Surviving Minnesota!

[Dandelioness]

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.

Yes, I have some breeding experiments going on in my brain, too. I love the look of black hens. And buff/brownish ones. And speckled ones.

The problem is choosing just one or two to try this year, of course. So I did the logical thing and went in on a mixed assortment of heavy breeds with a friend of mine; it's from Sand Hill Preservation. I did this for my very first flock, and loved matching up the list of included birds with chick ID pages.

LOL - I might give that seminar if I knew it would get me free admission to the next shooting sports seminar! I have that droppings board now, with a thick layer of lime and sand, so I turn on some island music and get into this Zen Gardening mode haha. It looks and smells so nice in there when you're done.

 

[holm25]

Thanks everyone! That mama cow is crazy! I wish I got a video! It scares me a littke bit that I was in the pen eith her 30 minutes before she was trying to kill us! I am glad she wasnt like that when I was in there!



BC I have never heard Bracco baldy before. I have heard Baldy, Pie Bald and Pied. Interesting. I will have to google it.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Yes, I have some breeding experiments going on in my brain, too. I love the look of black hens. And buff/brownish ones. And speckled ones.

The problem is choosing just one or two to try this year, of course. So I did the logical thing and went in on a mixed assortment of heavy breeds with a friend of mine; it's from Sand Hill Preservation. I did this for my very first flock, and loved matching up the list of included birds with chick ID pages.

LOL - I might give that seminar if I knew it would get me free admission to the next shooting sports seminar! I have that droppings board now, with a thick layer of lime and sand, so I turn on some island music and get into this Zen Gardening mode haha. It looks and smells so nice in there when you're done.

I love Black and Buff too Lioness. I'm with you! Partridge Hens are nice for free ranging as well. They totally Camo up.

Thanks everyone! That mama cow is crazy! I wish I got a video! It scares me a littke bit that I was in the pen eith her 30 minutes before she was trying to kill us! I am glad she wasnt like that when I was in there!



BC I have never heard Bracco baldy before. I have heard Baldy, Pie Bald and Pied. Interesting. I will have to google it.

We used to have a few protective mothers too. One chased me when I was quite young. Dad said she could have taken me out but she just ran the dickens out of me before Dad could get between her and I. I've a healthy respect for Momma cows now...will never forget it. You can tell by your photo that that Momma is in total motion! Ha. Be Careful! eek.

I googled and it was "Brockle-Faced" Totally spelled it wrong before. They are beautiful babies. Almost like cow pandas. LOL.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Sadie is down at the vet getting Spayed this morning. Poor little thing was so nervous. She was just a-shaking.

 

[NathanZee]

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.

That hen is beautiful! What is that color pattern called?

 

[KlopKlop]

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. 

I must have missed your question.

I plan to leave the corn right on my wagon all year until it is gone. I have plans to build a rigid roof on it and my hope is that along with the resident cats will keep critters out of it. The soy meal and other feed ingredients come bagged from the elevator and I store those in small quantities in a 48" metal contractors tool box. Works well and holds 9 full feed sacks

 

[KlopKlop]

That hen is beautiful! What is that color pattern called?

BLRW is Blue laced red Wyandotte I believe

 

[holm25]

Newer pic of the new BULL calf! I was wrong! He is named Brock since he is a Brockel face Baldy

 

[NathanZee]

BLRW is Blue laced red Wyandotte I believe

Oh okay thank you, that makes sense!

Newer pic of the new BULL calf! I was wrong! He is named Brock since he is a Brockel face Baldy

He looks really cute! Good name too!

 

[holm25]

Thanks Nathan!!