the try. I still want a stove top stainless steel coffee pot. I will go, again, and look on the internet as I did not look hard enough yet. And today will be working indoors anyway. Windows are open in the basement. I have jeans on and sometimes a light coat as it is freezing down here. DH wants the AC running. Pick your battles and this one is not worth the effort to me. So I am in my dinky little basement with the windows open to warm it up down here. LOL.