The Front Porch Swing

[TexasLisa]

Hey everyone. My washer broke yesterday, so I have to bag up laundry and make a run to the laundromat today when my husband gets home from work.

My chicks are growing up so quick! They are 2 weeks old tomorrow and are getting some of their big girl feathers in. (At least they better be big GIRL feathers! I'm in the city and not allowed roosters)

Went out with my mom today, and we stopped at the greenhouse just to get a taste of spring! They had primrose flowers on sale, so my mom bought 2 for me, and 2 for my daughter for our flower garden this year! They are so pretty!

As promised, here is a pic of my grandson Logan, kissing a chickie.



He loves them, he will lean over and gently touch his mouth/nose to them for kisses!

Hope everyone is having a great day!!

Michelle

Bummer on the washing machine! Cute little boy!!

Lisa

 

[Triple Willow]

Bummer on the washing machine!  Cute little boy!!

Lisa

Ditto! Such a cutie pie!

Hello Ms Texas Lisa!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

Leslie, I LOVE what you're doing! I can see you have a great business mind! Right now I only have about 22 layers but I would love to expand and do something similar to what you are doing. I'd love to sell enough eggs to pay all the expenses AND have enough eggs left over to give away to people who really need them. I really have a soft spot for elderly folks and I know most of them could use some really nutritious food and they would appreciate "home grown" eggs.

Do you mind telling about your complete "chicken operation"? How many birds you have? What breeds? Who are your best layers? Do you do meat birds? Who you sell to? Everything...?

I'm planning on getting some ducks soon- K Campbells. Can't wait to get into that too!

The only thing I really had in mind was my dear college friend's facebook photos of her colorful eggs. As soon as I saw here photos I HAD to have colorful eggs. After some persuasion, TPTB here on the farm agreed to 6 chickens -- I asked my friend what kind of birds lay the pretty eggs, and she said Ameracaunas. So off to the farm store my then-boyfriend and I went to get some Ameracaunas.They only had two chicks in the store at the time "Straight Run Assorted Bantams." Here is a photo:


The were sold out of Ameracaunas for the entire season. We felt so sorry for ourselves that we ordered 6 more chicks. If by "6" you mean 6 each of several different breeds (Dear PTB, remember to check the fine print). We ordered Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons, Brown & White Leghorns, Black Australorps, Golden Sexlinks, Rhode Island Reds, Cuckoo Marans, Silver Laced Wyandottes ...

Long story short, we ended up snagging some of the Easter Eggers anyway, and each time we went to pick up our order of chicks, my friend sneaked extra random birds into the box.

We had no plan.

We brooded the chicks on the floor of my office, in two different batches. Meanwhile I was hard at work pressuring TPTB to get the coop frame in place so I could wrap it in hardware cloth, etc. Here is a bit of a write-up on the coop project. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700786/greenhouse-coop-conversion

It was all a bit of a nightmare, actually. But in the end "we" ended up with over 100 chickens in what I call The General Population (added a few more breeds, if you can believe it), a free-range rooster who has his own little harem of about 5 hens, a trio of heritage Delawares I'm involved in a breed restoration project for, and maybe 15 ducks? Oh, and no boyfriend.

He was lazy and horrible to the animals and ... ugh, just ugh.

This is going to be our third spring with birds. We're still very much new to the whole thing. My Dad, who I live with and take care of and help with his farming business, etc., has had to step in to do the "man hands" part of the chicken stuff, and he in turn often has a younger/stronger employee help him with bursts of work. This is not ideal at all, but I'm very grateful for the help.

We hatched out a bunch of chicks last year, and the pullets are laying now, the cockerels went to the processor this winter.

We've done two batches of turkeys (not a plan the first time, but my then-boyfriend sneaked one onto the property and then I couldn't let it be alone so got it 4 more). We did 5 turkeys that first year, 25 this past year, we aren't sure we'll do more except they were delicious, fun, and the people who bought them are demanding more, so .... I have only done 10 meat birds ... got them free for buying bags of feed. We ate most of those ourselves, gave some to the guys who help here.

I will be hatching out as many of the Delawares as possible this year, and moving the average-looking females into the General Population ... at which point I'll "retire" some of the fuglier hatchery brown egg layers. I'll keep some of the Delaware roosters for improving the breed and process the rest to eat/sell for meat.

We desperately need to improve our pasture situation. That's the highest thing on my priority list at the moment. Also, I need a "better" place to brood chicks (I won't hatch any more until that's been arranged). Also we need a Grow-Out coop (AKA Cockerel Colony) that is further away from the General Population. So far all of that is stuck in the transitional phase of my brain and persuading TPTB to help me make it happen. Yes, I really do need help. My car is minuscule so I can't even bring home a sheet of plywood.

Those first two bantam chicks? Both turned out to be roosters. One went to freezer camp (nasty little thing!), the other is THE MOST ADORABLE ball of fluff this side of Silkies and spends his days unsuccessfully sneaking up on dust-bathing hens hoping to get lucky.

He is never lucky.

 

[LindaB220]

Awww, we coulda ate the gators... but the snakes...? I don't mind the non-venomous but the venomous freak me out a tad bit! LOL

At one time I had a picture of me holding 2 baby gators on my chest. Mama had bought them for $20. Pets. ha. Kept them for about 8-10 mon and they were 3 ' long each. So they took them to Lake Bisteneau about 15 mi away and released them. She was very tender hearted and couldn't kill them. Now remember that this was almost 50 years ago. Do you think I'd ever think about swimming in that lake now. Thinking back, stupidity. But I was so young that I didn't know the dangers.
We moved to Haughton when I was 17. Had horses, cows, rabbits, dogs, chickens, etc. Never ate one animal except eggs. But she crawled into a bramble bush one day after hearing a baby rabbit screaming. Killed a snake by twisting it's head off. And cried that the baby rabbit died. One mean lady. The most hated person in the county I believe, but I loved her so much. Died 3 years ago.

 

[Triple Willow]

At one time I had a picture of me holding 2 baby gators on my chest.  Mama had bought them for $20.  Pets.  ha.  Kept them for about 8-10 mon and they were 3 ' long each.  So they took them to Lake Bisteneau about 15 mi away and released them.  She was very tender hearted and couldn't kill them.  Now remember that this was almost 50 years ago.  Do you think I'd ever think about swimming in that lake now.  Thinking back, stupidity.  But I was so young that I didn't know the dangers. 
We moved to Haughton when I was 17.  Had horses, cows, rabbits, dogs, chickens, etc.  Never ate one animal except eggs.  But she crawled into a bramble bush one day after hearing a baby rabbit screaming.  Killed a snake by twisting it's head off.  And cried that the baby rabbit died.  One mean lady.  The most hated person in the county I believe, but I loved her so much.  Died 3 years ago. 

Wow, one brave lady to rescue a little rabbit like that! Sounds like you might have got that love for animals from her. Those baby gators are cute... but then they grow up. Kinda like pigs, cute for a minute. LOL

...sorry about you're mom passing away. Mine is 86 and I don't even like to think about it.

 

[sarahsunshine]

At one time I had a picture of me holding 2 baby gators on my chest. Mama had bought them for $20. Pets. ha. Kept them for about 8-10 mon and they were 3 ' long each. So they took them to Lake Bisteneau about 15 mi away and released them. She was very tender hearted and couldn't kill them. Now remember that this was almost 50 years ago. Do you think I'd ever think about swimming in that lake now. Thinking back, stupidity. But I was so young that I didn't know the dangers.
We moved to Haughton when I was 17. Had horses, cows, rabbits, dogs, chickens, etc. Never ate one animal except eggs. But she crawled into a bramble bush one day after hearing a baby rabbit screaming. Killed a snake by twisting it's head off. And cried that the baby rabbit died. One mean lady. The most hated person in the county I believe, but I loved her so much. Died 3 years ago.

I trapped turtles in Louisiana for 2 summers, and I caught an 8' gator in my trap once. Scared teh pants off me but I was super careful getting it out. My co-worker wasn't so careful but had luck... The number of times that she went too close to the traps still has me freaking out and that was about 12 years ago! She was so NOT careful that she once got bit by a turtle!!! Good thing there wasn't a gator in that trap!

Sorry about your mom. Good things my parents swear they will never die so I don't have to worry about it . My dad just turned 73 last week!

 

[Triple Willow]

The only thing I really had in mind was my dear college friend's facebook photos of her colorful eggs. As soon as I saw here photos I HAD to have colorful eggs. After some persuasion, TPTB here on the farm agreed to 6 chickens -- I asked my friend what kind of birds lay the pretty eggs, and she said Ameracaunas. So off to the farm store my then-boyfriend and I went to get some Ameracaunas.They only had two chicks in the store at the time "Straight Run Assorted Bantams." Here is a photo: The were sold out of Ameracaunas for the entire season. We felt so sorry for ourselves that we ordered 6 more chicks. If by "6" you mean 6 each of several different breeds (Dear PTB, remember to check the fine print). We ordered Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Buff Orpingtons, Brown & White Leghorns, Black Australorps, Golden Sexlinks, Rhode Island Reds, Cuckoo Marans, Silver Laced Wyandottes ... Long story short, we ended up snagging some of the Easter Eggers anyway, and each time we went to pick up our order of chicks, my friend sneaked extra random birds into the box. We had no plan. We brooded the chicks on the floor of my office, in two different batches. Meanwhile I was hard at work pressuring TPTB to get the coop frame in place so I could wrap it in hardware cloth, etc. Here is a bit of a write-up on the coop project. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/700786/greenhouse-coop-conversion It was all a bit of a nightmare, actually. But in the end "we" ended up with over 100 chickens in what I call The General Population (added a few more breeds, if you can believe it), a free-range rooster who has his own little harem of about 5 hens, a trio of heritage Delawares I'm involved in a breed restoration project for, and maybe 15 ducks? Oh, and no boyfriend. He was lazy and horrible to the animals and ... ugh, just ugh. This is going to be our third spring with birds. We're still very much new to the whole thing. My Dad, who I live with and take care of and help with his farming business, etc., has had to step in to do the "man hands" part of the chicken stuff, and he in turn often has a younger/stronger employee help him with bursts of work. This is not ideal at all, but I'm very grateful for the help. We hatched out a bunch of chicks last year, and the pullets are laying now, the cockerels went to the processor this winter. We've done two batches of turkeys (not a plan the first time, but my then-boyfriend sneaked one onto the property and then I couldn't let it be alone so got it 4 more). We did 5 turkeys that first year, 25 this past year, we aren't sure we'll do more except they were delicious, fun, and the people who bought them are demanding more, so .... I have only done 10 meat birds ... got them free for buying bags of feed. We ate most of those ourselves, gave some to the guys who help here. I will be hatching out as many of the Delawares as possible this year, and moving the average-looking females into the General Population ... at which point I'll "retire" some of the fuglier hatchery brown egg layers. I'll keep some of the Delaware roosters for improving the breed and process the rest to eat/sell for meat. We desperately need to improve our pasture situation. That's the highest thing on my priority list at the moment. Also, I need a "better" place to brood chicks (I won't hatch any more until that's been arranged). Also we need a Grow-Out coop (AKA Cockerel Colony) that is further away from the General Population. So far all of that is stuck in the transitional phase of my brain and persuading TPTB to help me make it happen. Yes, I really do need help. My car is minuscule so I can't even bring home a sheet of plywood. Those first two bantam chicks? Both turned out to be roosters. One went to freezer camp (nasty little thing!), the other is THE MOST ADORABLE ball of fluff this side of Silkies and spends his days unsuccessfully sneaking up on dust-bathing hens hoping to get lucky. He is never lucky.

Don't feel bad, I hardly ever have a plan. They will probably note that on my tomb stone! "She never had a plan... until now." lol It seems that a whole lot of us are in the position of taking care of a parent, me too. Funny how so many of us have ended up together here. Well I kissed some toads before I found Mr Right. I had actually given up! lol He was always around chickens growing up but he doesn't really like fooling with my chickens at all BUT he does help me with the building sort of things, usually. I wish he was interested in the chickens. Together we could do more. I was thinking today about how different men and women are. It takes me forever to make a decision on things sometimes because I look at it from every possible angle- so frustrating! LOL I can pass the same thing by the boyfriend and in 5 minutes he has the solution that makes sense! I guess that is one reason men and women work good together (a lot of times). I just looked at your coop page - NICE! I love repurposing! Love that nice level spot that drains well - unlike mine. Pretty cool that your birds are helping the orchard too. I can see that working great. Looks like a great setup.

 

[lindz8504]

I was going to say MAAAAYBE, if you don't know him! Glad you know him personally! LOL

Only if his feet are muddy!!

Lisa

He really is such a sweetie! He can be very intimidating though!
Lisa, he doesn't jump up on you at all! He is the most well-mannered dog I have ever had. The only thing is that he will demolish pillows or blankets, and likes my boots. And he has perfected the Dane-lean....

 

[lovingmyhens]

B-u-tee-full eggs!!! Sooo perdy! You people just keep on and I'm going to have to have some of all of those colors! Dang it, leave me alone!! hahahahahahaha

You and me both!!! No chicks no chicks no chicks.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Any of ya'll have any clue what the heck would cause this ? It was in the nestbox this afternoon; looks like two eggs attached together, without shells. It's like the membrane under the shell, and the shell forgot to form. Is there anything to be alarmed about when seeing something like this ?