Surviving Minnesota!

[jerryse]

I got to say thanks for the tip on add blocker plus . I tried it and I like it . I now have it on all 3 browsers . I can now use FireFox again without problems .

 

[KlopKlop]

I forgot to tell you I found a bird I thought I no longer had last night.

When moving the BA's to their breeding pen I just grabbed the black birds, without really looking at them.  I carried over Blackie first, suffering the horrible bite, then went back for the hens. I carried the three hens over.  I thought I better check the coop, but I think that is all the hens I have.

I looked up in the rafters (you know, where my birds roost) and I saw another black bird. I used my net to pull it close to me and examined it. I thought I had lost this bird. It was my Black EE. I have no idea where she has been or why I have not seen her in last 6 months. I assume she just kind of stays in the background or I glance at it and assume it is my BA's.   But the cute little pea comb was pretty obvious.   I carried her over to the new coop anyways,   a bunch of black EE's would be cool.  I am assuming I can tell her eggs from the BA's. If I cannot she will go back to the regular coop. I wonder if she is EE/BA crossed.  Body wise she is way smaller than the BA's.

She was not happy with the move either, but at least she never bit.


What's everyone going to do in this cold wind?

Today is a good day to be inside. I would suspect my flock stays indoors today too

 

[duluthralphie]

Today is a good day to be inside. I would suspect my flock stays indoors today too

It has dropped 10 degrees since I first looked at the thermometer.

 

[jerryse]

It has dropped 10 degrees since I first looked at the thermometer.

It should be close to 60 here again today . Tomorrow the cold returns with some snow .

 

[duluthralphie]

It should be close to 60 here again today . Tomorrow the cold returns with some snow .

That was yesterday here.

Right now I have 13.

 

[KlopKlop]

That was yesterday here.

Right now I have 13.

Mercury is falling here too and the wind is howling. We hit our high temp for the day at 6am

 

[Dandelioness]

Good morning, everyone.

Holm - Congrats on the new calf! I have to admit, I pictured an udderless cow for just a second, too. Momma Cow looks much happier than that "just waiting" pic you posted a while back. Maybe you can get a snuggle picture some time this week for us LOL Hope the rest of the herd will follow suit and calve well.

My coop cleaning the other day was so great, we even got a little hot and were working in our t-shirts after a while. For some reason, my guineas and silkies had been roosting in my nesting boxes. I have been experimenting on getting eggs with no lights this year - experiment failed, BTW - so I haven't bothered moving the guineas at night like I normally would. But lately, everyone but the silkies have been on the roosts, so I scraped out those nest boxes really well, limed them, and added fresh bedding to them, adding a few clusters of golf balls to give them the idea. As I was puttering around with other things, one of my Cinnamon Queens sat in there and started doing the thing where they kind of coo and pick up feathers and bedding and sprinkle it on their backs to make a nest. She actually didn't lay, but other hens kept walking in and eyeing the nest boxes, some sitting in there and settling for a few minutes before hopping back out. I think I'm going to start getting a decent amount of eggs soon. I get 2-3 per day right now, but I have an egg eater. Part of me wants a game cam/security system pointed toward the nest boxes, but the sensible person in me knows I'd just sit and watch the birds all day - bona fide Chicken TV.

Ralphie, I'd almost take that broody, but you know how they are when you move them. I don't know what I'd do with chicks right now, but I had a few little broods hatch out under a mama hen last year and I really enjoyed watching them take the chicks all around the yard and go all kung fu chicken (would that be kung pao?) if a dog or cat didn't keep their distance.

Klop Klop - I haven't figured out how to tag people, but I had asked in a buried post how you store your bulk feed. I have old fridges I use for bagged feed, and I keep some in galvanized trash cans. But if I ordered a ton or so, that would be a lot of trash cans. Just wondering how you keep it from the mice and such.

Well, it was a nice couple days of pseudo-spring. Back to reality as of yesterday. I'm looking at the wind blowing outside and trying not to turn Eeyore. I think I'll get my seed starting supplies in order and maybe dust off the incubator.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Woo hoo!! First calf of 2016! I think its a heifer considering its so small!

I know that these calves are often called Black Baldies. But has anybody else ever heard of Bracco-Faced Black baldie? Describing the Black spots and black around the eyes. Dad always had Black Baldie calves with the Black Angus Bull and Hereford Heifers. But they never had the black spots or eye spots...etc...on the face. And when I lived out west my good Friend's folks raised cattle and would have the black spots on the face --she called them Bracco Faced Baldies. I'm sure I remember that. But not sure of the spelling on Bracco. I'll google.

Edited to add that the correct term is Brockle-faced referring to the black spots on the face.

I have a hen that's not feeling well and I don't want to cull today especially in the cold wind she's one from shipped eggs 2 years ago, none of those were ever the healthiest birds.
Going to the chiro again today.

Sorry to hear about losing a bird ,....soon. Never an easy task. And don't blame you for waiting with the wind gusts out there. I love going to the chiro...I have to say. Feels so good afterward.

It should be close to 60 here again today . Tomorrow the cold returns with some snow .

I'm jealous Jerry. It's 4 degrees now with a -17 Windchill. It goes right to the bones ...

 

[duluthralphie]

Ralphie, I'd almost take that broody, but you know how they are when you move them. I don't know what I'd do with chicks right now, but I had a few little broods hatch out under a mama hen last year and I really enjoyed watching them take the chicks all around the yard and go all kung fu chicken (would that be kung pao?) if a dog or cat didn't keep their distance.

I do not want to get rid of her, ever. She is one of my nicest chickens! I just want her to forget about being a mommy right now. She can be a Mommy in July if she wants.

Right now her job is to just ovulate and give me an egg a day!

I am really excited about the black EE. I might have my own experiment like Jerry has, see If I can produce a blue egg laying black bird. I already have the white blue egg layers if I can keep the white sport line going.



Beings you are now experienced in spring coop cleaning you could come over here and put on a seminar for others.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I got my first egg of 2016 from the BLRW on Saturday. She must have liked that Sunshine!

And February 27th is the latest I have ever needed to wait for an egg in the year!!! Usually its beginning of February. New Hens are definitely on the radar for this spring.