The Front Porch Swing

[LBejaran]

Well, Kimchi is a hero!

Our little 5-6 year old rat terrier performed a great service this morning by killing a baby coral snake.

The other half of it is in the fridge because Nivia decided that she wanted to skin it. I don't know why. It is tiny. I guess she's going to make a collar for Kimchi? It maybe she'll pridefully pin it to her wall.

Nivia's a weird chick.

 

[LindaB220]

Yay, good for you! I was cooped up and kept away from my chickens recently. Nope, nope, nope, I didn't like it at all. I'm glad you are able to get back out there and do what you want.

Ooh, I've heard good things about the Hover Bator! Are the White Plymouth rocks new to your flock (forgive me, I am so behind, I don't know whether I'm coming or going these days)?

I need to invest in a new incubator but I'm kinda used to mine. They have the digital ones now for the same price as the manual versions were when I originally bought it (the Little Giant) but I'd have to hatch a whole bunch of eggs to justify the purchase and I kinda sold all but one of my roosters...and and he's just a little frizzle!

I bet your birds will appreciate the FF once they get back on it! I'm too lazy to keep up with mine. Sometimes, I just fill the feed buckets with their mix/water and just leave it outside for a couple days. It ferments and it's ready to eat. That being said, I always forget to do it and the dogs enjoy figuring out how to get to it. They love the stuff, too!

Hey Laura, the Farmers Innovator incubator I bought last year was $133 shipped. It was not very good. Finally died after the Sebrights hatched before my surgery one month ago. The Hover Bator was $200 shipped from Incubators Warehouse. A better deal than Amazon. The hatch rate is supposed to be much better. I didn't have a good rate at all with the other.
Son in law Clint has been feeding and taking care of the birds while I was out of pocket for 3 weeks in the knee replacement rehab. Never heard such whining. He hates chickens because his Paw Paw made him do it when he was a kid. He's MUCH happier now. Especially since I made such a success with the recuperation.
I like having the 42 egg size. I don't have to fill it. It doesn't cost much to run. None of them do.
I've been wanting good White Plymouth Rocks for a year. Then I was able to get the Mother Lode from a local fellow that decided it was too much trouble trying to show a white chicken. I have a Bob Blosl pair and a XW Poultry trio. So I have to hatch every one that they lay. To get a good start on next years breeding and selling. So far, we've been eating the eggs and it's been killing me. I paid $30 for each bird other than the older Blosl rooster and he was on sale for $60. Got a deal.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Wow, just wow! I really don't like poisonous things. We had black widow and brown recluse spiders in Wyoming. Therefore, I tolerate no spiders in the house, even here in Wisconsin (I never tolerated spiders.

“Red and yellow kills a fellow. Red and black is safe for Jack.”

 

[wyoDreamer]

@lbejaran I really like the peacock you are painting. It is really pretty.

 

[Amberjem]

 

[LBejaran]

Hey Laura, the Farmers Innovator incubator I bought last year was $133 shipped.  It was not very good.  Finally died after the Sebrights hatched before my surgery one month ago.  The Hover Bator was $200 shipped from Incubators Warehouse.  A better deal than Amazon.  The hatch rate is supposed to be much better.  I didn't have a good rate at all  with the other.  
Son in law Clint has been feeding and taking care of the birds while I was out of pocket for 3 weeks in the knee replacement rehab.  Never heard such whining.  He hates chickens because his Paw Paw made him do it when he was a kid.   He's MUCH happier now. Especially since I made such a success with the recuperation.
I like having the 42 egg size.   I don't have to fill it.   It doesn't cost much to run.  None of them do.    
I've been wanting good White Plymouth Rocks for a year.   Then I was able to get the Mother Lode from a local fellow that decided it was too much trouble trying to show a white chicken.  I have a Bob Blosl pair and a XW Poultry trio.  So I have to hatch every one that they lay.  To get a good start on next years breeding and selling.  So far, we've been eating the eggs and it's been killing me.  I paid $30 for each bird other than the older Blosl rooster and he was on sale for $60.   Got a deal.   

I've been traveling more so I often leave my birds in the hands of my brother. He's really good and he takes it seriously, but he doesn't really have a bird-instinct. To be fair, I'm pretty sure I'm just too close to my birds and I see anything and everything that could be wrong. Tony tries but he's too focused on the list of things I send him to do.

Woah, that is a good deal! I am only allowing myself one project breed to work on this year...chicken wise. I'm trying to pick just one that I want to invest in, for now. Can't say the same for geese and ducks, though. I need more! Can't limit myself in the waterfowl!

I am finally getting my blue green eggs and I hate the idea of eating them! It feels like such a waste to not hatch them or blow them out for art. I only have a tiny rooster, though, so I need to get myself an EE roo.

Wow, just wow!  I really don't like poisonous things.  We had black widow and brown recluse spiders in Wyoming.  Therefore, I tolerate no spiders in the house, even here in Wisconsin (I never tolerated spiders. 

  “Red and yellow kills a fellow. Red and black is safe for Jack.”

Last year we had an issue with these huge Indigo snakes and I hated it. They looked big enough to eat some of my younger birds (and of course the dogs ran away, the cowards) so I had to pluck up the courage to go in there an nudge it with a stick so it would leave. I was worried I would hurt it, though, because it's illegal to kill them. They do keep the rat population down.

I'm going to go around the coop with concrete to fill any holes once the weather warms up. I don't want a snake being in there while all my birds have nowhere to run.

@lbejaran
  I really like the peacock you are painting.  It is really pretty.

Thank you! It's taking forever to finish the pair, but it'll be worth it once I can take it to the shop.

 

[LBejaran]

Looks like I got myself in a jam! I posted on someone's Facebook page because they were claiming to sell purebred Ameraucanas.

The bird had orange legs, a straight comb and no little beard. I said it was probably an EE if he got them at a hatchery.

He went off on me. Called me misinformed, claimed that I was ignorant and that if I was right, he'd have to call Google and get them to change their information.

Didn't have the heart to tell him that Google is as smart as the people who post on there. I said I was sorry for insulting him and that I hoped he could sell his chicks for $10 each like he planned.

I didn't wanna tell him that I have been chatting with Ameraucana show breeders for awhile and that his birds weren't even close to being purebred.

Another guy soon after defended him (the same guy who sold me a rabbit and claimed it was an American Sable when it was really a Holland Lop). It's like the blind leading the blind in there. I just backed off before I could catch the stupid.

 

[Blooie]

Like having a battle of wits with unarmed opponents sometimes, isn't it?

 

[LBejaran]

Like having a battle of wits with unarmed opponents sometimes, isn't it?

Kinda felt like we were having a knife fight but they brought foam noodles and I had a sword. Or, you know, a brain.

I hope our little battle made some people question the price and will make them think twice before just trusting some guy they met on Facebook. My friend Jennifer just thanked me and said she probably would have fallen for it a couple weeks ago. Several poultry people have been trying to inform new folks lately but it's hard when you've got dozens of folks trying to sell them chicks that are probably barnyard mixes but they are charging show quality prices.

 

[Blooie]

We hit 81 degrees today and have a chance of thunderstorms tonight. That shouldn't surprise anyone. What's going to come as the surprise is that around 5:00 am the rain will change over to snow, we could see 1 to 4 inches, 6 inches in higher elevations, and the winds will be in excess of 50 mph. <sigh> You know you're in Wyoming when you step out the door and get a mouthful of Idaho.