Surviving Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Day is a town where they honestly do roll up the sidewalks when the towns namesake is over.

Nope. There are no sidewalks in Day.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Cluckies...I bet ours from the neighbors is getting old....maybe that's what it does when its been jarred up too long. Maybe Dad's does that too.

 

[NathanZee]

Nope. There are no sidewalks in Day.

From what I read, it was doing good from 1910 to 1970. I guess now it is in the sunset time of its life.

 

[lvie]

Good Afternoon fellow chickies. Last night I put SC on a 2-hour feed schedule. She looks soooo much better today and seems stronger while flapping her wings and moving around. She filled out a little. I will keep her on this for at least today, maybe til tomorrow.

You may make jokes, tease, tell stories, attach nicknames because this is insane. I know she will grow up. She is just different after all the handling as any babe chick would be.

 

[duluthralphie]

Ivie I think you're doing great. with her. I bet you will have the tamest Creamette in the world with her.

I am not doing great. I have a lost baby Creamer in the shed. I am having some electrical work done (stuff I can't do because it involves the Power company lines being moved). They were going to turn my electricity off to my sheds for a few hours, So I went out and got Andy and his buddies to bring them in. I had a tall box to put them in when I moved them. I grabbed the first chick put him in the box and out her jumped. The rests stayed in. I covered the box and tried to run him down. I cannot catch a fast little chick amongst all my junk. He was crawling under boats, important things I have stored, under tractors, behind washers and dryers. through bikes. I chased him for about a half hour until he gave me the slip.

I doubt I will ever see him again until he starts decaying in the spring and I find his remains.

I have set up a heat lamp for him, as soon as the electricity comes back on, I will move Andy and the guys back out there and hopefully he will be attracted to there noise and I can catch him.

Then I candled an egg that was not hatching. The Air sac was large and had slipped to the side. (I hate when that happens) it is late in the hatch so I carefully opened the air sac. The membrane was heat shrinking to the chick. I carefully removed it and tried to help him and I screwed up, I hit a live membrane and it started bleeding. I think I killed it. When the air sac slips to the side they just never seem to make it. They either die in the shell or I they die when I help them...


My day so far... I have just a few more eggs to hatch, but after killing the one I am done helping for today.

 

[Rhetts]

Ralph- i would have the hardest time trying to not help the chicks out of the shells. And the little one running from you....I can't even imagine how hard it would be to catch. Hope he finds his way back.

The snow looks so beautiful today. Sticking to the trees; they look like a Bob Ross painting. I love watching Bob Ross. Just amazing how he can make such fantastic paintings in less than 30 minutes.

DH and I were chatting yesterday about how to better set up our farm to minimize calf loss to wolves. I know it happens, it will suck big time, I want to make it as little as possible. I have heard about many cattle farms around me that lose calves every year, one lost 4 in one night! Bonnie Jean will be fox/coyote/wolf bait probably her whole life I am guessing or at least until her horns grow in. Ah yes, the life of a farmer is never without work is it??

I am having the hardest time in my coop this winter. I am about losing my mind. I realize I just have too many birds in the coop for winter time and they are taking it out on each other. I will have to split the flock up this summer or reduce before next winter. I am hoping once they get out of the coop out in the pasture these bad behaviors settle down some. Or I might just have to take out the hatchet and do some clean up.

Just some random ramblings from me on this nice snowy day.

 

[duluthralphie]

Thanks Rhetts.. It is hard. I try to sit on my fingers, but when I see one that I know will not hatch, I try to help. BUT realistically only 1 in 10 of those live.

 

[Rhetts]

 

[Rhetts]

I have barn envy!!

I can only imagine how beautiful this was in its glory days. These pictures are the neighboring property. The land is caught up in a trust I hear and has been for eons. Do you think I could convince them to donate it to our growing farm??

 

[holm25]

Ralph- i would have the hardest time trying to not help the chicks out of the shells.  And the little one running from you....I can't even imagine how hard it would be to catch.  Hope he finds his way back.  

The snow looks so beautiful today.  Sticking to the trees; they look like a Bob Ross painting.  I love watching Bob Ross.  Just amazing how he can make such fantastic paintings in less than 30 minutes.

DH and I were chatting yesterday about how to better set up our farm to minimize calf loss to wolves.  I know it happens, it will suck big time, I want to make it as little as possible.  I have heard about many cattle farms around me that lose calves every year, one lost 4 in one night!  Bonnie Jean will be fox/coyote/wolf bait probably her whole life I am guessing or at least until her horns grow in.  Ah yes, the life of a farmer is never without work is it??

I am having the hardest time in my coop this winter.  I am about losing my mind.  I realize I just have too many birds in the coop for winter time and they are taking it out on each other.  I will have to split the flock up this summer or reduce before next winter.  I am hoping once they get out of the coop out in the pasture these bad behaviors settle down some.  Or I might just have to take out the hatchet and do some clean up.     

Just some random ramblings from me on this nice snowy day.  

Yeah its near impossible to keep wolves away... We have been sweing a single set of GIANT canine tracks around the cows lately... Wolves wouldnt have a chance trying to get a calf here... The second those cows see something they dont like they stampede right for it. And the calves are never left without a babysitter. Our milk cow always stays with the calves even after the adults leave. But I guess you bever know! We use the SSS technique here... I think u all kbow what that is...