Surviving Minnesota!

[lvie]

Good Morning Chickeners . . . . . . .

Funny question only in that my 24 year old Step-son was asking me this question just this last weekend. I said five. Now I have the full scoop and can up date him today when he comes to work some more.

Update on Rosie - the damaged hen. Took a good look at her last night and her breast is healing nicely with a scab about the size of a quarter now. She has been out of her kennel since last Saturday where I made sure she got plenty of water and if she wanted it, high-protein crumbles. She is bright-eyed and struttin with the rest of her flock.

The Gold Comets are six weeks and have been in the coop, covered and enclosed for winter, for two weeks now. I have brood lamps on for heat for them and chicken wire separates them from the main flock. This last weekend I eliminated all waterers except one which is half on their side of the wire and half on the big flocks side so that they all drink from the same source. Additionally I raised the bottom of the chicken wire so that only the chicks will fit under it and they can come out or stay in but the other hens cannot go into the chicks enclosure. I read about doing that somewhere a long time ago.

 

[duluthralphie]

I have a 7 year old SS that still lays an egg occasionally.

Just got back from Grand Forks yesterday. I waved to ya'll as I changed planes in Minneapolis. I froze the whole time. It was 90 when i left Memphis. I should have met Holmes & brought Mr. T back with me! Ralphie...why haven't you picked him up yet?

Life happens and I need to have him become WEGBY. I cannot get him until he finishes all the paper work for that. However, I do not want him as much as I did, I have kind of changed my direction on turkeys. I am going to try and hatch more APA birds and less colored ones. That does not mean I do not want him, I will hatch some colors, but I am finding my non-Porter birds have better confirmation than my Porter birds.

That is not a knock on Porter turkeys he just goes a different direction than I think I want to go, also the loss of Ethel has taken a lot of the colored poult fun from my wife and myself. She was more pet than livestock. (I know R2Elk is not taking this well, with his feelings on turkeys imprinting on humans.)

I am trying to figure out if I can get my Turkey hens to lay fertile eggs in January with lights. The winner at the show last weekend was a hatchery turkey out of Texas. The owner got the turkeys in January somehow. Those couple months make a huge difference over local birds.

 

[duluthralphie]

Good Morning Chickeners . . . . . . .

Funny question only in that my 24 year old Step-son was asking me this question just this last weekend. I said five. Now I have the full scoop and can up date him today when he comes to work some more.

Update on Rosie - the damaged hen. Took a good look at her last night and her breast is healing nicely with a scab about the size of a quarter now. She has been out of her kennel since last Saturday where I made sure she got plenty of water and if she wanted it, high-protein crumbles. She is bright-eyed and struttin with the rest of her flock.

The Gold Comets are six weeks and have been in the coop, covered and enclosed for winter, for two weeks now. I have brood lamps on for heat for them and chicken wire separates them from the main flock. This last weekend I eliminated all waterers except one which is half on their side of the wire and half on the big flocks side so that they all drink from the same source. Additionally I raised the bottom of the chicken wire so that only the chicks will fit under it and they can come out or stay in but the other hens cannot go into the chicks enclosure. I read about doing that somewhere a long time ago.

I have to admit, I am surprised your Hubby allowed the hen to stay in the bedroom with you two. Did he build the poop board for the bed or did you? I am glad she is healing. When do you think you will move her outside again?

 

[jerryse]

Ok time to tell on myself before I start work . Yesterday on the roof when the sun warmed the synthetic tar paper it got slippery . Surprising how fast a old man can stick his heel in a gutter to stop the slide .

I then went barefoot for better traction .

 

[duluthralphie]

Ok time to tell on myself before I start work . Yesterday on the roof when the sun warmed the synthetic tar paper it got slippery . Surprising how fast a old man can stick his heel in a gutter to stop the slide .

I then went barefoot for better traction .

That could have been bad, at our ages we do not bounce as well as these "kids" do. I am glad you caught the gutter!

 

[I Love Layers]

yes, i have heard the same.   If i heard yotes that close to the house you can bet I would be locked and loaded and out the door.  last thing i need is a pack of coyotes tearing up my flock and farm.

Yeah they're more intimidated by a 110 pound dog. I would see them killing anything under 70 but not something that big. And it's in her blood to keep them away and possibly pick fights. The Great Pyrenees is known to actually kill coyotes sometimes.

This is what I imagine our Great Pyrenese "Yeti" does all night long. He certainly barks enough! He also has a partner in crime "Kepler" who is half GP and half yellow lab. We haven't had wild animals in our yard for quite a few years. Even though Yeti is new to our farm this February as a pup. He turns one Dec. 6. Love that dog.

X2 these coyotes were the closest they've been in 2 years, since we got Maya. But I'd rather have them here then a mountain lion..

 

[KlopKlop]

Ok time to tell on myself before I start work . Yesterday on the roof when the sun warmed the synthetic tar paper it got slippery . Surprising how fast a old man can stick his heel in a gutter to stop the slide . I then went barefoot for better traction . 

No joke! I used the synthetic too and it is essentially like the woven blue plastic tarps. Slick when wet too! Glad you caught yourself!!

 

[lvie]

Quote:

I will repeat that to him when I cook the breakfast eggs this morning. Perferably as he is taking a swig of coffee. I will need to clean up the coffee spewed about but it will be worth it.

Repeat - She is bright-eyed and struttin with the rest of her flock - end of repeat.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
Amen to that bouncing part! I have a story for you - yep - it will take some reading. Once upon a time - when I was young - maybe 58 to 60ish - I climbed on many, many roofs to check for hail damage. In the course of this endeavor I met with many, many insurance adjusters to get the roof covered for the homeowners. For those that do not know roofs are measured in 'pitch' for their steepness. I know many of you know that but some do not so it was pertinate to the story. The ramblers with a low roof are most likely a pitch 4. Fours and five pitch roofs are normal. eights are getting up there.

I met with an adjuster that told me this story. He had two young men he was training to do insurance adjuster work for an insurance company. One day they came to a home that had a pitch on the roof of a ten. Very steep. The adjuster was wearing 'Cougars' which have a sole that grips the roof surface. They purchase those because that sole can be replaced as they wear out quite quickly. The two trainees had on tennis shoes. The ladder was propped and they ascended to the roof. Carefully climbing the ten pitch roof to the peak he sat them on the peak in a straddle position. He told them to sit there and write down the measurements of the roof he would measure and call out to them. As he did so he found one slope lead down to a four-pitch roof over a porch. He was not real happy because he had told the two to scope out the house and place the ladder in the most accessible area of the roof line. After measuring the roof he had to get these two trainees off of the roof and the ladder was still in its original placement. He diligently told the trainees to stay on the peak of the roof, he would go down to the ladder (easier for him in his Cougar boots) climb down and move the ladder to the four-pitch porch roof and then he would call up to them to proceed over to that side of the house where he would be holding the ladder in place for them to come down. He is just about to the ladder to descend when he hears a body tumbling down the roof toward him. The body crashes into him, thereby stopping that trainee but sending the adjuster over the edge crabbing the ladder as he went. He told me that a person can have many thoughts and prayers in a matter of seconds. He is holding onto the ladder on a two and a half story fall - praying - sure that this is going to hurt bad - when the ladder catches on the house next door about ten feet above the ground. He fell to the ground, only ten feet, and got right up to finish the rest of the day. I do not think the trainee ended up in as good a shape after the adjuster got through with him. Honest Story!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

That could have been bad, at our ages we do not bounce as well as these "kids" do. I am glad you caught the gutter!

As Yukon Cornelius said, "Bumbles Bounce."

I will repeat that to him when I cook the breakfast eggs this morning. Perferably as he is taking a swig of coffee. I will need to clean up the coffee spewed about but it will be worth it.

Repeat - She is bright-eyed and struttin with the rest of her flock - end of repeat.

Ivie glad to hear the little RIR is back on track. So tough....

My first birds are 4 1/2 years old. Sylvia, Marigold and Lily are left. ...and I think Dixie the bantam silkie is about their age too. I got her from Minnie as an adult bird. But I think they were same year as my others. Sylvia will lay a clutch of eggs every spring and late summer sometimes....although she didn't do the late summer clutch this year.

Teal Carhartt arrived yesterday....it's perty.