Texas

[granthamkk]

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).

So glad they are okay! He'll have stories to tell all the others tonight when he's inside

 

[Brookshire11]

My stance on worming....that's an open ended question. Not sure what you are looking for. So you know where I'm coming from - I'm a tree hugging RN married to a veterinarian, so my opinions are based on formal education as well as experience and trying to be more "natural" and decrease dependence on some modern "chemicals". Do I have a problem with worming chickens? No. Would I use worming medication if needed? Yes. Wazine works only for some worms though so usually other wormer is needed. However there really isn't much in the way of wormers or other meds that are approved for use in poultry, so anything else like a horse or goat wormer used, would be an "off label" use.

We have not had a worm problem in our flock. We do use raw pumpkin seeds as a natural wormer. Our flock drinks water year round with apple cider vinegar in it, which not only helps to deter some problems by changing the pH of the chickens gut, but also keeps the watering containers from getting the invisible slime so quickly. We also use diatomaceous earth as an external parasite inhibitor and in the feed.

Yeah, I guess I was pretty vague. I've just heard of some worming non discriminately, just to be safe, and some worming only when it's a sure thing that they have them. I haven't had to yet..the chicks aren't even 4 weeks and have never been outside.
I do the ACV, but didn't know about the pumpkin seeds. Thank you! I like natural options whenever possible.

Hello from Pleasanton Tx. About 30 miles south of San Antonio. This is my stance on winter!

This is about how I feel....

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).

He looks snug! Glad he's safe!

 

[TexasLisa]

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. -_-,

So happy for you that the little one is safe!

You do realize we want to hear the story about you and the tree.

Lisa

 

[jockeyeba]

Hello from Pleasanton Tx. About 30 miles south of San Antonio. This is my stance on winter!

Love it and

from 31* Selma

 

[jajeanpierre]

I should have shot down those hawks when I was feeling curious about how good I was at archery.


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 is illegal to harass any bird of prey, including throwing rocks at them.

Maybe you are just joking, but some people don't realize that it is absolutely illegal to kill, trap, harass or even possess a feather of a hawk without a permit.

 

[LBejaran]

It is illegal to harass any bird of prey, including throwing rocks at them.

Maybe you are just joking, but some people don't realize that it is absolutely illegal to kill, trap, harass or even possess a feather of a hawk without a permit.

I appreciate the lesson in wild birds, but I was just joking. I would never actually hurt wild birds illegally and I'm sorry if my joke seemed crass. However, I was (and still am) really relieved my duckling wasn't eaten by a hawk or a dog or a possum or any of the other predators that live near here. Joking about it is how I deal with the stress I was feeling all night and morning about losing this duckling. If a hawk were to have taken him, he would have been one of many I would have lost to birds of prey - birds that have never faced any retaliation by me.

Sorry I couldn't be as diplomatic as I prefer to be, but it was a joke. Some things need to be laughed at. In this case, it was the joy and frustration and overall silliness of this situation.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I appreciate the lesson in wild birds, but I was just joking. I would never actually hurt wild birds illegally and I'm sorry if my joke seemed crass. However, I was (and still am) really relieved my duckling wasn't eaten by a hawk or a dog or a possum or any of the other predators that live near here. Joking about it is how I deal with the stress I was feeling all night and morning about losing this duckling. If a hawk were to have taken him, he would have been one of many I would have lost to birds of prey - birds that have never faced any retaliation by me.

Sorry I couldn't be as diplomatic as I prefer to be, but it was a joke. Some things need to be laughed at. In this case, it was the joy and frustration and overall silliness of this situation.

I was hoping it was a joke. I just needed to say something because lots of people don't realize it is illegal to even harass a hawk. I could have worded my reply a bit better.

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

Trouble is back to her naughty self!

She is a bit better... she leaves Yum-yum and Chocobo alone, but gosh she still thinks Big Momma is her worst enemy! Big Momma now has a ripped earlobe, trying to figure out how to fix this one... I might take her to the clinic with me tomorrow and see if doctor Hackart has any ideas.

This poor girl. I got the hole in her neck to heal using some A & D ointment and it healed up quick and clean. Most of the time all four of them get along, but then all of a sudden Trouble will just snap. I just hope they sort it out soon. I might have to put some medical tape around her head to keep that war lobe clean. Not sure yet. All four of them are laying now as well, that was a nice surprise~ Big Momma's first egg was also a double yolker~ What fun. Today I went and got them all some more layer feed, a bag of scratch grains, and a bale of straw. They are loving the straw, especially making really deep nests in it on the floor since I don't have nest boxes. They like to hide themselves down in it haha. My dogs are stuck outside for now as their feet are extremely muddy and I cannot carry Weiss inside... a 90lbs wiggly dog does not carry well; so I have been giving them warm water, some straw in a dog house to lay in, and warm soggy food with treats for extra calories. Goofy dogs won't go in the dog house though. My german shepherds sure like the cold weather.

 

[Brookshire11]

Trouble is back to her naughty self!

She is a bit better... she leaves Yum-yum and Chocobo alone, but gosh she still thinks Big Momma is her worst enemy! Big Momma now has a ripped earlobe, trying to figure out how to fix this one... I might take her to the clinic with me tomorrow and see if doctor Hackart has any ideas.

This poor girl. I got the hole in her neck to heal using some A & D ointment and it healed up quick and clean. Most of the time all four of them get along, but then all of a sudden Trouble will just snap. I just hope they sort it out soon. I might have to put some medical tape around her head to keep that war lobe clean. Not sure yet. All four of them are laying now as well, that was a nice surprise~ Big Momma's first egg was also a double yolker~ What fun. Today I went and got them all some more layer feed, a bag of scratch grains, and a bale of straw. They are loving the straw, especially making really deep nests in it on the floor since I don't have nest boxes. They like to hide themselves down in it haha. My dogs are stuck outside for now as their feet are extremely muddy and I cannot carry Weiss inside... a 90lbs wiggly dog does not carry well; so I have been giving them warm water, some straw in a dog house to lay in, and warm soggy food with treats for extra calories. Goofy dogs won't go in the dog house though. My german shepherds sure like the cold weather.

I've gotta say, I'm digging your taste in names...lol
"Chocobo"

never thought of that. lol
And I almost named our dog Weiss as well, but we ended up going with Archer lol

On the subject though, I hope Big Momma catches a break soon!

 

[LBejaran]

So happy for you that the little one is safe!

You do realize we want to hear the story about you and the tree.

Lisa

Haha! It actually wasn't as funny as it sounded, I'm sure.

We have a bunch of these weird "weed-like trees" that grow on the borders of our house. According to a neighbor (though I'm not sure if he was correct), they are like young mesquite trees, but they don't grow correctly.



There are loads of them, so in order to get through them, you have to chop them down or bend them out of the way. I was wearing my boots this morning and pushing them down. If my hands weren't so cold, I probably would have gotten the machete but I didn't want to hurt the duckling (or myself, haha). This is one of the trees I bent awhile back.



The wind chill was making it feel like it was 24 degrees (it was only 34 this morning) and I was trying to bend back these little trees when I saw the duckling. In my excitement, my boot slipped. When it did, the tree sprung back into it's original position. My face just happened to be exactly where the tree was supposed to be.

Needless to say, I got smacked in the face by a tree. It didn't help that my cheeks were already numb and getting hit by branches was painful. As soon as I was inside, I checked it out and there was a big red mark where it had hit me. I was lucky, though, because my glasses were unharmed and the mark faded once I warmed up.

Once the spring comes around, Dad and I are going to be cutting down most of these little trees. The woman who owns the land doesn't do anything with it, but her son gave us person to cut them down because they are getting too close to our fence and have already caused property damage. I've told Dad that we should make the woman take care of them, but he doesn't want to cause any trouble. She's a vindictive woman, so I understand. I don't like her at all. Mom and I want to purchase her land and utilize it (they used to grow corn there, but it hasn't been used in 5 years). I'm just waiting for the sons to offer it up. They are a lot more agreeable and they don't want to work it, so I think they'd be willing eventually.