Surviving Minnesota!

[lvie]

I hope ya all had a wonderful independence day! I went to the Delano Parade for the first time. Two of my sons and their families went also. My son was walking down the street looking for a place to sit and getting a little frustrated. I guess he remarked to his wife that he was ready to quit and just go into Chanhassen when a lady told him he could sit in her yard. When I got there and introduced myself to this homeowner I laughed with her and said way to get the specific people she wanted to sit in her yard. Hand pick them. She made a comment about people just come and plop down, don't watch their kids and leave their garbage all over so she gets to pick it up. She invited us back for every year and gave her number to one of my daughter-in-laws to confirm with her when we are coming each year and how many. LOL. The people ya meet.

Then, when I finally got home and was feeding the chicks and gathering my eggs, I got a new egg. Its so small and cute. A person forgets those beginning little nuggets. It is almost pink. Would Regina, at 21 weeks, lay a pink egg? The next group is 18 weeks and those are the SS. Would they lay that early? They just do not seem ready. The little California Whites are interested in the nesting boxs and Regina has been checking them out for over a week. IDK who it is. But I will be watching.

Broody SS? I think I would like that and then not purchase chicks anymore and let them do the work. What are the chicks fed when they are hatched and have a mama? Chick feed? How would they know to eat that rather than eating the layer feed?

 

[Cluckies]

Then, when I finally got home and was feeding the chicks and gathering my eggs, I got a new egg. Its so small and cute. A person forgets those beginning little nuggets. It is almost pink. Would Regina, at 21 weeks, lay a pink egg? The next group is 18 weeks and those are the SS. Would they lay that early? They just do not seem ready. The little California Whites are interested in the nesting boxs and Regina has been checking them out for over a week. IDK who it is. But I will be watching.

Could be any of them. I had a girl start laying at 17 weeks, then 18, 18, 19, 25 and the last one started laying at 32 weeks. so... who knows?

But congratulations!

Course, it could be one of your older girls too. I just got this one this week, lol

 

[Cluckies]

I think if I was starting over and could only have 4-6 hens, my short list would be:
1 buckeye
1 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
1 Easter Egger (Blue/green eggs)
1 Welsummer (want those chocolate colored eggs for my carton!)
1 Speckled Sussex
1 olive egger

Is there a white egg layer with a small comb?

This is by no means a complete list, there may be others i want but have forgotten about... But when I see them again i'll want them! LOL

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Happy Independence Day my fellow American chickeneers!

All is going well in my chicken world. Dixie is really free ranging the Littles with the bigger hens lately. The big hens seem to accept the little girls too.

Big day in my little town. Love the 4th here. Kids boating the lake and bean bag tournaments. Beer. Life is good.

Here is a photo of the display on our lake. I cannot take credit for this photo it was taken by a neighbor on the lake.

Welcome Lydia. Fun folks on here. Words of advice on BYC. Go to the learning center and coops pages first. First you should have a coop. Then get the chickens. The chickens grow fast and having the coop ready is a good idea. Horse before the cart. Coop considerations for MN. Good ventilation for winter. Easy cleaning/Poop management. Try to make it so you can just swoop the bedding out. You shouldn't have to bend over in your coop.--go easy on your back. Once you've got your coop figured out then comes the fun part-- the birds. Small combed varieties are the best for MN. Popular breeds often = large single combs. research. Yard eye candy or egg color? All sorts if choices.

 

[duluthralphie]

Good morning.

I am travelling to Willmar this AM with Mr T's blood. If I have any in the tubes. I have never seen anything like his blood. I would get right in the vein and as soon as I started to suck the blood into the syringe it would turn to clots. I had to take three tubes, to get enough to make one sample, I am hoping the lab can mix the 3, or it is back to Holms in a few weeks. Mr T bruised immediately also.

I think next time Holm's should feed him aspirins and rat poison to thin his blood out.



Ivie I have no idea if I do it right with the hens and chicks, but I always feed the feed with the protein requirements that fit the highest protein chicks. If I have poults and chicks together they get Game bird feed. If it is just chicks they get chick starter. If it is a hen and chicks the hen gets the starter. You can make a "creep" feeder to keep the hens out if you want. But it is a lot of hassle and does not work that well as the chicks grow so fast and a small hen always gets in.


When I free range I try to feed them starter some, but it is a pain. The other birds seem to always hog it. I rely on the hen to find the forage the chicks need. With bugs I think they do better than starter anyways.

I am never sure with free ranging if the birds are getting enough so I occasionally feel the crops on those I can catch. The seem full, but who knows. The turkeys are the ones I really worry about. They appear to just laze about all day long. When I carry a bucket they come running. I think it is because they want the BOSS or Corn/ scratch, and not because they are truly hungry. When they do forage they cover such a small area I wonder what they are eating. However, If I have to provide all their nourishment in the summer while free ranging, why free range?

The SS with the chicks is passing up the chick starter to eat grass? What a stupid bird!

 

[cottonlouie]

July 6 is hatch day....I lifted up the broody hen just a touch and saw half a broken egg. I set her down immediately and now I'm here in my living room on pins and needles freaking out because I want to see what is going on under that hen! I can barely stand it! Can I peek a couple times today? Must I be hands off? My tummy is flip flipping!

 

[duluthralphie]

July 6 is hatch day....I lifted up the broody hen just a touch and saw half a broken egg. I set her down immediately and now I'm here in my living room on pins and needles freaking out because I want to see what is going on under that hen! I can barely stand it! Can I peek a couple times today? Must I be hands off? My tummy is flip flipping!

Hands off..

A broody hen can leave the nest if bothered too much.

 

[lvie]

Good Morning. Ho Humm. Off to the dentist to begin a new crown. Ugh! Read ya all later.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I think if I was starting over and could only have 4-6 hens, my short list would be:
1 buckeye
1 Blue Laced Red Wyandotte
1 Easter Egger (Blue/green eggs)
1 Welsummer (want those chocolate colored eggs for my carton!)
1 Speckled Sussex
1 olive egger

Is there a white egg layer with a small comb?

This is by no means a complete list, there may be others i want but have forgotten about... But when I see them again i'll want them! LOL

I think I still have my original wish list of breeds. I think there were 50 or so on it. I am down to what is left of the Cochins (4 adults and about a dozen or so juvies), Buckeyes (of course), New Hampshires, Welsummers (cutting back or cutting out), Easter Eggers, Black Ameraucanas (but didn't breed pure this year), what is left of the White Silkie juvies, what is left of the Blue/Black/Splash Silkies, Bantam Salmon Faverolles, and crossbreed bantams, then a smattering of a few oddball hens left from early on when I had a lot more breeds.

What I would still love to have?
White Jersey Giants
Still on the maybe/would like list?
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes in both bantam and LF
Delawares
Either Dominiques or Barred Rocks
Maybe Chanteclers
Partridge Wyandottes in bantam and LF
Minorcas (any color)
Hamburgs
Maybe bantam Cochins

I am sure there are more. I just love variety and I like to always keep more dreams on hand than I will ever be able to make come true. Life without them would be sad to me, so I dream a lot and dream big. Maybe a few won't always just be dreams or wishes.

 

[Minniechickmama]

One less coon in the population this morning. I will be setting traps for a while, I think. I need to work on more coops that I can close completely at night in the pasture so the birds can get out and stretch their legs now.