Surviving Minnesota!

[Bogtown Chick]

Every year you see more and more hunters from MN out here for birds

Because the fly way-- migration has shifted West. Skies are not like they used to be around here. Per DH's tales of woe. My two are heading for Stanley tomorrow Night. They are maybe just a 'little' excited.

Jerry. That's fun to hear that Jocko has done a good job for your chain saw chains. We have him do ours too among other things. He can get an edge on them. And he's cheap. Nice hometown service that's for sure. Pay on an honor system if he's not there. LOL. Whole works.

 

[gtaus]

mine slow down when they stay in the coop...I believe it's darker in the coop and it is known that length of daylight makes a difference

I got 3 eggs today, so far. I'll check for more when I lock the girls up for the night. I know that daylight plays a role in the egg laying. The sun was shining today and the girls spent most of the day outside. I guess I'll see tomorrow if that made a difference. Thanks.

 

[CindyinSD]

I’m getting around a dozen eggs a day, more or less, from around 35 girls (not all of them laying yet—14 have of them recently achieved 1st yr henhood.) There is supplemental light in the henhouse. From the size and color of the eggs, my 1yr old ladies are laying slightly less than half the eggs I’m getting. We’ve had some nasty weather and even though that’s taking a break for a little while, it’s been freezing every night, enough to put half an inch of ice on the water buckets by morning. Sooo, I’m not suffering from lack of eggs, but neither am I totally drowning in them.

I painted with my regular Monday morning group today. When I came home I found one of my Columbian Wyandotte hens in the largest of their three water buckets. I put the 6 gallon bucket in the run in the hope (futile) that the four little drakes would be too short to muddy it up and unable to hop up on the cement block I put next to it. I guess the poor girl thought it would be fun to perch on the rim. Lucky I got there when I did. She seemed barely conscious and the vicious little daughters of velociraptors had pecked her poor comb ‘till it was all bloody. No more big blue water bucket for the chickens.

I dried her off with a hairdryer and squirted honey-water into her beak until she felt sufficiently strong to overturn the water and food dishes, quite soon after I gave them to her. She resisted the second drying off with commendable vigor. I put her back in the coop (after blukoting). It is 36*F. Not that cold.

 

[holm25]

At work. Leaving for beef expo at 11PM tonight. Still need to pack and load up tack... Uffda. Hopefully can leave work early.

 

[MNChickMom]

At work. Leaving for beef expo at 11PM tonight. Still need to pack and load up tack... Uffda. Hopefully can leave work early.

Good luck!

 

[Varagol]

Got some last minute reinforcements from MurrayMcMurray today:

Ordered the egg layer assortment. Asked for 15, got 18. Have some baby ducks coming in Friday (Shipping from San Diego?!?)

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I got 3 eggs today, so far. I'll check for more when I lock the girls up for the night. I know that daylight plays a role in the egg laying. The sun was shining today and the girls spent most of the day outside. I guess I'll see tomorrow if that made a difference. Thanks.

Oh you bet it makes a difference. I can totally tell a difference in production if the birds have been socked in with a week of rain versus great sunny days (albeit not super hot).

I believe my other MMM pullet did give me an egg yesterday. Again lighter in color as her first egg, goes. We'll see how the color develops...if it gets darker. The eggs are every other day for the most part. I have one Lavender Ameraucana that has been laying I'm guessing since March. And she does not stop. It's crazy. And maybe I've got her mixed up with another. But the eggs seem to be the same and the bird is in the box when I'm looking to see who it might be. It's her trotting back to the coop. She's been a trooper all this summer. Maybe a week off here or there. But Steady as she goes with that bird. The older lavender was the same way Last year. She's been a bit more bashful with her eggs though this year. She's a whole year older too, though. 2 years old versus 3 1/2 years.

Kitty the Fly-strike bird is getting new blue feathers coming in. When they are mixed in the the older feathers you can really see the color difference and vividness. She's really beautiful. Her butt/abdomen seems to be in good shape. Healed up. Must have caught it in time. Superficial. Ugh....it did smell bad though. Poor thing. Feels good that I didn't lose her to it. She seems to be thriving and not the 'last bird' when they are foraging. She's 3 1/2 and part of my first Ameraucana group from Jerry also.

I have moved the feed bowls further onto the deck and there does seem to be some thresh hold now that they will not come any further. It could be that the bowls are near the sliding glass door and that Kujo (aka Sadie Mae) is coming unravelled on the other side. *might* just be the difference there. Hahaha.

 

[jerryse]

So where is Ralphie ? Still in Togo I guess . Chilly here . No peak color on the trees except my maples in the yard . Looks to be a poor show this year .

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Pullet egg. She has not laid a small one! This was is the 24 week old Marans.

 

[duluthralphie]

Hey all..

I am back...

It was cold and snowy in Togo.

Beaver and crappies died wherever I went..the Sasquatch’s left the cabin in pretty good condition.

Wolves where active this morning..

Bear left a track in the drive way yesterday, any self respecting bear should be sleeping..

Partridge tasted great...


I have to get back into real life mode... I prefer Togo mode.