Texas

[jajeanpierre]

Yep - the freaking locust plague pretty much decimated everything again this past year. And when the neighbors cut their hay, all the hoppers just head straight for our garden. Working on some new management techniques to hopefully kill more of the suckers and get a better yield.

Would heavily feather-footed chickens do too much damage? I don't think my cochins could scratch up anything their feathers are so long and heavy on their feet.

 

[jajeanpierre]

How often do you have to be tested?

Once a year, I believe. There is no charge.

 

[Little Wing]

Once a year, I believe. There is no charge.

He came by my place yesterday. He tested 6 hens out of 20. It only took 15 minutes at the most to test the birds and an hour and 15 minutes to talk chickens. Great guy and a very easy process.

 

[hensfortherapy]

www.idumasale.com
This is a chicken auction in my area you might want check out. I went once and found it interesting.

 

[bnjrob]

Would heavily feather-footed chickens do too much damage? I don't think my cochins could scratch up anything their feathers are so long and heavy on their feet.

No clue. No experience with hair footed chickens.

 

[LBejaran]

Oh my goodness, what a morning! I went outside last night to feed the chickens and I couldn't five of the 6 ducks. Thinking they had found somewhere else to sleep, I decided to just put out the feed and go look for them. As I did so, the noise from the feed brought them out. They were in the freakin' field behind our property! All of them!

This has never happened before. The babies got out the first day, but I figured it was because they were exploring. The other ducks are way too big to get out through a hole and only one of them can fly.

I quickly retrieved the gate keys, got bro and mom to help me and we were off into the dark field with LEDs and a canister of feed. I managed to capture Che, Sweedy, Indie and Girl Duckling (unnamed for now), but I couldn't find the male duckling. I listened, shook the feed, waited, searching, forced myself through the weeds/saplings/whatever-sticky-stuff-that-was and couldn't find him. I even went over to the fallen tree, thinking he was there but I couldn't find him and I was distraught.

Tony (bro) of course told me the worst thing ever. "Hey, I'm pretty sure I saw a bunch of hawks over the field today."

Thanks, Tony. You invoke hope wherever you go.

I was trying to figure out a way to not hate myself for not checking on them sooner. After all, I should have known they were out when I didn't hear them (though to be fair, most of them are pretty quiet). I should have fed them sooner. I should have shot down those hawks when I was feeling curious about how good I was at archery.

This morning, I resigned myself to go out into the field and find the body (or the corpse) because babies are my weakness and I couldn't let it go. After all, a baby duck would have to be way too big for a hawk to carry off. All I needed to find was a bunch of fuzzy duckling feathers and I'd know.

Going outside, all was quiet (except for the one hen who had evaded the coop late in the night). I walked to the coop, was about to open the door to release the monsters-

When I heard a peep.

It was baby duckling! It was looking at me through the fence as though saying, "See! I told you I could be by myself all night! Now, would you please stop crying, I'm trying to find a way back inside!"

So of course I went out into the field and stalked, tracked, downright jumped over holes to get to him. When I did, just to spite him, I hugged and cuddled him. He chirped in disdain.

So all the ducks are fine. I'm gonna be venturing outside more today, if only to throw rocks at the hawks and to enjoy the fact that I still have 6 ducks. It sounds like such a nice thing, too, until you realize that it is 34 degrees outside and I don't have very good sweaters. -_-,

 

[hungnguyen]

Glad they were saved by the bell.

 

[RachaelS]

Laura,
That made me laugh!!!! So happy everyone is safe and sound.

 

[LBejaran]

Glad they were saved by the bell.

Laura,
That made me laugh!!!!  So happy everyone is safe and sound.

They are trying to keep warm now and, because he didn't eat last night, I'm gonna toss out some feed in awhile. I'm just so happy he wasn't eaten/lost/too-cold last night. I've lost plenty of small birds to The Field but I wasn't prepared to lose him.

They were enjoying a nice nap on the patio, haha! I guess all the action this morning and last night tired them out. Heck, I'm tired and got hit in the face with a tree (don't ask).

 

[granthamkk]

Schools closing already. I just heard that some schools already set the weather make-up date to be Memorial day... poor choice!

We are open here in Keller ISD - but we did start late