Texas

[orumpoultry]

Silkies are one bird I will never own again intentionally. Had a bad experience when I rescued aflock of 40+ silkies in '09... Nothing against them, tthey're cute, just not for me.

I currently have fourteen candies lit. Just watched the sheriff and neighbor up the road chase a loose her of cattle by, and then by again. Sheriff asked if my horses were loose. I said yes, in my yard. So we checked in on them. Glad I listened to DF and left the girls in the front... A tree smashed up the hay bale, where they would've likely been standing. My senior trakehner mare ( who has a double bowed tendon and is cripple I might add ) barely out ran the slow falling tree that nearly hit the house. She was, moments prior to touch down, casually grazing there. Now Maya and Mama are back in the back. Perimeter check shows no way out for them. All fences are good.

Lyle and Larry survived the storm as well. They aren't on the roost though, poor boys are sleeping in the dirt... Maybe they forgot how?

All four legged critters accounted for.

Power company says no power until noon tomorrow, and I desperately need a shower. I smell like death after working outside all day. May take a cold candle light shower here in a bit... At least with all these candles burning my house smells WONDERFUL.

Clovis, how big is that area you're having slabbed? What'd it run you? The slab they're putting down for the new house is 24x50 and it was like $1200, that doesn't include rebar and labor... That's just the cement!!

I'd split an order with you if it weren't for distance. I also only want about ten, less would be fine. His are SQ aren't they? Or, supposed to be?

 

[Brookshire11]

Those are typical Easter Eggers. Ameraucanas come in only a few colors and that is not one of them.

Yeah, those babies will never be inshows.
But they are fun, sweet little birds!
I like the guessing game with them: what color will they be, what color egg will they lay, etc.

Dang!! Anyone want to raise my girls for me til they are ready to be tossed outside????

Ehh, Why not?

I wish I didn't have to say this--and it is only my opinion and Silkies take FOREVER for you to be sure.... He looks pretty boyish. Comb is really big. He's got a bit of a swept back look to his top knot. Your little white one with no comb could still be a cockerel, but the no comb is a good sign. Silkies, especially the show quality Silkies, are notoriously difficult to sex early, even for the experienced Silkie breeders. My little pet quality buff rooster was a decent enough little soul I didn't feel the need to get rid of him. Some others were downright bitey little monsters and they went at about six months. Yes, I ate them. I will not waste a bird that has no place in this world and I sure don't want to give someone else my well loved, well fed birds to kill who knows how kindly.

It's ok. Lol, I think I already knew. I think I've known for about 2 weeks..just kinda going off behavior.
I'll keep him til he crows, and go from there....lol
I hate it because he and my white silkie are inseperable...they're literally never more than inches from each other

 

[ClovisMan]

Silkies are one bird I will never own again intentionally. Had a bad experience when I rescued aflock of 40+ silkies in '09... Nothing against them, tthey're cute, just not for me.

I currently have fourteen candies lit. Just watched the sheriff and neighbor up the road chase a loose her of cattle by, and then by again. Sheriff asked if my horses were loose. I said yes, in my yard. So we checked in on them. Glad I listened to DF and left the girls in the front... A tree smashed up the hay bale, where they would've likely been standing. My senior trakehner mare ( who has a double bowed tendon and is cripple I might add ) barely out ran the slow falling tree that nearly hit the house. She was, moments prior to touch down, casually grazing there. Now Maya and Mama are back in the back. Perimeter check shows no way out for them. All fences are good.

Lyle and Larry survived the storm as well. They aren't on the roost though, poor boys are sleeping in the dirt... Maybe they forgot how?

All four legged critters accounted for.

Power company says no power until noon tomorrow, and I desperately need a shower. I smell like death after working outside all day. May take a cold candle light shower here in a bit... At least with all these candles burning my house smells WONDERFUL.

Clovis, how big is that area you're having slabbed? What'd it run you? The slab they're putting down for the new house is 24x50 and it was like $1200, that doesn't include rebar and labor... That's just the cement!!

I'd split an order with you if it weren't for distance. I also only want about ten, less would be fine. His are SQ aren't they? Or, supposed to be?

That area is 35x70. That is just the base rock and it's going to run me about 2700 dollars. After its all said and done, the pad will be 80 yards of fill!!! The 4 inch slab was included with the price of the building and its some new fiber reinforced something or other.

 

[lovingmyhens]

HELP!!. Who was it that told us about the Velcro strips to use as leg bands??
Is this what you were talking about?

If so how do you do this? I cut on in half one way and then the other way to get it smaller. then I got it on the leg ok. It was loose on the leg where it could move, I didn't put it on tight. I was thinking COOL. But then one of the little peckers took it off of the chicks leg. Then she was running and dashing around like she had scored the prize worm!
So what went wrong? Lol can you take a pic of one if your with it on?

. Hahabahahaba

 

[Brookshire11]

Silkies are one bird I will never own again intentionally. Had a bad experience when I rescued aflock of 40+ silkies in '09... Nothing against them, tthey're cute, just not for me.

I currently have fourteen candies lit. Just watched the sheriff and neighbor up the road chase a loose her of cattle by, and then by again. Sheriff asked if my horses were loose. I said yes, in my yard. So we checked in on them. Glad I listened to DF and left the girls in the front... A tree smashed up the hay bale, where they would've likely been standing. My senior trakehner mare ( who has a double bowed tendon and is cripple I might add ) barely out ran the slow falling tree that nearly hit the house. She was, moments prior to touch down, casually grazing there. Now Maya and Mama are back in the back. Perimeter check shows no way out for them. All fences are good.

Lyle and Larry survived the storm as well. They aren't on the roost though, poor boys are sleeping in the dirt... Maybe they forgot how?

All four legged critters accounted for.

Power company says no power until noon tomorrow, and I desperately need a shower. I smell like death after working outside all day. May take a cold candle light shower here in a bit... At least with all these candles burning my house smells WONDERFUL.

Clovis, how big is that area you're having slabbed? What'd it run you? The slab they're putting down for the new house is 24x50 and it was like $1200, that doesn't include rebar and labor... That's just the cement!!

I'd split an order with you if it weren't for distance. I also only want about ten, less would be fine. His are SQ aren't they? Or, supposed to be?

Yeah, I couldn't imagine having THAT many. I just got one (well that was the plan, huh?) for my daughter. And I figured the broodiness was a perk. Then of course I couldn't get just ONE, or I was afraid it'd get picked on too much (happened), so I got a buff too.

Glad all the aminals are safe! Think of it like a spa, with all those candles! lol

 

[orumpoultry]

That area is 35x70. That is just the base rock and it's going to run me about 2700 dollars. After its all said and done, the pad will be 80 yards of fill!!! The 4 inch slab was included with the price of the building and its some new fiber reinforced something or other.

I like that idea! May be putting a poultry barn in my near future... Five years or so near. House being built is first, the shed needs to be finished soon too.... So much to do.

So much...

 

[jajeanpierre]

I too was ready for them to go out to the barn at 2 weeks, so we moved them out there but I was up and down for those 2 nights because the temp couldn't get stable and I go NO sleep... so I moved them back into the house. I am so tired of dusting every day and sweeping and mopping every day BUT I do enjoy just going in there and watching them, playing with them, getting them use to being picked up and handled. That's one thing for sure different, any time we had to do anything with the chickens I grew up with, it was an amazing feet to catch one of those dang birds. At least most of mine will come right up to me.
My husband works in Odessa for Shell and he was telling me today that ya'll just some the first measurable rain for 2014! That's crazy!!

That was way to close. That's what it looked like at my house too. wild

That's great you have those perks! And I want to get me a couple of Silkies just for that very reason.
BUT I still need to know what to do for my little girl with the pooping problem. Why is her poop so formed and hard. Why do I have to keep helping her? Should not help her and she will get it out on her own?? Do I put her in her own pen and give her some sugar water,,, or water with syrup in it??

Yes, I feel very blessed to have the resources I have.

I meant to answer you earlier. What does it look like when you wash the bottom?

Today as I was putting out my 5.5 week old Ameraucanas one had a prolaped vent. The bird had excreted a lot of urates (the white part of the poop which actually comes from the kidneys) and it had dried like concrete on the exposed vent. I spent about an hour soaking and peeling that white stuff off gently using Q-Tips, antibiotic ointment and tweezers. As soon as I got the goop off, the prolapse went back inside his/her vent.

Is something like that going on? It looked like poop sticking out but is really a urate covered prolapse.

I don't know why your chick is so constipated. Sometimes they can get like that if they eat dry food first and then drink. I always put water in first and let them finish drinking.

Good idea to add fruits veggies. I would suggest you only offer wet food. Soak the chick starter for a good half an hour or an hour before feeding.

What are you feeding? Chick starter? Sometimes the quality of the feed is an issue. I would not feed sugar water--it can set up the crop for all kinds of Candida (a yeast) imbalances. You did read about my 6-week disaster with my favorite hen? Candida played a role in the whole mess.

Lots of people ferment--I have and probably will again. Fermenting feed might be the right thing for this chick. If you want to try fermenting, just put a couple of cups chick starter in a gallon jar (I use glass because the fermenting is acidic). Cover with water. It will soak and swell--just keep adding water until it is covered by an inch. Leave it on your kitchen counter and stir a few times a day. As soon as it starts to bubble, it is ready. It will probably take a couple of days. Strain some out. Don't use more than half, and then add more dry chick starter to replace what you took out. It should never have mold growing on it and should not smell bad. Keep it away from anything that could contaminate it like bird droppings. Put a tea towel over the top to let it breathe. It should never smell alcoholic or bad--it has an earthy smell to it. Don't let it over ferment. Sometimes you can get a balance of stuff in there that the chickens don't like. I would just start over if that happens. Some people use non pasturized apple cider vinegar as a starter, but that just grows a lot of the yeasts that make vinegar.. I let what's on the feed grow and ferment.

You might also add a teaspoon of unpasturized apple cider vinegar (Bragg's Organic--you can find it at HEB) to a quart of drinking water. It sounds like your chick has some sort of an imbalance going on. Either that or a blockage somewhere.

Let me know how s/he does.

 

[lovingmyhens]

The last team of the Big 12 is about to take the floor but I am afraid this is a Little 1.

Are you watching, Hens? or you wait till tomorrow to see Baylor Big Mamas?

Still totally bummed about last night. What happened??? Ugh I've got my fingers crossed for the ladies. They deserve it for sure.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Yeah, those babies will never be inshows.
But they are fun, sweet little birds!
I like the guessing game with them: what color will they be, what color egg will they lay, etc.

Ehh, Why not?

It's ok. Lol, I think I already knew. I think I've known for about 2 weeks..just kinda going off behavior.
I'll keep him til he crows, and go from there....lol
I hate it because he and my white silkie are inseperable...they're literally never more than inches from each other

You can always keep him can't you? My Silkie rooster is a reasonable soul. He and the really ugly double-copy frizzle (a frazzle) bantam Cochin are in my back yard with the Silkies pullets and one of my Polish. I still might be wrong--they are notoriously hard to sex. If you start getting streamers, you can give up hope I think.

 

[lovingmyhens]

Bad tree. Almost took out my roses.

Can't see it but there's a tree limb between my nova and my car. Tornado threw it twenty feet!!

That tree there missed the house by twenty feet, and my flower bed by two... Close call!!

That's crazy!! So glad all your things were spared!