Surviving Minnesota!

[BantyChooks]

I got 5 eggs from 4 laying hens today—one was soft shell. That's a first, and very strange considering how short the days are.

I swear these Leghorns would still give me an egg every day if they were in total darkness.

 

[Cluckies]

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I wanted a silver laced wyandotte my rookie year of chicks. So one of the original 9 was a little hen appropriately named Sylvia. She was DD's hen. She was more mutt with a single comb and odd silver lacing which was actually tan colored on her back. She had squirrel tail. Not a show quality bird. Just an L & M special. But backyard tough. Her second summer she beat blackhead. Her molt was always early in July so she was fairer than the other girls during the fall. She had a soft hen coo and would always ask me her 'questions'....so softly. She was almost 6 years old. I was hoping this was then hen I'd have go double digits. But she was blind in one eye after Junior's take over of the flock that she had stepped in to protect and feed after the loss of our original Roger the NH.
Tonight we lost Sylvia to a fox who brazenly entered the coop and took her moments before I got home from a visit to my parent's home. Went down to the coop at 6:00. The fox had Defeathered her a bit in the coop and then dragged her to the frozen swamp where he was interrupted by Sadie Mae after her head and neck was gone. I went up to the house and DH suggested I go get the rest of her carcass so as not to give a full meal to the fox as a reward tonight. I went back to the spot with Sadie Mae. Dark frozen swamp and woods. Carcass already gone. Perhaps 5-10 minutes had only went by. I sent Sadie with a 'go get 'em voice'. Like a coon hound she took off following tracks. I heard her bark once hard at something. Dark woods. Unnerved I heard Sadie loop around and I followed her sounds. Then I heard her stop and I walked to meet her. She stood next to Sylvia's body, looking at me. Proud of my Sadie Mae tonight. She hunted up the bird like a true hound. Standing every loyal next to the flock member she tries to protect. I know every night she blazes out to bark she 's not just chasing deer. She's got this son of a gun on the run too. I wish I had got home about an hour sooner.
In a way the fox saved me culling her. Because she was on the chopping block a few weeks this summer you recall. But he's now had a taste of my coop and I'm afraid for the rest. DH has sylvia's body in the garage. We will be using it for the greater good of the rest of the flock.

Son of a b.

BC, I am so sorry for the loss of that wonderful girl Sylvia, she sounded like a sweetheart in all of your stories.
That little Sadie the handful is turning into a wonderful addition to the farm. It seems she was worth the effort after all. Good girl Sadie!

 

[I Love Layers]

Ach, should have seen that before it got cold and scalped the birds... even the chanties got hit.

This will actually heal frostbite, so it can still help

 

[Cluckies]

I got 5 eggs from 4 laying hens today—one was soft shell. That's a first, and very strange considering how short the days are.

I swear these Leghorns would still give me an egg every day if they were in total darkness.

My girl Fi lays one soft and one hard shelled egg almost every day, but not in the winter. I think they bred her too much to lay eggs. She tries to lay 2 a day, but the second one is always soft shelled... She is a Golden Comet

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thank you Cluckies. I had a EE do that with an egg in the morning and rubber egg in the evening. Two eggs that day. Then she never laid another. Weird deal.

 

[Cluckies]

Thank you Cluckies. I had a EE do that with an egg in the morning and rubber egg in the evening. Two eggs that day. Then she never laid another. Weird deal.

I agree, that is a weird deal!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Thank you so much Layers!

 

[Cebarmlds]

Good morning Peeps.

 

[jerryse]

Morning . Sorry for your loss BC .

 

[duluthralphie]

Morning all

BC sorry about the original. Seem Sadie has value after all.

Better feed her a block of cheese as a reward.