Surviving Minnesota!

[psladky]

Also r u going to breed for SOP?? If so I would get a different drake. Once you have that white head gene in the birds it takes awhile to get out of a flock. If your breeding for meat or pets its fine to have but at shows u can get docked major points or be disqualified.

I don't think we are going to show them. The kids are young and I don't know if they could handle them. I would love to know more about the SOP for them though. This is all very new for us, but something we would like to stay with.

 

[lvie]

Psladky, welcome to the thread. There is much to be learned here. Some of it is worthwhile. You are not at the end of the earth, but you might see it from there. Canada is another planet.

Holm, as a Muscovy expert what can you tell us about her ducks? IV would lose her ducks to Mink, Otter and Raccoons along the river. Ducks are interesting but messy and don't do well without water, which makes keeping them in winter a PITA.

Actual Muscovies with their carbuncles are an exceedingly ugly duck IMHO. There are some respectable looking ducks which are very good egg layers.

Yes, I definitely have all three of those also. My DSS hunted duck on the river this past year and took 12 just from our little plat of land. I don't think I like wild duck. But still, I felt sorry for them. We will see how many duck and geese come back this year. I won't like it if we don't have any because he shot them.

 

[holm25]

You muscovys are beautiful. What are SQ lines? My muscovys aren't to messy either, they aren't a "in the water duck" like our magpies were. They go in the ponds but most of the time they just come lay up by the patio door in the summer. My husband wanted them to raise for meat, but that thought is no more. We love them too much, I couldn't do it. They are the friendliest ducks, they meet the bus in the warmer weather when the kids come home, and just hang out. 

Thanks! SQ is show quality. I want some more but I havent decided to get some yet. I do have some wonderful Pekins and the ducklings from the pair are alot bigger than the parents and they r both hens. I culled two VERY NICE chocolate drakes. They were AMAZING quality. I should have sold them instead of butchering them. But they didnt fit into my breeding plans... They had some pied action on their head but other than that thye were nice. The top pics were the oldest they got and the rest r younger pics.

 

[duluthralphie]

I just come in from freezing my butt off!

What is with the weather? We have had some colder days that seem warmer than today again. It must be the wind and the clouds. It feels like it is 40 below....

 

[jerryse]

The Seabrite cross .

This is my second peanut egg this week .

Here is a odd color . I have called them smokey in the past . Only happens when I mix Lavender and dominant white . This one makes me think wheaten was hidden in the black .

This is the older Seabrite mix pullet .

 

[KlopKlop]

chicken tv in a different way . She doesn't like politics and neither do I

In good news her bum really cleaned up well and the prolapse went back in! We will see if it stays in. There was a little scabbing so I softened with warm water then I pushed it back in and she relaxed. Yay!

I suspect she laid a soft shell egg and it broke as it came out and she pushed hard to get it out or an egg stuck to the wall of her tube. Hard to say. I am going to keep her in another day or two and hold food until tomorrow. She has access to water with vita mix.

 

[NathanZee]

But you have to be in the pic with them!! I should have said selfie with your favorite bird!

That's the hard part. Set up the camera, line up the ducks (impossible), try to get the geese to close their bills for the picture (just as impossible), get the chickens to not fly away, and get myself in the picture.

 

[lvie]

Okay. Dumb confession time. Embarrassed but if this helps another chickenier it will be worth the telling.

Dropped the DH in Zimmerman this afternoon to meet with DS for a fishing weekend in Detroit Lakes with other guy friends. Have fun DH.

Returned home, got busy sewing a quilt top. A nudge keep telling me to go get the last egg of the day, check their water and just make sure that, in general, everything was okay in the run. Took out a bag of garbage and passed the coop and noticed that a heat lamp was on. It seemed warm out so I thought that was odd and added it to my list to unplug it. Dropped the garbage in the bin, rounded the corner of the Rapunzel Building and smelled a fire burning. I thought "Oh someone is going to have a campfire tonight." Opened the run door and noticed a little smoke. I thought it a little strange that there could be smoke in the run. You know how fast the thoughts go through the mind. Then I noticed a heat lamp laying on the floor of the run and that the pine needles were smoldering. Of course I quickly unplugged it, picked it up, stamped out the smoldering with my snowy boot and gave thanks to my creator that He nudges me so persistently. NEVER thought that MY heat lamp would fall from a hook. Not too shook up about it. I figure that I want eggs. The Eagles like my chickens. No chickens - no eggs. So a newer bigger run is built to keep them safe. Now, its gonna get cold again. Don't know why that heat lamp was on because it wasn't cold enough to be using it. Hmmmmm. But they will have to learn to use their coop to warm up their little bodies in this next, and hopefully last, cold spell. No chickens (because they have been roasted) means no eggs.
Live and learn and that heat lamp falling happened so very easily.

One more story. When my now 13 year-old grandson was 22 months he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I went to all the classes to learn how to take care of his needs (remember - he's the one that loves needles because a pump is initially more painful to insert although it does not need to be done daily - thank heavens). He and his older brother would come spend weekends with me. Brave parents, but they needed a break from the stress too. I always slept with them and ALWAYS that same nudging voice would wake me up and tell me to check him in the middle of the night. He was always going dangerously low whenever I checked him. This kid did not wake up for anything. Many a time I was rubbing frosting on his gums, as he slept on, to bring up his blood sugar.

I guess I am fortunately blessed to hear that nudger when it nudges.

 

[holm25]

Okay. Dumb confession time. Embarrassed but if this helps another chickenier it will be worth the telling.

Dropped the DH in Zimmerman this afternoon to meet with DS for a fishing weekend in Detroit Lakes with other guy friends. Have fun DH.

Returned home, got busy sewing a quilt top. A nudge keep telling me to go get the last egg of the day, check their water and just make sure that, in general, everything was okay in the run.  Took out a bag of garbage and passed the coop and noticed that a heat lamp was on. It seemed warm out so I thought that was odd and added it to my list to unplug it. Dropped the garbage in the bin, rounded the corner of the Rapunzel Building and smelled a fire burning. I thought "Oh someone is going to have a campfire tonight." Opened the run door and noticed a little smoke. I thought it a little strange that there could be smoke in the run. You know how fast the thoughts go through the mind. Then I noticed a heat lamp laying on the floor of the run and that the pine needles were smoldering. Of course I quickly unplugged it, picked it up, stamped out the smoldering with my snowy boot and gave thanks to my creator that He nudges me so persistently. NEVER thought that MY heat lamp would fall from a hook. Not too shook up about it. I figure that I want eggs. The Eagles like my chickens. No chickens - no eggs. So a newer bigger run is built to keep them safe. Now, its gonna get cold again. Don't know why that heat lamp was on because it wasn't cold enough to be using it. Hmmmmm. But they will have to learn to use their coop to warm up their little bodies in this next, and hopefully last, cold spell. No chickens (because they have been roasted) means no eggs.
Live and learn and that heat lamp falling happened so very easily.

One more story. When my now 13 year-old grandson was 22 months he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I went to all the classes to learn how to take care of his needs (remember - he's the one that loves needles because a pump is initially more painful to insert although it does not need to be done daily - thank heavens). He and his older brother would come spend weekends with me. Brave parents, but they needed a break from the stress too. I always slept with them and ALWAYS that same nudging voice would wake me up and tell me to check him  in the middle of the night. He was always going dangerously low whenever I checked him. This kid did not wake up for anything. Many a time I was rubbing frosting on his gums, as he slept on, to bring up his blood sugar.

I guess I am fortunately blessed to hear that nudger when it nudges.

Oh my that was close! You r a great grandma... Even when grandkids dont say that they r always thinking it

Grandmas have the amazing ability to make everything better

 

[The BlanchRanch]

101 posts? Good job. I will be at the International Motorcycle Show all weekend. I am at the Ton-Up booth if anyone is planning on coming be sure to stop by and say hi!